relyon

Her post is #50 and yours is #66. They were posted close to 9 hours apart. I'm calling you on an insensitive comment you made to her to which you add more directed at me. Like many others, I value your opinion though I may disagree with it at times. I'm sure you can express yourself in a more civil manner. Bob

Yes she did. The post that she explains her reasoning was entered Jan 20 and your post was made on Jan 21. And don't pretend it was a question. You were making a insensitive inflaming statement implying a lack of concern on her part regarding fatalities other than her husband. Grow up. Bob

I'm curious if there's any information/testing/etc involving close transmission sources. Most of the 30mW walkie talkies used on the 70-way CF world record were in jumpsuit pockets less than a foot from where a Cypres would be. Bob

Hey, it might not be that bad! Consider if you were on the centerline (#25 would be perfect) and you dropped grips and cutaway just as the reserve reached full inflation. The first 70-way ghost pullout! #23 or #24 bring home the main and Brian snags the freebag! Edited to ask: What do you think Chris W (parachutist)? Seriously though, I have to agree with Wendy here with regards to Cypres and CRW. Personal decision though, and I respect everyone for having their own. Let's all hope we can avoid the down side of either choice. Bob

Why its just a fatality? She fully explained her reasons and you know it. Stop trolling. Bob

Very interesting, but I don't buy it. The fatality rate for manned spacecraft operations is far in excess of that for skydiving. Bob

How was the recall missed on the previous reserve I&R? Bob

Nothing is safe and we all die. Bob

Didn't Jerry Meyers develop a release mechanism around the same time? Bob

Mine pulls in 6-8" of the PC into the last ring. It thoroughly kills the PC and all but eliminates the possibility of a PC/brake entanglement. Bob

Sure you can, it just needs to be with some forward speed instead of from a hover. The 8th WPC in CF was done with a Russian Mi-8 helicopter. It was a blast doing CRW from it. Bob

The most likely cause is too long a bridle. IIRC, the Lightning bridle is 79" long for 176s and smaller. On canopies smaller than a 176, the excess bridle doesn't get taken in the last ring and that allows the PC to move. In addition to a dancing PC, there is a very real entanglement hazard where a hard stack dock can throw the lower canopy's PC into the upper canopy's brake lines. Many cutaways have happened this way. The fix is to shorten the bridle so that the base of the PC is pulled right to (or partially into) the ring. Have someone look at your bridle in flight and estimate the amount of excess, then have a rigger shorten the bridle. PC size may also be a contributing factor. I've never jumped one bigger than 30" for any size Lightning - 34" seems a little big. Bob

Here's more about my setup: I got the idea from Scott Chew of the Wild Humans, but I've seen the same setup jumped by the Swedes and the Russians. It's basically a BOC pullout with a floating pin and a pinstop. The pilot chute is similar to a pullout, but is closed at the bottom with a handle (pvc pipe, ping pong ball, wiffle golf ball - something light and easy to grab) sew inside free to "float". The handle is packed at the PC base so it can be grabbed and pulled easily. I've attached some pics: Deployment system as packed (main flap opened to show pin and pinstop).PC pulled from BOC pounch.PC/bridle/pin/pinstop at full extension prior to pulling the pin. This is the dimension that needs to be somewhat shorter than the jumpers arm at full extension to ensure the pin is pulled.The PC is 28" F-111 and marquisette netting (PD mesh slider material would be ideal, IMO) closed at the base. Note the handle.The bridle is S-folded under the side flaps before the pinstop (seen on top off the side flaps in the photo to show the routing).PC packing sequence #1PC packing sequence #2PC packing sequence #3PC packing sequence #4 I use a straight pin but I've seen both curved and straight used. Like Eric says, the only problem is dropping the handle before pulling the pin (like any pullout arrangement), but I've not experienced that. Bob

I jump this setup. My stop is 16" from the PC base end of the bridle. The simplest thing to do is pack everything up and close with loose pin. Then hold the PC where you want the pin to release and have a helper measure where the taught bridle touches the pin. Make sure the pin gets pulled well before your arm is fully outstretched. Bob

Nowhere have I implied someone with little or no experience charge right in with a hook knife at the first sign of reserve trouble. I do think it's a valid option and I gave what I felt was a relevant example to a question you posed. You don't see the relevance and on that we disagree - fair enough. Bob

I trust you've never been in a really serious entanglement or wrap involving cutaway main canopies. More canopies is not a good thing. I would take a lineover or a tension knot on a single reserve canopy at any altitude to some of the stuff I've seen people have to ride in. I think you're mistaken on this point, but I'm certainly not arguing for hook knife use at all. I've had plenty experience with malfunctioning canopies and trust that experience will be in my favor should I find myself in the unfortunate circumstance to need it. I've not used a hook knife to date and hope it stays that way, though I carry two on every jump and have no reservations about using one. Bob

The example I brought up was a main/reserve entanglement that required a hook knife and was finally cleared at a very low altitude. I'll defer to Wendy for a guess as to the actual altitude, but it looked under 1000'. Bob

Huh? How is cutting a single line on a reserve more complicated than cutting multiple lines of another person's main (they've already cutaway) that is entangled with both your reserve and your foot (causing you to hang upside down), without damaging your reserve while the whole mess is spinning and the ground is coming up fast? Do you understand just how complicated of a predicament that is? Bob PS - the reserve slider did get hooked in the process and needed replaced.

Exactly. All I did was double wrap a band around the lines and an inch or so of the center cell trailing edge at the unsupported rib. It's also easy to bartack an attachment point at the same location so you don't lose the band. Bob

Numerous CRWdogs have successfully used hook knives to clear malfunctions far worse than reserve lineovers (eg. cutting up someone else's main that is entangled with their reserve while hanging upside down - yes, it's on video). Not an everyday occurrence, but it does happen. Bob

Freestowed tailpockets (ie. a closing stow and a line pouch) line dump pretty much by design. Depending on how you treat the nose, you can get anything from the equivalent of a bag dump (though there is no bag) to fairly snively behavior. I freepacked a Triathlon 160 once (no bag, no pouch, single tight band, lines in the pack tray) and took it to terminal. It opened the same as if it had a bag. Bob

True enough. Roger McClelland routinely packs his Lightning with the brakes unstowed. He says the openings slow down quite a bit, but not enough for terminal (though he has tried). OT: so what color is your reserve, Remko? Does it have red A lines? Bob

Here's a pic. Bob

I carry two Rippers but have not yet needed to use them. Bob

It depends on the canopy. Earlier larger and longer-lined F-111 canopies (eg. the StratoCloud, Pegasus, etc.) would most definitely fly backwards. I've also seen Andy Farrington do it with a Parafoil when he was jumping accuracy. Looks wierd as the canopy is deflated, yet deployed. Wouldn't want to land it. The newer ZP CRW canopies (eg. Lightnings, Triathlons) don't seem to be able to do it. Bob