aironscott

I'm very sad to hear that Byro has passed. He was one of the nicest people I've had the opportunity to spend time with. I remember him form the early 2000's and worked with him in Colorado. I can't remember a time when he wasn't upbeat. Thank you for your service my friend. Aaron

Rest in peace Dave. You will forever be a friend, idol, mentor and inspiration to me. Like many, Dave trained me initially to be a rigger. After a few years I got good at it. One night in Eloy Dave, Weird Wayne, Dave Mahoney and myself were sitting around a campfire. Mahoney and I had the loft there at the time. Listening to Dewolf and His Weirdness discuss so many things that were way above the heads of Mahoney and mine was one of the greatest treats of my life. Respect, Love and Peace to you my friend. Mahoney and I still talk about that night. "There's a pork chop in every can"

Thanks for putting that link up there. I sure miss that fucker. “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

Serrated scissors are the ticket. Don't mess around with flat blades for cutting line. Electrician's scissors (as an example) can be purchased for around $20 at any Home Depot or Lowe's. They grip the line and cut it cleaner than anything I've ever tried. “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

Hi Roger - Thought I'd chime in here and try to give you a puurfectly muddy answer. The answer is that there are tons of different types of bar tack stitches. If you are asking about bar tacks on lines then as was explained above PD uses a 42 stitch center start - stop stitch on mains and reserves. Truth be told there is a method for doing main line sets that doesn't even require stitches but that's a different thread (no pun intended). There are other manufacturers that use 42 stitch left or right start stop. But that depends on how you orientate the line to the machine :-) 28 stitch bar tacks are commonly used as well. The commonly accepted definition of a bar tack is that there are straight stitches covered by zig zag stitches. Can be 8 or 80 stitches. There are also those that call the stabilizer stitch a bar tack. Often times it is. I've relined plenty of canopies just using 304 or 308 zig zags too with no center straight stitches. They never seem to come undone but a bar tack is certainly preferable. The very cool programmable bar tackers can be programmed to do all kinds of stitches that are or resemble bar tacks. But 42 and 28 are the two more common out there right now and have been for years. Personally i have a couple of 42 left start stops that get used on mains all the time. Can't go wrong there. If you can find an analog bar tacker that does 42 center start stop buy it and if they have two give me a call. So I guess my final answer is to put as many stitches into a finger trapped main line as you see fit. It's the finger trap that does the work of holding the line mating anyway. The stitches just hold the line in place while the line is slack. (But i would strongly recommend at least a 28 stitch bar tack or stitches. Hope that clears things up a little ;-) Aaron “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

Ash was one of my bros in this world. We had a lot of good times over the years and I will always remember those times and him. For everyone here that got a chance to know him, consider yourselves extremely lucky that you did get to know him. He wasn't one of the good ones - he was one of the best and I will forever be thankful that he was my friend. He and I started working in Eloy around the same time. He, Gray and I were all working in the loft together and good gawd we had some fun. Then we worked together at the school there. I loved jumping with Ash. I trusted him. Even when he was making shit up as he went along

Anyone know his digits? I haven't talked to my friend in a while and would like to. Thanks Aaron “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

Allright. Since this is a public forum I won't air any fun laundry. But you have to admit, you telling someone not to pull, turn, go, low is kind of like me telling someone not to dork a fat chick. Do as I say not as I do.............. And - bitch- as far as me not jumping much lately.....I still have some panties with more freefall time than you. "Where's my panties?!" How's my skydiving? 1-800-EAT-DIRT “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

WAIT a second. YOU had a conversation with someone else about pulling low?!? Methinks that you owe more than just some beer for this one. Pot, meet kettle. Hi kettle, my name is Dave ! How's my skydiving? 1-800-EAT-DIRT “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

I'll agree with previous posters here. This fraying is normal and almost certainly not the cause of any turn you may be experiencing. I would not cut out the fraying either. But if you feel like experimenting, make yourself some sort of tracing device (pattern) and hot knife it. Don't free-hand it. Actually don't do anything unless you really feel the need to take a risk with this canopy. Cuz nothing fucks up a canopy faster than a hot knife (except maybe a hot smoke canister). Your turn is more likely in line trim. Measure the break lines against each other. Make sure they are not too short in full flight. Then measure each A line to it's opposite. Then each B, C and D. Also make sure that you measure your risers against each other. If that doens't reveal anything grab a buddy and start comparing cell lengths and ribs. It takes two people. You'll figure something out eventually. If not. stick each of your legs on a scale, one at a time. Maybe you are just off. Good luck. The more time you put into this the more you will learn about it. “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

Jim - You said it very well here. And I second your statements. Please let me expound a bit further. As a rigger that has been around, takes the time (and makes the expenditures) to be a well educated and caring rigger, I often feel that our services are under appreciated. And I've bent over backwards so many times to help out a jumper in need of a rigger only to get no thanks from them. The feeling of under -appreciation gets to me sometimes. Just like this thread is doing to me right now. So to all of those non-riggers that are strangers to me, that need me to replace a line by tomorrow, or need a repack cuz you hired the cheapest main packer that you could find, I say go buy your own bartacker(s). Go get your own ticket. If you are so willing to bitch about what I charge, please develop the skill set that it takes to do the work yourself. It ain't rocket science. Either way the FAA will ask me to inspect your gear when you don't do some things right. And oh yeah, riggers do hold FAA certificates. We are held to a legal standard that skydivers are not. Riggers take on a responsibility that joe skydiver hasn't. But you are welcome to........try. Aaron “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

Bill that's a red herring argument and you know it. The very first thing that the FAA asks after a fatality is "who was the rigger?" That makes the rigger the defacto person of contention. I hate to say this in a public forum but riggers are the easiest people to hang out to dry, leagaly, in any court case. But then again, if some of us get screwed by the courts, the rest of us will just quit rigging. OR we'll charge enough to cover legal bills. You want to pay my malpractice insurance via repacks? Cuz I'll charge you for it. I should already cuz my name is all over your rig already. And when you go in they'll come to me first. I have no control what a jumper does with his or her rig after it leaves my loft. Yet still they'll pound in on occasion. So as Steve alluded to earlier please go get your ticket if you are disgruntled with riggers. Certainly you will do a mutch better job for yourself than those of us that have dedicated our time to try to make sure that you don't kill yourself because of equipment failure. Isn't it strange that we rarely have a fatality due to rigging these days? It's cuz those of us dedicated riggers police ourselves way better than any other segment of the skydiving community. When's the last time that you heard of a rigger hooking it in? When's the last time you heard of a canopy pilot pounding it in after they took a canopy course? You want to police something? Look over there. Eat Dirt. Aaron “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

I'm with you Steve. Fuck em if they don't like the life saving service that we happily perform for them. For very little (if any) utility to us. Please, please, please if you are uncomfortable with the job your rigger does, or the price he or she charges, go seek out another rigger. Go to discountrigging.com. It seems to me that seeking out the lowest price rigger is in any skydiver's best interest. Of course, when said skydiver comes to me I will charge properly to fix all of the issues that are wrong with their rig that discountrigging.com missed. I will never recoup the cost of my rigging tools, sewing machines, trips to the symposium, and recurrent training by doing repacks for the masses. And I used to be a full time rigger at several major dzs. And if you happen to come upon my loft now, I will explane to you what a dickhead you are being in regards to riggers. And then send you on your way. Assholes get the same I&R as everone else. Most riggers have no deviation in their program. BUT karma will catch up to the shithead that gets pissy with their rigger. “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

No it is not worth it. Do yourself a favor and get a modern AAD (Cypres, 2 or Vigil, 2). No reason to screw around in this department. “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

I'm hesitant to get into this discussion cuz we all have our own opinions. But I'll share some of my experiences. One year I got a job in Eloy. I thought that was big time cuz they had Sigma rigs (and it was Eloy after all). One of the guys nearly had a tandem student fall through the harness. At the time he had only about 10,000 tandems. I'm not sure but I think that's a lot. By shear muscle he kept his student in that harness. I get there and Greg hits me up and tells met that I'm putting these harnesses on my students wrong. He takes the time to explane it to me. Demonstrates it. This is an example of how it should work. Knowledge should pass freely from one to another. All to often we get caught up in our own egos, and forget about the bigger picture. I've done this a bunch of times. So have you. I like to think that some of the conversations that I've had with Bill helped to keep him alive when his reserve pc jumped out in the caravan. Discussion, my friends, is good. “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

5'9" 185 lbs. And I hate Strongs too. “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

I kind of think that anyone that has experience in this sport is obligated to speak up when there is a safety issue about another jumper. Heck I've even had students point out a problem that the whole rest of the load had missed. Aaron “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

Rosie - The first 100 or so are going to be like that. It seems that is a magic number for getting into tandems. When you get to 1000 you should "get" tandems. Here's a few pointers for that first 100. 1. Do your best to exit stable with every student. There will be time for flips and other crap later. Get the fundamentals down first. 2. Don't let the DZO talk you into taking students that are too tall, too heavy, or of special needs. And don't foget that often times its the little girls that can hose your exits the worst. 3. Don't let the DZO talk you into going up in conditions that you are not comfortable with. 4. Stay within your physical limits. Just because the other TMs are on their 10th of the day doesn't mean that you have to keep up. If you are worn out after 5, sit down until you are ready to do another. 5. If you forget all about 1-4 that's ok. This one is important. STOP ADJUSTING THE FUCKING MLW ON MY RIG. Good luck, aaron “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

Me neither! “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

Dan-O was a very good friend and a great soul. He was always quick with a smile and a kind word. We are all truely blessed to have had him as part of our lives. One thing that I take as comfort is that Dan left this place much better than he found it. I will miss you. Blue skies Dan-O Aaron “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

Nice troll! “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

QuoteNo she wasn't at Star. I remember your naked tickle fight with Todak) [\reply] I have no recolection of that event, Senator. “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

Is that the girl you brought to the Star boogie a couple of years ago? Sorry to hear that you had to sell your business. Hopefully your new job will be good for you. Aaron "who is Dave Todak......?" That is the best thing I've ever read on this website. Thanks. “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

He is a jumper. Or was. Not sure if he jumps anymore. I may have worked on his gear in the past. I can't remember. What is he selling? if you have any questions i can go look at my log books and try to refresh my memory. Aaron “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”

So is this some catchy new name for, um, skydiving? “God Damn Mountain Dew MotherFuckers!”