tommymc

Best check with Sunrise to get the right answer. I have a W10 which has about the same main capacity as your W8 and a normal ZP 150 is the max that will go in without a real struggle.

And my Triathlon 175 also works great. New Dacron lineset opens like butter and flairs good. Has nice colors that are not obnoxious. The soft South African ZP packs so nice! Maybe it's not trendy but it puts my 70-year old feet down softly where I want. Best of all, the used purchase plus reline was less than $600, leaving me some room for barley therapy in my retirement budget! I figure on it taking care of me for a few more years. Cheers, Tom

Is it really a quantum leap above the tried and true Triathlon (which can be had in very nice second-hand form for $500 to $600)? Tom

Lyosha, thanks for the ID on that. Yes, when I look at the details it's surly Aerodyne. Inside the bag is a yellow stamp "5ATP", maybe for an Icon I5. Their new bag is now sewed down on three sides just as UPT has done with theirs. But Aerodyne still employs pocket tucked magnets on the pouch opening. So it would seem that misrouting lines around the magnet tabs would result in bag lock, as before. Another interesting feature on the new one is a final rubber band stow in the middle of the bag before lines go to the risers. Could this be a reminder to the packer that all loose lines go into and come out of the center notch between the magnets?

While the bag wars are on, could anyone identify the maker of this semi-stowless bag. It has 4 locking, 2 tuck and 2 magnet closures. It works fine in my Wings and Racer rigs with 160-175 sf canopies. Just curious what original container it was for. Thanks, Tom

A couple years ago I took a ride on a 160 Stellar (loaded at over 1:1.4). It flew me right to the pickup point and gave a nice standup flair. It was my first square reserve ride and the smallest 7-cell non-ZP parachute I'd flown. I remember thinking that was really anticlimactic and that I'll never hesitate to go for the silver handle. The Stellar is definitely not an 80's design reserve. To the original question - when it was time to buy another reserve I went with an Angel Fire simply because Nancy was so nice to deal with. Tom McCann

The exact same thing happened to me a couple weeks ago with my PF Havok. I took the suit to Ulla at Merlin Suits in Deland but she was unable to match the missing slider. Tried next door at Racer's shop also without luck. It's not a common YKK piece. So I was ready to haunt JoAnn's Fabric on the way home and then try Phoenix. Anyway, I put on another suit and made a jump, landing in the same spot near the peas. Looking down without taking a step my missing slider was on the ground right in front of me, attached to a piece of bright ribbon. Back to Merlin, Ulla fixed it and more importantly sewed a small piece of ribbon across the top of the zippers on both sides to keep it from happening again. Good luck on yours. Tom McCann

I have an 8-cell Pegasus that I picked up a few years ago in Florida. I was told that it was a prototype and only a few were made. Compared to my regular Pegasus it flew fine the few times I jumped it (including one off the NRGB). The story I got was that it performed well enough that Django just went ahead and added another cell to create the LR-288 (later Manta). Also, since a lot of people were using their one multipurpose canopies for CRW the center lines of the 8-cell would be awkward for docking. If anyone's interested I'll drag it out and look up the date and numbers on the data panel. Tom McCann

I have a US Pap that came in a Strong Stylemaster with a POD bag. Never a problem with openingsQuote that way. Once, on a lark, I put it in a Army pack (for an MC1-1B) and static lined it at low speed out of a Cessna. It knocked my socks off. Both ways were bagged but I guess the SL attached to the bag made the difference. I'd like to jump it again with a modern piggy-back rig and a square reserve. Tom McCann

A couple months ago I nabbed a yellow Vector I on Ebay that has the Olympic Rings on one mud cover and Seoul 1988 script on the the other. With the SN and DOM, 8-22-88, Mad Dog at Relative Workshop confirmed that it was given to Golden Knight Charlie Brown for the event. The rig is nearly like new so it must have been passed on to someone else who ended up jumping little (although it has been fitted with a Cypres kit and a BOC pouch). It's a V-5 so would have been sized right for a 220 s.f. main and a Firelite reserve. As soon as I get a reserve packed into it I'll get it back into the air - maybe with that nice old Pegasus sitting in the closet. Tom McCann

Yeah, it had to be in Kissimme. I don't know when the T6 was replaced by a 182 but my first jump in Oct. 1969 was from the Cessna, thank god. Later Jimmy moved to Eustis and then Umatilla, where he passed away. The Cessna stayed with him till the end. Tom McCann

Check the line and trim specs' that are still available on Aerodyne's webstie. You have to go to the "Other" and then "Discontinued" tabs to find the Hornet and other PISA products. I've had 150 and 170 Hornets within the last couple years and thought they opened and handled great. But on both I found the toggle length from the factory to be short, causing bucking with front riser control. The 170 was tight enough to float the canopy in full flight. This was easily fixed with new longer lower control lines. Such a setting should have nothing to do with opening characteristics. If yours is of the last couple years of production (I think it ended the last of '03) it may have a larger slider which could affect subterminal openings. The original Hornet manual calls for a little rolling of the outside four nose cells to the middle and a little push in of the center cell. I really miss the soft South African fabric and the nice packing with it. Hope this helps. Blue ones, Tom

Here's what I've made up. If you can find a neopreme case for your particular model it's easy. This case was $13 from Thegpsstore.com. The belt loop on the back makes it simple to attach to a chest strap or an altimeter chest pillow. What you see here is a cotton belt that's been cut down for wrist or ankle mount. Once in the air the receiver seems to work in any place on your body but the wrist mount makes it easier to keep satellite contact while in the plane. Just lay your arm on a window sill before exit. Hope this helps. Tom McCann Florida

Thanks for the notice. I got one of the new 175's a couple days ago and double checked the control lines. They're okay. Couple things worth noting on the brake-to-toggle segments. Made of Dacron and the toggle loops are already sewn. Neet and makes for quick assembly but I hope they're long enough not to interfer with front riser control. I'll put it in the air today and find out. Tom McCann Florida

My previous Q6 handled a Fury 220, full but okay (with an advertised volume of about 500 cu.in.) And my current Q5 has a Raven II (218 s.f.) plus Cypres. Your 190 Smart should be easy. Tom

A couple corks in the ends solve the errant finger problem for about a buck and with little weight addition. The distinctive shape and feel of the PVC tube make surer of what you're grabbing. A plastic practice golf ball is even better. Tom

Post: I've just packed a Manta and it had 9 cells, strange Not strange, you're right. It's my understanding that only a handfull of 8-cell Pegasus canopies were made (I've got one). I hear that the results were so encouraging that another cell was added to make the LongRange-288. The Pegasus/Fury is 220 s.f. Maybe this is a case of good design leading to sucessful variants. Sort of like the 265/283/302/327/350 Chevy V-8 block. Tom

And before that the company was Django and the parachute was known as an LR288. It seems to have evolved directly from the 7-cell Pegasus (now named Fury). Tom

Riggerrob: I think that you can add Strong's Stellar reserve to your list of current designs. I recently had a ride on one at about 1.4:1 loading. I set up on final prepared for the worst with feet & knees together. But into a light breeze I got a nice flair and an easy standup. I'll take that reserve anywhere without apprehension. Tom

Ditto. My Crossfire was relined at Skyworks and returned in about a week. Mel was very easy to deal with and generously provided info on mods for my Safire. They'll get my future business on Icarus canopies. Tom

I had a Raider in a V-5 for years. It's a full combination but not a problem in any way. Tom

The four upper control lines are equal length (from the cascade attachment) in the unmodified original set. The modified versions have differential lengths, with the outtermost being the longest. Contact Mel at Skyworks Parachute Service ("masterrigger1" here) for details. Tom

Hi Kelly: I've got a small format 40-page booklet entitled "Para-Commander Handbook" by Gary Lewis, 1976. It's got packing and modification info. PM me with your address and I'll send it. You can copy and return the original. Tom McCann Florida

Chris: I have a W-10 with a Hornet 150 and it's a full pack resulting in a very tightly stowed freefly pud. In fact, I have to work the pud's stiffener under the flap starting with the corner inserted at a loosest point. I think that your canopy is just about right in the middle of the size range for that container, so, as Aggiedave suggested, could the closing loop be too long? Tom

I definitely second the motion of doing a few pulls on the ground if you get the FF Pud. Going from a right leg pouch to BOC was a little awkward the first couple times before it became automatic. But my first pulls on the FF Pud were much more difficult because of the different directions needed for extraction. The reflex muscle memory will take over after a while. My 150 main and a new W-10 are tight together and make the Pud's tuck very secure.