betzilla

PD, Icarus and Parachute Systems, I believe...

I jumped one at 1.2 or so as I was working my way back down to my own gear after a year long layoff. I liked it. You won't get "maximum performance" out of it, but it will still be a good test run of the canopy. I'm not a swooper at all, even on my own CF2 loaded at about 1.6. I love the way it performs as a regular canopy, and I find that it has a ton of flare power even with a non-front-riser approach. Openings are soft, and although it has a tendency to open off heading, in 700+ CF2 jumps, I can count the number of times I've had line twists on one hand. But yes, on a lightly loaded CF2, avoid turbulence...

practice practice practice. I use a cypres screwdriver (the world's most versatile rigging tool!) to push/pull the folds into place on the top and bottom when I turn the corner. Helps a little most of the time.

I'm a pretty big fan of following instructions. But as you know, there are a LOT of people who really have a hard time even reading, let alone following, written instructions. somebody posted earlier that they have a reserve on which the first box wasn't marked at assembly. Did you know that PD reserves used to only have 39 boxes, and the label used to say to mark it every time the reserve is RE-packed? And yes, the card should stay with the reserve, but lots of people don't know that....

PD reserves are available in custom color patterns (though it's really unusual for someone to get as crazy as what you're describing). I've seen several two-colored PDRs. So as long as the warning label shows that it IS a pd reserve and a a rigger gives it a clean bill of health, other than it being ugly, you shouldn't have any worries. :) as for the data card not matching the label, stuff happens to data cards - they get lost, or gear gets separated for sale and it goes with the container instead of the reserve (I had one customer whose data card was NEVER with his rig when he dropped it off, so he pretty much always had a card with one pack job on it that said "new data card"). So I wouldn't be too worried about them no matching. If you're concerned, though, you could call PD and ask if they'll do porosity testing on it to make sure the fabric is still in tip-top shape...

That's hard to say without seeing it in its pocket. There's one manufacturer who is making super-mini d-rings, or something like that, I'm pretty sure it's one of those. Can't remember, and I'm not at that DZ anymore, SOOO.... my larger point was that it's a highly individual choice.

this is great discussion - lots to think about. I have a pillow on my current rig, and that's what I visualize and practice for. As a rigger, I have lots of opportunities to pull handles, albeit on the ground, and I have found that because the pillow is what's in *my* mind, that's easiest for *me* to locate and pull. When I am puling handles on rigs that have metal d-rings, my hand tends to slip off it, because I'm not in the habit of hooking a thumb. The very-low-profile d-rings are even worse, and in one case, though I don't have particularly fat fingers, there was barely enough space between the harness and the edge of the handle to get a finger through the space. I recommended that customer practice gripping that handle a LOT before his next jump, and consider replacing it with one that's a little easier to grab. My only cutaway/reserve ride was on a rig with a big metal handle. I don't recall having any trouble at all finding and pulling that handle, but it was years ago, and not a violent malfunction. I will certainly add to my mental EP's, the possibility that my hand slips off the ripcord pillow after I chop, and I need to go hunting... Stay safe, y'all!

Icarus Spain (CIMSA) would say absolutely not. I'm not sure what the boys in NZ have to say about it - I suspect they're ok with it.

Wow, that's crazy! The VAST majority of my experience with soft links has been with the PD brand. While I knew metal on metal can cause problems, I've never seen anything quite like this.

no, it's still a VX, with a JVX lineset. The main downside is that you're going to have to explain that, exactly, to whomever you sell it to

The tacking serves to keep the ring (or tab) inside the riser instead of sticking out to one side or the other, and to some extent, this helps to insure that the link is loaded properly too. Once your soft links have taken a good "set" with the tab or ring where it needs to be, the tacking isn't important at all. BUT Aerodyne's instructions stipulate that they should be tacked, so if you want to be anal, they *should* be tacked (not so with PD Slinks, so don't trash a rigger who doesn't tack those every time!). In other words, it's not important for your safety, but it is important for the sake of following instructions I tend to tack soft links on mains only if the tabs/rings are poking out of the riser - I try to avoid poking sharp stuff through webbing if I can. I will only tack reserve soft links if the manufacturer's instructions explicitly tell me to. I am endlessly irritated by riggers who tack the soft links in such a way that I can't inspect them for proper assembly without cutting their inevitably tiny stitches and possibly nicking the riser in the process. If you're gonna tack it, do it in such a way that the next guy can still check the work, and so disassembly isn't a terrifying process! That was WAY more than 2 cents, haha...

I did that to myself a couple years ago, after hundreds of main pack jobs and several years working in a rigging loft. It's a very easy mistake to make if you're the least bit distracted. Even easier for a new jumper who may not really understand WHY brakes are set the way they are. If the person is repeatedly doing it wrong, that's a pretty bad sign. But every jumper will space out and do it wrong now and then, I think. It's good to keep in mind that anyone can make a mistake

I had a customer who had a Cobalt 150, who had several sets of spare brake lines in his gear bag because his cobalt opened so hard that he kept breaking them. No joke. One opening was so hard that it blew out a bunch of stitching on his fairly new Vector 3 container, which then had to be sent to UPT for big-money repairs. He thought it was normal. I only learned about the spare brake lines when I told him to fire the previous rigger, because hand-stitching the fingertrap on the lower steering lines was ghetto and he deserved better work than that. He blushed and said, "oh. that was actually me."

Terry! I just packed that talon last week Those short little cables bother me every time I see them! I think it's more like 3 inches, but they definitely don't stay tucked into the housings, that's for sure! He swears they're long enough, and I suppose the manufacturer knew what he was doing (shorter than usual cutaway cables by an inch or so, and a longer than usual ripcord cable by another inch or so helps to insure that things happen in the right order). I know it works, but it does give me the willies... Always takes me sec to remember why there's no cutaway pillow on his rig, haha...

you probably just need a reline on your Sabre2. Lines don't stretch. They shrink. And when they shrink enough (400 jumps could be enough - it is with the smaller ones, for sure), you won't get full flight anymore even with your toggles all the way up. If you aren't getting full flight, you aren't getting a full flare, and that *may* be why you aren't really slowing down at landing. If someone shortened your brake lines you to "help you get deeper into your flare," that probably just compounded the problem. Get a trim-check from a rigger who is knowledgeable about suspension lines and go from there. If you're also just really in the mood for a new canopy, good luck deciding! I jumped a CF2 169 loaded at about 1.1 several years back, and I loved it. I've never heard of one as big as a 189, and I might wonder how one that big would open. So do lots of research...

only way that happens is brakes set incorrectly. He'll deny it (they always do), but that's the deal. Be gentle and remind him that everybody makes mistakes :)

I was against the change at the time (but too lazy to submit a comment about it), out of worry that a stupid mistake left in someone's rig was more likely to cause problems if it had an extra 60 days to possibly be deployed. At that time I worked on a large DZ with exceptionally well-trained riggers who made few mistakes (even the campground riggers are pretty good there!). Now I work in a loft not on a DZ, where I'm seeing many more pilot rigs than I used to, and opening sport repacks from an entirely new group of riggers. I'm seeing more mistakes and general "stupid stuff," but the vast majority of it wouldn't really cause problems. So I feel as though my worry was unwarranted, and the 180 day cycle seems just fine to me these days.

I'm curious if anybody is using TM/reserve Slinks on SigmaII mains, and what the pros and cons are...

offer to pay the person who works there five bucks to do your measurements. I used to work in one (used to own it with my ex, actually), and we'd do that for people who want to not purchase through us for whatever reason, or who are buying some suits from companies for whom we aren't a dealer... good luck! hope you love your suit

I have two of them - one with a heavy cotton front for more drag, and one with a supplex front. I love them both, and have lots of range with each. I'd recommend you order through the pro shop at your DZ -- they can help you choose the appropriate suit for you (for best rate of fall), and they'll know how to measure. And if you have any problems, they'll make sure you're taken care of.

Hi Everybody, I am owner of Para Concepts, the Pro Shop and Rigging Loft at Skydive Chicago. On behalf of riggers everywhere, let me thank all the unsupecting novices out there who bring in their "amazing deal" used rig purchases for repair. I am happy to put money in my cash register, and am very grateful for your business. But man, do I ever feel sorry for you. DON'T take sellers at their word. EVER. Even me. You have GOT to have someone you trust look over any used equipment you purchase. A rig listed as "perfect for beginner" might just be "perfect for sucker." You might pay just $1000 for a used rig, but then you need to put hundreds of dollars worth of work into it just to get in the plane! And it's still old gear with no resale value even then. I don't know any rigger or instructor who won't try to help you keep from getting screwed on used gear! Stepping down from soap box. Don't get suckered. Spend your money on jumps, not junk.

I have a teammate who does that, and I used to do it. If you become conscious of your legs as control surfaces, they'll calm down -- you'll actually be using them to fly instead of just letting them flap in the wind. Good luck! Betsy