betzilla

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Posts posted by betzilla

  1. Quote

    Agree. The marketing hype is "Buy a Low Pack volume reserve, you'll be safer with a bigger reserve for the same container size." I have found that is sometimes true



    Agree with your agreement B|.

    I've found that the PR126/OP143 level is really the last size where you can reliably say an OP "packs a size smaller." Once you get down into the smaller sizes, the low bulk fabric makes up little enough of the pack volume itself, that the one-size-smaller rule just doesn't hold true -- all that pesky suspension line and reinforcement tape take up just as much space in an OP as in a PDR. By the same token, the really big OPs pack up MORE than a size smaller than their PDR counterparts.

  4. I will let some customers watch, sometimes.

    In other words, it depends.

    If it's busy season, and the person is a talker, I will be honest and just say I can't afford to lose the time, and my company can't afford for me to lose the time. But if it's a slow time of year, and/or the customer is a long time customer of mine or my employer, I'm much more accommodating. And some customers are just fun to have around, so sure. :)
    The reality is, in my experience, they don't just want to "watch," they want you to explain what you're doing and why, which means it's now a packing demonstration, which takes longer. There IS a time and place for that. It has real value and can be a rewarding experience (and is awesome for customer relations). But if I did it for every packjob, or even made it available for every pack job, I'd have to raise my prices by 50%.

    Regarding the thread you mentioned... I definitely understand the point you are trying to make. However, if riggers can't follow written instructions (and we know many riggers have real trouble with that - they only look at the photos, or they don't look at the photos closely enough, or they ignore the manual altogether and just do what the last guy did), what makes you think having a non rigger there, who understands the instructions even less, would improve that situation? I just don't see that it would.


  6. Quote

    Peter, I've never seen a Javelin with Velcro riser covers. Have you?



    I have. Dom was mid-80's at the newest (I'm thinking 1983, but it was many, many years ago that I saw it, so my memory of the exact year could certainly be screwy - it was for sale on consignment in a shop I worked in).

  7. Quote

    These are the types of incidents that definitely score points for the Jumpshack Racer rig and its fully external reserve PC.



    I'm petty confident that an incompetent, creative rigger could fuck one of those up very badly too. Stupidity + confidence = a broadly frightening combination.

  8. this is similar to the way reserve lines are stowed in most reserve freebags. When I was a new rigger, I was really scared of the same thing - that somehow the lines would end up a tangled mess and the canopy wouldn't be able to deploy. But I have never heard of that happening, with one of my pack jobs or anyone else's either, for that matter.

    Just go slow the first few times you do it - be careful and methodical, and soon your fingers will have muscle memory that will make stowing your lines a literal no-brainer.

    Enjoy your new Vector!

  10. yup. They've gotten more conservative in what they'll recommend you pack into their containers. It's all good with me, because I'd generally rather do easy pack jobs than difficult ones :P (I did get a little annoyed the time I had to sign a release because I was ordering a Mirage for canopies that were listed as a good fit in the old sizing guide, but not recommended in the new one. I had packed that combination many, many times, and knew it to be good fit, so I signed the release, proceeded with the order, and made my customer happy).


  11. Quote

    My friend, who sent me the link, is a local Master Rigger who has been thinking about how to build a small table that could be used to cut Cordura



    Please keep us posted!

  13. Quote

    I've seen one case where the loop was almost totally torn due to incorrect packing, the toggle nose was stowed to brake line above the metal ring on the riser.



    Any DZ rigger can tell you that this error happens ALL THE TIME, to people/packers of all experience levels. To err is human, after all...

    Edit: Packers ARE people, of course, haha!

  16. Quote

    " 4-6 September, 1888. First parachute descents in Canada. Canadian-born Edward D. Hogan, of Jackson, Michigan, performed hot air balloon ascensions and parachute descents at the Great Eastern Exhibition, Sherbrooke, Quebec.
    Ref: le Pionier, Sherbrooke, Que., 6 September, 1888."



    A quick google search turns up this blog post about one of Edward D Hogan's subsequent jumps. Interesting!

    https://av8rblog.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/first-canadian-parachute-jump-1888/

    And here's another article, about E.D. Hogan's brother (apparently, daredeviling was a Hogan-family affair!):

    http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/07/looking_back_balloonist_prof_w.html

  17. Quote

    why should the 4 way take priority over someone that followed the process and manifested correctly?



    Invariably, when this has happened to my teams, the error happened in manifest (we give manifest a list of our personnel for the day, then manifest as a chunk of five people). I'm not saying that this is how every DZ does it, but... I'd vote bump the solo jumper (if he/she is willing), and the team thanks that jumper with frosty beverages or a packing ticket or some other nicety.
    ** I'm also not dissing manifestors - that's a thankless job. Sometimes mistakes like this just happen. They're pretty easy to work out when everybody acts like adults.

    No team I've been on would ever go do a three way when the plan was, until loading the plane, a four way training jump - that has zero value training value, and just costs money, if it wasn't the actual plan for the jump. So on one occasion, when there was a cluster in loading/manifest, and nobody else was willing to bump, all five of us pulled off and bumped to another load. Sometimes you've just got to be the bigger person (or, five bigger people :D).

  19. Quote

    There is no "correct" brake setting point for a main canopy. It's a matter of preference that you need to figure out for yourself. Usually with your rigger to advise you. If you make them shorter to get the last bit of flare you may find yourself pulling down the tail of the canopy when you are front risering. If you make them longer to avoid that problem, and especially if you don't have long arms, you may need to take a wrap to get a full flare. If you like to use the fronts on final approach you won't have time to take the wrap safely. Some people rarely use fronts. That makes the calculation easier for them.

    On top of all that is the fact that if you have Spectra lines they will surely shrink with use.

    Life has it's compromises, you need to find the ones that work for you.



    Great post and really good info. But it's important not to conflate "brake setting," with the position of the toggle on the steering line.

    Brake setting is specific to each make and model of canopy, and determined by the manufacturer. The position of the toggle on the steering line, which is what @Gowlerk's post discusses so well, is recommended per canopy at the factory, but people often play with it a little to meet their own needs and flying style (I certainly do!)

  21. I think your theory gives people too much credit, haha. The people I've encountered who've grossly overpaid for crappy used gear have only considered how much cheaper it is than new gear, and have failed to ask someone knowledgeable whether the price makes sense.

    I'm thinking of telling people that as a rule of thumb, if they're looking at used gear that's older than ten years, or that has been heavily jumped, they should plan on having to drop $500 in upkeep (repairs and replacement parts) on it to make it airworthy, pending a full inspection.

    But is seems that, since gear is kind of like a trusted friend to the owner, people tend to try to sell their gear for its sentimental value (which is high) rather than its actual value (which is often low, especially if it's been sitting in the closet while the owner hems and haws about leaving the sport for a few years). And newbies pay it, because they don't know any better, and often don't even know who to ask...

  22. Quote

    The day you earn your master rigger certificate, you will be allowed to replace reserve lines. Wouldn't it be nice if you could practice on main canopies first, where you could see your results without having to worry about catastrophic results?



    I totally agree with this. I did literally hundreds of main relines as a senior rigger, at first with minimal 'supervision,' then totally on my own. During this same period I diagnosed and reworked several grievous errors made by Master Riggers who had relined canopies. I also replaced some reserve lines for a Master Rigger who did not feel comfortable doing it himself, but who knew I had the skill to do it (he did supervise those jobs, since he would be logging the work).

    Until it becomes true that Master Riggers are actually better at the work, it just doesn't make sense to say only they can do relines, especially when we are talking about just installing linesets built by the factory.

    I *could* see an argument that only a Master Rigger may manufacture a replacement lineset, but even there I have little faith that the average master rigger is particularly good at that (I'm a strong believer in factory made parts wherever available).

  25. Quote

    However, in the order form, I can't see any difference, besides the different embroidery options and the different preselected options.


    agreed. Those order forms are a bit confusing, as they appear on their website today!