Unstable

One of the younger sales girls, I can't remember her name, will sell to individual riggers ~ just let her know you're a professional. =========Shaun ==========

=========Shaun ==========

On a more serious note, I wonder about the feasability of having a MR add rings to the main lift web to make a chest rig attachment point on a skydiving rig for intentional cutaways. That would put a Baser to good use. Will it accept a square reserve? =========Shaun ==========

I've always admired the Voodoo and other RI product for their simplicity and ease of rigging. =========Shaun ==========

Fun jumper friendly? (Sorry, have to ask these days....) =========Shaun ==========

I would love to have a 220-260 barge - I used to jump a Parafoil 282 for ful (loaded well below 1:1) but it was a junker, got rid of it and the 'big' rig. Boogies in the midwest are a special concern ~ think about it, you have jumpers that year round jump either 4 or 6 at a time, and never have to think about canopy traffic. Then, once a year at their favorite boogie, they jump from Turbines carrying 20-30. I am looking at purchasing a Flight Concepts Demo canopy (Startac I) just to hang above the crowd and set it down or for sinking into tight spots. =========Shaun ==========

Learned that the hard way when I tried to sew through one about 2 years back. =========Shaun ==========

Don't blame you ~ "12 gross" is poorly worded. I've pounded about 50 long shank SS on my CS Osborne die, with no visible wear as of yet (although I'm probably more careful than you're average grommet setter...). I think when we talk to folks at CS Osborne, Stimpson, or Lord and Hodge, they suspect that riggers are like sign makers or manufacturers that set grommets 8 hours a day....Your average DZ-rigger may set 100 grommets of a particular type per year, mostly as repairs. =========Shaun ==========

Sorry, I think you misunderstand. 1 gross = 12 dozen, thus 1 gross = 12 x 12 = 144. 12 Gross = 12 x 1 Gross = 12 x 12 x 12 = 1728. =========Shaun ==========

[more experienced rigger, plz corect me if I'm wrong in this post] I asked the exact same thing to the folks at L&H when I placed the order ~ they do sell the Standard Stimpson SS Spur grommet die hand set tool, but the price is pretty much the same as if you ordered it through Paragear or direct through Stimpson (~$175-$185 -ish). The folks at both Lord and Hodge & Paragear both say that you caaaan set ss/ss long shank #0 grommets with a standard die, but the downside is the tool life will dramatically decrease. So, by how much? The folks at Paragear set SS #0's on standard CS Osborne dies, so do the folks at Lord and Hodge. I asked them how long a normal die will last when used to set SS, and the response was "about 12 gross." 1 gross = 12 dozen, 12 gross = 1728 grommets! So, how many SS grommets does a rigger set? I probably do ~ 50 a year. The question then becomes: How many $30 dies am I willing to replace before it becomes more economical to buy the $175 die made from high speed tool steel? Seems like and easy decision... =========Shaun ==========

A Customer asked me to rebuild a torn Dbag, and I found that a good excuse to buy a #4 and #5 Spur Grommet die. I went through Lord and Hodge, and purchased One of each. Just wanted to give them props ~ absolutly fantastic Grommet dies, sets the Mil-Std-20230D Spur Grommets with Rolled Rim washers very nicely, and about 1/3 the Price of the CS Osborne Dies through Paragear (I paid about $22 for each, the punches were more expensive!) Seems like a good product, I'll be buying more Dies through Lord and Hodge. =========Shaun ==========

I'm guessing it's a function of 1. High R&D costs. 2. Demand. If folks are going to pay $1400 for an AAD today, why would you sell it for less just because you've recouped your R&D dollars. The new M2 AAD is looking to be a sub $1000 AAD, but then again so was the Vigil and Argus when they were released, and they both crept to $1300 in no time. I would be very interested to see FXC produce another generation of electronic AAD. They have the manufacturing capabilities, the R&D, and the history to put a project like that together, and I would think they have the clout in the defense market to somewhat subsidize sport production costs. [/speculation] =========Shaun ==========

Why is the Argus banned? IIRC, it's approved for use in the Mirage, and as long as you have post SB cutters (September 2007) with the stainless steel blades, you should be good to go. Am I missing something? =========Shaun ==========

Paraflite seems like an interesting company. I know they are alive and well, producing parachutes on defense contracts, but what was the factor that pushed them out of the sport market in the first place? =========Shaun ==========

I was disappointed in my Z1, even though I've had it for 900+ jumps. The visor hinges are the weak point, two cheap 1/2 turn snap screws that take wear with normal removal and insertion. Just my .02, my biggest beef with most full face helmets is that they are all generally overpriced. I'm going to buy a factory diver next....it seems to be the biggest bang for your buck =========Shaun ==========

I don't know, almost 100% of jumpers start off with their first rig on something conservative like that. I guess I don't get the joke - maybe because this gear isn't as 'cool' as other gear the theif could have stolen. I wouldn't mind a Dolphin, Triathalon, and Argus as a backup, accuracy, or even light crew rig.

I'm also seeing a trend now that more and more DZ are Requiring AAD's. In my next of the woods, 2 of the 4 DZ's in driving distance require them. At many of our home DZ's, folks may pay a lot more for one because it's a requirement to get in the plane. I play the "If I owned a DZ" game in my head, and I don't think I would require them myself.... =========Shaun ==========

Honestly, just out of Curiosity. I'm doing more and more pilot rigs and other oddities and slowly growing my rigging tool collections, and I realized that size "3" was the only one I don't have. I was placing an order with Lord & Hodge and was debating on making the investment. =========Shaun ==========

NOpe, I was replying to Rweider - sorry. =========Shaun ==========

Given the firing parameters of Cypres, Argus, or Even Vigil (let's not assume swoop mode here..) I have a hard time imagining when/why one would plan a dive that would put them at risk for AAD activation. Let's say worst case scenario - cloud base is 2k, you and your buddies get a load going, and you're skimming the bottom of the clouds for a low hop & pop. I have no problem exiting at 2k, but that would mean pulling immediatly and still have 1200' to drop below the required 73 feet/second by 800'. =========Shaun ==========

Spur Grommets with rolled rim Washer, MIL-16491, Class 3, Specified in Mil-DTL-20230... Is there any application is parachuting for size "3"? I Always see 0's and 1's on containers (1's on some pilot rigs), 2's on reserve freebags (between molar ears) and main Dbags, 4, 5, and 6 on Main bags, and 8's on sliders... Anybody ever see 3's? Edited for spelling* =========Shaun ==========

While I agree that the safety an AAD provides is priceless, I'm not willing to pay more than Dealer Cost + Reasonable comission. Look, just because it's 'worth it' doesn't mean I'm going to pay higher than a fair market value. =========Shaun ==========

It always drives me nuts when I pack a PD reserve and the number of packjobs recorded on the packing data card doesn't match the number of checks on the TSO box. Those records should match. =========Shaun ==========

My little system now is I jump every Saturday until about 2, and either MWF or TU are rigging nights. Works well. =========Shaun ==========

Before I had a kid, I would open the DZ up on Saturday morning at 7, jump hard all day, help close up, get mexican food with the gang, and tumble home at 10 at night. While I believe I can mitigate the risks of skydiving to acceptable levels, I realize that the most precious thing I can give now is my time to my wife and son. Now I leave early early in the AM, jump my ass off, head home about 2 and still have half a Saturday with the fam. Works pretty well.