Unstable

Yeah Man! The 1978 Cazar is in great shape now, it's just the 1953 24' Flat Circular I'd worry about.... =========Shaun ==========

This is a chest rig that I came to own for one reason or another ~ It is a August 1978 Cazar Paraloft Pop-top Chest container, manufactured in Burminham Alabama, and it currently with a standard 24' Flat Circular. A few items of note are the plastic reserve handle. I ended up rebuilding this rig for practice, and I've replaced all the velcro, new friction adapters, side straps, et cetera. Stratostar lent me a Strong PopTop chest reserve to play with, and what surprised me is how the Cazar rig is a stitch by stitch exact copy ~ I cannot find anything in any Poynter manual, or online for that matter, about the Cazar Loft manufacturing container systems ~ it is apparantly TSO'd to c23b ~ Does anybody know about the old Cazar Sport rigs? =========Shaun ==========

Can I give up going to church for lent? Do they let you do that? =========Shaun ==========

Really? Can't you call up Strong Enterprises and get those SET-10 systems for not an unreasonable price... ($2500 or so... don't quote me on that)??? =========Shaun ==========

Quite a few folks here with the Commemorative airforce have some sort of back channel ~ they keep getting late-90's surplus equipment for pennies, fit them with a Pilot Chute deployment system, and jump the hell out of them. =========Shaun ==========

I just secured my 4th complete chest rig, an old Starmaster with an 'instrument' panel (stopwatch, aircraft altimeter). I don't know why, but for some reason I love collecting Complete chest rigs. =========Shaun ==========

This may be an odd question and thread, but some folks here who are into older gear or surplus parachutes may be able to help me.. As I finished my Chest Rating, I acquired a small collection of Chest Parachutes. Strong, Kaizer, Air Force C-12, and of course a T-10R. I make a habbit of parrousing through Army Surplus stores when I'm in a new town with time to kill. The folks In the surplus business say that they haven't been able to get any parachute stuff in about 15 years.... Does anybody know what the Military does with the crates and cratesa and crates of parachutes they cycle through each year? =========Shaun ==========

BSBD My Friend. Paul Bender is on the far right hand side. He was a regular at KSU Parachute Club, he's been jumping with us for the last season. We all called him "Pappa Jerkey" because he would bring these giant 10+ Gallon bags full of deer and beef jerkey and it would feed the entire Dropzone all day, and hardly make a dent in his supply. My best memory of his was at the last Christmas Party. he showed up to the Pot-Luck style meal, and of course his 'dish' was a few giant bags of jerkey. we had some very good heart-to-hearts. He talked a lot about rigging in the 1970's.. He held back and chest ratings, and at the time, had a large clientele ranging from Oklahoma to Nebraska and most of Kansas. He also discussed how his desire to come back skydiving helped him pull himself out of Alcoholism in the early to mid-90's. It was his motivator, along with his family, who we know he loved, and his job. You will be missed, Pappa Jerkey. =========Shaun ==========

It's very interesting to watch the Paradigm shifts within the Insurance Industry as their balls are squished more and more with soaring healthcare costs. My Wife and I were in the same problem. We had savings, but wanted to buy a seperate health insurance policy as we were both students at the time. I skydive, she doesn't do 'dangerous' sports, but lives a very active lifestyle. I asked around and learned a lot. Long Story Short, I asked specifically for a policy that would cover Skydiving Injuries, and after being told my my agent again and again about this fantastic High-Deductible policy, we bought in. After 6 months and some $1200 later, we get a letter saying Skydiving was not and will not be covered (after assuring me, while taking my check, that it was). I learned the hard way. My advice: Don't mention it. Don't ask, don't tell. If you are hurt, you fell. that's it. Have your buddies take your rig off, get you to a hospital, and you fell. Period, end of report. Those "catch all" phrases are just written to pay out as little as possible. Right now the insurance I have I am required to by from my University, and basically it has a catch-all the exempts almost everything except fallilng down walking to class. =========Shaun ==========

I'm not a TM, but I used to always to up to WFFC in Rantoul and pack tandems for a few of the guys there (Chief, Mel from OK, Byran Welch, and Mark Hogue). I saw a chucker that I still cannot figure out the physics of, maybe some of you TM's can help me. She was a little 110-pound thing and started doing the dry heaves after deployment. Byran Welch did a sharp 360 as she started puking, in order to have her spew away. The pair landed, and after a quick inspection of his Rig, not a drop of barf to be seen. He threw it down, and I started packing. Yes, she puked alright, and every drop of it was in the main pack tray. Not a drop outside, every bit went in inside, right where the lines lay. Corndog and funnel cake from the vendors. I just try to imagine this girl twisting her body around far enough to make 100% of her barf in the packtray... Man, have any of you ever seen that? =========Shaun ==========

My Hairdresser is my Sister-in-Law (Wife's sister). She looks like my wife, talks like my wife--- I think I need a New Hairdresser... *edited for spelling =========Shaun ==========

I've known a lot of riggers that have some absolutely creative ways to read the few simple sentences in the manual. It's amazing the mental gymnastics folks will use to justify repacking something like that. On a side note, I have two Securities in my Closet. A 150 and 160. Packing practice. Personally, I think they are a pain in the rear with that stoopid spring, 1.25" loop thing, and whatever the hell else they have. =========Shaun ==========

That is exactly how I feel when I do Strong 304s for a few customers of mine ~ the first few line stoes play tricks with my mind. Water rig! You, your rig, a life vest, a buddy with a boat, and a DZO willing to give you a pass over the lake... =========Shaun ==========

Agree ~ when I help folks buy a new rig, I always point them at Chuting Star for an AAD. Argus, Cypres, or Vigil, they always have the best prices. =========Shaun ==========

Mddle of the Ocean, SW of Australia. =========Shaun ==========

If you call up PD, can't you still special order a standard 7-cell F-111 Square canopy? That was my first main ~ it was an old military demonstration parachtue that was camoflauge colored ~ custom job. I just knew that If I ever cut it away, that baby was GONE because you're never going to find it. =========Shaun ==========

Agreed. I can think of a few DZ's that are notorious for this kind of behavior. I remember at My first collegiates competition, I saw a few college kids jumping 1.5-2.0 Wing loading with less than 400 jumps ~ no one even considered to call him out on it until they had to scoop him up and take him to the hospital. Another point I would like to observe is the use of lower pack-volume reserve parachtues, such as the optimum. Fantastic canopy ~ However, I wish jumpers would use them correctly. About 1/2 of the folks I know that bought them new reasoned along the lines of having a smaller and smalller container, not necessarily having a larger reserve. =========Shaun ==========

I actually try to take a pretty logical approach to this. This problem is one of the easiest to solve, if we'd just get the cajones to do so. A pirate is motivated by money. Nothing more. They are not taking hostages for some religious doctorine ~ they do not expect 70 virgins if they are shot or drown, they are not fighting for their homeland and they are largely not willing to die. It becomes and economics problem ~ raise the cost of pirating to the point that it is no longer a feasable option. Hell, it worked in the 1840's. Shoot them. Period. Raise the cost of their profession, and they'll go elsewhere. =========Shaun ==========

Ok ok ok ok ok I know I already put my piece in on this thread....But there is something rig Manufacturers do and it absolutely drives me nuts. Even some of the best are guilty of it. Mirage, Vector, Wings...... Quit putting the packing data card in a flap under the mudflap.. Why do they put it there? Card end up getting wrinkled and worn to hell there. I like packing data cards kept on the backpad, but that is just me. =========Shaun ==========

Congratulations! =========Shaun ==========

Who said there was a problem? I just want to make a new set a little shorter and fatter than the ones I previous had...I too pack round reserves very regularly, just a preference.. =========Shaun ==========

This afternoon I'm heading to the hardware store to seek out some steel bearings ~ I'll let everyone know how that turns out. =========Shaun ==========

Thanks Joe! We do need to play parachutes sometime... I'll be in KC off and on for the next few weeks... =========Shaun ==========

!!!!! =========Shaun ==========

Tough Problem. I would check the Toddler and then carry the rig on.