skyblu3

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content

    249

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Feedback

    0%

Posts posted by skyblu3

  5. Could'nt you use something like this:
    http://theconceptvillage.com/gpstracker.html

    It's seems like a cheap and easy solution. The unit texts you gps coordinates which you can enter into any gps software and find the location.

  8. Unpack it. I too have taken time off and I have seen stuff with gear that has been left packed.

    First off, remove the pilot chute from BOC pouch. This will relieve wear on the spandex. Also remove all rubber bands from the d-bag. With time these rot and depending on what kind of grommets you have can even cause a sort of chemical reaction with the hardware leaving a gooey residue.

  9. Ok, excuse my ignorance. I cant work out the mount from the pictures. There's headlamp type strap that threads through the helmet. There also seems to be some kind of bar that the camera attaches to. What's the configuration? Do you need the strap if using the stick on mounts?
    Also can the camera be removed from the mounts for jumps without the camera?

  10. Quote

    Quote

    Several haven't threatened or whined; they have just plain raised their prices.



    But it's the same exact job. How much of an increase is it?

    Isn't there anyone at your DZ that will do it for the same price?



    Your argument holds no ground. I am not a rigger so I wouldn't like to see prices go up either but I do run a business and know a bit about supply and demand.

    For example, if you were to order a custom container for yourself you may be qouted x amount. Order that same gear for your entire 8-way team and I am sure it will cost you considerably less. You can argue,"but it's the same container", unfortunately its the way things go. Prices will go up unless the 6 month cycle will generate more business from repairs, etc.. Riggers calculate their turnover from cash in on repacks. If their annual number of repacks is going to be lower then turnover is going to drop and prices are going to go up. Some riggers may leave their price the same but find other ways of subsidising. Charging more for repairs could be one way.

    Riggers please take no offence, it's just my theoretical opinion.

  12. >>would hard openings significantly shorten the canopy's life?

    Not just your canopies life. I had a Monarch 155 and put 100 jumps on it. In 100 jumps I was able to destroy a set of risers, bruise the crap out of myself, not to mention the unseen wear and tear on your harness.

    THis canopy opens very briskly. Make sure you roll the shit out of the nose. Do small, very tight rolls, about 8 times around. Don't worry about symmetry. I used to find that if I could slow it down the openings were more likely to be on heading. Also, get large size rubber bands for your d-bag and double wrap them. The last thing you want is the slightest hint of line dump. Finally, make sure you slow down before deploying. If you are tracking from a formation stop your track and get as big as possible before releasing your pilot chute. Every little counts with this beast of a canopy.

  14. I owned a Monarch 155 mfd in '98. If there was a design change it was useless because the canopy opened brutally hard and usually throwing you in a diving spin. I used to take real care when packing and really concentrate on body position on deployment. Of the 100 jumps I put on that canopy I had about 3 decent openings.
    I tried everything to slow the openings and eventually developed a technique which allowed bearable openings but still hard and uncomfortable. Never did control the spin. Also, the canopy almost always had end cell closure.
    If you jump more than 1 day a week this canopy is not for you. It will take you a week at least to recover.:P

  17. I have seen it all from tandems and AFF's out first or FS jumpes first followed by FF's or vice versa. I guess it all depends on the dropzone. I have jumped at numerous dz's worldwide and have seen all the variations.

    Take Empuriabrava for example. Small landing area lots of strange winds. Exit order changes invariaby there, sometimes numerous times in the same day. Depends what the uppers are doing.

    I think the most popular exit order that most people seem to be comfortable with FS groups first, freefly goups. Followed by solo jumpers, AFF's and tandems last.

    Basically, be aware. Know jumprun direction, track away from the line of flight and don't fly up the jumprun after deployment. The argument about putting high pullers out last is fine in theory but in reality you are still going to have high pullers exiting first. If large FS groups are leaving first, their camera flyer is going to be opening in place at 5000ft when the formation breaks off.

    Food for thought!!

  18. Been there, done that!

    Like the others said it is in Slovakia. They have a Blanic glider that they allow people to jump from. It's cool as the wind speed is really slow compared to what we are used to.

    The Blanic is an old type glider. It is made from aluminium and is very rugged. I dont think they would let anyone jump from a modern light weight glider made from these new composite materials.

  22. Quote

    I have seen a couple errors on reserves... One would have been fatal and the other one, I am not sure but it wouldn't have been fun to land. For the amount of pack jobs I have done, I think I have seen a couple too many.

    The first one I found while doing my Rigger's training, I was still a riglet. I found it doing the line continuity check. A couple of the lines were crossed (out of order). The second one was one that would have more than likely ended up as a line over on the reserve. The lines were wrapped around the pack job instead of straight up and down the middle of the pack job. That one would not have been too pretty. [:/]

    I have also heard about but not seen an instance when a pack job went through 4 cycles until someone found the molar strap still attached. That result would have had obvious consequences. :S



    I had a rig that a few errors were found on. The reserve had been installed and repacked by the same rigger 6-7 times, it had also been repacked by this rigger's apprentice 1 time. I then had the rig repacked by a third rigger once whilst on the road, 99% the errors were there since the reserve was originally installed and went unnoticed all this time. >:( When I relocated I had a rigger friend of mine repack my reserve in a hotel room the night before a boogie and he found 2 lines crossed (out of order) on the links and the cloth slider bumpers not tacked down and starting to ride up the lines.:o The latter could have caused by slider to get stuck and prevent the canopy from inflating. B|

    I have also witnessed a packing weight fall out of a reserve container when opened....not my rig though. One time in Arizona I went into Wayne's loft and the riggers there were swinging a container round the room from the reserve bridle and couldn't get the freebag to release from the container...not my rig again thankfully!