KevinMcGuire

Then for god sakes man, make one. What are you waiting for?

Nope.

theres not really anthing you can do about it because the loops are there for any one to mess with when ever they feel like it. The only way you can stop it is to be standing right there when it happens. While each system may have proven that they work, both systems make it easy to sabotage another riggers reputation by some one else placing more than the allowable pounds nessessary to pull the R/C, after the rig as been repacked and signed off.

Storm Dunker presented some very interesting data at the last PIA symposium regarding webbing integrity. His tests focused on the various stitch patterns commonly used in skydiving for example, 3 point 4 point ect... each was tested to destruction using a heavy duty puller similar to the one used by the RWS. I spoke to him privately after his presentation and he mentioned that he reused the same webbing multiple times for different tests. He also mentioned that he removed the stitching from the previous tests using a razor knife. Heres the interesting part. Even though he used a razor knife to cut through the 5 cord thread and in doing so cut through unknown amounts of fibers of the webbing itself, he found that the stitching would still fail well before the webbing did. I am not suggesting that we allow riggers in the field to abuse webbing in this way but to me, Storms findings indicate that webbing can endure far more abuse than some have suggested. Clearly more testing on this matter is needed. Having said all of that, lets not forget that failure to error on the side of caution gets people killed

I have not primed my pins for any jump in my 4 years of jumping pin rigs (280 jumps). Trust me when I say that the P/C has enough snatch force to get the job done. Prime the pins. How silly.

An object strike on a bridge? Not may out there have done that one. Glad to hear he's O.K. I wonder. Is there an object strike numbering system out there simular to the BASE number system? If so then this guy got the hardest object to get.

Congraluations. Glad to here all is going well.

There are many other wonderful things in this world besides skydiving. All you have to do is look for them. When one door closes, another will open. The only question is when. If you must quit to save your life then so be it. Undoubtedly, you will look back on skydiving with fondness but it is more important to look forward with anticipation of all the new things to come. Good luck

Favorite Homer quote "There there Lisa, Just because I don't care doesn't mean that I don't understand"

I have more thoughts on this issue that you might be interested in but I haven't the time to type it out. I'm on a plane to Norway in just a few hours and have lots of shit to do. Maybe if this thread is still alive when I get back I'll go into it further.

Pins open faster and more reliably than velcro. check it out for your self. lay a packed velcro ring on the floor next to a packed pin rig. Grab both by the bridle and slowly pull at the same time. the pin rig will open way before the velcro rig. In fact you will probably lift he velcro rig off the floor if the velcro is in decent shape. Regarding twisting the pack job as you close the pin rig, consider this. The first step in avoiding a problem is to first acknowledge it's possiblity, then simply figure out a method to avoid it, continue to refine it and thats all there is to it

Velcro is also easier to pack, especially if you are just learning. . I have not found this statement to be true. In the past 2 years I have trained 27 students using pins and 6 students using velcro. what I have found is that the student only knows what he or she has been taught. If the instructor is less familire with pins than he is with velcro, then it will be easier for the instructor to teach a student how to pack velcro than pins and visa versa. Another common misconception about pins is that it is easy to misrout the bridle. My answer to that is "sure it is if your an idiot or you have not been properly trained how to pack" The instructor must stress many things when teaching a student how to BASE jump and the proper closing sequence for the rig being jumped is one only of them. The instructor must also teach the student not place his or her shrivel flap on up side down. I have actually found that mistake on an experienced jumpers rig while doing a gear check just before jumping. BASE students must have a minimum amount of skydives before being taught and therfore already have experience packing pins and properly routing bridles on their skydiving rigs. If they do not, then they have no bussiness being taught how to BASE jump. There have been many myths over the years about pin rigs and so far they have all proven to be false.The "velcro is safer for students or easier to pack" myth is another I'd like to see disappear

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And the lord said there shall be no character assination in this forum except by me or sanctioned by me. Oh wait I'm wrong again now aren't I.

Well actually, this fourm is often just like middle school complete with finger pointing and name calling and lets not forget the ever persent popularity contest above which Tom presides

I guess we are just playing in someone elses sand box now aren't we. I didn't realize it was Toms. Care full or some one might take away your pale and your shovel

And when the lord spoke, the ground shook and all who heard his voice was struck with fear. Oh wait, that wasn't the lord, it was Tom

I certainly hope your not waisting you comedic talents sitting behind a computer for a living. Your one funny mother fucker

It makes no difference. The curved pin is designed to and will pull facing any direction. the only exception is if the pin is some how locked in place by a flap or some thing but that would be hard to accomplish

I was actually surprised the find that my Rottie gets hotter in the heat that the St Bernards do. The fluffy fur on the St's actually acts as a layer of insulation against the heat where as the Rotties short black hair acts as a lense. All the dogs live under the air conditioning vents in the summer like I do so it's actually no big deal

Just had three pups. Any one need one of the most gentle and cuddly dogs you'll ever have? I'd up load a pic but they are all too big. If interested send me your e-mail and I'll send some pics.

Conditions didn't change that fast. I had already called it for my students and after an hour of watching jumpers land in what I thought were bad conditions we left. It was after my students and I left that the first jumper got hurt.

Oh Jimmy gave me the opportunity to jump soon after this accident and my response to him was "I think I'll kill myself on another day, thank you". Um...wait a minute. Why were you given the opourtunity to jump? What is the acceptable limit for a student? If many other more experienced jumpers had already called it, then why was a student given the choice?

Here's a concept to think about next time your faced with conditions that your not comfortable with. It is a couragous person that stands up and, in front of his peers, admit his fears. It is a coward that swallows his fears and follows the group inspite of what he knows in his heart to be true. The bridge is going no where. You can always come back. Then again, if you jump in unsafe conditions maybe you wont be able to.

The best ground crew I ever had was a girl named Stacy from CO. The jumps went fine except only one of us landed in the spot where the car was actually waiting. The first jumper made it but the last two of us took it too deep to make it that far . I had a 90 right and the last jumper had a 90 left forcing us both to land in different areas each on different sides of a parking garage. Three jumpers on three different sides of the building and all of us separated by a parking garage. Not good. I thought so much for a quick getaway. I gathered up my canopy and made a run for it. About 30 seconds later, I heard the screeching of tires behind me. I turned around expecting to see the cops. Instead it was stacy driving that car like a bag man for the mob. She skidded to a stop next to me and I dove in. With out hesitating, she spun the tires and took off. The last jumper was loose some where in the city. Stacy did not give up. She made it around that building in about 15 seconds. We came around a corner and there was the last jumper, with his partially inflated canopy slung over his shoulder making a run for it. Stacy swerving this way and that blasted straight across 4 lanes of traffic to picked up the last guy. Honestly, the ride after landing was almost as exciting as the jump. I'll never forget how focused and dedicated she was. Stacy is the yard stick by which I measure all potential ground crew. She thought fast, acted fast and drove even faster. I have no doubt that she is the reason we all got away. Stacy will always be cool in my book.