bhenry

heheee RiggerRob - you read people well ! Yea - I guess I'm pretty annoyed that a silly rule is being put in place for no reason other than out of ignorance and lack of research. I'm not a freeflyer myself, but I have researched the topic enough to know that a well maintained racer elite is not unsuitable for freeflying, even though it may not be a rig of choice for a lot of people. The first rig I ever owned was a 4th hand Chaser (SST racer copy) and it WAS a mess of a rig, practically held together with velcro bits all over the place......but a racer elite is a very different puppy to that, even if it does have some velcro. And in response to LawnDart21....Jimmy Trantor is the premier freefly coach in DeLand - and HE jumps a Racer ! Peace ! Barney

I'd love to see what Jimmy Trantor would say to that !

and the comments are welcome Geoff. It is refreshing to join a discussion group where you can actuall get feedback. We have a mailing list for the Irish Parachute Club, and although there are 150+ addresses subscribed to it, the only thing it is used for are "Can anyone give me a lift to the DZ this weekend" postings ! Seriously though, I didn't mean to give the impression that AAD's should be mandatory (for freeflying or otherwise), but if AAD's aren't required, why then should a non-velcro rig be a requirement ? Like you said, once it's not unsuitable, it's a personal choice what people opt for, right ? But the mandatory AAD ruling is a growing development. Sweden is now requiring such a rule from March/April Empuriabrava has already introduced it. The Australian Parachute Federation is working towards a staggered intro of a mandatory aad rule (for those not holding a 'D' license by Dec 2002) It is quite common to find this requirement on many German DZ's now And we won't even get into the ongoing USPA battle on the subject ! But, as long as it ain't a blanket ruling, then there should also be no blanket ruling for banning velcro containers from freeflying, Right ?

Whoa people ! before anyone starts flaming me, I don't agree AT ALL with the subject of the post. This however seems to be the general attitude towards the Racer container at The Irish Parachute Club where I jump. My first new gear was a Racer Elite, and I put 500 jumps on it before getting a new rig which happened to be a Jav in order to match up gear with a 4 way team i was training with. I have had no luck selling this gear at our DZ even though it is in immaculate condition and going for 1,000 Euro (870 USD) http://gearforsale.barneyhenry.com Few people have racer containers at our DZ and I believe that the prevailing anti-racer attitude is blind ignorance on the most part. It is now at the stage that the developing freefly safety committee for our national organisation is deeming any/all containers which use velcro 'unsafe for freeflying', but amazingly at the same time they feel there is no need to bring in a mandatory AAD rule. This is basically because the people making these rules, the existing freeflying group at the DZ don't use racers, but not all of them currently have AAD's ! Brilliant, eh ? So folks - the only way to get informed and expert opinions on the issue of whether or not a Racer Elite or Power Racer is a safe container for freeflying is to come here, outside the tiny blindfolded community that is Irish Skydiving. All comments welcome, Barney

Whoa people ! before anyone starts flaming me, I don't agree AT ALL with the subject of the post. This however seems to be the general attitude towards the Racer container at The Irish Parachute Club where I jump. My first new gear was a Racer Elite, and I put 500 jumps on it before getting a new rig which happened to be a Jav in order to match up gear with a 4 way team i was training with. I have had no luck selling this gear at our DZ even though it is in immaculate condition and going for 1,000 Euro (870 USD) http://gearforsale.barneyhenry.com Few people have racer containers at our DZ and I believe that the prevailing anti-racer attitude is blind ignorance on the most part. It is now at the stage that the developing freefly safety committee for our national organisation is deeming any/all containers which use velcro 'unsafe for freeflying', but amazingly at the same time they feel there is no need to bring in a mandatory AAD rule. This is basically because the people making these rules, the existing freeflying group at the DZ don't use racers, but not all of them currently have AAD's ! Brilliant, eh ? So folks - the only way to get informed and expert opinions on the issue of whether or not a Racer Elite or Power Racer is a safe container for freeflying is to come here, outside the tiny blindfolded community that is Irish Skydiving. All comments welcome, Barney

How hard is the ground ? (you've been looking at my lousy safety record I guess !) I can say this much - The ground will win EVERY time ;-)

Thanks for the feedback RiggerRob (and to all the other helpful responses !) What do you estimate would be the ballpark cost to have a complete velcro replacement on a Racer Elite ?

Having real problems trying to sell my 2nd rig at the local DZ. Moving to Oz in August and liquifying spare assets ! Part of the problem is that the skydiving community in Ireland is so small, but part of it is this urban myth among Irish skydivers that Racer's are 'velcro death traps' ! This mainly stems from the DZ being predominantly Jav/Vector gear, and also from ignorance I guess. Anyway, check out the ad and see if you think it's a bargain or a lemon ? http://gearforsale.barneyhenry.com DOM for all the gear is Oct 1995. Gear has been kept in excellent condition. 0 jumps on the reserve (Mini Cricket 130) 550 on the main (ZP Esprit 135) Container is a Racer Elite (tight riser covers and should be fine for freeflying although the freeflyers don't think so, but again that's based on ignorance and rumour rather than on experience of jumping a racer themselves !) Cost of a new container/main/reserve for someone buying in Ireland is approx 3k to 3.5k USD (approx 4k Euro) so for a low time jumper who weighs 10 stone or less, this should be a blinding STEAL at only 870 USD (1,000 Euro) 25% of the cost of new gear - Is this a fair deal or not ? All opinions, positive and negative graciously accepted ! Blue Skies, Barney

Baby Relative workers and other snaps Too good not to share - click on the link and have a chuckle ;-)