jenkincb00

Very good point! Only use appropriate rated hardware.

I agree that most skydivers can and should be able to do this, however, even this seemingly mundane task can cost you more in the long run if done improperly. If you have hard links people have a tendence to either put them on with the barrels going the wrong way or they over tighten them which cracks the barrels. Slinks can easily be put on improperly if you don't know how to do it. there is also non-cascaded A's and B's that could confuse younger jumpers not familiar with the gear. Do as previously advised, under the supervision of a rigger. My .02 just an after thought to the original poster...did they change the pilotchute and D-Bag?

What they said, lift your head up like you're standing at attention and you will feel your back and shoulders roll back. When in a sit you will follow your hips so if you want to go forward push your hips forward if you want to go back stick your butt back...right now your butt is back.

Yup. Since 1984 I have packed exactly 2 chest type parachutes for use, and neither one was deployed. If you are a civilian, your best course of action is to add a seat rating to your senior rigger certificate. After you have your seat rating, you can pack without supervision. If a pilot rig does not have space to record the number of packs (the way a PD reserve does), then pack it 5 or 10 times whenever it comes in for repack. Mark you wouldn't be my rigger if you packed my rig 5 or 10 times when it came in, wear your own shit out!Quote

If it was me I would send it to the manufacturer. A) it will be done right B) it may actually be faster.

what is the tech of lining up the material to apply a patch on the ZPX...I haven't seen the material yet.

Not by a whole lot. The 7 cells tend to be a bit longer from nose to tail than the 9 cells. More nylon per cell than the 9 cells. The difference is really in the amount of stitching, or so I think... length front to back? yeah the 7 cell has more material there but 9 cells make up for that with width and add to pack volume with additional cells.

makes sense that the 7 cells would pack smaller than the 9 cells...so yes.

you can't get mad at the last rigger...you have to get mad at the rigger before that rigger...you and I both know that

Define new rig...is this a "NEW" rig or a "NEW to you" rig, meaning used. I mean you have under a 100 jumps why get a new brand new rig? There are many freefly friendly rigs out there in lightly used conditions. I just don't like to see newbies buying new rigs wasting jump money to look good standing around on the ground...just my .02

Probably is a pain in the ass to replace...fortunate part is you don't have to replace them very often as you don't rip the shit out of them to get the pins in like on a V3 or Javelin with a skyhook, or just about any modern one pin container. Nice rig! Don't listen to these jokers.

yes...way past your prime...probably can't even remember your "prime" but there is probably some black & white photos of you in your prime some where around here

WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE JOHNNY!!!

To the OP....I know this guy personally and reading anything more than the cartoon on his cereal box is way too much for him to focus on. My son was born when I was 24, I had been jumping for a couple years already, he is now almost 7 and loves going to the DZ and I'm there 5 days a week during the season. It is what it is, get busy living or get busy dying...so they say anyway. I agree with a couple things already stated. A) do the tandem before worrying, your putting the cart before the horse B) Your tolerance for risk is going to be different than every1 elses so its your decision C) Life is to short to be affraid to live

Yeah good luck with that. Maybe I'm wrong but I believe you are over simplifying the situation.

I guess incapacitation on any rig would be a concern, but I don't worry about it on every jump any more than I worry about only being able to deploy my main on my mirage on one side. And the hands...its not about when you actually get them, its when you go to get their hands and they get you instead.

the student handle is on the same side as the instructor handle...there are a couple clipping points for the handle but the most popular (at least as far as I have seen and use) is on the students right hip. The instructors ripcord is on the right shoulder of rig. On a seperate note, I try not to touch student's hands...makes it less likely that they will touch/grab mine.

I'm going to be able to pull the ripcord for the main, but I always put the student ripcord on their harness...do you disagree with that also? I do know a couple TI's that don't believe students should have ripcords.

The guys that don't have the experience will always say that time in sport shouldn't be a factor....I agree it shouldn't be the only factor, but it is an important factor. Its like children you tell them...wait, you will understand when you are older or even better when you have kids of your own. Well wait its true, when you have a bit more time in the sport you will start realizing just how crucial all that time in the sport is to being a qualified instructor. What doctor do you want the young guy fresh out of school with all that fancy book learning or the doctor with 20 yrs real experience?

I go through all the tandem material, I go through all tandem fatalities from the beginning of tandems (read them, interesting that like 98% of them have been operator error, not equipment), go through EP's and do a refresher with another strong TI. I do use the chicken handles but its not for my sense of security its for the "experienced" person's sense of security. Its for their warm fuzzy feeling, and the fact that I'm taking them on a recurrency jump means they are qualified to cutaway and deploy a reserve so compairing them to a student and saying that if you use chicken handles for recurrency jumps you should train all students how to cut away and deploy a reserve is just stupid and seems like you're being argumentive just to be argumentive.

its not taking into account the curviture of the earth nor the gravitational pull of the moon...wtf

you can download an update for GOPRO on their website so you don't have to rotate the video on the computer.

If that is the case, than I apologize...still wouldn't use a 30 yr old, canopy with 100 jumps on it as my last resort. As I believe you agree.

I don't see a TSO on it to begin with and it has a 100 jumps on it...I wouldn't want it as my last chance. Not to mention a brand new reserve of this size would not cost $1500. What rigger do you know that would lay a canopy of any type out on a drive way with oil and dirt? He may be a rigger but I wouldn't want my canopy laid in the drive way with oil and dirt.

if you have your packing data card the serial number for your cypres should be on there. if not contact a rigger that has packed it for you in the past he/she should have it in their log book. as previously posted hopefully someone knows this guy locally and will bring your post to his attention. no one seems to like being thrown under the bus here and usually take the corrective actions needed.