skytribe

I'm still a little concerned how the AAD manufacturers Vigil, Cypres are going to react to this. (Argus are out of business so I don't think you'll have too much concern from them) Are they going to allow this pin pusher/puller on the devices ? The fact it works is one thing, the legal aspects is another. Both from a AAD manufacturers and from a rigger point of view if you installed and something occurred - who's taking the blame as you now have AAD manufacturer, Puller manufacturer, Rigger who put the two together. I guess the discussion changes from whether it will work to how this can be used with existing AAD's to avoid legal issues.

I've packed both - neither is really that difficult to pack and make look good. The RSL design on the Teardrop is a little strange because its different from the type used on many other rigs but it works and haven't seen any incidents what are attributed to this not working. Trying to think of modern containers "in production" that have reserve pins against the jumpers body (Racer, Teardrop....) Both have different RSL setups to most of the others. Pop tops may loosen up but so does virtually any other rig as the reserve pack job settles. Remedying on a teardrop is incredibly simple 5 minute job. Other rigs involve more work. Either way your rigger should be able to do a decent pack job on either. If he can't find someone that can. The Vortex is cheaper than the Javelin and pretty well works the same as javelin/wings etc. No problems with the build quality on either of them. That being said if it were me I'd probably stump the extra cash for Javelin, Vector, Wings, Infinity, Talon ... which are more common worldwide. Well tested products that you'll have little problems using around the world.

The vortex and the teardrop are both good containers. The Vortex is basically a South African copy of a Javelin. (Nothing wrong with that). The TSE teardrop is also a decent product although less common in the states. Both are TSO'd, so no problem using in the states. (I believe they are covered by bilateral airworthiness agreements) Both will somewhat suffer from similar problems if you need parts around the world. It may take a extra couple of weeks to get replacement parts if your not local. The pop top design on the Teardrop is well tested but the RSL design is a little different from most other rigs. Based upon this and the previous question it may be more pertinent to provide info on what country you reside in.

Just looking at the list and you can see that names and addresses are just way out of date. To get back to the original question - I don't believe either of these manufacturers make bad gear (Nothing to support that). Neither manufacturer holds a TSO - which can cause problems depending upon where you jump and could result in problems finding spare parts if you happen to need them or getting support.

This should give you a summary. http://www.uspa.org/USPAMembers/Membership/Travel/TotheUS/TSOMemo/tabid/470/Default.aspx To summarize - if your a US citizen or resident alien and jumping in the US - then yes you cannot make a jump with a Non TSO'd rig.

I thought this had been discussed before - The rig is make in Ukraine (The are no bilateral airworthiness agreements or FAA Field offices in Ukraine) and there is no way that it can get a FAA TSO, if that's where its being made. Therefore they can test it to the TSO standards or anything more stringent BUT if the paperwork is not done then it is not TSO'd. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4464387;search_string=ukraine%20%2B%20TSO;#4464387

The following may relate to Avalon http://www.avalonskydive.com/site/ and fire may relate to http://sws.aero/en/products/fire/harness/ However it does not appear to be TSO'd which may limit its use in the states. Generally I would stick to the well known manufacturers as they reliable well tested and established products.

http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go/document.information/documentID/1022746

Looking for electronic bartacker and seems to be a lot of what look like Juki 1900 copies. Anyone have and opinion on these and can recommend any supplies or a good source for used machines.

Is it you are just asking here to try and justify any decisions ?. You called the manufacturer they give you answers that you don't like and so start asking here instead. Of course you can probably cram something in there but it probably won't look good and may have other issues. Hence the advice from Sunpath. Listen to what they are telling you, if you want a smaller container then get a smaller reserve that is appropriate.

The guy is Bill Hazlett. Sold Aerodyne a long while back but the current owners at Aerodyne may be able to provide details but I'm with Lee on this one that its probably not worth much these days. Its a old design that hasn't been manufactured in well over 10 and closer to 16 years.

If you'd really like to know if the msnufacturer think that these clowns are being productive test pilots and if the like these activities then why don't you send a mail to each of them.

Really - you think that was the point of the analogy. Yes I know its possible - and that was a demo flight with no fare paying passengers on by a company test pilot. Did you ever see it done again. Now Imagine your next flight that someone else thinks they are as good as Tex and because he could do it, thinks that he is capable and its acceptable to do it with a full load of customer on board. Impressive to do it yes !!!!, Acceptable practice and legal - NOT !!! Do you think he would maintain his ratings for pulling such a stunt.

Is it safe ? I would say no (although it is downright stupid). Depending upon where this is in the world determines a authority of the manufacturers to enforce there procedures. If it were in the US and you are breaching the manufacturer operating instructions then from the discussions at PIA symposium this may breach the FAR and hence not be legal. (Analogy: The pilot of a commercial jet decides to do barrel rolls in his 737 with passengers. The manouever is outside the operating regulations for the aircraft and hence intentionally doing such actions could and in all likelihood would involve sanctions by the FAA) If its in the states - I would hope the manufacturers would locate the tandem instructor and pull his ratings. Its clowns like this that give the sport a bad name when there is an Accident. (Note: Someone standing on the container holding the drogue is no accident its a intentional action that increases the risks further with the potential for a triple fatality) As to skysurfing tandem photo. - Not safe either.

Each to there own opinion. Your generalization on bar/restaurant staff is an great over-simplification. My wife is in that trade and does quite well and is not a slave working for minimum wage. It very much depends on what type of restaurant/bar and region you work in. If you don't like what your doing, find something else to do. Long hours, weird schedules (sure) but yet again in the PNW, she does not get anywhere near the tips she got when we lived on the East coast. The point is that tipping varies region to region. Country to Country. It really doesn't bother me if they tip me or not - I do the same quality service however its surprising that people don't think twice about tipping some people and not others. Visitors from other area (like vegas) will tip as they are conditioned to tipping. There are instructors/DZ that will push the point for tipping and that is rather poor form. In the US, people are conditioned to tipping certain people who are just doing their job ( BarTender, Waitress, Barista, Shuttle Bus Driver, Bell hop the list can go on...) Why do I tip a barista for a 4 buck cup of coffee ? I can name a large number of skydivers who are professional and just get by and working in bar would result in a pay increase. As for your comment about tipping a GP - looking at how much I get charged for a doctor's visit - I think they are paid quite well (100 bucks payment for a 5 minute visit to tell me test results are good.... Please !!!!) I have yet to see a poor doctor (I'm sure they are out their).

I do tandems and AFF and get tips from both. Here in WA maybe 1 in 5-6 of my students tip, even though we have the "Tips are not required, but appreciated . . . " sign at manifest. Friends that work on the North Shore at Oahu, HI say that tipping is the norm; almost everyone does. I think it's just the local culture that makes the difference. I work at making every student/passenger feel at home and try to maximize their experience. I feel that's part of my job. I agree that the D. bags should not get tips, but I'm sure they do. I recently read an article on tipping that said the actual service doesn't matter as much as the mindset of the customer. Tippers almost always tip. Tightwads almost always don't. Heck, I even tip the kid at the car dealership that puts on my new license plate. I think it is a regional thing. Its probably a similar ratio to what you talking about and I'm up in WA to. I think sometimes people just don't think about tipping instructor whereas the culture at barista stands is a tip jar (very open and upfront), just like a bar in us you tip the bar tender. It may not help that we have a large number of Indian/Chinese descent customers and tipping may not be a cultural thing for them as well. My thought is we probably provide a lot more service to customers (more so than the typical barista or bar tender) but the customers have already lashed out a good chunk of change and they may be under the impression we as instructors get a big chunk of that. If I get a tip (great), if I don't no worries. I think of tips as an appreciation of good service, the lovely testimonials are great as well (as someone has to sit down take time and put there thoughts down).

At the DZ I work at we are tipped less frequently than you guys are saying. I used to get a lot more when I worked on the East Coast. Sure we get 10/20 here and there but this is the exception rather than the norm. And before you guys start saying its about service etc. We get a huge number of amazing testimonials from students sent to the DZ. The DZ surveys customers in the following week and have a very high satisfaction rating. So the student definitely leave the DZ happy. Barista's get more tips round here than skydiving instructors. I'd seen and liked the concept of a small sign saying tips are not expected but always appreciated but DZ owner not keen on that idea.

If you want to get pick the Teardrop also has the cutter on the bottom of the container. As does the Vortex 2.

Added some pictures of the feed dogs at the top and bottom of the needle stroke. It seems as though the feed dogs should be close to the bottom of the throat plate holes. Does this look as though it needs adjusting to move the feed dogs better aligned lengthwise to remedy this problem. Any advice on adjusting from you 20u owners out there would be greatly appreciated. (Its a Tacsew 20u73 model)

I went back and looked at the machine and was trying to figure out what was going on - ie. when its in the middle of the material it sews find but near edges it doesn't seem to feed and this causes it to bind up as the material is not feeding. Looking at the feed dogs - they appear to be more biased towards the top of the holes in the throat plate. I mean with relatively small stitches starting near the edge the top dog feed pair are nowhere near on the material and hence once the bottom pair of feeddogs are trying to move the material. I took a look around and found a singer 20u manual that implies that the feed dogs can be adjusted to center them in the hole. I think this may need to be adjusted. When its in the middle of the material both pairs of feed dogs are able to move the material through and it sews without problem. I will try and take a couple of pictures tonight and post them - anyone else have any ideas ?

So I have a 20u copy and the machine appears to sew well once it gets going but when I try to start near an edge it seems to have problems feeding properly. It sounds like this may be the same problem described but I'm still a little confused as to how to resolve easily. Any advice of pictures of the wedge ....

I have no problems with a recertification program but has PD or another manufacturer that requires recertification of there equipment after a given time provided details on the failure rate (or equipment that they will not recertify). It would be interesting to see details to see how the gear is aging.

Can anyone with more experience of the manufacturing of these post me details of design on a cutaway handle with a stiffener inside. Greatly appreciated.

We had spectra bridle line on team canopies and it didn't prevent or limit burns on the top skin. Most of them are down to poor packing.

Every line wears - some more than others. The outside lines tend to wear quicker than some of the others. This may be evident with spectra lines going out of trim due to the heating effect of slider. BUT when a lineset needs replacing then you generally replace the whole lineset rather than just a line or two. Generally all the lines will be showing signs of wear. I haven't seen wear on slinks any faster than on other lines, but the tandem issue identifies a potential problem which means slinks should be periodically inspected for signs of wear. So I would guess the additional 30 bucks on a new set of slinks should just be considered as part of the cost of a reline for jumpers. RiggerRob's advice to change slinks at time of reline sounds extremely sensible.