Jeffrey

As Sparky mentioned, have a close look at page 1 of TS100-AT. The committee wants to update it. http://www.pia.com/PIAPUBS.htm Jeff

What type of reserve ripcord do you have and how much excess cable extends past the hole in the handle to the ball? You should have about 3” of free slack in the cable. Jeff

Hi Peter, Prior to releasing this product improvement we had many concerns, one of many being the wear on the loop at this location. At first we were not going to use a washer, but after testing we found to high of a percentage of new loops could pull through at an unacceptable load. If the staging loop had to do its job, it would not be good if the knot pulled through the grommet. We tested extensively making well over 60 intentional test drops in all types of configurations and sizes. During this test program we employed young riggers and non riggers to do most of the reserve packing with very little instruction while under our surveillance. In one of the 3 rigs used in this test program, we put a new PD113 in a very tight V326. This rig ended up with 25 total jumps on it. The young riggers accomplished producing some of the worst pack-jobs I have ever seen. Photos of the loops used in this test rig are attached. Also, after the 25 test jumps we put on this new PD113, we hung it up for inspection and couldn’t find any type of excessive wear. As with everything, we are monitoring this closely and perhaps we may go to another type of washer such as plastic if it does become a problem in the future. Only just last week I was forwarded some customer feedback on this same topic. I have included the supplied photo of this loop from a Sigma after 1 full pack cycle. Yes we see some pulled fibers, more than I have seen at that location to date. Still it is not uncommon to see far more damage at the other end of the loop. I personally don’t feel the little bit of fuzz is of any concern but should be replaced and yes, if a reserve through loop is going to be used for a second repack cycle, it should be inspected thoroughly. Sincerely Jeff Johnston

Wow, I had a black church window PC just like that one back in 1975. Wish I still had it. Jeff

This brings back some sweet memories. My Strato Star also doubled as a sleeping bag many of nights back in the late 70’s. Jeff

Edited to correct the dates. I must cut back on the multitasking at my age. Jeff

Hi Grant, Sorry but unfortunately I will be unable to help you. At the end of Dec. 2006 I left Mirage Systems and returned to UPT the first of Jan 2007. This would account for my lack of presence here on dropezone.com since. I do however monitor the site regularly and may become more involved here again sometime in the near future. Sincerely Jeff Johnston

Velcro works very well for many applications; split D bags are not one of them. Split D bags in certain applications, used correctly work very well in many ways. Jeff

Thanks Ben, That’s the reply I was hoping to hear. And well said. Jeff

Could you describe to us what you mean by "keeping all as much material as possible to the outside of the freebag" Thanks Jeff

masterrigger1 chutingstar slotperfect billvon loudiamond DSE j_ung howardwhite RIGGER JerryBaumchen Dittodogg Rigger53 TbellOPA-C Batlan Pairasporter Elio Jeffrey

yes, the lbars. and yes i have removed the screws and tried tapping them out - no luck .... As John mentioned, just back the 2 screws out a little, grasp the riser at the 4 pt. and smack the screw head agents a soft surface, such as hard wood. Alternate each smack becoming more aggressive each time. It will break free. If that doesn’t work for you, get a small brass hammer or equivalent and smack the screw heads with it. I could do it with my eyes closed. Jeff

I’m sure we can all relate to that. Jeff

You could fix that with a sharpie. Jeff

I’m bumping this thread to announce that it sounds like this Advanced Rigger Training course will not be taking place next week. Word has it that Mark Lancaster is out of the state and will not be back for next week’s courses. Therefore instructors Dave D, Rags R, Mike G, and Myself will not be going. This is very sad news and speaking for Rags and Myself, we were really looking forward to sharing our many years of experience with everyone attending. We would however still like to see something like this take place at another venue. Possibly at Dave Dewolf’s or Chutingstar and we are open to suggestions. We have far too much experience to be passed down to the next generation. Rumour has it that many of the registered participants have already paid and many may already be on their way. This is a very sad thing and doesn’t sit well with any of us. Please share any info you may have. Jeff

No problem, I use .020 and .026 guitar string, it's a dollar a piece. 1. Cut to the desired length then use a pair of needle nose to grip the end and give it 2 or 3 tight wraps around to form a circle. 2. Repeat the process at the other end in the opposite direction. 3. Use the needle nose again to form a 90 degree outward kink at the end of each circle 4. Force the two circles around the grommet and draw the two 90 degree kinked sections together. 5. I use hot glue to hold in place but have managed without it before. 6. Carefully position the washer spurs and hand set the grommet slowly. I recommend a dead blow hammer. 7. Thread a Cypres pull up cord through the large circle of wire and pull to find and form THE END. Jeff

I'll se your tube stow and raise you #4 grommet. Jeff

marks2065 , Let me try to explain this without getting all technical. It is my understanding (for example purposes) that the Pilot 150 should pack very close to the same size as a Sabre2 150 and to my knowledge it has been. This one dose not. I personally inspected the container in question and found it to be in spec. We then put a reserve in it to test the main container with the many other comparable 150’s and 170’s we have known to work and all worked with no problems. But this Pilot wouldn’t come close to fitting. This rig will soon end up becoming someone’s favorite rig, I promise you. To date we have supplied many Mirages for customers with Pilot main canopy’s including the above mentioned combination with no problems reported that I know of. But when something like this happens, the rules go out the window and the customer comes first and that is what’s happening now. Jeff

Good one. You made out like a bandit. I wish I had one. I still work on the same old Dell I have had since the release of windows 2000 pro. Jeff

Which one did you get and what did it replace? Jeff

Quote Because people can pull the handle only far enough to cutaway, then panic and not pull the rest of the way to deploy the reserve, so there for a RSL is installed. So true and sadly, the last one I witnessed was the early 80’s in Z-hills. He was the brother in-law of a well known jumper and hung out with us often. He was able to lurk a free spot in the Cessna during some test jumps and go through the static line training system. On his third or forth jump (dummy R/C pulls), he cutaway a good canopy only seconds after opening, rolled over on his back and stayed that way till impacting 10’ from the pea gravel pit. Ryan, SOS systems are a bad idea and I gladly will be the to first offer helping you get rid of it. Jeff

Mike, We all know that the 1” type III binding tape is rated something like 100lbs. less than 5/8” type 4. It is also my experience and by design, type 4 square weave is inherently tougher than type III binding tape. But is it the week link ink in VSE risers? It’s hard to say, I don’t see them often enough to monitor and was the purpose of the poll and this thread. I can only say that knowing the many factors 1” risers can be subjected to today; using 5/8” type 4 raises my comfort level. I haven’t heard any reports of any breaking there but perhaps Kelly or Tony can chime in and share any info with us. The only risers I have seen break there was in the 80’s and made with ¾” type III binding tape. They were also built way out of spec by today’s standard. So it’s understandable why they broke that way and I don’t want to go back to that. Like with every thing, you have to keep an eye on them. Type 17 risers are a hi-performance item and should be checked closely for signs of fatigue and wear often. If for any reasons you’re uncomfortable with 1" risers, get type 8. Jeff

It still amazes me that I have gotten complaints from DZ riggers that report finding webbing that has pulled out from the grommet on rental/student gear w/ T-17 risers and think that because it never happens on other sport rig’s from there experience, think all T-17 risers should always last thousands of jumps. Therefore it must be a manufacturing defect. (HELLO) Read the dam manual about T-17 risers and think about it. Jeff

Nick, I wanted to reply sooner but I often get overwhelmed with to many to do’s and there are many things I would like to explain and discuss regarding your observations and comments. First being that the older style risers you mentioned both broke at the grommet. There is no question that the grommets hole is undoubtedly a week link, and in my opinion is a very good thing. Sadly, I still see those risers resurfacing often and would love to see them gone. Back in the very early 80’s when I was building Warp III’s for National in Z-hills; I noticed that even though I seared the grommet hole in my risers, they still occasionally would pull out from the grommet. My fix was to put a bar-tack across the top and bottom of the seared hole. This bonds the loose weave fibers together and then will be trapped by the spurs in the grommet washer. That proved to an instant solution to that problem and was instantly copied and become the standard. Now skipping forward to the early 90’S, a new problem pops its head up (I’m now employed by RWS at the time). Reports indicate that 1” T-17 riser's can break. Bill B. visualizes the potential problem that could be associated with 1”risers and RSL’s. As you know, we don’t want a broken riser to immediately deploy our reserve into the trash on the other riser per a RSL. Instantly a PSB was produced banning the use of RSL’s with 1” T-17 risers and its back to the drawing board on 1” T-17 riser construction. Now since the introduction of 1” type III from many years ago, we not only get another 1000 lbs. at the grommet, but its tighter weave also helps bond and hold the loose T-17 tighter together with the bar-tacks. And as you very well know, we use the combination with RSL’s again. Since then I have been watching very closely. From what I have observed, the grommet is still our weak link but is far stronger than it was. It now really has to take a big hit before it’s ripped out from under the grommet. I feel comfortable knowing that the riser construction I use also serves as an indicator on the back side of the grommet and says a lot about the loads they have been subjected to. The best time to inspect them is every time you set your brakes. Please don’t think I’m speaking in support of 1” risers, I couldn’t agree with you more that not every one really needs 1” T-17 risers. But unfortunately we have to supply the demand, and I would say we probably sell 98 percent 1” T-17 over 1 ¾” T-8. I try to stop it on a regular occasion when I notice we get orders for rental rigs or very large jumpers. And I still occasionally get resistance from the customer’s who insist on 1’ T-17 risers. If aerodynamics is that big of a deal, there are other options. If anyone has seen the risers I built for Team Xtreme, many of those options have been available for some time and can be dune in type 8 as well. No one ever asks! Any Rigger with a zigzag can fold T-8 risers back and make them more aerodynamic. Jeff

Hi Jerry, I believe Nick meant that they were manufactured by a company that holds a TSO. This was one of the conditions of the Poll. Jeff