teason

Good point, activation on the ground is encouraged. It's the terminology that's used that got me. "Deployment" is different from "activation" which is what the EPs achieve. Deployment is what the system achieves following activation. One of those rigger semantic interpretations I guess. Never the less, I seriously hope no one misunderstands and thinks deployment is a good idea before a repack.

#2 is in violation of FAA regs and can be unpleasent at terminal. Terminal pulls often result in a "head low" deployment followed by a potentially hard opening. Also, deploying an f111 canopy increases porosity (which is why PD recommends their canopies should be taken out of service sooner due to use) and also increases likelihood of wear when coming back from the field (seen "pulls" on reserves that come in from the field a few times) Porosity on an f111 is not your friend when you are low. Please do not "try er out", manufacturers build tertiary rigs for a reason. You are violating FARs, risking bodily harm, and potentially damaging your canopy.

I agree Rob, glue is terrible and should only be used sparingly. Glue will sometimes get into your needle eye and harden. Then you'll be wondering why your thread keeps breaking! I had a similar experience as you only it was 150 pairs of leg pads, one after the other. By the time you're done, the corners are so sharp you could take out an eye! If you want to bind well it's practice, practice, practice! And a small awl helps too :) I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

I've replicated the problem on the ground. I did it by inserting the pin in such a way that the pin rotated 180° before extracting. It's rather common on tight pack jobs for jumpers to close the rig without regard to orientation. If the pin is inserted left to right, curved up, with a tight stiff pin protector flap; the tip of the pin goes into the bridle and the tension of PC inflation forces it through. It's hard to replicate when the pin protector is open so use your hand to keep the pin flat. Old pin flaps weren't as rigid as today's which is why it's become a more common issue in recent years. Another argument for "out the bottom" routing is the potential of increased pull force created by a tightly tucked bridle exiting the top. The Velcro some containers have above the pin to creates a secure slack to allow for movement but when the Velcro goes it winds up getting tucked in. Exiting the bottom creates a secure slack by having the bridle double back on itself. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Looking for the specs on a sonic 150. Customer needs a reline and can't seem to find anything. Overall lengths of just differentials would be fine. Better yet, if someone out there is making them it'll save me some hassle :) I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Thanks for all the info pchapman. I was unaware that needle woven can get TSO approval. Following up on Rob's comments, the gear has TSO certification so it must be class 1a. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Same ones Rob. Spekon is claiming that only the factory can do the repairs. 500 euros and I'm grounding more rigs than I'm packing! That fraying has gotten quite bad over time. Can't get any answers directly from Spekon, lord knows I've tried! I only get forward emails from the customer that originally purchased the rigs. :( I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Anyone familiar with these? I ask because I have them coming into the shop. No packing questions, got the manuals ...BUT... The design has a saddle seat that tends to push up against the velcro holding down the back pad. The factory advised to "hot compact the fraying if it wasn't too bad. The design doubles the webbing and sews it in place with 5 cord. Pretty strong with type XIII but while I was inspecting the tracers, I noticed that it was non-critical use webbing, not mil spec type XIII. (you really have to look to see the difference!) The equipment isn't used in the US (I couldn't pass a TSO with non-critical use webbing) This is a foreign operation. Here's the question. Noncritical use webbing ravels easier than standard critical due to the manufacture process, so does the commonly accepted standards of fraying apply (e.g. Sunpath's bulletins) or do I need to ground any damage to the selvage edge even if the tracers are in good shape. For the record, I've grounded 3 out of 5 that have come into my shop. They'd be iffy even if it was type XIII and I have no problem doing it when my name is on the data card. Just curious if anyone out there has experience with noncritical use webbing on equipment. And please, no FAA this or that. It's non-US equipment being used outside the US by non US citizens so FAA regs won't enter into this (I'm very aware that this gear would not be able to be used in the US or even packed for that matter) I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

I believe what John is talking about is using balances stoes to reduce the need for elastics to provide all the resistance. Balancing makes the stoe work better. Rubber bands don't always "do their job" and that's the point. The balanced stoe helps them "do their job" because "their job" is orderly metering out the lines. Loose stoes on a balanced bag aren't as big an issue as loose stoes on an unbalanced bag. If you're making sure line retention is good, it's not an issue. Balanced stoes make sure that looser stoes aren't an issue either, hence there is no need to double stoe. Hope that clears it up :) I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

I don't even know how to reply here. The root cause is spectra?!? Look, both lines have their pros and cons. Wearability, attenuation and so on. To suggest that spectra is the root cause of hard openings is ridiculous! I tried to get into that by talking about how the line reacts at low and high forces to illustrate the advantage is diminished at high forces and therefore not the answer to catastrophic force like the ones experienced here. It seems you have to position that hard opening will be ok if you have Dacron. My view is how can we prevent hard opening. It's proactive vs reactive. There are other things that mitigate opening forces. (And now I have to use mitigate because the more common albeit not entirely accurate "attenuation" will start a war on semantics.) And you should be interested in neurological response to stress because it create false conclusions, especially when your personal studies involve "hearing from some guy" regardless of their jump numbers. (It was even studied specifically in skydivers) My bias is never absolute, may be wrong and is willing to change. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

The data has been scientifically acquired in the form of a data acquisition on actual jumps. The elastic band attenuation was hard to observe as the peaks were minuscule and almost lost in the "noise" If it's your claim that the elastics are forming mini snatch forces to minimize actual snatch, the data I see refutes that. If it is you claim that better retention allows for proper sequence, now we're getting somewhere. However, it still doesn't prove the efficacy of double stoes on a balanced bag. I would agree, however, on double stoes on the older end of the bag type were a small bight is done. The elastic acts like a noose and resists the lateral forces better. I would be very interested in your articles :) I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

I agree with not letting students have cameras. There is a reason why some DZs say no sandals...snag hazard! Obtaining good video footage should only be done if the TM is able to manage the risks involved. He can't do that if he isn't in control of the camera! I have to deal with cheap customers who get pissed at me for not letting them wear their go pros. They seem to think we are trying to make money out of camera rental...our cameras only! We aren't. The service we sell is safe, quality video footage. We only hire extremely experienced TMs for that reason, pay a good wage to attract the best we can and provide a high level of safety. It would be easy as a T/I to staff my place by training noob TMs and putting cameras on the students but I feel that simply isn't acceptable. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

A thought just occurred, jumpers often change sliders to tweak openings. Sounds like you my befit from a larger slider but don't assume your current slider is a factory original. Talk to PD first to get the specs to make sure it wasn't replaced with a smaller one. A slider that is too small will actually start to move down the lines with only center cell inflation. That allows premature cell inflation and the small area won't resist the wind. A slider is generally the size of the distance between the b and c lines by the width of the cell. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Is the opening harder when it stands you up or does it push you down into the harness afterward. Larger slider will increase the first and reduce the second, smaller will do the opposite and give you the snivel-whack. It's a trade off between the two. I would check line trim first as spectra brake line can shrink over time and change the opening characteristics. I've had a saber since '93 on some line sets hard openings have been indicative of trim issues. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Just to toss in my two cents..... If you need to have leg straps replaced you must make that 1.) the work is performed by a a master rigger or under the supervision of one and 2.) that the person doing the work has spoken to the manufacturer and understands their approved repair method! Not all manufacturers repair/replace legstraps the same and unless the manufacturer has been consulted you cannot be sure that the work is being done in an approved method. Having replaced several leg straps on multiple manufacturer's equipment I know that one manufacturer's method is not the method preferred by other manufacturer's! Even if you are sure of the rigger's credentials, I you have questions on the methodology, the only one that can certify that an approved method was used is the manufacturer of the equipment. Not even another master rigger could say it was done with an approved method without talking to the manufacturer. That being said, any competent master rigger can scab on a new leg strap and it should be fine, I just feel that as a major repair 5 min of long distance calling eliminates the "creative rigging" we see that makes us cringe and slackens our jaws! ;p I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

There is a scam email out there that goes like this; Compliments of the day, i want to booking classes for 5 people who will be coming over to take sky dive training in your facility, also we need an instructor or tutor who can teach them effectively because they are all learners (first dive) and all medically certified , what is the total cost for the 5 persons,Let me know if you have availability for this dates,accommodation or apartment to hire July 19th July 2010 to 8th August 2010 for 3 weeks the group will be taking sky dive classes.Please i will be grateful to hear from you soonest. I am writing from London United Kingdom. Jim Black Warden Hexham, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom +447011132812 The poor grammar is the first give away. I googled the phone number which detailed their scam. Just a heads up I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Well you're right, you can't pick and choose which laws are ok to break, that was really my point. I was trying to demonstrate that some have an expectation of foreign nationals to respect US labour laws while some US citizens don't. I believe that it shows that the comments about labour laws and condemnation are driven more by xenophobia than belief in the laws of the land. As for business struggling in a labour shortage, that was more in reference to seasonal small DZs. It is difficult for a small Cessna DZ to find full time TIs. A TI looking for full time employment will often not look twice at a small DZ so we have to rely on part time staff. It makes it extremely difficult to grow. I realize that I own a Canadian DZ (which may cause me to misread the US situation) but I have found incredible difficulties in hiring Canadian TIs. The resulting shortage led me to investigate Visa requirements which, while easier than the US, is a bureaucratic nightmare. Recruiting from the US resulted in an extremely mediocre response. 1 respondent from the US is 5 years. Not indicative of a large segment of laid off TIs begging for work. The problem is that even in a poor economy, some markets which rely on staff with specialized skill sets will often still find a shortage on staff. Just because the overall jobless rate is high doesn't mean you can hire someone off the street to throw drogues. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Yeah, but your comments were a bit on the harsh side showing a bias against the foreigner at the mere thought of working illegally. It seemed like an attempt to be witty and cruel at the same time. Skydiving is in a big way part of the underground economy. Many packers are paid cash under the table and I suspect some instructors are as well, whether they are US citizens or not. If you're going to be offended by a foreigner working under the table does that mean you are equally offended by US citizen working under the table too? If so be careful who packs for you and make sure they claim their income on their taxes otherwise your bias is hypocritical. As for the OP. The US is a miserable place to work if you are a foreigner. I've heard of Canadians who aren't even allowed to mow their lawns on properties they own in the US. I personally know a Canadian who works in Canada for a parent company in the US (obviously legal). When she crossed the border to attend a conference, she was turned away. She had to spend $5000-$7000 on an American Lawyer to be allowed in. The Border Service was in the wrong but the US culture has become overly protectionist. Andy9o8 is a prime example of the emotion that many Americans feel at the mere thought of foreigners getting work whether the US workforce can service the need or not. It would be one thing if Americans were being past over for cheaper foreign labour creating unfair competition but that's not the case. It's a case of businesses desperately trying to fill a shortage. They would pick Americans first but that's not always possible and obtaining Visas for foreigners is a costly odyssey of epic proportions. Protectionist attitudes leave their hands tied and their businesses suffer. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Testing done on reserve ripcord handles years ago showed a 20% or so increase on pull force when hooking a thumb into the handle. That means you can produce more pull force with a "D" handle than a pillow. A "D" handle cutaway can therefore address the concerns of hard pulls that can arise from hi-speed spinning mals. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Hey! Calling all Skydivers! I'm in a Canadian contest to win 1 of 50 cubes (as far as I can tell I'm the only Skydiver) Out of all the thousands, I'm one of the 500 auditioners across Canada so I've got a 1 in 10 shot. ...but I need votes. Most are going to their online communities to get their numbers and I'm thinking the skydiving community has the power to put me in a Nissan Cube. Go to: http://hypercube.ca/signup/en/index.html and then search for "Tim Eason" (My square is blue) The link should be here too http://hypercube.ca/en/Canvas.aspx?id=3a68c4ec-5143-460d-b594-4db91a528499&lang=en My canvas has a couple jump pics until I can upload some vids. I'm hoping to do a few vignettes on the 25th when we open. Whatcha think? Do we have enough power in the Skydiving world? Blues I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

We stopped putting paper in BOCs years ago. I found that the paper caused the student to focus on the pull and not the body position. Now before everyone gets all "but they have to focus on pulling" and "life survival skills" the goal at this stage is to teach stability through the pull sequence, not tell them they "just died" when they land with the paper and erode their confidence! Also, with BOCs, the moment the bag comes out the container means that the paper is NOT where a pull is supposed to be! The paper tends to be an unfair test and breeds anxiety into the student. I first became an IAD instructor in the days of leg pulls. Paper back then actually proved to the student how easy it can be to find the handle. The introduction of BOC made the paper pull a poor and even counterproductive task. In many cases, the only way to help a student who keeps twisting and focus on the paper above all else was to make them leave the paper on the ground and have them focus on stability through the pull sequence. I've trained practice pulls without paper for several years now and I've found that practice pulls without paper enforces the kinestetic skill, creates more positive successes on tasks and extra pull practice on the ground gives the confidence of knowing where the handle is! Originally I felt weird about not using paper because "it's what we've always done" but it has improved how well first freefalls go! I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

An interesting tidbit in the choice of materials is that nylon became the material of choice during WW2 when trade embargos with the east made silk impractical.

Uh, I don't think it would be advisable to lift the lines to check until the packer is proficient. Walking the lines is a way to develop understanding of what is being looked for. I've flat packed literally thousands of Mantas and yes, I can lift the lines but I would never recommend that the someone learning. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

LOL! New shirt quote: Remember when transfats were safe and skydiving was dangerous? I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Another nice thing about the foam is that because of how it is designed, it allows the manufacturer to put more padding in without that much extra bulk or weight that came from the old foam padding that was used before. I put old foam on one of my rigs when I built it and it just added bulk and weight with very little extra comfort. The new style foam out there is far superior. Also, if you are familiar with the way high end back packs are designed, they place a pad on each shoulder and one on the lumber to allow air flow behind the back while hiking. UPT copied this to achieve the same effect. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.