Fandango

Is this what you meant by V Ribs ? You just need low bulk ZeroP fabric to meet todays pack volume demand. Let's see what happens Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

The Speed 2000 Reserve was created in 1999 successfully by utilising 2 radical developments 1. The Speed fabric which is a Paratec proprietary weaving technology including the yarn. 2. The true shape construction technique how to join the loaded ribs. The Speed 2000 was low bulk before this marketing term was even in peoples minds Maybe because the Skydiving community focuses mainly on US brands, such ground breaking developments coming from a European manufacturer tend go by un noticed. Over the years, we have constantly improved the Speed fabric and will continue to do so. Our reinforcing tapes for instance are Swiss made and exceed the relevant PIA spec by 20 % in strength- so we can make them thinner. If you want better products you must invest in better materials which cost more. If you don't find them on the mass market, you must invest money to have them developed. Very simple. But doing this, you have to accept that this item will not be beneficial to your financial yield. It will be a expensive item and not everyone will want to buy it which will limit it's market presence. The sizing chart on the UPT website reflects the interpretation of UPT what they deem appropriate to go into the individual reserve container sizes. Paratec has sent the Speed 2000 Reserve family to all major US manufacturers for sizing. So you might want to check with the others as well. We have sent our Speed 2000 Reserves to Sandy Reid of Rigging innovations many years ago for PIA volume testing just to make sure we get unbiased and real figures. I hope I have shed some light to this and wish you all a warm and joyful Christmas and a successful and accident free 2018. Best Stefan Ertler Paratec Germany Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

This why I support a 1-yr pack cycle for the US. Jerry Baumchen I would love that. I'd be more than happy to pay twice what I'm paying now, riggers have to eat, but the nearest rigger to me is hours away. Germany and many other Euro countries have a 1 year inspection and repack cycle for nearly 10 years and it has proven itself. Here it is the manufacturer who determines the maintenance in terms of intervals,content, and personnel. Much like you know it from car manufacturers. Too bad the FAA still hangs on to it's souvereignity in this respect. Especially the reserve fabric is very thankful for not being constantly "physically mistreated" to increase permeability unnecessarily. Stefan Ertler Paratec Germany Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Free Fly by DNA No issues with any functional parts since it's debut in 2000. Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

The Next is TSOed under C23d. It's on the market since 17 years. Mostly in Europe. The predessesor to the Next, the Ultra was designed by TK Donle during his days at Paratec in the mid 80s. So it has some known pedigree:-) Alien Skin fabric resembles a 3D woven 500 Denier Cordura Manufactured in Germany using original yarn from DuPont. Maybe there is a long time Next owner here who is willing to share his/her experience. Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Jerry Great talking at PIA for sure. I have no idea why you can't log onto the Configurator ? http://paratec.tronog-engine.com/konfigurator2/paratec/ What system are you running on your pc? Maybe your graphics memory or chip is not sufficient enough. But I am sure you will solve this 😜 I pm you some screen shots tomorrow. Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Oh yeah ??!! I assume they already know 😉 Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Cheers Ian That's great. Yes. We spent 10s of Ks on this. Yet we do not regret and very much enjoy it. Stefan Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Fair enough. If it was a joke. It was well hidden. Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Sorry mate For all black you got to here : https://team.allblacks.com/Membership/SignIn Too bad you are one of these anonymous type of contributors. Bold up front but yellow down the back Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

This one rocks !!!!!! Got to be a industry first ! http://paratec.tronog-engine.com/konfigurator2 Be carefull. One can spend time on it -:) Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

I cannot really tell you as the human body is to variable. Besides when you are in that situation you are in quite of a loosely fitting harness with your risers way up so there is not really a way to give advises that can be followed. What I can tell you is that all our reserves are very forgiving and have a predictable and pre-estimatable stall point Stefan Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

So we still are left with this idea in our heads: - PD's are fine at high loadings (with some skill and if uninjured). After all, plenty of people were jumping PD-126's by the late 1990s, who weighed over the recommended 176 lb limit even without gear. - The manufacturer of Speed 2000's still absolutely prohibits loading their canopy higher. Without being in a community where the Speed's are used, there's no way of knowing that that prohibition may not have to be taken that seriously. I don't think it is about personal responsibility in this case, given the way the statements in the manual are worded. If one wanted personal responsibility, one could have worded it to allow for some. That's probably enough from me on this matter; I've stated my opinion. In the end, whether a skydiving product sells well in a particular market will depend a lot on having dealers that are reasonably close and other jumpers using the same equipment. Gruesse aus Kanada! What good is a list wich states experience levels, but where there's no definition standard for these. What's behind the expert level ? Who determined the standard? There's no institution at purchase to control whether the buyer complies or not. So, in any case the buyer rates himself and will find himself (probably unknowingly) outside the TSO as he definitely exceeds the max rate of descent of 21 ft/sec in braked configuration being in the expert mode. There is a reason for having a model family and various sizes to match weights which then allow for a safe operation. But maybe it's different when you get closer to the arctic circle. I shall ask my old friend Rigger Rob in Vancouver. Gruesse aus Deutschland Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Dan It is allowed in an Icon container, the list you are referring to needs updating. It was a requirement set up by JAA ( the predecessor of EASA here in Europe. Besides, it's TSOed and any Rigger may or may not determine compatibility. Stefan Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Is it not commercially available then? Can you provide me with the name of the mill perhaps? I am sorry Quagmirian As you have learned above, the Speed fabric is a Paratec proprietary development and not available to the public. Which logically makes the source classified. Thanks for you your understanding Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

The problem is how the manuals are worded. The PD manual puts it all in a table where you can see, for example, the OP-126 is good to 176 lbs for an 'expert', but the max is '254'. While there are all sorts of warnings, it is clear what the maximum is. In the Speed 2000 manual (at least the one I have), shows similar weights: The Speed 135 is certified to 115 kg (254 lb) and an MSW of 176 lbs. But right above the 176 it says in huge letters "NEVER EXCEED THE LIMITS LISTED BELOW" and that this Maximum Suspended Weight is to "ASSURE SAFE FLIGHT AND LANDING CHARACTERISTICS". Jumpers in North America are familiar with PD equipment, and that they can often be loaded above their recommended level. But for those of us who don't see Speeds used, or read about them on dz.com, all we would have is the manual. And the manual is very clear on never exceeding 176 lb. So that puts the canopy into a category like some ancient, crappy reserve designed in the early 1980s. Maybe it'll be like an overloaded MicroRaven that'll smack you on landing unless you're really careful. That's what I'd think only reading the manual; sounds like a crappy canopy. So their wording could be better. You mean our wording should leave more room for personal interpretation i.e. room for manufacturer sanctioned self-deception? I rather not go down that road. Maybe that's the big difference between the Euro and the US market. In Europe, self responsibility is what most people live by when using equipment. In the US, consumers tend to demand the manual to say they are safe even when their gut feeling says "rather not do it" Stefan Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Icons are not as spread in Germany as in the US or Uk We have very little experience but I promise to look into it. Stefan Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Jerry and everyone on this thread The test you mentioned here was performed by Sandy Reid of Rigging Innovations in 2003 !! at his PIA authorized test facility in Eloy Arizona before the background of TSOing the Speed 2000 and the Next rig in the US I have attached the first page of this report. The Speed 2000 Reserve uses a highly innovative fabric which is proprietary to Paratec since it's development started in 1997. (the UK members here might like the fact the Speed fabric is a true Brit :-) Our driving force was to enable the user to pack more life saving surface area into his reserve container and still look good out there. One may deservedly call the Speed 2000 the prime father design of low bulk reserves So you may trust our publisized figures Blue Skies Stefan Ertler Paratec, Germany PS : I have blackened some information as we are against comparative advertising ! Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

The Next Sport refers to the intended use being a solo rig in contrary to the Next Student and the Next Tandem The addition "Century" points to a highly ergonomic harness design, which can also be found in the Next Tandem Century Hope this cleared things up for you Best Regards Stefan Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

@ Steven : of course it can be changed. It must be changed once you wish fit a alternative AAD. @Mark : It is irrelevant who does the work. At least in Germany the owner is responsable for the airworthyness of his kit. Who does the work for him is not really the point. The rigger can be held liable for his work, I agree, but it is the owner who is responsable that his kit is up do date and legal. Compare it to cars : If your car has no MOT, you as the owner will get the ticket, but if work has been done by a garage to get your car MOT ready, and this work has caused a accident, they are liable. As I said, this is a legal issue not a technical. Stefan Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Terry is absolutely right when he does not mix and match AAD components of different manufacturers As a rig manufacturer I also strongly advise you to NOT install a AAD in another one's set up ! Why ? When we TSO a reserve container, AADs are not involved, since they are not TSOable. Rig manufacturers have to prove during TSO testing that when the ripcord is manually pulled, the Reserve can deploy without hesitation. The AAD, as we have it today ALTERES the once tested and approved Reserve activation method, by cutting the loop inside the container, leaving a bit of loop material to be disposed by the reserve pilot chute. Question : Who is responsible that this alternative activation method including it's installation, will neither obstruct nor block TSOed functions of your reserve/container assembly ???? Answer : The AAD manufacturer Every reputable AAD manufacturer will, after he has fully tested the compatability of his device in all rigs he wants to sell to, provide his product with his set up, including a installation / user manual to enable YOU as the responsalbe owner of the rig to have it installed by your rigger. Conclusion : AADs are not compulsary by law ( parachute associations are not the law ) AADs are not TSOable AADs are your personal choice of enhancing your safety AADs which cut the loop inside the container, alter the once tested and approved reserve activation method If you, as the responsable owner, put a AAD brand X into a setup of brand Y it is YOU who will be left with the responsability of the compatability of all involved components in your reserve container !! Mind you, this is not a technical issue, this is a legal issue. Think about it and ask the ADD manufacuter of your choice to provide you with the above mentioned items, no matter if you are the owner or a rigger !! Regards Stefan Ertler Paratec GmbH Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Dear all Alien skin is our Trade Mark for a 3D woven fabric made from 500 denier original Dupont Cordura fiber. It is woven in Gemany exclusively for Paratec and TSE. It is as durable as 2D Cordura (as you know it) but has this nice matt/shiny texture. It has nothing to do with Sunpath's Diamondback, wich is appliqued on top of a Cordura or Parapack backing, but not as a load carrying fabric such as Alien Skin. If you need any more info on it, please contact me under [email protected] Best Regards Stefan Ertler Paratec GmbH Germany Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Hi Everyone Thank you for your openness and constructive criticism. Just to explain some of your assumptions. 1. The tinted visor is just a monetary problem. Tinted Lexan in 2 mm thickness is hard to get and very expensive. But we are working on a solution to provide it in the near future. 2. Mirrored Lexan cannot be antifog coated on the inside due to the mirror coating process on the outside. Frosty look, but not practical. 3. We apologise to all customers who had trouble in getting through to us. As we have recently moved to our new factory, our intranet did not always work 100%. If you still have problems, just send us a fax. 4. The FreeZR was actually designed with the spectacle wearer in mind. 5. There is the brand new FreeZR MK2. See all new details on our website. 6. Unfortunately, due to the strong Euro, the MK2 is nearly 400 US $. But I guess Paratec cannot be taken responsible for this. 7. We recommend you to purchase the helmet through our dealer network. Best Regards and keep it chilled Stefan Ertler Paratec Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Hello, Have a look at this, we have been using this for 3 years now in our Next Sport and Tandem containers wherever there is a need for adjusting. We got involved with the design of this type of adjuster years ago. The idea is to have the bar pushed gently forward all the time by the little spring clip. Definitely no slipping, irrelevant of type of webbing used and no damage to the webbing at all. I know it will not cure the problem in the field with many of the adjusters out there, but at least it represents a preventing solution to the problem from the hardware side. They are expensive, but well worth it. Stefan Ertler Paratec Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.

Hi everyone, it's Stefan at Paratec. To put a end to all your speculations and discussions about the service life, here are the facts : The service life of a Next or a Speed 2000 Reserve is exactly 12 months. Then you get a inspection and a repack and get another 12 months and so on and so on. When your rigger does not want to service it anymore, call it dead. No matter if the rig was in service for 1 or for 100 years. And you better accept his decision. Eventually you as the user is responsible for keeping it in a airworthy state. ( At least under European law ) Where can you find this information ? In the owner's manual on our web site. Download the latest issue. Why is there such a discussion ? Because in Germany the law dealing with regulating parachute equipment has changed so many times lately . Finally, it is now the manufacturer who determines how, when and through who his equipment is to be serviced. Full Stop. Even though national rules may still apply in various countries, which will supersede what is written in our manual, like in the US) PS : Thank you for the great comments and the compliments on our kit. Stefan Gardner : She looks fast ! Truman Sparks : Yeah, it's the stripes.