BrianM

Here are three different ways to deal with this: 1. Buy AADs with different DOMs so the maintenance dates are staggered. 2. You have 13 months to do the maintenance, so even with the same DOM, you can do the maintenance a few (or even one) at a time. 3. Use the four years between maintenance dates to save up for the maintenance - since you know it is coming! "They're all due at once and we can't afford it" is no excuse. CYPRES 1 needs batteries every 2 years or 500 jumps, whichever comes first. Battery can be changed by any rigger, no need to send anything away. CYPRES 2 gets the battery changed only at the 4 year and 8 year service, no other battery changes required. Same with the CYPRES 1 (and possibly earlier CYPRES 2's?). Yeah, we don't maintain our student gear, but don't worry, we're safe! Honest! We're just taking shortcuts to save money. Really, everything's fine! These are not the droids you're looking for! Yes, unmaintained gear can, and usually will, work. Doesn't make it a good idea. You mean recommendations like not maintaining your gear to save a buck? "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Could have been a Vigil: http://www.vigil.aero/files/images/gallery/IMG_8505.JPG Or an Argus: http://www.argus-aad.com/images/stories/product_pic.jpg Good to hear that they have taken care of it. Congratulations on your jumps. It sounds like you are doing well. Glad you are having fun! "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Cinnamon Girl Cinnamon Girl: "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Ah.... I think I see what happened. When I talked about swapping risers (post #2), I wasn't giving instructions on how to fix it, but rather explaining how it can get hooked up backwards. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Um... rigging it right would mean not hooking it up backwards in the first place! If we're talking about unintentionally hooking it up backwards, then an RSL will usually make it more obvious that it is hooked up wrong, so it could help to prevent this. If you are hooking it up backwards intentionally, swapping the lines is a lot of extra work if it's only for one jump. I would just go without the RSL for that jump. Disconnecting the RSL is no less safe than not having an RSL, so if you are willing to jump without an RSL, there should be no problem just swapping the risers around. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Fair enough, Mike. I'll wait until we hear from Airtec/SSK. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

The NOW that can come up on a Cypres2 does mean that the service is due, but does not necessarily mean it is overdue. You would need to check the DOM of the unit to see if it has actually surpassed the 4 years + 6 months window of when the service is due. The NOW does come up before that window is complete...as well as if you are past that window. Wrong. A CYPRES 2 will continue to display the maintenance due date throughout the entire 13 month window. "NOW" means that it has passed the 4/8 years + 6 month period - it is truly due NOW (or rather, it is overdue). CygnusX-1 quoted the relevant part of the manual in post #7. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Normally the PC is released as soon as the student has released from the aircraft. In the case of a student who is leaving unstable, there is a possibility of the student getting wrapped up in the bridle; in that situation, the instructor can hold onto the PC so it acts in a similar manner to a static line. It can be a split second decision... "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Perhaps, but it is no harder to place it low than it is to place it high. Given the abillity to place it wherever I wish, I will always choose to place it low. At least one of the PC's in that video looked like it was thrown out and up. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

I found that interesting too. Possibly they are using both because they have a mix of gear? I can't think of any other reason they would do that. STI would be one. What's the other one? "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

That's too bad. She's a beautiful plane, and a fun jump ship too. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

I'm not sure the AN2 flies fast enough to put enough drag on anything to rip off the tail. Talking to an AN2 pilot, he said his greatest fear was a bird strike....from the rear. Good point! I've jumped from an AN-2, and watching it take off and land is impressive. Apparently the procedure for power loss in low visibility is to pull the stick all the way back and keep the wings level - it won't stall. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Me too. If you pause the video at the right spot, it looks like some of those PCs are getting very close to the tail strut, though you can never see both the strut and the PC at the same time. I wonder how well an AN-2 flies without a tail? "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Also looks like those IAD pilot chutes are being thrown pretty high up. The tail isn't much higher than the door on an AN-2, and the strut comes down to about mid-door or lower. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

You mean the PCAs are IAD, right? I think you'll agree that some in the video are clearly S/L and others are clearly IAD. The static lines are direct bag. The handheld pilot chute is IAD, not static line. PCA static line is a third method that I didn't see in that video. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

That's not static line at all. It's IAD (Instructor Assisted Deployment). "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

That's not the same thing I said, and it's not true. The AAD maintenance is not due soon - it is overdue. It should have been done already! No you can't. With two tandems and two AFF jumps, you do not have the knowledge or experience to know if things are being done right. Because I am not there, I also can not tell if most things are being done right, but the gear maintenance is NOT being done right! They have 13 months to do the AAD maintenance. The AAD will display a reminder for the entire 13 months, so it should not be a surprise. The AAD is now telling you that the 13 months is over, and that it should not be used until the maintenance has been done. The fact that they have not bothered to do required gear maintenance for 13 months suggests a poor attitude towards safety. If someone is willing to ignore one safety item, they are probably willing to ignore others. They are also willing to lie to you when you ask questions. That is also a problem. Everything else might be fine - or it might not. Neither of us knows, but I would be worried. I will not answer your AFF questions because I am not an AFF instructor. Somebody else will be able to answer better than I can. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Sounds like a CYPRES 2. Does it look like this? http://www.cypres-usa.com/cntrl05a.gif The CYPRES 2 maintenance can be done as much as 6 months before or 6 months after the "maintenance due" date. If the display is indicating maintenance due now, that means it has gone past the maintenance due date by more than the allowed 6 months. This would be considered unairworthy. Depending what country you are in, it could also be illegal. It is, however, very unlikely that it will cause the AAD to misfire. I would not be too concerned about the AAD. I would be concerned about jumping at dropzone that doesn't maintain their gear properly and tells you not to worry about it. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Indeed. In fact, any cell phone with Bluetooth is two radios. If you have a fancy smartphone that has WiFi, it is three radios! "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Canada requires a C licence and training from an experienced wingsuit jumper. The C licence requires 200 jumps. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Thank them for the fish, and stay the hell out of their way. No, no no! They thank you for the fish! "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

Same here! I couldn't control was was going through my mind at that point, just stating what I happened to be thinking. I figured as much, and just to be clear, I wasn't criticizing either of you. My comment was aimed more at those who may find themselves in a similar situation in the future. Lots of new jumpers hang out here, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to mention that there is nothing wrong with landing with a packed main in this situation - because people have spent the rest of their lives trying to deploy their main! Hey, I landed with a packed main myself (almost 15 years ago), so it MUST be cool - oh, wait.... nevermind! But yeah, it is funny what goes through your mind at times like this - often several thoughts at the same time. I had a reserve ride after a PCIT last year, one of the thoughts going through my head as I reached for silver was "No! I don't want to waste my reserve pack job!" Funniest part is it was due for a repack anyway, and as a rigger it doesn't even cost me anything. Here's a non-skydiving one: A couple years ago, a couple friends and I were in my truck while it was sliding down the interstate on its roof. I had three distinct thoughts going through my head at the same time: 1. I can't believe this is happening! 2. I hope we don't get hurt or killed. 3. No! Not my truck! Anyway, congrats to both of you for dealing with the situation!

This is the second comment in this thread along these lines. I really gotta speak up here, because you guys have this all backwards. Going in because you didn't deploy either canopy is NOT cool. Having an AAD save your life for you because you messed around with a problem for too long is NOT cool. Opening really low on your main because you got lucky and managed to get it out right before going in is NOT cool. Being alive and well because you dealt correctly with a problem IS cool. VERY cool! There is nothing uncool about deploying and landing a reserve (with or without a packed main still on your back). You weren't faced with a choice of "alive or cool". You were faced with a choice of "alive AND cool", or "dead and NOT cool"! Easy choice to make!

In my experience, this is usually a result of hooking up a canopy that is already packed in the deployment bag, such as when swapping canopies between rigs, or hooking a main back up after a reserve repack. Taking the extra few minutes for a complete repack should prevent this. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg

I noticed that a couple days ago. There is link to a different file on the "Service & Support" page that works. "It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg