mark

Thanks for the clarification, Mike Mullins and Paul Gholson. --Mark

Snark aside, I'm sorry to hear that that's the interpretation, for two reasons. First, it calls into question all the other places in the BSRs where it says "all" or "must." Which is just about everywhere. Second, if there's an instructor AAD fire, that's a strong indication that there was something else going on that might be good for education of other other instructors. --Mark

In other words, "any AAD" does not mean "any AAD." Did I get that right? --Mark

Look again. The MOJO operating principle is closer to that of a Skyhook in that both use a lever to balance the drag of the freebag against the drag of the pilot chute. (Forget that "race between the reserve pilot chute and the main" stuff. For most MARD deployments, the bridle is in an inverted "V", up from the bag to the MARD, then down from the MARD to the pilot chute.) For Wings/Boost and Glide/Ace (and also Sky Anchor, Trap, and whatever Firebird will call their MARD), the operating method depends on detecting whether the bridle is folded or stretched out at the point where the RSL extension attaches to the bridle.

I'll be there. Look for me at the RI/USAPR booth. In the spirit of just messing around with parachutes, ask about Skeleton Risers™! Sorry, I'm saving the video of rappelling from a round parachute for the August mini-Symposium, along with the no-hardware adjustable chest strap. But in case you missed it elsewhere, this is Karl Bob having way too much fun:

"Dear Sir: My standard fee is $600/hour for time spent in court or depositions, regardless of whether I am actively involved. Other time is billed at $300/hour, exclusive of additional expenses including but not limited to travel and lodging. In all cases, the minimum billable time is 1 hour, which resets daily. Please let me know where I should send the invoice for the time you have required so far. Best regards, ..."

If "peer review" is your standard, your rigger library must be small indeed. Poynter's was not peer-reviewed, nor are manufacturer instructions. --Mark

Let's imagine you are jumping in Topeka, Kansas. If your skydiving altimeter shows 9500', how far away from the clouds should you be? --Mark

Attached is the fabled USAPR FrankenVoodoo in the later stages of repair. Students replaced the main lift web, reserve risers, front and rear leg straps including pads, both side flaps and both MLW cover/handle pockets. Students also overlaid the reserve side flaps and made reserve and cutaway cable assemblies and housings. It still has the original TSO label and is legally jumpable according to the manufacturer. Students used factory patterns to make the new main container side flaps/riser covers, as well as the handle pockets and leg pads. The harness replacements pieces were reverse engineered from other examples. Some riggers will notice the leg straps are conventional 2-piece (like Talon-2), instead of the "V-Flex" that was standard for Voodoo containers. When the container was substantially complete, we tried moving on to making a canopy. The container was sized for a 107, and we happened to have a Sabre-1 107 handy to copy. We carefully disassembled a rib, upper surface, and lower surface to make patterns. Three different master rigger candidates make three different pattern sets. They were all good students and were careful about laying out the fabric pieces and taking careful measurements. And yet, they all produced different patterns. Short of actually counting out the ripstop boxes, we concluded that we could not produce a reliable replica. We've moved on to other projects. YMMV. --Mark

A few years ago I sent a 1992 VTC2-360 tandem reserve to PD for inspection and recertification. The data cards were incomplete, and canopies built at that time came without a "bowling score" data panel, but I'm pretty sure there were more than 40 packs and more than 25 jumps on it. It came back with a new data panel, with boxes for 40 more packs or 25 more jumps. I don't expect I'll be around to send it back again. At the rate it gets packed and jumped, it will have been in service for 40 or 50 years. That's old. --Mark

There are a few manufacturers who have retroactively established life limits for their equipment. Those life limits are not legally binding, and violating them will not lead to FAA certificate action. But there is additional civil liability exposure from choosing not to follow manufacturer recommendations (recommendations, not legally binding instructions). Some riggers choose to accept the additional exposure, and some do not. --Mark edited because no spell check

Why do you need to know that? Your inspection shows whether the system is airworthy. It doesn't matter who did previous work or when. -Mark

You don't have to use a card supplied by the manufacturer. You don't have to use a Tyvek card. You don't have to use a pre-printed card -- you could just write the required stuff on the back of your business card. --Mark

Try US Academy of Parachute Rigging. --Mark

Over the life of the rig, that's a difference of approximately $0/jump. Buy what makes you happy. --Mark