mark

The static lines themselves are not made to break. The one in this video is capable of supporting the entire weight of the airplane and its passengers. This static line did not break -- it is the reason why the jumper is in tow. It simply failed to release at the main closing loop. The failure to release is actually kind of hard to do, but the video is not clear enough to see why it failed to open the main container. The static line only let go when the jumper pulled his reserve while he was still in tow. (A better procedure for the jumper would have been to ensure the static line was cut before deploying his reserve, which would have allowed for a bit more separation between the inflating reserve and the airplane.)

Try tightening your left leg strap first.

Assuming a cutaway with an initial vertical velocity component of 20mph, the altitude loss would be a little less than 400 feet. That leaves 600 feet to get a reserve functionally open. Sounds okay to me. I don't think there would be much difference if the AAD fired sooner, since the reserve pilot chute needs some speed to work with.

More $ than that if I have to untangle lines because the canopy was shipped without links.

Who did you ask, and what was the exact question you asked?

EOL = End of Life? Para-Flite did not set a service life. Your national aviation/parachute authority may have its own rules. If you are doing an inspection, be sure to check for compliance with PFISB 9401 bartack inspection.

A new Cypres has the same 15-year service life as an M2, and the 5- and 10-year checks are optional.

NZ Aerosports and maybe other manufacturers use a heavier sailcloth fabric for some parts of their canopies. You could ask if they'd be willing to make a canopy that uses the sailcloth in other parts as well. Downside: you're in uncharted territory with respect to pack volume (can't get the air out as easily) and durability/tear resistance. Balloon manufacturers use heavier ripstop nylon as well, which a canopy manufacturer may be willing to substitute into a canopy usually made as a hybrid of ZP and F111.

You might try their rigging school, Parachute Rigging Institute: http://www.parachuterigginginstitute.com/14.html --Mark

The only critical measurements are the ones marked 2.5" and 1.5". The 2.5" measurement is the distance from the grommet on the edge of the cap to the grommet in the center. This distance must be long enough that the fingertrap section is entirely below the center grommet. The 1.5" fingertrap section used for loop length adjustment can be a little longer if pack thickness allows, but cannot be any shorter without risking loosening during the pack cycle. Instead of the usual Cypres knot, you can make a small (0.5" I.D.) loop at the end of the closing loop, and secure using the no-sew method. The length of the fingertrap for this small loop should knot exceed about 2", so it won't interfere with the fingertrap section used for adjusting loop length. Larks-head the small loop to the Cypres washer to get a more solid anchor than the usual double-overhand + single-overhand.

The factory mark is set at a little more than 23 inches, so you're about 6 inches short. You'll probably be able to stall it, but you might not get full flight out of it, and the canopy is likely to buck and shudder if you try conventional front riser dives.

When the pilot chute is collapsed, how much kill line is there between where it is tied to the base of the handle and where the line disappears inside the bridle?

Leave them alone. Usually the fraying is just in the corners of the crossport, so it starts to appear more rectangular. If you do nothing, the fraying will tangle, which slows down the rate of future fraying. Do not trim the fraying with scissors or hot knife, since this just results in a place to restart the fraying. In an extreme case that the crossport might possibly tear from top seam to bottom seam, but at most this just puts an annoying turn in the canopy. I've seen this with a couple tandem canopies, and the instructors have jumped them for 8 or 10 jumps before realizing there really was a turn in the canopy that might need to be checked out. Save your money and go jump.

Do not change your decision altitude. You should not depend on the Skyhook or any other MARD to open your reserve canopy more quickly. Most of the time they do, but sometimes they don't.

Okay, if you must. Do not attempt to land it.