dpreguy

Yup.. that's the ticket for main closing loops. Thanks for the picture! That's the one!! 7/8 dia outside and 3/16 hole. And, since it s a punched product, back the knot up on the smooth-rounded side. Not the "cut" side. Thanks for the picture. (I don't know how to take and publish pictures, so I would not have been able to do that.) Reserves: I only use Cypres washers and Dyneema-Cypres closing loop material.

Koppel You are correct. I actually had forgot about this cypres washer thing that came up a few years ago. Thanks for reminding me. And, it speaks of a "tear out" not a bending. That's a lotta force to cause that!

The one that is "just larger than a dime". ( The problem with ordering off the internet, is all you have is pictures or drawings. I can't tell from the drawings. I saw) I am home now and not at the loft. I will get the size off the box when I go back to the loft and repost.

Forgot to mention. Since they are punched, the 'Fender Washers' have a wonderful smooth side. No need to take off any sharp edge or burr. Use right out of the box. Any hardware store. They are about the size as a dime. Of course you back the knot up to the smooth side, not the 'cut ' side.

"Fender Washers". Small hole is just right! Buy a box from Ace hardware. When you see it you will know the size. I'm at home now and don't have them in front of me. Don't use "machine washers" as they have a big hole - too big.

If you want a wide range of easy adj stitch l lengths, and one that is smooth as butter...A Singer 188K. Straight stitch only, and does NOT do zig zag and doubt it will do button holes either, but, it is a joy to sew with and will handle pretty heavy and never goes out of adjustment. It's like a modern day version of the famous 31-15, but with reverse. I have a longarm sewing machine- Adler Pfaff -and always have to do a bunch of adjusting when going back and forth from straight stitch to zig zag. I suspect most machines have this problem. I'd get a straight stitch and a zig zag and not try to go back and forth. that's my experience.

I've never seen any washers of any kind show up in a new Vigil suitcase box, let alone the notched Vigil ones. If the picture is to show what comes in the aluminum suitcase, ....well that would be a first for me. I have only had a few-maybe 3 or 4 come in. Except when one came in a shipping box, the owners have walked in with brand new Vigil boxes, and no loops- no washers- of any kind. I hope they will start putting something in. Preferably their own notched washers. (Then I'd have to read the diagrams and figure out how to tie them. I can do that.)

Except for diagrams. (And the pictures - pictures of them are a first for me) I've never seen a Vigil washer. When Vigils come brand new in the nice aluminum box there are no washers or loop material. That these washers even exist is, so far, not a reality .....just diagrams on a piece of paper. No one I know has ever seen an actual one and no Vigil rig I've had come in has ever had one either. (Bending a Cypres washer? I've heard of it, but man....that's a "lotta force" to bend one. Can't imagine a 22 lb pull consistent with the force for a bent Cypres washer.)

Bud Light. No aftertaste, because there was no taste to begin with.

Packing a Para Commander isn't complicated, but should be done right. Tension while flaking, lines to inside, etc., but the stowange is where there are variations. What to do with the crown lines, etc.. If you are really going to jump it, consider that a common modification is shortlining. See if yours is already shortlined. I didn't do that with mine, but it was done a lot. Also, when the Paracommanders were made, the (can't remember the term - "hold down" webbing? =the two 1000 lb tubular webbings that hold the apex down); those webbing ends were just put onto the rear riser L bars, which of course slanted the hold down webbings to the rear risers. The common mod there was to put V rings inside the riser confluence wraps at the Capewell ends (right above your shoulders) and attatch a short extension to the "hold down" tubular webbing ends and attach to the V rings. This took them off the rear L bars entirely. Everyone did this. That left the canopy lines on the L bars and nothing else. Freed up the rear risers from the webbing and the center of the pulled down part was aligned to the center of the riser connection (your shouldrs) and centered to the canopy 'hold down'. If you are going to jump it I would recommend this.

1. Big yellow shot bag in a pilot emergency rig. I still have it and use it. 2. Dog shit. ( I assume) Owner of reserve said the prev rigger had a small dog. Didn't have it repacked for over a year. When I hung it up, it fell out. Sport rig. 3. Packing data card from another pilot emergency rig in the canopy, about half way up.

Singer 188K. It's the machine Rags Raghanti uses in his traveling demo at PIA to teach sewing patches. It is the smoothest machine I've ever sewed with. E cord (V-69) only. Small pulley or an electronic motor.

Singer 188K It's the one Rags Raghanti uses at PIA in his traveling demo for teaching patch sewing. It is the smoothest little gem I've ever sewed with.

I reread my post and found it to be snarky. I apologize about the way I said it. I always find skydiverderek's posts to be on point and intelligent. Didn't mean to come off as such a smartass. This discussion on pilot chutes is a good topic.

Determining the ratio of mesh to fabric is in my opinion, a silly quest; and knowing this ratio is of no value, unless there are assumptions that having a higher ratio of one to the other is better than having a low ratio. And if one is to chase assumptions, then there would have to be data on which pilot chute ratio creates the most drag, and whether that drag result is due to the ratio or due to design. No one has taken the bait of determining ratios, nor does anyone care about the ratios. What every following poster is discussing is the important stuff: design, size, comparing manufacturer's performance, etc. Maybe the original poster was actually trying to find about performance, but didn't know how to ask.

What would be the value of knowing these ratios?

Off subject but....I'd round off the corners of that step and smooth them down. (OK, maybe I'm a busybody here.)

B is B yoke. 15 is the length of the FLW (front lift web) Info is on all SunPaths I have seen

My opinion: Switching sizes of canopies or kinds of gear for every other jump, is like jumping borrowed gear all of the time. This is simply my opinion, but I think a second rig,(jumped regularly, as in every other jump) should be exactly like the first rig. Same container, same main, same everything. That way you can focus on your jumping, not thinking in the back of your mind, 'which rig do I have on this jump' etc. Also, If you have dissimilar mains or containers, (or both) I think mentally you will choose a favorite between the two, and be on a down cycle when you jump the second choice one. I think you should love your gear on every jump. This is not to say a second rig, if jumped for different purposes should be the same. As in a regular sport rig and a rig for demos. Or one for regular jumping and one for swooping. It's the plan to alternate that would bother me. Heck, maybe it's just me.

Paddy. A name for a guy? Sounds cutsey girlie to me. Like 'Muffy' would be short for Mike. That's just me I guess. If that's the nickname for Patrick, then they can have it.

OK I am getting that you don't like "St Patty's" day, which has always seemed logical to me, as Patty sounds like abbreviation of Patrick. So if you prefer to call it Paddy's Day, who is Paddy? Paddy sounds like the name for a child's stuffed toy or something.

Forgot to mention, there would have been 4 toggles. One for each riser. Pull back toggles to go forward, front toggles to go backward, Pull right rear and you would turn left.....left rear would have you turning right, holy shit...every control would have make you go OPPOSITE of what you pulled. Maybe it was better we didn't get it going. Or, maybe we could have just cross connected everything.......??

Yup. That's the ticket. Wish I had had one of those when jumping heavy shit at night w the T 10. Hard landings. The "backupable" round has been in use for a time now for the smokejumpers. Old days: Early 60's there was a "Russian Pinwheel" idea. Just "cut" (melt edges) the two opposing panels out on the left side and right side of a 28 foot surplus round. One problem was that, the controls would be a mindfuck. Kind of like crossing your arms when riding a bicycle. I never jumped one but we talked about it and saw a picture of a Russian guy using one. We were going to make one, as we did all of our mods, by using a wood burning kit iron (like a soldering iron). Never got around to it. Then a complete Air Force B 12 w/28 foot orange and white canopy, harness, container and canopy was about $35 from a surplus store near Offutt Air Base in Omaha. We just talked and never got beyond that. Even talked about crossing the controls so to turn right you could pull the right toggle, etc etc. , instead of the control lines going up straight, where right pull would make you go left.... Just talk, but the idea was intriguing, as you could have gone backwards as fast as forward, and still face the target; and if you pulled the opposing controls you would turn really fast w/o any oscillation. Hence: pinwheel. We just talked and talked. All hat and no cowboy on that idea. Looks like (was it Bill Gargano?) actually has made that Russian Pinwheel idea work.

Oh great, The balloon suit is back. Whooppee. (Not)

No. Not those round ones. The square static line non-steerable ones with a slider. Nicknamed "the Muffin" or maybe another nickname by now. Saw the video demos at PIA Reno. Think it was Airborne Systems. Have pictures at the loft of them. Having jumped T 10's with their hard landings, the Muffin looked like a big improvement. Significantly lower descent rate and because of the slider, no more line overs or anti inversion nets.