erdnarob

Hi Rob, glad that you have met the other Rob. I have worked earlier this year to refresh the sketches on the CSPA rigger A exam (a lot of work using iDraw software). There is now more material on AAD's too and some old hardware and webbing stuff have been removed but there is always place for improvement. I was in charge to administer the new exam to a rigger B candidate having already a lot of experience with rigging. The exam is quite long to write (2.5-3.5 hours). See you at Daytona Beach. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

You can buy recording max scales at Walmart or other hardware stores. Tight accuracy is not what we need in rigging therefore those scales are perfectly suitable for testing pin motion force for instance. If by any chance you don't trust your scale, you can establish a calibration chart by testing it with different certified weights. This is done for aviation compasses and mechanical altimeters too. But I suggest you to buy the little metal adaptor sold by ParaGear for pin motion force in conjunction with that scale (PARAGEAR M5995 PULL FORCE TOOL). Choose a scale going up to 50 pounds. You then can use it for fabric tenslle test as well where you need 30 lbs. For higher forces like testing ripcords at 300 pounds for 3 seconds, I have designed a device based on levers. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I am coming back soon with more info. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

The conditions to keep a parachute equipment is when it's comfortable for humans ie. around 70% of relative humidity and 70 degrees F. Some place like Arizona can be very dry which is in favor of a lot of static electricity then more bulk. OTOH regions such as Atlantic climate of Western Europe are very humid. Then if you buy an hygrometer (hair type is the best) and you calibrate it by wrapping it for a couple of minutes into a wet towel and adjust it at 100%, you will be able to check your relative humidity by getting a humidifier if the RH is too low. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I understand that at inflation, the air rush inside the cells and is blocked at the tail seam which is maybe why you say that this area is submitted to high pressure. But what is the main cause of tear in the fabric at inflation...pressure or force (load) ? From my point of view, since the tail is down (on brakes) at opening, the first part of the canopy near the nose (outside and inside) is behaving as a round parachute creating at this moment a very high pressure on that area and load as well. What do you think about this explanation ? On the other hand, I always thought that PD were asking us to test the fabric near the tail because it is the less critical area. I would rather have a hole in the fabric near the tail than near the nose !!! Thank you for your interest...I am going to do some research Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I have mentioned the Vector III from UPT because they are the maker of such a ripcord. But I have heard about other people who have bought the pin (larger than conventional pins) and who have built their own ripcord with it because they like very much its sturdiness. This pin has no swaging at all, have a eyelet and is made in one piece of stainless steel. The cable in stainless steel or Spectra has a loop at the end which catches the pin just before the eyelet (see picture). Since the Spectra version has a bungee, there is no possibility of a floating rip cord out of reach. No idea if this kind on R/C is available for other rigs but a master rigger can built one with the pin. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I have a PD-160 reserve. I load it at maximum capacity. I had to use it twice at terminal speed. No problem. It is as sweet as silk. Reserves are designed for slow and soft opening. However, a reserve is a reserve and it is not going to give you the comfort of a main. Therefore, for landing, choose a nice grassy place and do a good PLF. If you plan to deploy a reserve, try it as a main (PD demo available) or do a cut away at altitude of (3500-4000 ft) and wear a tertiary canopy. You always need (according regulations) one parachute extra than the number of parachutes you want to use. And tell your intentions to everybody on the ground + the pilot. You don't want your main to be lost, isn't it ! Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Hard openings can likely happen on any parachute when for instance your slider moves up away from the stoppers only by one inch. Also, when you evaluate the vertical distance for a canopy deployment you should take a reasonable sample and take the average. One opening is not always significant for evaluating how hard opens a parachute. One time (the only time) my former Sabre 2 opened on a vertical distance of 180 ft (really hard). I am pretty sure that the packer had not checked the slider being against the stoppers. I complained to the packers responsible person who said she will pack herself my Sabre 2. It didn't happen again. No wonder, my Sabre 2 was opening on an average vertical distance of 340 ft (based on 10 consecutive jumps). Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

You did the right thing by landing the canopy after having tested its airworthiness. But I shake my finger to you when you mention you did a couple of hard turns. When such a situation happens, behave gently with a parachute to make sure it will not become worse. Same thing if you have one or two broken lines. Do only wide turns, gentle manoeuvers... and keep the more drastic move for the flare near the ground. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

You have 65 jumps, very good. A canopy has too be chosen according different parameters : 1) your experience (we know it partially with your 65 jumps) 2) your age 3) your weight 4) your DZ elevation 5) your past injuries if any 6) your preferences like having long rides, or doing accuracy or wanting to land very softly, 7 or 9 cells...etc 7) the resale value (when you will have 300-400 jumps) if bought new 8) new or second hand If you see an instructor or rigger with experience, you can talk to him/her about those parameters. In the rigger course, there is a form to be filled up called EQUIPMENT SELECTION SHEET. The rigger filled that up according your data and after can suggest you some brand, model and size. Performance Designs is proposing different canopies depending of your preferences after being out of the student status : A) flat or long ride canopies 9 cells : Pulse B) more or less accuracy canopies 7 cells : Spectre, Storm C) strong flare, long ride 9 cells : Sabre 2 Keep in mind that the canopy is one of the three elements of a rig. There is also the reserve and the harness/container and those three elements have to be harmonized. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I think in this case, we don't really have a problem of regulations but WE HAVE an attitude problem. It is not because you are a doctor that you know everything even if you give the patient tons of explanations. You have to be like a scientist ie. a good engineer. Assess the situation objectively, don't let your personal preferences color your judgement and give an advice which cannot be criticized. Not always easy. With such an attitude, no old airplanes even well maintained would fly. BTW I jumped recently from an Antonov An-2 designed in 1937. Everywhere you can see power trip and abuse of authority even seemingly about what brand of AAD you used. This is not the way to lead skydiving. And remember, I said, I am not surprised...that's all. And I know who is the rigger. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Are you sure of that when you say the high pressure is located on the last 1/3rd of the canopy at the tail. Why then Performance Designs asks us riggers to perform fabric tensile test on the tail (3 sec. 3 locations and 30 pounds away from any seam or edge) ?????. When a canopy inflates, the highest force is located on the canopy first third (the nose and a couple of feet behind) so is the pressure. If a line breaks, this is very often a A line where to force is the most intense. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Not at all since there is no holes and the little bugs (two) are small as well. It looks like the fabric has been caught in barbed wire and/or squeezed on metal. Any rigger should understand that this is why ripstop is the material generally used in canopies construction. RIP STOP means it will STOP the RIP especially the small ones. Easy enough to understand. Better yet, those little bugs would be OK on a reserve too because there is no holes I can see bigger than 1/4". But OTOH I am not surprised : One time I asked to a very experienced and rated Israeli rigger what i needed to know if I wanted to go and jump in Istrael. Since they have a DZ below the sea level, it looks cool to me to make a couple of jumps there. 1) The answer was actually a question : What country are you from ? Skydivingly speaking...irrelevant. 2) we will check if the size of canopy you use is OK with your weight...I answered...even if I have experience with it...the answer was...yes. To come back to the thread subject, as a rigger, if I would see such thing, I would mention to the owner that a scratch or hole on a canopy fabric never get smaller with use. I would also say that everything so far is OK but since your lines have 400 jumps and there are few bugs on the fabric, to keep a eye on them in ordre to control the evolution of the wear and bugs. That way, I give a sound advice not too drastic and put some responsibility on the jumper shoulders instead of trying to keep an absolute control by telling NO. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Thanks for your calultaions. In my calculation the jumper forward speed at exit due to airplane speed (provided it is flying horizontally against the wind at altitude over the calulated spot) is the : (ground speed of the airplane x 5 seconds)/2 which represents the horizontal distance made by the jumper at exit. See explanations. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Fully elliptical canopies are known for soft openings. My Katana deploys on a average vertical distance of 600 ft. That has been determined by downloading the data from my Vigil 2 via its interface I have. Instead of working with figures directely, I have worked on 10 consecutive jump graphs (altitude-time from the Vigil 2). By drawing lines precisely on the graphs, I could determine altitudes and time taken (simple physics work). In comparison, using the same method on my former Sabre-2 gave an average deployment vertical distance of 340 ft, quite a difference. From my point of view, this is the most accurate method when not using more sophisticate expensive equipment. Obviously, soft openings mean longer vertical distances to deploy. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Sorry again, I didn't realize that when clicking on the file it was being downloaded. I have your XLSX file Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Sorry but I cannot open your file. Could you change it in simple XLS. I am into mathematics therefore I am interested to see more details. I made a program a couple of years ago on my graphing calculator HP 48 GX to calculate the spot based on wind direction and speed at 0, 3000, 6000, 9000 and 12000 ft. In this program I took in account the forward throw due to the ground speed of the airplane at altitude. In summary, this program makes a sum of 4 vectors (direction and length) and the result is like : 3500 ft at 340. We can really fast find out the spot on an aerial picture of the DZ on which I have drawn circles every 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 ft ...etc including geographic radials from 0 to 180 to 360 degrees by increments of 10 degrees. If intersted just tell me. My program let you know each operation and tell you what it actually does. I have also a sample calculation by hand to validate the program. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I don't know your age but I understand you as being myself well over 60. Your weight, height and age shouldn't be a problem. The most important is your physical shape. What you need first is having strong leg and arm muscles. Then find a friendly DZ where they are ready to take care of you and put you back into modern skydiving. Starting with a large square canopy will be the way. Get a good briefing and maybe for the first times at least, have a radio in helmet to match the directions from the ground instructor about when and how doing your approach and flare for landing. I order to encourage you, not only I am over 60 but my weight is 245 plus equipment. On last July I was in the six way base of the new Canadian record of 102 at Farnham Quebec. In the base there were 2 guys bigger than I and one was 6'5". Go on the following YOU TUBE link to see what I am talking about. You can see me in royal blue jumpsuit breathing oxygen at 18000 feet and waiting for the green light just before exit from the lead plane, a Sherpa of 38 jumpers. http://youtu.be/FvURXQ43788 This weekend I have jumped twice for a demo at an AirShow. The airplane was an ANTONOV AN-2, Russian made and biggest biplane in the world. As you can see I am not finnished, same for you if you get a good preparation. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Actually, you can get theoretically a Nitron of any size by special order. The one I have jumped twice was a 190 sold by Chuting Star Georgia. About the pitch angle, I did a mistake about the Nitron 190. Forget the figure on my post. The lowest pitch angle I have measured is the NITRO 150 (German original) with 13.25 degrees. The Nitron 190 has a pitch angle of 15.19 while another Nitron of size 135 had 13.75 degrees. My method to evaluate the pitch angle is relatively fast. Just two measurements on one bearing seam of the middle cell: distance between A and D attachment points (X) and with the same two attachments points pulling the corresponding lines together and measuring their difference in lenght (Y). The pitch angle is : sinus of (Y/X). John Sherman from Jump Shack told me that my method yields the same results than his more theoretical approach, at 1/10th of a degree. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

In the future, I suggest you to get from UPT Vector a rip cord with a 1000 pounds proof Spectra line. This type of ripcord has a bungee inside and when accidently pulled out of the pocket returns against the rip cord housing.See the pictures. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Since you are a Britt, why not considering becoming a member of the Canadian Sport Parachuting Association (CSPA). You would have a 3 millions dollars insurance good world wide. After all Canada is part of the Commonwealth. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I just forgot to tell you. When you jump at a new DZ check the elevation above sea level. High elevation can make you land faster and harder. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Suggestions: Start your flare early (25 ft) but very progressively (slow). Look at 45 degrees in front of you and concentrate on being very symetrical with your toggles. According what you see at 45 degrees keep on depressing toggles to get them at hip level only when you are at one foot above the ground. For the last 10 seconds, don't move your body or turn and : 1) don't move your legs or arms in order to supposedly protect yourself 2) don't anticipate your landing by reaching or extending your legs or hands (ie. land when you are on the ground) 3) keep on flying your canopy even when your are on the ground (toggles symetrical) Landing is a art and you have to jump and jump and learn from that. I hope those few hints will help. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Hi, The fact that a canopy gives you a long ride depends on three factors according John LeBlanc from Performance Designs : 1) the pitch angle 2) the load distribution on front and rear lines 3) the shape of the airfoil The canopy which seems to have the lower pitch angle is the NITRON-190 with 13.19 degrees. In comparaison a Sabre 2-170 has a pitch angle of 15.34 degrees and the Katana which has the highest pitch angle with 18.03 degrees. In order to have a longer ride you would need a canopy with more load on the rear risers (ask the manufacturers) that will make the toggles harder to pull. For the airfoil prone to a longer ride, again ask the manufacturers. A canopy I have tried and which can give you a good long ride woud be the PULSE from PD with his low pitch angle allowing you a quite flat descent. Anyway, you will always need a canopy matching your weight and your experience. For this, refer to your instructor. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Probably a too loose closing loop. Keep that tight. The last flap edge (with binding tape) has to overlap the second last flap edge binding tape on a Vector III but I guess it's about the same for other rigs. Now beware of the hot and humid weather during the Summer. Your pin tension could be OK at Spring and too slack at Summer. The humidity makes parachute packing with less volume then decreasing the tension on the pin. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.