erdnarob

I agree with you. The static coefficient of friction is always higher than the dynamic one. I recommend riggers to use a memory scale since the duration of the reserve pin maximum sliding force is very short. I use this tool (see in attachment) for doing so. Note : this is not he first time this topic appears on this forum. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

IMO, a barrel roll in skydiving is a 360 degrees rotation around the longitudinal axis (ie. axis going from feet to head) of the body when on belly at the start. This longitudinal axis is horizontal. The barrel roll can be done, seen from the rear, clockwise or counter clockwise. A 360 degrees rotation around the lateral axis (which is horizontal and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis) of the body (ie. axis going across the chest) is a back loop or a front loop, while a 360 degrees rotation around the vertical axis passing by the center of gravity of the body being on belly is a flat turn (right or left) When an airplane does a barrel roll (similar to this skydiving definition) it drops by few hundred feet depending on the speed. To see that drop, look at the airplane (low enough) and the ground for reference. The drop is then obvious. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Hello Pat. I think we have met at least once but cannot remember where. Anyway, I have read your book about doing formations. The detail I mostly remember is when you explained that the fastest way to reach a formation wasn't the straight line but a curve (ie. it is a cycloid proven by Leibnitz and Newton) quite steep initially to be changed in an almost horizontal path. In other words, get first the speed then transfer it to cover horizontal distance. I tried it and it works very well. I even won a case of beer doing it when I beat a straight line path believer. The challenge is judging when to change from steep dive to a more shallow one. To come back to your thread question, here is in attachment a document including pictures by beatnik, a member of this forum, written few years ago. I even translated it in French. I hope you will find some valuable information.

Hi Rob Excellent answer to the thread question. Unfortunately a guy you know had other view about Kevlar usages. See below what kind of answer has been found in his "senior" rigger exam answers. I knew that was wrong but I double checked with a major manufacturer who told me that Kevlar was not used on crossbraced canopies and nowhere else in modern equipment. Could you spot other mistakes ? «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« MATERIAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER ITEM MBS USED FOR 1 TYPE XIII 7000LB MILITARY HARNESSES 2 SUPERTACK 90LBS HAND TACKING 3 SPECTRA LINE 500LBS ZP MAINS 4 1” TUBULAR NYLON 4000LBS CANOPY APEX ON ROUNDS 5 KEVLAR 750LBS CROSS BRACE CANOPIES »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I have a Vector 3 with a Skyhook and Spectra ripcord. I know what you mean about the "square" pin increasing the sliding force. I always check the minimum pin sliding force using a memory scale attached to the ripcord handle. For doing so, you put your foot on the rig where your shoulder goes in order to "round up" the spectra line housing while you apply force on the scale. When doing this on a conventional steel cable ripcord, a friend of mine is holding in place the special tool from ParaGear which limits the move of the pin (see the picture of such a device I made from stainless steel). In other word you try to reproduce the normal configuration. Even though that tool doesn't work for Spectra line ripcord, a friend can "hold" the top of the pin while scaling to prevent a complete extraction. You can also apply some silicone on the grommet and pin. Even at 22 lbs, there is no problem to pull the ripcord even using one hand, Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Your approach about having no AAD leading to an eventual death is a bit morbid. A well known AAD maker have, for years, made his publicity by almost playing that game. I have jumped at a time when having an AAD was suspect for SF since "they could fire at any time". I have made about 1800 jumps without any AAD. An AAD is a back up device and only that. BTW there are rare occasions where AADs were the cause of death when firing at the wrong time. You should also know that there have been fatalities when an AAD fires normally but the reserve was a second or two too slow to deploy. Still now there is about 20% of the jumpers who jump without AAD. Then I recommend you to switch on your AAD at the DZ before you jump and FORGET it. If by any chance your AAD date is expired or batteries are dead, you should be able to keep on jumping since your "main parachute will never know your AAD is no more operational" and will deploy anyway. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I have now several hundred jumps with Jerry Baumschen Aerosports D-Bag which is like a reserve D-Bag where you stow the lines in zigzag into a pocket closed by strong magnets (reserves have Velcro). Jerry now has changed magnets for tuck tabs. I wrote an article in Blue Skies magazine (Feb, 2012 if my memory is good) about my testing. My D-Bag like the Vector UPT one has two rubber bands to close the D-Bag flap ( I put tandem tube stows on mine). My opening are smoother and more orderly than anything I had before. You can see pictures almost frame by frame of one of my openings in the magazine. Suspension lines are straight and taut. That kind of bag let the lines go smoothly from the D-Bag pocket middle unlike the standard D-Bag which are rocking from left to right when the lines unstow. If you check the lines order when unstowing, there is no comparison between the two types of bags since the semi stowless D-Bag provide more cleaner lines unstowing. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

A friend of mine had the same problem with his Pilot 210. He checked the steering lines length and everything seems OK. But he kept on complaining about the lack of flare power. First of all you have to check your risers length for if you have 19" long risers, they can be too short to allow you to get a full flare at normal arm extension. If you have 23" inches risers, that can possibly solve your problem. Finally, at my suggestion, I shortened his steering lines by 2 ½ inches which greatly had him getting better flares. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

First of all, there are not stupid questions. The type of opening one has depends on several factors like : 1) size of pilot chute 2) type of canopy 3) jumper position at pilot chute launch and main deployment 4) type of suspention lines 5) canopy packing 6) set up of the lines on the D-Bag 7) type of rubber bands an their set up on the D-Bag 8) grommets of the slider not against the main stoppers 9) altitude of deployment 10) riser tuck tabs not released at the same time or a combination of all of the above. Note: most of the time, IMO hard openings come from when the packer is bagging the main and lets the slider grommets slip from the the stoppers of the main. Just one inch or two is enough to get a slammer. Remedy : after bagging the main in the D-Bag, comb the lines toward the main to insure that the slider grommets are still against the main stoppers. Those grommets can move a bit when putting the main on the ground or/and bagging. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I have made my first jump from a Kodiak recently. Nice airplane. Good climbing. Door similar to Caravan. This airplane takes a couple of jumpers less than the Caravan. I was sitting near the door and found it quite noisy. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

The MLW length is equivalent to the length between the hollow point at the junction of the two collar bones and the highest point of the hip bone. This measurement is in diagonal though corresponding to the MLW length (this is according UPT Vector way to measure the MLW). I used it several times with success. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Don't worry too much, many jumpers and riggers have had that minor problem and as far as the 4 sets of lines are clear, the parachute will fly properly. You asked the best way on the ground to check that the lines are well installed, here it is : Go outside with a friend by a moderate windy day, put your parachute on the ground (grass, snow...etc) with nose up and hold your harness/container accordingly ie. the front up. Put your shoulders in place on the rig (you don't have to do the chest strap). The rig is now on you in a reverse way. Take the toggles off the keepers in order to control the canopy. Have your friend holding one side of the canopy to help inflation. Your back should be facing the wind. Back up as fast as you can for inflation and be ready at the toggles. When the canopy fly above you, you should have the toggles up. The canopy then just has a moderate pull on you. Time to check the line continuity, the links, the slider, the risers not twisted... In case the wind is stronger, have your friend behind you holding your shoulders Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

The needed length of the reserve closing loop is changing due the air relative humidity. When packing a reserve in a dry air (like in Canada in the early Spring), the volume of both main and reserve increases due to the static electricity forces between reserve folds and main folds then a longer loop is needed to match the increase of volume. The same rig will likely show a bulge on the reserve container due to the pilot chute pressure in July and August when humidity is at maximum. Last year with a reserve packed in the Spring, I had to change the length of the loop twice for that reason. Some rigs with apparent pilot chute crown are more subject to this problem like Wings, Dolphin and Javelin. One can see quite often the pilot chute material shown when the crown has a gap. All these rigs have been packed in the Spring with a pin minimum sliding force test of 18-21 pounds. Now do you know the length it takes on a closing loop for a double knot ? Here is the Vigil information sheet on the subject. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Quite amazing video. Congratulations to Bill Booth for his long dedication to the sport equipment. I first met Bill in 1975 at Kendall Miami Glide Airport. I was jumping my Greenstar rig including a front mounted reserve. A guy came on the DZ showing his new rig. It was Bill Booth with one of his first "all in the back" rig. I asked him if I could put it on my back which he agreed. He took a couple of pictures. The rig didn't have already the 3 rings but a fork like cut away system. Two little yellow tapes had to be pulled sideway for cut away. (see picture) Few years after, at a CSPA annual general meeting in Montreal, I saw the 3 rings demo for the first time. Two guys were pulling on 2 pieces of webbbing held together by the "three ring circus" as it was called at the time. The 3 ring locking was a plastic straw barely bent by the efforts. I tried it and I knew that was the solution we have been looking for. I had made earlier two cut away using Capewell. But what a difference using the 3 rings. No wonder, I got my first Relative Workshop Wonderhog in 1978 and kept on using Relative Workshop (now UPT Vector) rigs since. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Hi Peter You wrote ""Yet it traditionally has also had the problem of thinking it is airborne if driven away from the DZ, now mitigated by the new 14 hr turnoff feature.)"" Not anymore for Vigil 2s with serial numbers higher than 26762 or so. Those Vigil 2s will switch off after 14 hours whatever if their elevation have been changed. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Try going through a hulla hoop. A good freefall exercise involving precision in 3D. See the picture Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

You should not play with cat that way since they are family pets. If you are really curious about why a cat lands on his legs, don't come on this forum but see studies about cat on Internet. Be more considerate for cats and animals in general. After all cats have save millions of persons from starvation by eliminating mice from the cereal warehouse. They are still used on boats transporting cereals. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

If it fits a carrying cabin luggage, yes, but be ready to brief the luggage inspection attendants. They will scan thouroughly the rig with X-rays, they will have a sample paper rubbed on the rig for any explosive detection and will have it verified by a very very sensitive device. If you are a hunter, beware because that device can sniff an incredibly small amount of explosive or gun powder. Beside that, you should before hand show the Transportation Security Administration text about Parachuting (see in attachment). Be also ready to show the card provided by the AAD manufacturer showing an X-Ray picture of what they are about to see in the X-ray machine. Be ready to answer their questions about what is in your reserve. If you are not aware, get a briefing from your rigger. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

See ParaGear catalog. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

First a well adjusted weight belt is not hurting. She can also work on abdominal and back muscles with appropriate exercises. She may have no choice than using weight if she really wants to participate to FS. She has to fall at 120 mph plus or minus 2 mph for belly formations. Even if she can compensate with her body when not having a weight belt, as soon as she will be distracted in freefall, she likely will forget to compensate to keep the speed and will popped up like a champagne cork. Having a weight belt adjusted makes her getting a speed and a standard natural position in freefall allowing for slowing down or accelerate. Obviously, she also need a tight jumpsuit made of ripstop to minimize the added weight. About you, you can fall slower with appropriate jumpsuit too. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

About capacitors to be charged when AAD triggering conditions exist (Speed and altitude), this is the case for Vigil competitors and it takes time. Not too much but enough for the jumper to keep on falling for precious fractions of a second. OTOH, Vigil 2 AAD is equiped with a PulsePlus device which is sort of between a battery and a capacitor. The big difference with competitors is that Vigil 2 PulsePlus doesn't have to be charged when triggering conditions exist because it is already charged and can keep that charge for a very very long time. Vigil 2 takes 2/1000th of a second to fire when needed which is considerably less than other AAD makers. Even better, that technological approach saves a lot of energy and is one of the reasons why Vigil 2 batteries last that long. Few fractions of a second can and do make the difference since the free fall speed is about 174 ft/sec. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

FYI I mentioned France using feet and nautical miles for aviation because I have been witness of the Pilatus Porter pilot at Laferte Gaucher (80 km West of Paris) doing so when I was jumping up there. Instead of citing the numerous countries of Europe, then to be concise, I have used Europe since all the countries there are using metric system. I have jumped also in Belgium and Holland. Laferte Gaucher DZ doesn't exist anymore due to increased air traffic. Actually, only USA is not using metric system but some very high tech industries do and agencies like Nasa as well. Thanks Rob to put the point on the i. Some people learn fast but you have to explain them for a long time. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

For reader information. See pictures taken from the Canadian side. This is why you only see the American side of the Niagara Falls. The Canadian part of the Falls is in shape of a horseshoe (unseen on the picture), located just behind the streetwalk where you see bypassers on one picture. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Barrel rolls have been done by Cessna 172 pilots. The trick is that the recovery has to be progressive since there is G force limitation on wings (especially on a full load). Boeing 727 DB Cooper #0290 Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Read me again. I am talking about aviation more precisely airplane pilots, and they all use feet and nautical miles when talking to the Air traffic control. Same for navigation on the sea. I know Europe isn't a country, I come from there. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.