ripcord4

The "Jesus String" on my Security Crossbow rig consists of a length of 550 # suspension line. One end ties off at the eyelet of the top reserve flap and the other is routed through the connector link of the left reserve riser and ties off at the body of the left "One Shot" riser release. I never had to use the reserve with or without the "Last Hope Rope" so I cannot testify to the efficacy of the setup, but it was there if I needed it. If you think something will help, it will.

Hey Goat, That case looks like the hot set-up. I have been using an old military surplus tool bag - it works but is far from ideal. Everything I want is always buried on the bottom. I'm going to get one. Thanks for the tip!

I have a 40 year old Altimaster II from Steve Snyder Enterprises. It has well over 2,500 jumps on it and it is accurate as the day it was new. I can highly recommend the Altimasters. All I have done is replace the Velcro wrist strap.

Sounds like an MC-4 or MT-1XX is what he needs. Very reasonably priced and large enough for his needs. A large amount of screwing around (and dollars) if he needs an AAD, however.

I have a loop-style cutaway handle and a Martin-Baker handle for the reserve. I feel both are easier to grip/pull. I can put a thumb through either one and easily push it away. Think about a broken arm and trying to grip a cushion and pull.

I guess we are all showing our age, huh?

Mea Culpa: I should have said Dragonfly.

Just picked up an old Hawk harness & container in pretty good condition. I was told it had a 220 Firefly canopy in it previously. Will this hold a Spectre 210 or 230? I can't find a volume measurement for the Firefly to compare with the Spectre's is why I ask.

Project Excelsior was the program that Kittinger jumped with when he made his series of high altitude jumps. Man High was a program of high altitude balloon rides to test the effects of altitude and cosmic rays on the human body - no jumps were made during Man High. Captain Kittenger and Major David Simons were the main test subjects. The gondola that Kittenger made his record jump from is in the USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. For anyone that has never visted there, it is worth a trip!

Then Captain Kittinger's jump was not aimed at setting a record - it was for research and development of a very high altitude escape parachute system. No one has been higher (most likely) because of the cost and logistics involved. Money is no object to our favorite Uncle!

QuoteYeah... good luck with that... pretty soon we're all going to have to check all of our luggage, no carry-ons, or mail our stuff separately via surface freight to our destination ahead of time... and when arriving at the airport, strip down naked before going though security and then be issued one of those paper hospital gowns and slippers to wear while on the airplane... >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Just be glad no one has tried to board an aircraft with a hand grenade wedged up his rear end. When that eventually does happen, we will all need to undergo full body cavity searches. Ladies and gentlemen, I submit that the bad guys have won. One suspected incident is all it takes to throw air travel into chaos. They can do this at will and will continue to do so periodically. We have lost because we fail to take measures to really stop this from occurring. All we take is half measures that have no real effect on the problem at hand because we don't wish to be seen as offending anyone - anyone being defined as the very people we SHOULD be offending by much stricter measures, these being taken in the political arena, not in security checkpoints at the airports. All the politicians wish is to be seen as "doing something". As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would surrender freedom for security, deserve neither".

of course a proper PLF even in with a 'bad landing' will prevent nearly all injury to your hands.... Hands are not one of the 5 contact points of a PLF.

Sparky, I was wrong once - I thought I had made a mistake, but I hadn't.

If you don't use those, you could possibly die!

Why do people buy a container made for one size canopy and promptly put in a larger/smaller canopy? Maybe I'm getting cranky in my old age, but that has always puzzled me.

There is a picture on page 221 of Dan Poynter's book, Volume One. The reserve container is locked with a unique Velcro closure system and may be used with or without a pilot chute. I've never looked at one closely, but apparently you just pull it open by hand.

Used to jump a Beaver (no smart-ass comments, please) when I was in the 173rd A/B club on Okinawa back in the day. I have also jumped the MI-6 and MI-8 helos in Russia as well as the IL-76 BIG transport and my all-time best the TU-95 Bear bomber. The only aircraft I was really afraid to fly in. A flying coffin, but a great entry in the logbook!

What goes around - comes around. Someone has re-invented the wheel here. This looks just like the old Vortex Ring canopy. Is there nothing new under the sun?

Yep, the so-called blast handles are still around. I have one on my X-Bow. The trick is to pull down - not out.

Are you that insecure that you can not be any different from anyone else? What's wrong with having a one-of-a-kind rig?

I am not certain that is a parachute at all. The three ring looks like it is attached to the old Capewell body and I do not see a cutaway handle, either. Both ripcords appear to be stowed.

The first reserve "ripcord" on the X-Bow was a reddish-orange "lollypop" type handle. That was changed to the anti-windblast handle, then to the cloverleaf handle type.

I just dug out my Crossbow harness and container. It has a Navy 26' conical canopy with the closed apex. It is most definitely standard 1.1 0z nylon material for the "cap" on the apex. For those inquiring minds that wish to know.

Hi Jerry...we got a little off-post here. My intent was to determine if I swapped the reserve from front to back, did I need a back-rated rigger to repack it? Or could I legally just snap the back reserve ripcord housing on and change the ripcords and reseal. Of course, a non-rigger needs a rigger to do this for him. I have heard of the sideways canopy mounting but have never seen one. And you are correct about the arguments! Perhaps I'll repost in the PIA Forum to see what arguments I can stir up there.

Yes, I am finding out that knowledge of the earlier rigs is scarce to non-existent, but yet people will argue with you about it when they have never even seen one of these rigs, let alone ever jumped one. (I can't wait for all the "DEATH RIG" comments!) The post 1968 X-Bow's were convertable as people started moving back to the front mounted reserves. I know of at least 3 instances where the canopies were not changed to match the location. Two were caught on the ground at repack, one in the air with a Tri-Concal canopy flying backwards.