alan

Agreed, me included, that is why I am curious why more use isn't made of the General Skydiving Discussions Forum for pointless "Gear" discussions. alan

Assuming $50 per repack, that comes to 41 just to recover those costs. Add in the tools, which will vary, and possibly a sewing machine for a serious rigger, varies as well, it could take perhaps as many as 100 repacks to recover the investment. Just something to consider. It is impossible to put a price on the knowledge and skill gained.........oh wait, that would be $995. A better investment than a CYPRES IMO. alan

I'm not sure how knowing the DOM of strangers gear, including the main and reserve will give you relevant information on upgrading an '85 container to an '86. We really don't need a seperate forum for Gear and one for Rigging, just use the General Skydiving Discussions Forum, plenty of people will let you know what they are using gear wise. In this forum, asking a question like: I have a 1985 XXXX container which I am thinking of replacing with a 1986 YYYY container for $$. I can trade in/sell my old one for $$/keep my old one. What do you think? And of course the answer is, without inspecting either of them, we can't really tell you much. We can offer opinions on whatever perceived strengths and weaknesses may exist between the two containers. And of course refer you to your local riggers. A worthless string of DOM's is pointless in this forum. JMO. alan

Great info Rob, I was one of those guys with the stylishly loose chest straps before the fully articulated harness came out. As I recall RI was one of the first and actually marketed the VooDoo as the first rig designed to be freefly friendly from the ground up. They used a new flat #8 Style Ring as one feature and the manual had instructions for proper adjustment. Not the most complete, but they do say tight for the chest strap. Photos MLW above the chest ring being parallel and angled below it to the hip ring. So, did Sandy engineer this rig for load paths that could better withstand the loads that may be encountered with freeflying? Do you think a rig configured like the VooDoo may have saved the fatality mentioned in this thread? No way to tell for sure, lots of other variables I guess. I'm getting the impression that the RI type fully articulated harness is actually better, even if overtightened, for withstanding the loads of a head down premie. alan

Please, you'll have to be more specific. I'll be happy to address your questions and issues as always with quotes from the best available sources. alan

I agree Mick, seems we can't discuss webbing, load paths, hardware, harness failures here anymore without pointless and endless threads of "mine is" "what is yours", or "post your pics of.....". Some where there is a rule on Bandwidth and Performance Saving. Seems as if we need to wait for 1000 posts. I know, I waste bandwidth with childish debates.....filled mostly with quotes from PPM, the SIM, John LeBlanc and the CFR's, etc.,.....those we gotta lock up. Geez, I'm doing it again. alan

Sparky, you contradict yourself so often, how can anyone take anything you say seriously? Please accept my apology for confusing "high risk" with "real good chance." I assure you I will be more careful in the future. And BTW, Bill has been kind enough to share with us that Ty 17 webbing rated at 2500# IS compatible with the friction adaptor it is used with since it distorts at 2000# and doesn't fail until 2500#. Slippage of the adaptor is a more common occurance, but not with the MS70701. As a rigger, I am appreciative of the information shared in this thread by Bill and Rob and Mick. You however, have jumped in and added nothing. Aren't you supposed to be standing in your corner? alan

Thanks Rob. Very good info and much more appropriate for this forum than the post a pic of your new rig threads. It may be a little dry reading, but a serious rigger or anyone serious about knowing their gear can appreciate it. alan

No, I have just been trying to get that point across to to Sparky. The other thread is locked. alan

Thanks. Another poster in a different thread, which has been locked, seemed to be leaving readers with the impression that an overly tightened chest strap on a rig with chest rings created a high risk of failure. My silly debates have been aimed at getting factual information on the issue. I would hate to be childish and argue an untenable position. Bottom line is it seems to be a non-issue as no one has come forth with incident reports of properly routed chest strap failures in the field due to overloading. If there were, I would suspect there would have been some sort of industry wide response. alan

Thanks for the reply. I'll pass on being the test drop dummy. So, am I correct in surmising, the reason that owner's manuals are not very specific on rig adjustment (including chest straps), fully articulated harness or not, is that it just isn't a real issue? alan

Just a point to clarify for me, the Stainless Steel adaptor is rated to 500#, the info I have says the MS-70701 is light weight and similar to the MS22019 but is a light weight stamping and should only be used where a small amount of tensile strength is required. So, is it actually the MS-70701 that is good for over 2000# or are we confusing different adaptors? Also, if I understand you correctly, tensile load strength has little to do with chest strap webbing choice, but rathter shear strength properties, hence you double it? Quick question...or two. When you do drop testing for TSO, do you do it with the chest strap in various configurations of too tight, too loose, and properly adjusted? I wonder how much this would affect the failure of the harness, since there is very little in any owner's manuals I have concerning how tight the chest strap should be, RI says in their manual that all straps should be very tight. Would an overtightened chest strap on a rig with chest rings actually present a high risk of failure? I'm under the impression that rigs with articulated harnesses are designed for proper load distribution and that they pass TSO drop testing. One last thought to share along this line, wouldn't a chest strap and quick fit adaptor that is attached to the MLW via a ring, that allows it to float with the load help to mitigate the risk of the adaptor shearing the webbing on an asymmetrical shock load as well as to the anchoring stitching failing? alan

Getting a little gun shy around me? Not to worry, I actually have a sense of humor. So, if I'm reading you correctly, these people that are all concerned about Ty 17 webbing being foolish and all that is really just nonsense. The hardare is the limiting factor and it has more to do with slippage. Bill's post mentions the hardware cutting the chest strap, so it seems the hardware strenth also is not the real issue, or the webbing breaking, it seems that the hardware cuts it. My impression now is there is a ceratin amount of marketing or "puffery" going on with rigs. Javelin for example since you mentioned them. That chest strap isn't really needed for strength and it is misleading when people associate it with better built. It is needed to make up for poor hardware, which is pretty much the same throughout the industry. Am I on track here or missing something? alan

Can anyone tell me why some manufacturers use single Ty 17 webbing, others use doubled Ty 17 webbing, still others use single Ty 8, and even others use doubled Ty 8, and then some even mix in Ty 7 with Ty 8 webbing on the chest strap and then use a quick fit adaptor that is rated for a proof load of 500 lbs. or less? Look at your hardware, is it stamped MS 70101 - 1? Check out what it says about that adaptor in the Para-Gear Catalog, item #H337 and H336. Unless you have the SS (stainless stell), they are not even rated to 500#. alan

Well, you are looking for a loophole and the FAA has't looked closely at ballooning for quite some time. For the most part, they won't get involved unless you draw attention to yourself. For example, when operating an aircraft with the door removed or open, there has to be an emegency bailout rig for all on board. A balloon has no doors, so does the pilot need a bailout rig? My guess is if you ask 10 different FSDO's, you'd get 10 different answers. I've never seen a bailout rig for the pilot on a balloon. A tethered (moored) balloon cannot be operated more than 500 feet above the ground. CFR 101.13 (a) - (2). I've seen several BASE jumpers exit balloons using BASE gear. Does that make it legal? No. Does the FAA care? Not unless one of them bounces or causes damage or injury to persons or property on the ground. CFR 105.14 discusses radio equipment and use requiremnents. Few, if any balloon pilots comply with this. CFR 105.43 (a) answers your question. A balloon is an aircraft and if you plan to intentionally jump from it, you are required to have a TSO'd reserve. Now, on to reality. A balloon is a big sail. Any wind will cause it to move and that will will put a load on the entire balloon, tether rope, and anchor. No responsible balloon pilot is going to risk putting excessive loads on his aircraft. You just ain't gonna winch a balloon that can carry 3 or 4 jumpers up and down 500' or more, especially if there is any wind at all. alan