ctrph8

I got my 139 a few weeks ago and have put about 10 jumps on it.

I opened high and played around with the stall point and how it flies in deep brakes. This canopy is perfectly happy flying in deep brakes. I thought for sure that I would be able to do a full stall but even with my long arms, it never quite got there. I got to that point where it was just about to go but it never really fell back and I didn't take a wrap to see how far this could go. I could turn and maintain a heading in VERY deep brakes. The lines came trimmed with a loop for the toggle and the brake lines have just the right amount of bow in them in full flight. Front riser pressure was average, heavier than a Crossfire.

That being said, the landings were zippier than I had expected with a front riser 180ish turn. Didn't try rear risers on any of those landings. On one of them I rolled out too high and lost all of my speed. It wasn't a pretty landing but it set me down just fine.

The openings have been brisk! I've never been slammed Saber 1 style but they have been a lot harder than my beloved Crossfire. I may get a smaller pilot chute to see if that helps. I'm also wondering if this will mellow out after a few dozen jumps. The openings were all reasonably on heading.

Overall, it seems like it is a super stable canopy that can go fast for what it is or slow and steady. I didn't get into any ugly turbulence but it feels like it would be pretty stable when things get squirrelly.

I had a Unit III for a year or two. I wouldn't call it a great canopy but it was cheap and came with the Wonderhog. I'd jump one again just for fun... maybe once.

Spooky52

I am looking for inspection and packing instructions for a GQ/Security "The Unit". The canopy appears to be new, never jumped. I obtained it from Perry Stevens so I trust that it is not junk. I am specifically looking for line routing info. the steering lines go over each other and I haven't figured out how to untangle them. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. I currently have a PD 190 canopy in my rig but it seems a bit fast for an old fart like me when landing. I'm hoping that the Unit will be much more docile. Thanks.

Jim Chandler D-4501

Deyan

I hope you like it

http://www.viewdocsonline.com/document/ikxjq3

Cheers

Really well done and useful.

I may still have an older one around with a red tracer thread in the fibers of the softlink. I think it was from Precision for their mains. If I find it, I'll take pictures.

I think there is certainly a place for that reserve. This belongs in a rigger training bag of tricks. Having folks go through the PH testing and pull testing on an affected canopy would be great.

PutaDC

Good day all. I have a friend who used to jump in the late 80s. She bought all new gear- rig, main, reserve and only jumped it 7 times! She's had it sitting in a spare room, unpacked, for the past 15 years(approx).
The container is a Vector-light pink and black. The main is a Raven 1, 170, F111, pink and black. the reserve is a Phantom 22 round, red. It tested positive for PH (remember those acid contaminations?!) but passed a tensile test on the mesh. (of course, that was in 88)
Everything is in great shape visually. There is a slight "old car smell" but we're not talking about those chili/fish taco smells at 10,000 ft.
She would like to know what she could get for this. I'm guessing only the container would be viable but maybe there are people looking for the other stuff.

Just to be clear, I am not selling this gear in this forum. I am looking to see if this is sellable gear.

This might be what you are looking for.

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lekstrom10k

Could anyone post some pictures of the parachutes used in F4u Corsairs pilots for the Korean War. A friend is making a movie and would like to be accurate as possible.

I think I may actually have one. I'll pull it out tomorrow and take some pictures. From my logbook it's a Navy seat rig made by M. Steinthal & Co. manufactured in 1951. The canopy is a Pioneer C-9 made in 1953. When I first opened it up it had been packed since the early 60s and the rubber bands were perfect. I think I still have a few.

Can anyone verify or rule out that this was what he was asking about?

lekstrom10k

Could anyone post some pictures of the parachutes used in F4u Corsairs pilots for the Korean War. A friend is making a movie and would like to be accurate as possible.

keithbar

What brand of suit do you use? I have a freefly suit that fits well. It's somewhat baggy but not as big as freefly suits were back several years ago. one modification I would definitely make his foot straps to keep the legs from wanting to ride up my calves that's happened a few times in free fall

I've lost weight but at my highest I was 240ish before I started putting on gear. I had a big baggy Tony Suit with 0-P sewn into the arms and leg layers for additional stopping power. Since I've started my tunnel progression I've gone to a much slimmer suit. Really quickly I figured out that I didn't need all that fabric, I needed better technique. I now have two Vertical Suits and they are nothing like my big suit. I specifically went to the tunnel and asked them to help me with "Big Guy Issues". I got some great coaching and pretty much had to re-learn 20+ years of skydiving but it works.

I've flown in the tunnel that Stayhigh had the video of. It's just a big fan on a big engine. I couldn't sit in it but I could backfly.

TommyBotten

I just got a Vector 3 - 306 which I'm having a bit of trouble packing efficiently.

The reserve is "Standard fitting" while the main is in the "Full fitting". My problem comes from a gap that appears on each side of the bag as it fails to fill the corners of the container (Seen in the attached image container-open). As I close the bottom flap, the bag seems to squeeze in a way that leaves the gap.

Closing the two last flaps on top of the "squeezed" bag leaves a crease and odd dent on the container as seen in the picture "container-closed"

The reserve seems to be well packed, leaving a small bulge on the bottom of the reserve container / top of main container.

Does anyone have any tips on how to fix this? It's a real pain to pack.

I'm just guessing here but from what I can see of the picture of the main bag, it seems like the closing loop might be too short which would pull the edges of the bag towards the center of the pack tray. It also pulls the side flaps in too far. Try a longer closing loop. As was mentioned before, the grommets on the side flaps won't be lined up and that's the way it was designed.

Look at the spacing on the photo from the manual. They have some great pictures (page 58 in the manual) and the loop is much looser.

My openings are better with the semi-stowless bags. One of the things I attribute this to is that the bag isn't being moved around every time it gets to a new bight in the rubber bands. My un-scientific guess is that there is more friction every time it rips out of a rubber band than when the stows extract out of a semi-stowless' pouch because the stows in the pouch are not under any real pressure. Whether or not my guess is accurate, I have seen no additional wear on my lines or anyone else's.

YvonneWiggers

So one rigger tells me that I shouldn't get a semi stowless bag because it will wear out my lines faster, but another rigger tells me it won't cause any (extra) wear.

I get how it's not ideal to have the lines rubbing past each other every opening but will this friction wear out my (vectran) lines significantly faster?

IHazySky

About to pull trigger on double needle and harness. Clutch motors? Servo for slow speed and control?
What r you guys using to power your machines.
I am thinking servo motors, but want everyone's feedback.
Thanks

I finally got tired of fighting with my machine. I bought a servo motor and put a smaller pulley on it. It was like a different machine. Perfectly well behaved and I can sew at much more reasonable speeds. I still sew through whatever I want but now I do it a little bit more in control.

Yesterday my 7 year old daughter spent her first half hour on it. She did fine. She'll be patching canopies in no time. Apparently though we are making a sleeping bag for her American Doll first.

mxk

Does anyone have experience with this combination? I'm planning on getting the Vector 3 V358 for a Spectre 230, which is the largest size that is available with a semi-stowless d-bag.

My concern is whether the extra bulk and higher friction of Dacron lines may present a problem for packing, deployment, or line wear. I will send this question to UPT as well, but I'd like to know if anyone here has some first-hand experience to share.

I believe I've seen it done. It was at least a 210 and maybe a 230 with Dacron lines. It worked. If I remember, the line pouch was a little tight but I wasn't paying very close attention.

Here's what I can tell you from first hand knowledge. I've been using them for a couple of years. I have one from UPT and one from Sunpath. I prefer the UPT but only by a little. I jump mostly Crossfires. My openings were good but they got better. My packing is a little easier and I'm completely spoiled on this design. I wouldn't want to imagine a world where I went back to the old bags. Just buy it. I can pretty much guarantee that if you don't like it you can unload it quickly... But you won't.

Years ago I was a packer. Because of a back injury, packing takes more work than it used to. Now I use a packer on about 1/3 of my jumps. All of the packers I know really want to do a good job and check in every once in a while. "How was that?" "Did that open OK?"

Bad attitude is a firing offense for me. I can handle an honest mistake. I might even handle it twice if they were open to learning. If my packer was off of their meds that day and gets bitchy, I'd probably find another one.

I also tip well for extra effort. My usual packer threw it in overdrive and got my rig done on short notice last weekend. I made sure she knew that I appreciated that.

Tip your packers for good work. Treat them nicely and don't put up with bad behavior.

skez

Instead of starting a new thread..

Does anyone know where u can buy 1 single slink ?
Need one for a pilot chute bridle

Making good soft links isn't too tough. Ask your local rigger to whip one up. Because it is just for the bag, the length (in relation to the ones on your canopy) doesn't matter as much.

Alexg3265

I've got the parachute riggers handbook and I'm looking at some of the different test prep options.

You basically pegged it, I've got some pack jobs, and I've done a lot of sewing. I'm totally not familiar with the practical test system list of areas of operation.

Where can I find a list of the practical tests?

I've seen the study guides for the written part. I'll get one soon.

There is an app for that!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/groundschool-faa-knowledge/id381248445?mt=8

I used this as one of my tools to get ready for the written/oral exams. The app is buggy and I'm pretty sure at least one of the questions that they ask has a wrong answer. Also, I may have gotten it when it was brand new. That being said, it helped. I groused about the price for a couple of weeks but I ended up using it, especially when I was sitting around somewhere with nothing to do (waiting in the doctor's office or whatever). It is certainly not the only way I learned this stuff but it is one of the tools I used and I did well on my written/oral exams.

Alexg3265

Can anyone refer me or tell me where I can go to take the practical and written riggers tests. I live in Naples, so the closer to that the better.
I'll have all my packjobs done and I'm fairly proficient on a sewing machine.
Any information would be helpful. Thanks!

You would definitely get a great education at the Jumpshack course. Chuting Star also does courses but I don't know as much about them. I'd call both. The riggers who come out of the Jumpshack course earn every inch of their rigger's ticket and come out with strong skills. I think it is really smart that you are looking to do a course on top of the work you have already put in.

DHemer

Just a side question relating to the old aerodyne soft links

I was going through my gear last night and noticed that none of the rings are hand tacked on the main risers. it looks like there used to be some thread there but it may have worn/come out over the years. Risers and main are about 7 years old

How critical is it that this is fixed. Rig just came back from a cypres install and repack and I hope the rigger would have checked this sort of thing if it is important

My current set (from Jerry's excellent plans!) has rings. I know I tacked them at one time with e-thread but a couple of them have come loose. Now every week or three I tuck one a little bit back into the risers but at this point I'm pretty sure I could ignore them completely. I do it more out of habit than anything else.

Now that I'm thinking about it I'll probably tack it with waxed cord this week...maybe.

JBR

As a more robustly built jumper looking to buy (actually I need to buy) a slow falling FS suit can I get some opinions on which is best? I'm currently looking at Symbiosis' Slopo but I'm sure there's plenty of others that are as good or better? I fall so fast that I have to de-arch almost constantly whilst everyone else has to arch hard to keep up, I know going on a diet will help etc but I still need a suit that falls slow as I'm going to struggle to get below 200lbs ever!

I'm down some but I'm still pushing 230 out the door. About a year ago I was well over 250.

I was having big guy problems and called Tony Suits. They made me a suit with a layer of 0-P sewn in between thick fabric. It made a huge difference. I had to learn to fly the suit but it really helped. They have this process down!

Get a suit with booties. With some technique and practice, they can be excellent anchors and slow you waaay down.

Later I got into the tunnel and asked them to work with me on slow flight. Now I fly a much slimmer suit and don't need the big baggy suit. I had to learn to fly my body. I still keep the slow suit around for working with smaller students but for everyday jumping I'm in a Vertical suit with cordura arms and legs.

binaryfinary

hi everyone

im rig shopping and wanted to ask those who have recently ordered a upt vector.

is the wait time reall that long? or if anyone can share thier experience in the actual realstic wait time?

thanks!

I'm not sure what you heard but based on the fact that you are a little in shock at amount of time you'd have to wait, it's probably right. The website says 8 months.

Reese04

Hello,

I'll be in the Honolulu area for work with a few colleagues who also jump over the next two weeks. We're all current, looking to make some fun jumps on the weekends. Any up-to-date info on the local dz's at Dillingham? Any suggestions on places to stay on the North Shore? Long shot, but anyone offering rides from Honolulu?

Thanks for the info

-Cass

Yes. Definitely check out the Hawaii Fun Jumpers page. Over the last year our little skydiving community has turned into a really great bunch of folks at pretty much every level of skydiving. You can find your niche. If you come out on the weekends there will be tons of folks to jump with and to hang out with. Weekdays there will still be some sport skydivers out but it is more spotty. Feel free to shoot me a PM when you get here and I'll give you the scoop. We see this scenery all the time but last weekend it was so gorgeous that on every flight I was on someone would say "Damn" and just gape at the view.

nadeem555

Hi,

I am annoyed with my freefly bungee occasionally breaking (It is a small piece of elastic, maybe 3mm). Is there any reason why you cannot connect the two legstraps with something which is stronger than just this?

I was thinking of making a nice piece of flat elastic contained in a piece of tubular webbing which goes around the whole leg strap rather than through the small webbing loops, the only difference being that it would be significantly stronger than a piece of round elastic.

Thanks

Nadeem

My first thought was that not all bungees are equal. You might look for a different brand and maybe one size larger.

likestojump

*********Change the batteries.

You would think that right. Well in other news the batteries in it are only 5 weeks old .

It has also dumped my jumps and in the last 5 days logged 240+ jumps from 3500 with a opening altitude of 600 feet. Something isn't right. Guess I'll be calling L&B. uess anyone has seen this becore

Are you sure you have the right batteries in it? Other sizes will fit well enough to turn on but create all sorts of weird errors.

How is that possible ?
Batteries power up circuits.
all majorly available (CRxxxx nomenclature) Lithium button batteries are 3V DC, with the only difference being the Amperage (capacity) and obviously the size.
I would make a well-educated guess that putting in a lower capacity battery will just cause the unit to act normally, but won't last as long as the recommended CR2330 size.

My best guess to OP's problem is circuitry problem, most likely either in the part the reads the barometric pressure or in the pressure sensor itself. I would recommend contacting L&B, and very much doubt that there's a McGuyver solution to this.


My guess is that likestojump is right and that it's an internal problem. That being said, (I troubleshoot electrical issues for a living) I would start from scratch first. Remove the batteries and throw them away. Yes they are new but I can't tell you how often I buy a brand new battery or light bulb or widget that has some kind of problem. Replace them with new ones. As you are doing this, look at all the parts and see if you can see anything that looks "off". Look for corrosion or marks on the parts that connect to the batteries. Look at the alignment of everything and see if everything is lining up right. Take a look at how it closes and make sure that when it is closed up everything looks well seated and secure. If none of that works, chances are that there is something with the circuitry or the sensing unit.

SkyHookV3

Your vote options suck and so does your motive for posting this. You just have beef with the man so you want to start shit.

+1

mattjw916

"Slocks" prevent the slider from creeping up... but they wear out eventually, I used to have them on my old rig and they did work though. You can also have some webbing sewn on to the risers similar to what you see here: http://youtu.be/NSLUW7mOlO0?t=37s

that's my current setup on a couple sets of my risers and don't have any issues with creep or rearward visibility

Damn! Those look great!

A few months ago I built 3 sets of Slocks made from webbing. Mine work fine and the other two are getting at least 50 jumps a month but now I'm itching to try out that design. I think that it's cleaner and will last longer.

chriscchristoph

Ok im completely green when it comes to packing, actually just made my first full pack job yesterday on my rig so take it easy on me. (I was able to do everything besides bagging it until then).

I really just wanted to know what yall thought of these:

http://www.chutingstar.com/skydive/silibands-stow-bands

http://www.chutingstar.com/skydive/silirings-stow-bands-3389

http://www.chutingstar.com/skydive/tube-stoes

compared to the conventional rubber bands. Ive never seen anyone use these so I guess its safe to assume they are no better but I had to ask anyway. And my other two short questions are what is the advantage/disadvantage to double stows v.s. single stows, and whats the deal with the "stowless bag" do they make them fit custom to your rig or are they 'universal'? Thanks in advance yall.

After having used all kinds of things, I've settled on large rubber bands for the locking stows (single wrapped) and a semi-stowless deployment bag. This combination has given me the most consistent openings I've ever had. I can't think of one reason to go back.

Part of what I like about the large rubber bands is that they have a little more surface area and grip the bights of line against the bag/grommets. I think the tube stows rolled a little. I didn't dislike the tube stows and made them for years but this seems to be the best combination I've tried.

I have had some pretty amazing customer service from them. They totally stand behind their product and if something isn't right, they take care of it. I've spoken with two people there for a couple of things and they were great. As a consumer, they wanted to make sure I got a great rig. As a rigger they have been patient and thorough when I called with a question.

freefly30

Would like to here some peoples experience with the customer service with Wings. I'm looking into a new rig with them and the response I get over the phone is not very friendly at all. I looked at a glide but decided not to go with them because they are relatively new to the market. There rigs seem very nice,comfortable and very well built. Just feel more comfortable going with an established company with a large customer base.