For those of you who are bitching that new riggers aren't being taught the old gear...... I'd first like to say that I took a rigger's course when I was 16. Now, in the US you need to be 18 to actually get your license. We didn't do much research or anything before we decided to send me to a rigging course. So after talking with the instructor and the FAA, it was decided that I had a choice. I could wait until I turned 18 to take the course, or I could take the course at 16, do all my rigging like any other unlicense person (under the supervision of a licensed rigger) and get my license when I turned 18, automatically. So I chose to take the course at 16. Next, I'd like to say that the rigging course I took was instructed/run/owned by Dave DeWolf. He had other instructors there of course, but Dave DeWolf is the main name known. Now, from what I've been told, that is one of the best, if not the best, rigging course in the country. Furthermore, my class was the first to have every person get their license. Next, Dave DeWolf's rigging course is about a week long, and the first half of the week is STRICTLY round reserves. So, at age 16, I knew how to pack and inspect a round reserve. I also knew how to do the acid mesh test. Finally, knowing how to pack round reserves is a very important concept to me because the DZ I spend the most time at is run at the airport that has the regional glider championships for two weeks every year. Every single glider pilot uses a pilot rig containing a round. Also, they do still make rounds. (for those of you who think rounds are gone for good) In fact, last spring I had the honor of repacking a practically brand new rig. I think it had only been packed once or twice before that, and was made either earlier that year, or the end of the year before. So, if you think the knowledge isn't being passed onto the new riggers, you either didn't go to the right course, or you were taught by a rigger who wasn't taught the old stuff.
