Gato

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Gear

  • Main Canopy Size
    190
  • Reserve Canopy Size
    249

Jump Profile

  • License
    C
  • Licensing Organization
    USPA
  • Number of Jumps
    400
  • Years in Sport
    3
  • First Choice Discipline
    Formation Skydiving

Ratings and Rigging

  • USPA Coach
    Yes
  • Rigging Back
    Senior Rigger

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  1. I'd like to know what you charge for sport packjobs, and also what you get paid for rental and student packjobs. You don't have to tell me your dz, but I am curious, and have been encouraged to find out what a US national average might be. Thanks!!
  2. Greetings all...been awhile since I've posted here, so please forgive the absence. I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas about getting ahold of a replacement nosepiece for a pair of original US Gatorz Converters. My old one was clear plastic, and broke in half awhile back...and half of it is nowhere to be found, otherwise I'd repair it myself. (It's also my understanding that the current lineup of Gatorz do not have retrofitting parts for the originals...found that out the hard way.) I'm just looking to see if there's a way - don't have the extra capitol to spend on some killer new Liquids at the moment. My gatorz have served me well since 2008, and they have plenty of life left in them. Any thoughts? T.I.N.S.
  3. +1 No images load in the classifieds, unless you click on one of the "featured" ads on the initial classified page that show the pics. I've also had pages continuously reloading (to acommodate the popups, I am assuming,) without clicking on anything. T.I.N.S.
  4. Gato

    PD 9-cells

    If I may offer my opinion (based on my limited personal experience as a jumper and rigger...) Let me preface this: Some people would say Twin Otters or King Airs are "better" than the old Cessna 182s. Is that true? Some say a Suzuki GSX-R is a better bike than a Harley Davidson Sportster. Is that true? Every parachute has advantages and disadvantages. Most F-111 canopies won't land you as pretty as ZP mains (depending on the pilot, of course.) On the other hand, as time and exposure to UV goes by, ZP material is prone to catastrophic failure, where an F-111 might only develop a hole or small rip. (This is why you don't find many ZP reserve pilot chutes, and good luck finding a ZP reserve.) I made my first 200 or so jumps on a PD230 made in 1996, and frankly, it was/is a great canopy. There are a LOT of people who will tell you emphatically not to buy a canopy made of F-111, but there are also some old-timers who'll tell you they hate ZP. Your personal mileage will always vary. I've had way more hard (and weird,) openings on ZP mains as opposed to those of my PD230. And lest we forget, you can hold a PD 9-cell in deep brakes and sink it into just about anywhere. Talk to your instructors, talk to demo jumpers, talk to the old guys who don't walk with a limp. None of us here are qualified to tell you what you should buy. "Now you go and get your checkbook while I start filling the forms in..." Edited to add: You might also notice that 99.9% of all BASE canopies are NOT made of ZP. I wonder why that is... T.I.N.S.
  5. There's one very important thing I've learned since I started jumping (still a newbie at 395 jumps, thank you...) Never use the phrase, "I know..." in conjunction with skydiving. Events will transpire that WILL prove you wrong. Go in with an empty cup, and let your instructors fill it. (and like another wise one here said, "Get off the internet.") Good luck. T.I.N.S.
  6. Hey there dzdotcommers - For those who might have an interest, Tom Dolphin, Master Rigger and DPRE, is getting set up for his senior rigger's course, held annually since 1994, here at Missouri River Valley Skydivers. The airport is located in Henrietta, MO, about 30 miles east of Kansas City, MO. The course will be held from January 19th - 27th, 2013. Orientation will be Friday evening on the 19th, and training starts the following morning at 8am. Standard course price includes FAA testing fees, and you can also purchase a complete tool kit. (Email Tom for details.) Bunkhouse accommodations are available on a first-come, first-served basis, along with shower and laundry facilities, and all the coffee you can drink. Also, for those who might want to fly in to KCI instead of driving, we can make sure you get picked up and dropped back off for your flight home. If you've ever thought of getting your rigger's ticket, this is a great opportunity to learn from one of the very best. (Tom was a student of Dave DeWolfe, the "Bruce Lee" of the rigging world. If that makes Tom the "Chuck Norris" of the rigging world...well, you get the idea.) If you have any questions, feel free to email Tom at: [email protected] Hope to see you here! T.I.N.S.
  7. Ok, one last post here. My standard is pretty simple, and high: If I would be comfortable putting the rig on my sister (or myself, 'cause I'm a "fraidycat," LOL) then I'm comfortable giving it back to a customer to jump it. No rig is perfect, because a human will operate it, but that's just my perspective. Gotta eat and drink beer - y'all have a good one. T.I.N.S.
  8. I just want to make it clear that nothing I've posted/said here should make anyone think I have something against splicing a line or using ripstop tape - I don't have a problem with either of those things. What I had a problem with was the use of the word, "emergency." I'm VERY open to learning new stuff, and I'm always trying to expand my skill set. I spend a great deal of time with a DPRE, so when I have a question about something, I take it to him. And I've had the opportunity to work on projects that most new riggers don't really get to, for which I am very grateful. (I'll be relining a Stiletto in a couple of weeks...after building the lineset myself!) I really appreciate everyone's input. At the very least, I've learned that I have to be very careful and CLEAR about what I say/post. Hope you all have a great weekend! Be fun, have safe - Gato, out. T.I.N.S.
  9. I feel compelled to disagree with this statement...not trying to be argumentative, but is military rigging the same as sport rigging? I don't work on missile systems at White Sands, I just work on sport rigs. And I probably don't know shit. T.I.N.S.
  10. I agree - I wasn't taught to use a paddle for that, either. Please understand, guys: I'm just talking about what I found today, and the damage I've observed from others' packjobs. I brought this to you all because I thought it was worth talking about, especially given how specific the FAA is in testing us - and holding us ultimately responsible, should an incident occur. Incidentally, I've only been a riggjer for a few years, but I'm not an impetuous 20-something (I'm 45.) I take this job very seriously, as I have no desire to kill or maim a friend or client. I'm at an age when following the rules actually brings me a little bit of comfort, strange as that may sound, coming from a skydiver. T.I.N.S.
  11. Agreed, but this wasn't a rig I had repacked before, and Javelin reserve PCs are notorious for wear because of how the mfr. wants the fabric stowed. Some riggers are a bit aggressive with their packing paddles. Also, the line splice thing...on a main, I can see that being ok. But by definition, if it's a splice on a main, there's no reason to use the word, "emergency." That's what the reserve is for. Good times. T.I.N.S.
  12. I've only been a rigger for about 4 years, but I'm constantly amazed at what some other riggers consider to be "ok." For example: I'm doing an inspection on a very nicely preserved 2000 Jav, business as usual, when I encountered something I've never seen before...a reserve PC that had a hole "patched" with ripstop tape! What, the ever-loving fuck, was a previous rigger thinking? Or was he just...not? This is almost as funny to me as when I read in a certain Rigger's handbook that a broken suspension line "...may be spliced together in an emergency..." (What would possibly constitute this "emergency" of which you speak? Your customer cuts away at a boogie? Your customer HAS TO jump this weekend, and you don't have time to replace the line? Fuck.) A note to my fellow riggers: Don't use ripstop tape on any part of the reserve system. Patch it or replace it, but for fuck's sake, try to give at least a portion of a shit about your customers! T.I.N.S.
  13. That's damn funny...this rig WAS jumped at Lodi at one point. I have determined that it is not compatible. Being a rigger that is not very long in the tooth, I'm unwilling to use an alternative closing loop until I know for a fact it's allowed by the mfr. Thanks, man!!! T.I.N.S.
  14. Greetings, fellow regroes... I'm repacking a Micro Sigma, and it came into the loft with what can only be described as an "adjustable" reserve closing loop. UPT closes at 12pm EST on Fridays, so I can't call and ask them about it, and I cannot seem to find any details of this thing anywhere in the Sigma manual pack. (There is a knotted length of Cypres cord at the washer, and the fingertrapped section is very long, running under the backpad to a looped piece of Super Tack.) So once the rig is closed, you could grab onto the free loop with a screwdriver or bodkin, and torque the closing loop down tighter. Legal? Illegal? I've been told the appropriate length (to start, anyway,) is around 4.75 inches, and that's fine - I've just never seen an adjustable loop on anything other than a Reflex. Any of you know whether this is the correct loop, or am I just dealing with a creative rigger's aftermath? Or should it just be a traditional closing loop? Please help!!! T.I.N.S.