riggerrob

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Everything posted by riggerrob

  1. Way to go on the physics and biology. I just hope you do better than me on the calculus.
  2. Hey Scratch, I'll see you in Florida next week. Stop whining about getting up in the middle of the night to catch a plane when I have to sit around Pearson International Airport (Toronto) from midnight until 6 am. As for which discipline I prefer? I have been rigging and doing tandems and PFF for so long that I have forgotten how to spell pfunn, er. phun, er whatever! jumps anymore. Though last fall I dispatched a bunch of IAD students and that was fun. I am right up there with sister bytch on the freeflailing. As for the word "discipline" ... I hate that word. It reminds me of the bunch of ignorant, power-tripping NCOs who were always in my face when I was in the military. Few of them had a clue what was going on, but dammit, they wanted to be in charge of whatever was going on! Hah! Hehe! followed by hysterical laughter!
  3. Sister Bytch, Congratulations on the sobriety. I have been sober for the last 6 years. As for the celibacy, don't rush it. That whole English convent thing is another issue, especially the bloody English weather. Why do you think so many million English lads joined the Royal Navy and royal Army to risk life and limb at the hands of blood-thirsty heathen savages and risk contracting strange and exotic diseases that English doctors did not even have names for? Because facing blood-thirsty heathens was better than facing English weather.
  4. Sure, I have jumped with hundreds of tandem students who are taller than me, and I am only six feet all. Y0our tall friend just has to agree to help his instructor on this skydive (kicking his instructor in the ass, that sort of thing.) Usually the big guys listen much better and are much more helpful/cooperative. Hint take your tall buddy to a DZ that has a large door, like a Caravan or Twin Otter and call ahead to ensure that their instructors are experienced with large students.
  5. I often dream that I am a bird flying between trees. Maybe I was a bird or pterodactyl in a previous life. Probably I was a Blue Heron in my last life, but was a naughty Blue Heron, so my spirit returned as a human and my lesson in this life is to re-learn how to fly the hard way. You know, with a big, noisy, smelly airplane around me.
  6. 30 days, 60 days, 120 days, 180 days, once year, when the airplane gets a 100 hour inspection, ... those are all educated guesses at when wear problems start to get dangerous. Unfortunately everybody's gear wears at a different rate. Heck! I believe it is unwise to let student or rental gear go beyond 100 days. The FAA/CSPA/BPA, etc. had to set a standard somewhere and most of them settled on 120 days. CSPA was forced by CAPS to shift to a 180 day repack cycle, but now that CAPS is defunct, does that mean that CSPA will revert to a 120 day repack cycle? Not likely, considering that it is a struggle convincing Canadian skydivers to get their gear inspected once a year! Remember folks, the inspection is the most important part of "inspect and repack." The number of days a reserve has been packed rarely changes the speed of inflation. As far as main inspections go ... When I inspect and repack a reserve, I check the main risers, d-bag and pilotchute for common wear points, then re-connect the main risers. If a customer wants a more thorough main inspection, he can pay me for an extra hour of my time.
  7. When the tax refund arrives, my significant other and I are going to have rousing debate over how to use the money. We will debate whether to invest the money for retirement (it looks like I am going to have to work a lot harder and smarter for the next 20 years if I am going to be able to afford retirement), invest it in flying lessons (I am within $5000 of a commercial pilot license), buy a used video camera, etc. The big question here is whether the camera will pay for itself in the short run. Even better would be for the camera to pay well enough to complete the commercial pilot's license, and pay for the instrument rating next winter and pay for the multi-engine rating the winter after that, etc. The toughest part will be convincing my boss that the new camera mount is worth it. It looks like I will have to invest the money in the camera and then allow the students to nag him into paying me for using the camera. He he!
  8. I have been doing a variation on this pack job for the last four years. The biggest difference is that initially I only worry about getting the middle of the canopy into the d-bag. Then I stuff some of th top into the d-bag, cock the pilotchute and finish stuffing the top into the d-bag. Yes, It looks messy, but I figure that the top skin is the last to feel the air, so I don't worry about it. My final step is grabbing the bottom of the canopy - checking that the slider is still hard up against the stops - and shoving the bottom of the canopy into the middle of the d-bag.
  9. I dont hold that to be true anymore. A properly done ISP (tandem progression), will teach some seriously good canopy control from the first jump on, since that first jump has an instructor holding a canopy class with his/her student at 4,000ft. Showing them first hand how to properly fly and land a parachute. "end quote. I stand corrected. Aggie Dave has a valid point here. Tandem does provide the best hanging harness for teaching canopy control. Tandem allows the instructor to show a student the perfect approach. Once the student has the mental picture of the perfect approach, he can repeat that picture on solo jumps. Tandem also allows the instructor to emphasis what he is looking at during various aspects of the skydive. For example, with first jump tandem students, I encourage them to look up at the canopy right after opening (canopy check), then we watch the first few solos landing (landing direction), then we look at the other tandems at our level (avoiding traffic), then we look at the wind sock (meterology), etc. Unfortunately I have also seen tandems fail miserably at teaching emergency procedures. Some students flatly refuse to touch dummy cutaway and reserve handles, no matter how many times you go over it on the ground and no matter how badly a canopy is spinning over their heads. I have also seen the same scary phenomenon on the ground, when skydivers flatly refuse to pull their own reserve ripcord handles when their gear is due for repack. I seriously doubt if these people will pull enough handles when they have a malfunction overhead. Sorry about the tangent.
  10. Councilman, Sorry but my computer refuses to read the personal e-mail you sent. I am arriving in Jacksonville midday on Sunday 26 Jan and will chat with you in person.
  11. Consider yourself lectured on down-sizing. Your main question is about generations. First generation Sabres are "unforgiving of sloppy packing," Whereas all the later generation Spectres, Sabres IIs, Safires, Hornets, etc. are designed to open softly with all but the worst pack jobs.
  12. The Teardrop Superfly is a great design, the easiest of all Pop Top reserves to pack. I have packed a variety of Teardrops - both one and two pin - built by Thomas Sports Equipment. All those Teardrops were well built, but I would only pay for the Superfly version. Since PISA has a better reputation for quality control, we should see some pretty pretty PISA Superflies next week in Jacksonville.
  13. Come on, not all days off are that bad. Yesterday was my day off. I spent the first half doing laundry and errands, then I went for a long bike ride and hung out at the library.
  14. QuoteTo All the Party Girls: Signs It's Time to Go Home yada, yada 20. You throw up on the sidewalk while bar hopping.
  15. Killing is always killing. Skymama's red neck neighbor - with too many bumper stickers - should make up his mind. I doubt if the braggard has the courage to go toe-to-toe with an Al Queda fanatic. On the one hand, abortion is a question of chosing the lesser of two evils. On the other hand, terrorists have already chosen to live by the sword, ergo, terrorists have also chosen to die by the sword. But let's leave killing terrorists to other people who have also chosen to live by the sword, ie. soldiers. I could never respect military chaplains because they claimed to spread Jesus' teachings about forgiveness, etc, but on the other hand encouraged young men to go out and kill. I could never wrap my mind around that hypocrisy.
  16. Sure! Go ahead! Feel free to pencil pack. Just remember that every time my name appears on your card, you owe me CAN$55. Also remember that I am off the hook 181 days after I signed the repack in MY rigger's logbook (121 days in the USA). Oh and I usually catch small wear problems on the 120 - 180 day repack cycle. Half the times I fix those problems for free because the paperwork takes longer than the repair. If you let a problem develop for a year or two then you pay me CAN$45 per hour for repairs. If you left it way too long, then you can sit on the ground while you pay for shipping to and from the factory and you get to pay the factory to replace panels, etc.. Pencil packing is a great way to save money in the short run, but it costs more in the long run.
  17. He he! This reminds me of the private pilot who got lost while practicing for his night endorsement. He flight planned: Pitt Meadows, Victoria, Abbotsford and return to Pitt Meadows. The poor fellow took off from Pitt Meadows and flew to Victoria. Departing Victoria, ATC gave him several vectors which confused him. He landed at Bellingham, Washington, USA after the tower closed and was surprised when they insisted on calling out a US Customs officer. On his way home he had to clear Canada Customs at Boundary Bay. He finally returned to Pitt Meadows 3 hours late and $200 poorer for customs fees. Why he did not notice Puget Sound off the end of Bellingham's runway is a mystery to all of us. In comparison: Abbotsford is well inland and surrounded by farms on three sides. We should be careful about criticising this poor fellow too harshly. We all make mistakes in the pilot's seat. The trick is keeping those mistakes small. Oh, and next month I have to repeat his flight to Victoria, Abbotsford, etc. My final point is that if I am having a bad day in the pilot's seat and I see a large military runway under me, I am landing on it and the legalities be damned!
  18. Any aerobic sport - be it running, swimming or bicycling - will help keep the mind alert at exit altitude. Weight training is important for tandem instructors, though frankly, doing chin-ups and push-ups on a regular basis is almost as good. High adrenaline sports help you learn to control fear. Aerobic dance helped me earn a PFF instructor's rating. Yoga helps with flexibility and breathing. It is easier to teach students who have background in skiing or dance, because they know how to control their feet. Probably the best sport for pre-skydiving conditioning is martial arts becasue martial arts combine: stretching, muscle, flexibility, coordination, fear and some aerobic conditioning. The farthest I got was yellow belt in judo.
  19. Finally a judge is holding people responsible for their own eating habits. Yeah!
  20. riggerrob

    Intuition

    Late in life I am slowly learning to trust my intuition.
  21. A hammer works well. Preferably a large hammer. Beat on the knot to loosen it - similar to gnawing on it with your molars - then use hemostats to pull it apart. If you lay the knot on the floor before beating it, it will get a little concrete dust on it, but none of that messy saliva. When putting it back together, tie knots, lots of knots. The larger and uglier your knots the better. If you can't tie knots, tie lots. Though that stevedore's knot looks neat. I will try it the next time I replace a closing loop.
  22. quote: "I was looking through my stuff (SIM and BSR) and I have a question about "who's in command" per se. The pilot is always in command or has final authority correct (Part 91.3)? Where the hierarchy go from there? An instructor or DZ staff member or the person doing the spotting? In the case of an emergency (as a student) it falls to the pilot then instructor/LO correct? "end quote. Basically the pilot in command is the final authority because he is the only one who has a license to lose. However this is a gray area. Before he gives permission to open the door (i.e. green light) the pilot is clearly in command. He is responsible for: announcing his intentions (on the radio), getting clearance from ATC, getting you close to the DZ and looking for traffic. Once the door opens, the responsibility shifts to individual jumpers. Hopefully there is an instructor or senior load organizer making the decision in the door (i.e. spotting). The spotter's first responsibility is looking for other traffic, then checking the spot. Once jumpers exit, they are responsible for their own lives, This includes pulling high if an airplane wanders underneath them. The law is still vague, but hopefully we will get a clearer definition of when the responsibility shifts from the pilot to the individual jumper. If a skydiver knowingly jumps through clouds or close to other airplanes, then he should get his peepee whacked, not the pilot. As for the photographer who exited after the pilot told him to "hold, 'cus we've got traffic," that was clear violation of FARs.
  23. Your best bet is to hook up with the Canadian Invasion. Start by talking with that rigger from Eden North: Aiden Walters.
  24. He! He! Here we go again with the old S/L versus AFF debate. Let's try to put a positive spin on the debate. Tandem is best at getting students over the initial fear/sensory overload. Static Line/IAD is best at teaching canopy control. AFF/PFF is best at teaching freefall skills. Wind tunnels are best for fine-tuning freefall body position. No single method is best overall. The ideal training program combines different methods at different levels. Rob Warner USPA S/L I (lapsed) CSPA IAD and PFF/I CSPA Coach 2 Tandem Instructor on 3 different systems pompous Master Rigger