riggerrob

Strong Enterprises has published an extensive manual on how to do 25-jump-inspections on Dual Hawk. DHT has a number of well-known high-wear areas that need to be inspected or repaired on a regular basis. I have done close to 4,000 jumps on DHT along with dozens more on Vector 1, Vector 2, Sigma, Racer, Next and Veckbecker tandems. They all have their quirks. I have also inspected and repacked a hundred or so DHT reserves. I lost count of how many Strong tandem mains (425, 500, SET 400 and SET 366) that I have re-lined.

Dear Slim King, Since the American system is failing, I was trying to suggest solutions that have worked in other countries.

Criminals tend to be paroled after 30 years for two reasons. First, after age 50, their testosterone levels have declined and they are less likely to re-offend ... partly because they now lack the muscle mass to over-power victims. The second motivation is financial. Prisons are trying to avoid the high cost of medical services to prisoners over age 60. Medical problems tend to worsen after age 50 and chronic care can get expensive. Prison administrators do not want the high cost of caring for chronic diabetics, heart attack suffers, COPD, MS, cancer, etc. Feeble prisoners are at greater risk of being victimized by younger prisoners. Finally, consider the reduced life span of long term prisoners. Many of them die at age 60, considerably below the national average.

Gerry, I doubt if CSPA purged their fatality files. More likely that the early accident report never reached CSPA headquarters. The last time I read through CSPA's fatality files was in 1987.

Dear Leigh, That packing error has been repeated many times. It is too easy to forget a small piece of cord in a main pack job especially since main pack jobs are often rushed and tools are rarely counted. The first fatality (1970s) in CSPA's files started with the same packing error involving a Para-Commander main canopy. OTOH Tools are routinely counted at the start and finish of reserve pack jobs. One way to reduce the number of tools is to tie the pilot-chute bridle around the lines. This helps keep the lines neat and make sit difficult to close the container until the bridle has been removed from the suspension lines. This technique is popular when packing reserves partly because it helps keep reserve suspension lines neat and riggers are realllllllly anal-retentive neat-freaks when packing reserves. It helps that reserve bridles are often much longer than the 2 or 3 meters of main bridles.

That dishonorably discharged US Marine - Paul Whelan - held 4 passports: Canadian, Irish, British and American. I still don't understand how a person can hold more than one passport????????

No matter how precisely a law is worded, someone will always find a loophole or a work around. An AR-15 would be my priority last pick for a gun fight. AR-15 pistols are little more than range toys. For example, the Canadian Firearms Law circa 1990 prohibited Barret .50 caliber rifles. The old list looked like it had been compiled from "Guns and Ammo" magazine. So Barret quit selling in Canada. Then another half-dozen manufacturers introduced similar .50 caliber "sniper rifles" and sold them merrily. The latest Canadian firearms law goes into more detail, limiting rifles to .50 caliber and limiting muzzle energy. The list of 300-odd prohibited guns reads more like a list of weapons from the video game "Gears of Duty." Hah! Hah! The new law also specifically prohibits a variety of anti-tank guns (usually 20mm or greater), mortars and flame-throwers. Why any civilian needs a mortar or flame-thrower is a mystery to me??????

Dear bokdrol, In the USA, all civilian parachute riggers are licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration. It has been a long time since the United States Parachute Association has had anything to do with licensing riggers. USPA was only briefly involved during the 1980s when they took over the ram-air reserve endorsement initially offered by Para-Flite. This was to help civilian riggers learned how to pack the new-fangled ram-air reserves. The Para-Flite or USPA "ram-air reserve" endorsement was in addition to FAA certification, but FAA never required the endorsement. I doubt if the FAA took Para-Flite's or USPA's endorsement seriously. At best, the FAA considered the endorsement to be "pack in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions." The FAA is famously slow in changing their ways. USA Federal Air Regulations change even slower.

I am just glad that the political prisoner named Britney Griner has gone home. I also hope that the Russian arms-dealer - that was traded for her - has spent so many years in prison that all of his old contacts have gotten stale or retired. The last thing we need is another shady Russian helping Mr. Poutine buy more arms.

Ron, Pease try to be more polite and more respectful of people who are outside your circle. There are a few gays and lesbians and even trans-gender person at my work and they are all more polite than you. Since I will never have sex with those gays, lesbians or trans-gender people, I have no right to pry into their private lives. By the same token, Ron has no right to pry into my private life since I will never have sex with him. Stay in your own lane and mind you own business. What did Jesus say about "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone?" P.S. That is old-school Universalist in me speaking. Universalism started as a minor off-shoot of Christianity.

Arab legends are based upon reality. The reference to a terrible, sulphur smell remind some of some wells in Alberta. When I worked at Beiseker, Alberta, well water had to be left to off-gas sulphur for a day or two before we could drink it. Fortunately, the previous owner had installed large fresh water tanks that held sufficient reserve to all water to sit for a day or three before we needed to use it for cooking, washing, etc.. Alberta has hundreds of petroleum wells that produce the full range of fluids ranging from natural gas to tar. Some wells also off-gas deadly hydrogen sulfide that can kill cattle and require drillers to keep gas masks handy.

"Assault pistol" is a new term. First time I have heard it. What does "assault pistol" mean? A pistol magazine that can hold more than 10 rounds is the current Canadian legal definition of a restricted pistol. If you have a pistol magazine capable of holding more than 10-rounds, it needs to be pegged/riveted to limit capacity. The Canadian House of Commons is currently struggling to define "assault weapon" and "assault rifle." One of their stumbling blocks is all the thousands of Communist-surplus SKS carbines (10-round, trap-door magazine) used by First Nation hunters: Inuit, Eskimo, Cree, Dene, etc. All other Canadians are limited to 5-round magazines in rifles, but one rumor has it that Parliament would like to limit rifles to 5-round, trap-door magazines. Perhaps Americans should watch the Canadian, New Zealand, British, etc. lead on gun laws because that is likely to happen in the USA in another decade or two.

There is no hope, nor forgiveness, nor salvation for those who are willfully stupid.

Yes, I put dozens perhaps hundreds of jumps on a Nova 150 (I weighed 190 pounds in street clothes) and never had any problems. It only got snarky when I pulled down a front riser. My only other complaint was that it opened harder than a Sabre 1 - 150.

Apply Hanlon's Razor to determine if people are being willfully malicious or just stupid.

The dismantled wing turbine was built in 2001, hence 21 years old. Wind turbines only have a 30 or 40 year service life.

Did they ever publish photos of his home-made parachute?

The only way that I can imagine "under-loading" a canopy to be dangerous is if you combine that "under-loaded canopy" with gusty winds with strong updrafts and even stronger down-drafts. .... which makes us question why you were jumping in gusty winds??????????? When the air gets bumpy, POPS sit on the balcony and watch young pups get dragged through the cacti. Hah! Hah!

USPA membership is easy .... just send them a few dollars. USPA licenses will require you to demonstrate (e.g. logbook entries) that you have done all the skills required for the USPA license and demonstrate the knowledge by passing the USPA written exam. If you are only a short-term visitor to the USA, then local DZs might allow you to jump with only your APF membership and license. If you plan to live in the USA for a while, then DZOs will require you to pay for USPA membership. The process is similar in Canada, with DZOs sometimes letting visiting jumpers only pay for short-term CSPA membership, primarily for the third party liability insurance. CSPA's insurance policy pays for damages if you land on a third-party's car.

I disagree. Russia is facing a shortage of young men. Russia is facing a demographic crisis. Starting during World War 1, Russia has suffered a series of cycles of low birth rates. The most recent dip occurred in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the USSR circa 1990, which means that Russia is suffering a shortage of young men under 30 years old. Russia can only maintain its labour force by importing many tens of thousands of young men from its former "stans." Mind you, right wing Russian thugs have an annoying habit of mugging "guest workers" in Moscow. What if a prolonged war in Ukraine so depletes Russian Army ranks that they become vulnerable to invasions from the various "stans?" Those sorts of invasions have ONLY happened a dozen or so time in the past.: Sythians, Mongols, Huns, Turkmen, Tatars, etc.

I tried that but did not enjoy it.

There is a huge difference between a hop-and-pop at 2,000 feet versus a terminal deployment at 2,000 feet. The terminal deployment requires far more altitude before you have a fully-inflated canopy overhead. For a BASE analogy, consider the difference in deploying 3 seconds after leaving a low object versus deploying 30 seconds after leaving a high object. Which eats up more altitude.

How many jumps did you make before your shoulder surgery? How many years did you jump before surgery? What type of canopy did you jump before surgery? What wing-loading? If you are worried about rusty skills, watch some malfunction videos (USPA or Australian Parachute Federation) and maybe sit through the first jump course again.

Be cautious about how you use the word "we." I doubt if NATO - much less the USA - had much say in what was done in Ukrainian laboratories. A few civilian university laboratories might need to hold small samples of nasty germs if only to compare with incoming. unknown samples coming in for examination. However, manufacturing BCW requires the huge vats and factories run by pharmaceutical companies or alcohol distilleries. How many of you remember the USA bombing a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan out of fear that it might have been making bio-weapons? Upon further investigation, it turned out to be manufacturing common prescription medications.

Did your wing-loading increase yesterday?