RTB

The locking stows, the ones through the grommets, hold the lines tighter because of the canopy pushing against the lid, when the bag is being pulled up.
I don't think you should double stow them. They need to be in good shape though.
I don't think you should need to double stow any lines actually, unless maybe you have a really large pilot chute or deploy at extremely high speeds.
I single stow everything except on my tandem which has a lot higher force from the drouge, so the snatch force is quite noticeable. It also has vectran lines.

//r

Maybe,
but what about all the people that say they have the qualifications to fly the canopy. And then crash. That is not too cool.

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also the velocity is NOT winning every event it is neck and neck with the VX in every event so releasing a conopy superior to both is in their interest as icarus' team won't be able to compete

How do you know that?
Rumour has it Icarus have a canopy ready for market, superior to the VX, they are just waiting.

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A good rigger will make an effort to learn the right (easy) way to pack any rig that comes to them... but some riggers aren't willing to make that effort.

If A rigger is not willing to go out of his way to improve his knowledge or technique, little alarm bells go off in my head.... I will take my rig elsewhere!!!
Skydiving is a dynamic sport that is changing all the time! Why would somebody refuse the opportunity to learn something, especially when it might save a person's life!

Packing one specific type of rig every once in a while does not make you proficient at it. Why would you pack a rig that you are not comfortable with and will not pack again for a while, thereby risking making a poor job? Actually the opposite of saving someone's life.
Learning new stuff and improving your technique does not mean you can't say no to something your uncomfortable with.

//r

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Gotta love the rumor mill.


Do you really think they'd hold something back for several years that was up to their standards right now? Doesn't seem like a smart business decision. Considering how long PD has been in business I'd think they wouldn't be that stupid.

Not bashing on you, but consider a canopy out performing the velocity. It will be fast and made for long swoops. This also makes it potetially dangerous and hard to land. Higher speed makes a canopy less forgiving.
Even if the canopy is ready, the skydiving community might not be. If a few jumpers buy this new really fast canopy, and hurt themselves underneath it, it's not the smartest business decision to release it.
What i'm saying is that even if PD and Icarus have faster canopies ready to release, they might be hesitant to do so because only a few people can fly them safely. This would not necessarily be a bad decision.

//r

I usually just wipe any dirt of but some riggers use silicone. This was new to me so, what do you do?
The cutaway cables seem to be more often discussed. I use silicone for them.

From what I understand there needs to be a certain speed of lifting the bag to line stretch to minimise the risk of twists and other problems.
Either way it's easy to change the kill line.
Hesitations are bad, in several ways. I'd fix it immediately.

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Can any non-drinkers let me know what they do when it is their time to buy beer?

Thankx

People in my club actually do cake instead of case sometimes. Cake, ice-cream, I don't mind. (I don't like beer much)

When Swooping how important do you think it is to lean forward in the harness. Assuming the chest strap is opened. I haven't really done this much before but realized that this might be much more important than I had thought.
Inputs?

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If someone else's gear looks bad, ask them to have a rigger look at it,

I am a rigger. But i still don't know if it's ok to approach someone....thats why i asked the question.

Well, I'm a rigger too and sometimes we have to make decisons that are not easy to make. If it bothers you enough, approach them. I think I would.

If your own gear looks bad, tell the rigger.
If someone else's gear looks bad, ask them to have a rigger look at it, the rigger can then give specific recommendations or talk to the rigger who did the pack job.
If it is poorly done most (all) riggers would fix it.

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I don't know if this is an "urban legend" or real, but years ago I heard a story about a guy that wanted to film (this was before video) cats in freefall. The way I heard it, he had some cats in a box and released them after exit.

Either through desperation or natural coordination, the cats got to him in freefall and dug their claws in. According to the story, the guy got torn up by the cat claws during opening, but the cats all hung on and ran like hell after he landed.

I heard this story years before "The Man who Loved Cat Chasing" was published in Skydiving magazine, so this wasn't a regurgitated version of that story.

If this really happened, I'd love to see the film!!!

Walt

Believe it or not but studies have been made on what cats do when falling.
If they fall from 2-3 stories high they have their legs below them and risk getting hurt by their own legs on landing. From higher altitudes they reach terminal, about 100 km/h, and spread their legs to the sides, thus presenting as large a area as possible. On impact they risk breaking the jaw, but usually can survive. I wish people had that ability to survive terminal velocity impact.

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I still tell people outside the sport that it is not so dangerous
***you are lying to them.

The point I was trying to make is that is is probably safer than they think it is.
When doing a tandem with someone who has never jumped before and is nervous, I don't stress the fact that we could die. I wouldn't lie about it if they asked though.

//r

As a further thought regarding a discussion in a thread in Safety and Training. Why is skydiving perceived as more or less safe by different individuals?
I think maybe it does have to do with number of years in the sport, but with a different way of explaining it.
Most people outside of the sport see skydiving as generally dangerous, so when you begin this is what you are accustomed to. Then you get to see with your own eyes that these are normal people that do not have a death wish. And they help the students to be as safe as possible. So you start seeing skydiving as less dangerous than the whuffos. Then after x amount of years, even though you now can take care of your self, there is still the risk of someone colliding with you on deployment, under canopy of something else. You see people get hurt or die, so if is evidently not so safe.
I still tell people outside the sport that it is not so dangerous, because I'm afraid they exaggerate the dangers, but to someone who is new to the sport and acting reckless, well they might need to be reminded of how easily things can go wrong.
Just a reflection.

//r

There is usually (always) some room for lengthening the steering lines.
And a canopy with short break lines can feel more responsive, so I doubt it is because of a flying conservative reason.
If they were really long I think that would create possible problems that could be worst than them being short.

I am thinking the same, if they had made the rear stabilizers like a V form that could have helped.
Or moved them to the top of the tail.

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2) If the size of the PC is so important, then why does a Javelin RS (PD-106R) and a Javelin J8 (PD-281R) have the same size reserve pilot chute. Why does the MZS (PD-106R) and M7 (PD-281R) have the same size reserve PC? If the size of the PC in relation to the canopy is so important, why the same size PC for the smallest to the largest reserve containers (within a model container)?

Derek

I think the answer to that is pretty simple: Cost.
Sure the same pilot will work but there is no logic in that they should necessarily be the same. If I could have a larger reserve PC for my tandem I would, and if sunpath made a smaller PC for the XRS they would be easier to pack nicely and would work just the same.
If the manufacturers had to TSO different reserve PC's the rigs would cost more, they wouldn't be less functional.

There is also a difference in how a main PC is made, a small PC made with large hole mesh and ZP top skin will normally be more effective than a slightly larger one made of small hole mesh and F-111.
So size is not everything

//r

I have that combination and made my original Mirage PC smaller. It is now about 23". I would not recommend this however, since the original F-111 PC does not seam to have that much drag. If you change to a ZP PC then I think a smaller one would be fine.
My PC does work for me, but in a hop and pop or balloon jump or so it would be less that ideal.

//r

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..., and you cannot use brass grommets with that vectran lineset.

Why not?
Brass is used with HMA right?
Why not vectran?

If you go from a stiletto 120 to a vengeance 107 you will still get a faster more ground hungry canopy. That you can swoop. Also if you do FS you will probably use weights which increases the WL.
Stepping down two steps and to a vengeance is a pretty big step.
(I broke my ankle on my second jump on a Vn 107.)
Just a thought.

I'm wondering how much the type of rubber bands used affect the risk of a bag lock. A band that is harder to break will logically create bag locks more often, but how much less risk is there if we use mil. spec. rubber bands. They still seem to be strong enough to cause a bag lock, if the circumstances are right(wrong). I have seen bag locks occur with mil. spec. bands, but how often does this happen?

//r

I think it opens up the debate of if it will come lose easily enough in a cut-away situation.
Not all snaps are equal but some of them take considerable force to open if pulled sideways. This is probably what is going to happen if you do need it to open, it will be pulled sideways and therefore might not release.
I haven't tried it, it might work.

People have different arm lengths.
Sometimes it is difficult for a short person to reach the slider, with a longer riser.

How is it done when converting rigs to have a reserve side main deployment handle for AFF?

Can you get a BOC with the reserve side activation as a modification that can be sown on to a rig with an ordinary BOC pocket. (Removing that first naturally)
Has anyone done this switch? On which rigs? Any problems?
We're discussing a change and any input from DZ's that have made this transition is welcome.

1777:0

//r