rastapara

Check this: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=travel%20rig&sb=score&mh=25

So did my rig or reserve mfr come up with that cycle of maintenance?

cjdskydiver

Do you trust that a 20 year-old cutter will fire...?

Well seeing that cypres requires the cutters to be inspected every 4 years I do not trust that a cypres cutter will fire.

Again, the sample size might be to small to determin that vigil cutters age badly and are inherently unreliable because of that. But I dont think that is the case. Since 2003 vigil has entered the market, that means that there are cutters in the field over 12 years old. I nor you have any statistics to prove or disprove that these vigil cutters are more or less reliable accept a talk a PIA that I guess was held by someone representing cypres or representing a party selling cypres (assumption on my part but you state it like he had some pretty good inside info on cypres, so I assume it was not a guy selling vigils or argus or fxcs )

And yes, I've paid the Belgiums a lot of money (yeah not really an argument, you can pay a lot of money to a nigerian prince and get away broke), they have been making safety equipment since 86, so Im happy to trust their 20 year old cutters if they say they are reliable. (didnt cypres shorten its lifespan at some point?)

Edited to add: Do you replace or let the mfr test the airbags in your car every 4 years? its also a electronic life saving devide

Well maybe I am a fanboy, because I do admit to have lots of vigil tshirts and keycords and patches

But yeah, if that was my first hand experience with them I'd consider not buying from them. Yet I have had more positive experiences with the particular unit (accept a cutter replacement and a dead battery, but that comes with the game right).

However, the point I was trying to make is, I dont think that the lack of service routine makes the vigil inherently less reliable (in cutting the loop at met parameters) then any other aad.

I was talking with my dad about this today, and he compared an aad (tech wise) with airbags. You do send your car out for maintenance for the parts you actually use (brakes, tires, gears, whatever) but a safety feature like the airbag usually never really gets tested. But in functionality it is comparable (ie measure parameters, send a shock to a canister and blow up a bag of air)

He told me a story that took place preforum dates and pre vigil days (1996 ish) where he had a tandem cypres go off at 2 grand when returning on a cessna 206. When emailing with airtec about it they said the pilot was probably flying with the meters in the red (knowing the pilot I, nor He thinks this was the case), and the cypres could not be at fault. Yeah, thats what I would say in a world where I was the only electronic aad manufacturer. Point in case, no aad is perfect, but as long as it saves my life when I fail to, and sort of works like almost all the time, its all the same to me.

cjdskydiver

Operative word being "If"...

Well "If" there were heaps of bodies and heaps of data to support the claim that the aad that requires more service has a far far greater likely hood of doing what its designed to do, well then the safety factor would outweigh the cost factor. So either the sample size is to small or that is just not the case, I tend to think the latter.

cjdskydiver

components age

Yes they do. Technology and quality of components on the other hand improves. Remember that the vigil entered the market 12 years after the cypress did.

cjdskydiver

"Max. 20 years life expectancy"...the company hasn't even been around that long

When the first cypres came out the company existed shorter then the life time of the product. So... (oh and fyi the company that is behind the vigil has been around since 1986, not that that makes any device more or less reliable, but just a fun fact)

cjdskydiver

Choosing a life-saving device based on the service requirements...amazing...

If it cuts the loop when I fail to slow down, its all the same to me. And, then yes, I prefer the one that does not require more service. Amazing right?

I would expect people who work security at an international airport to speak one language other then their native language, unless its some really 3rd world country or when they are french, then all bets are off...

Mleadley

Cookie fuel helmet w/ cutaway strap.

I'd go for a protec and 12 jump tickets

Couldn't you just use one of those autopilot chips, set up a waypoint grid and put the gopro on picture mode. Then get some stitch software and make a highres map.I think it would be easier to look for the canopy on a highres map then in real time with fpv goggles. (admitted, that wil make it a little bit more expensive, but compared to the cost of losing a canopy and only needing one set up per dz its negligible)

I always think a cheap (100 dollarish) rc plane with a gopro attached to it should be able to relocate most canopies that are too hard to find/not immediately recovered. You can just chip in for the price with some other folks at the dz and keep the cost low.

My boss orderd a pressure sensor for an arduino board for me to play with Thats a start...

Initially the plan is to build a dyter/tracker sort of thingy, but who knows what the future will bring

Seeing you jump out of a plane that says Teuge on the bottom I assume that you are looking for the dutch rules. That was some thick industrial haze that day

Quickly skimming the Dutch bsr's (http://www.parachute.nl/fileadmin/knvvlpa_upload/pdf/BVR_2014.pdf) I* cant find anything about cloud cover, however, you are jumping under dutch law "Regeling valschermspringen 2010" (http://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0027968/geldigheidsdatum_30-07-2015) that states you can only jump when you meet VFR (visual flight rules) conditions (you can easily read what the means here https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_flight_rules **)

* Im lacking coffee atm
** to lazy to google the exact wording/law, but wikipedia gives you a general idea

Bonus tip: be more carefull jumping through "thick industrial haze" when jumping a dz surrounded by a shitload of trees, water, or other stuff that you dont want to land on/in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFtCwvZaDB4

Wow, seems like a situation I would not like to be in. Lots of factors beyond your control, especially for skydiver 1. Nice to know that it played out like it did, seems like it could've ended a lot worse for both parties involved.

How ever: you pay your dues and you take your chances *

* Disclaimer, I was using the search function to find these examples, cherrypicking if you will. I might be wrong, and in some situations/scenarios lifetimes and or universes you might be better of with a low cutaway then the more nylon option. And admitted, better to make any decision when low then none at all...(re: thinking/acting/time) but then again low cutaways do have a bad rep IMO...

Your decision, but that leaves little margin for the unexpected IMO... (altimeters can be off by a 100 ft for example, your rigger had a bad day, you know, the unexpected. Results in the past are never a guarantee for the future.)

At that altitude I'd prefer landing with more nylon then Id bargained for rather then an opening reserve still at line stretch... but hey,you pay your dues and you take your chances...

Im like the dude, I just listen to the sound of a succesfull bowling match... thats whats gonna get you to the finals man... far out

knvvl, but by dutch law you only need a notam and permission of the land owner and the municipality where you are going to land. (persuming Im not mistaken, and that the laws are the same over there as they are here). Good luck!

Quote

I don't have time to build a web app for this

If someone is willing to pay me I could build something Will program for beers

in his defense, he did not forget to attach the 4 hooks

Also, is it a good idea to attach the seatbelt to your cheststrap? Its not designed to be loadbearing right?

Quote

As an examiner I want to know if this candidate has both the skydiving experience, and analytical thought process to come up with a safe way of carrying out or allowing many different types of unusual jumps, as well as the knowledge of when to veto something that is obviously a risk to life and limb, before I pass him the responsibility for the lives of others.

Agreed. But if the highest scoring answer is a simple "you dont" it kind of limits the evaluation of the analytically thought process. At least IMO.

To rephrase: whats the merit of a question like that with the correct answer being "you dont"...

I will refrain from venting my frustrations any more before this becomes a threat hijack. I want to end on a note, something my grandpa always said:

If you are going to dangerous stuff, you better do it really carefully

Cheers

since its just me, that wont do anyone any good. Im al for common sense and letting experienced people make their own decisions. Let the DZO´s do their "crater management" (you go bowling, you are oke on that tiny parachute), they have a far bigger stake then any committee ever will have.

Hey, if you wanna do crazy proxy jumps in a wingsuit without a reserve, combined with brooms and mr bills, go right ahead. But dont tell me (as a committee) I should not even consider jumping with a broom when you condone and seem to promote the latter...

To me this seems really basic and simple stuff, even someone who would write the rules for a pissing contest in a brewery could understand. I dont want to live in a sad reality where I would have to join a committee to point this super evident stuff out.

Besides that, IMO to many people have a horse in the race or are stuck up in their own "im right, your wrong" mentality (exhibit A the exam question posted by the OP).

Whats the merit of a question and answer like that? Really? You tell me?

Whats the merit of emailing me proxy jumps without a reserve when the same organization states that this is completely against their rules? (btw in the same email was an annual report explicitly saying "we should do more research on the conditions to safely jump with wingsuits", does that include using reserves?) Whats the merit of that stuff mr Baksteen? Please enlighten me... (since its just me you can surely explain these situations, right?)

Oh for all the other readers, skydiving in the Netherlands is pretty great (pretty flat = lots of outs ) besides the bureaucrats, Im not bitter or angry just very disappointed

thats why I
was there a clause added along the lines of "unless you are a certain person with ties to the association" (like the gopro on a pole debate, that ended up with a clause like that)



Was there also a question about always having to have a reserve (bsr compulsory), unless its a highprofile proxy base out of a c182 above a city, done by some highprofile folk. Or did that not matter to them because it was not on an associated DZ but a demo? Must be because it was okay to boast about it in the news email.

Why these people even try to legislate anything is beyond me....

Or am I being a d*ck on wheels, you tell me?!?! Nah for the sake of argument it is probably me...

Stubruce

. Any advice would be warmly received.

ChrisD

the thing that is most disturbing is that the OP isn't really asking anything,...they are telling you something and YOU completely missed that!!!

Way to welcome people to the sport dude...

Operation save the pack job

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFtCwvZaDB4