UnusualAttitude

Ok, I think that clears it up. So, roughly speaking, acceleration is the same, but the heavier person has a faster terminal velocity. I should have known that from my experience skydiving...but I think it was the whole "myth" about dropping two things of different weights from a tower that was confusing me. Thanks guys.

This is something that's been bugging me for a while, so maybe someone who knows more about physics than I can explain... We all know that famous experiment where Galileo dropped two objects of different weights and they fell at the same speed. In fact, as I understand it this is just a simple fact of Newtonian mechanics -- a heavier object is pulled faster by gravity, BUT it has more inertial desire to not move, so all in all, heavier things do not fall faster than lighter things. Of course, if you're dropping a 100lb dumbell and a feather, the feather will fall slower due to air resistance issues... I imagine parachutes also work something like this ;-) At any rate, I know that in freefall people can wear weights, and they fall faster. I've seen it! But how can this be? It just changes their weight, but not their shape and therefore not their air resistance, right? Jim who weighs 100 pounds, and Jim with the same shape who weighs 120 because he has a weight belt - shouldn't they fall the same speed according to the fundamentals of physics? But, they don't -- so what do i have wrong?

Who is Sandy Reid, and how would I go about getting in touch with her? :)

Apparently I do now. And, what effects does that have on a rig?

To clarify: I do respect my master rigger's advice, and I do respect the advice from riggers I receive on this forum. What I'm referring to is "blindly" accepting rigger's advice, vs. crosschecking it with knowledge I have myself, since they are only human. And if I am to crosscheck it with my own knowledge, which seems reasonable to me since it's a life-saving device, where I should acquire that knowledge, short of becoming a rigger myself.

So, I recently spilled some sprite on my rig. I posted in the rigging forum, and the best advice I can get from anyone is..."just follow your master rigger's advice." And, I probably will, since my DZ has a great one. But what if he's wrong? After all, he's just a person. I sense that there just isn't much rigging knowledge among non-riggers in this community, and that bothers me. My parachute is the only thing saving my life, I should know just as much as the rigger does about it. What do you think? P.S. - If you know anything about what to do if I've spilled sprite on my rig, please let me know

Good point. I'll make sure to check it all out. Let's say it's all dry and seems fine. Does anyone know about the acidity content of sprite? I've heard coke can be bad and can degrade the material. What about the materials that the harness is made of, and the canopy, etc? Or, if anyone knows anything about coke..that could be similar so the info would be helpful. I will ask my rigger, too.

Hi guys, I've been subscribing to Parachutist for about a year now...but haven't been reading all the articles. In the last two issues I started reading the "Know Your Rig" article and I really like it. However, I'm missing the first three...anyone willing to scan them and upload them or email them to me? Thanks ;-)

So, I accidentally spilled about 10% of a can of sprite on my rig..It was completely packed and it got on the outside of the flaps where the main parachute is -- not sure if any of it got through past that onto the bag or the chute itself or not. Also, got some on the leg straps and surrounding harness. Anyone know if this is an issue? I've heard sometimes that water can be OK, but I wasn't sure about other liquids..especially as far as how they might degrade the material over time if not washed out. I know it's probably OK, but it can never hurt to ask. Any riggers know?

Anyone know where I can find one? http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1465883310074525751kdEGSK

I did make sure all the handles and pins were in good order. As far as the Cypres, what could be damaged this way, and is there a way to check? Would the countdown on startup detect any problems?

Thanks for your reply. I'd like to amend my question -- also, if anyone could explain why not...that would help. For example, since I threw my rig just now, what needs to be checked?

Hi guys, After having a rig for a while, it's occurred to me that during training, most skydivers never get trained in how to properly take care of their gear. The most I'd ever heard was "keep it out of the sun." Then, over the winter I left it in my sub-zero car for about a week, and when I brought it in for a repack I asked about it -- apparently, you shouldn't do that. Then, today, before really thinking about it, I threw my rig into my closet fairly hard, and after I heard it hit, I thought -- oops, that might not have been a good idea. I checked everything, and from the outside it all looked OK. Is it? We need some training on how to properly take care of a rig. What are the key DON'Ts? What are the DO's? Experienced riggers, and others, please advise!

AFFI, Thanks for your response. I do appreciate your comments. I am aware of the recommended ways to deal with all of the situations you've mentioned. I believe my training has been great in that area...I attended safety day not too long ago, and re-read the SIM as well, and made sure I know everything. I also rehearse my emergency procedures in my head all the time. My thoughts were this though. Since there are a variety of things that can go wrong -- if you do not have time to figure it out and fix it, to simply cut away and pull the reserve. Of course, if you have a partial malfunction but you think you can land it, there's no reason to do that. Now, I know you don't like it when I say "think you can fix it" or "think you have time" -- so you can replace "know you can fix it" or "know you have time" there -- I think that's just a semantic issue. At any rate, of course more complex emergency procedures would be best if they could actually be carried out. But what do you do if you have a problem, you are too low for comfort, and you aren't 100% confident that you can deal with it the right way? Then, maybe the best thing to do is: Cut away, then pull the reserve. Or, it might be a good idea, if you have a total, to just pull the reserve. I do agree with you though, that knowledge of all of the things you've mentioned is very important. Some of the key modifications to my original post that I think are critical: 1. Make sure that you don't casually "think" that you have time. Really be sure you have time before you try to fix something. 2. Try to make your decision to cut away before 2000 feet (or 1800 feet). But, NEVER cut away below 1,000 feet. (1,000 is the # you should ingrain into your head as the "never") 3. Do learn all of the nuances of all the malfunctions. But, fall back on the simplified emergency procedures if you need to.

Agreed! I'm most interested to hear what fundamentals you think I'm missing. It seems to me that a proper emergency procedure for all malfunctions would be to cutaway then pull the reserve. This thread has now highlighted the benefits of dealing with one kind of malfunction differently - a total malfunction. So, it seems that I might adjust my procedures, so that if I experience a total, I will just pull the reserve, without cutting away. For all other malfunctions, it seems to me that cutting away and pulling the reserve would be the way to go. Of course, there is the possibility that if you are above 1800ft for licensed skydivers, and 2500 for students, to try to "fix" the problem. However, given the complexity of "in-air rigging," this might not be a good idea, unless the problem is very simple, like line twists.