hackish

Ha, don't tell my wife. I still try to avoid admitting I'm not always right. I didn't know there was an innovator 2. The one I have is an innovator. DOM June 1989. -Michael

What riggerrob said. I know sailrite sells it. A local company just bought a tractor trailer load of it surplus. I meant to buy some just for fun as it was about $1 per yard but the entire load sold out in a week :( If you really really want to use ripstop nylon get some 1.9oz stuff normally used for hammocks. It will last a lot longer. -Michael

The westway innovator was a 2 pin design. I can dig one out and give you a photo if you like. -Michael

Every time I read that statement I said HUH, that doesn't make sense... until I realized that I was mis-reading the term bias to be warp or weft. To go back to the OP I have not noticed any mirage PC's that were not sewed on the bias and I usually compare one I've made with the original before sewing it on. -Michael

Lines, no. Canopies are built using pre-shrunk tape and all that but when you get them wet there can be a bit of shrinkage here and there. I washed my diablo and after that it always turned left, even after a reline. Getting a canopy wet can be a bad deal. To get back to the original post I've heard that packing them up with a dryer sheet or some febreeze can be helpful. I've never looked too closely at the chemicals present but it's probably going to be OK. Nylon is surprisingly difficult to destroy unless you attack it with Acid, UV or velcro! -Michael

Gotcha, I thought he was referring to ropeadope's comments about his reserve maintaining its shape. -Michael

Do you have a source for this? I saw a 1996 PDR that was UPT packed in an original wonderhog. We opened up a 20 year old pack job and it was still neat and crispy like the day it was packed. Stains from the brass grommets, yes but there was absolutely no evidence of it sticking to anything. -Michael

Go check out all the options, try them on and decide. Glow in the dark faces are something you're not going to use more than a few times. 0.3% of my jumps are night jumps. Maybe 0.5% could have used the backlight on my altimeter. In other words, not high on the priority list. -Michael

If the canopy ever needs a repair you're going to be really hard pressed to find anyone willing to sew it. Certainly you can say no to a factory repair! The gritty baking soda is death to a sewing machine with all its unsealed bearings and bushings. -Michael

I hope it's easier than in Canada. The process is not only convoluted, it's mysterious and few people dispensing the red tape even know or understand what's needed for it. If I could give you advice it's to start with the FAA with respect to a TSO (if it applies to your situation) then use the info you get from them to work with your local agency. I did it backwards unfortunately. -Michael

I think the practical reality is that a 160 versus 170 is not going to make a huge difference. When you couple that with the non-eliptical ,thicker wing and non-performance oriented trim angle on a reserve, the 160 is more likely to fly like a lower performance canopy as compared to the larger main. Rig designers need to keep the shape of the reserve tray consistent with their design, so while there is a bit of wiggle room on the reserve versus main size it just doesn't physically work well to have a 300in^3 reserve and a 200in^3 main. You still need to match the width and height of the two while keeping the entire rig length comfortable with the height of the jumper. -Michael

I recall that nylon impellers on industrial pumps was compatible with proplyene glycol. If I recall correctly PG is also used as anti-icing solution so it should be pretty easy to verify that it is non-reactive with nylon aircraft parts. The more difficult part is to find out exactly what else was in there and see if it is reactive or even acetic. This past weekend a jumper was unhappy because I kicked him out of our packing tent for vaping. -Michael

I looked at dumping out their database once but I see now they've changed it to require a full last name so you can't even fool the search tool into spitting out all its data so we could re-process it into a more usable form. -Michael

She does a lot of stuff in there. I feel like there are a lot of extra steps that complicate the process without making the packjob better. Simpler and fewer steps allows you to focus on the important parts. When you're making the cone before laying it down, I don't like to make big folds to close it because it pulls your C lines around the packjob. If you do break it down to simple actions, keeping the lines in the middle are important as is ensuring the slider is well placed firmly on its stops and stays there. Some of the best packing info can be found on the PD website. I know they didn't manufacture your canopy specifically but they probably do the most R&D of any manufacturer by a stretch of 5x. -Michael

Here is the picture missing from my previous post. The reason I say you are mixed up is that this entire discussion is about the difference between class 1 and class 1a. Some class 1a accidentally entered the supply chain, marked and sold as class 1. The purpose of this post is to show the difference and how to identify them because its subtle and not well documented anywhere. -Michael

I believe you're thinking of class 1 and class 2. Class 1a has the same identification markings as the class 1. They are also both mil-spec and both approved by the military for critical use. Here is a roll I just picked up military surplus for very cheap. Should be good for practice. I just wish I could find some $20 a roll type 7... -Michael

When I spoke with Paragear about the issue they were very quick to locate the source and remedy it. I'm constantly impressed with the level of great customer service we skydivers and riggers enjoy. -Michael

Any time you break a thread on the edge of the webbing it's grounds for repair/grounding no matter what class webbing is used. A harness failure is quite likely fatal which makes this type of thing serious. The issue can occur if you snag your webbing, on something (formation funneling, horny gorilla etc), if the fill thread severs and is caught just right your webbing could disintegrate. Class 1 you'll have a single broken thread, no more no less. People don't always take the best care of their equipment and I'm frequently finding big problems, webbing worn through from asphalt, leg straps cut from butt-swoop landings list goes on. For these reasons I, personally don't think it's a good idea. Class 1 webbing is becoming hard to obtain since it's only made at Bally now. Anyone with a dyno want to unravel a few feet of the fill then pull it to destruction? I'd love to know how much strength remains compared to a simple severed thread on class 1. The good news is that the failure I've shown requires a specific type of snag on one edge of the webbing. -Michael

Class 1A is the same breaking strength as Class 1. The military specifies that 1A is accepted for critical use. My opinion is that I would not choose the 1A for a civillian parachute harness because we tend to maintain gear "differently" and certainly use it differently. I don't think it's fair to call 1A substandard, just not up to the standards I feel comfortable with. -Michael

I don't like to name names. The class 1A entered the supply chain accidentally so they're replacing my order with the proper stuff. The class 1 grey above also came from paragear so you can see it was supplied by accident. My inventory was used for practise and swooper belly bands but I'll be replacing the material before they leave. -Michael

The strength is the same if it's not damaged. I'm told that since class 1 is better it's generally considered that you can use it any place 1A is specified but not the other way around. I suspect it's up to the manufacturer if it doesn't specify in their TSO and if it does they'd have to have a minor change filed. When I saw it unravel I decided I wouldn't be using any. I have 200 yards for practice and prototypes... :( -Michael

Yay for macro lenses and 50 megapixels! This is what you don't want to see on one edge. This is what both should look like. It's zoomed in a lot so you can see that the fill yarn alternates around the warp with every pass instead of simply daisy chaining like on the image above. The best way to do it is twist and compare side by side. The grey is class 1 the black is class 1a. -Michael

I had a discussion last week with a rigger. He mentioned that Class 1A webbing, although approved for critical use in the military can unravel and in his opinion is not safe for harnesses. The manufacturers can provide final word but most TSO testing was done on class 1 so 1A should not be used. Since it piqued my interest I spent time learning a bit about the stuff and how to identify it. I went through my inventory and it turns out I had some type 8 black webbing that was in fact class 1a! This is one that slipped through the cracks with a reputable supplier. If you're using type 8 for repairs, please check your inventory to ensure it's not going out into the field. It is very interesting what happens if you cut the edge thread on both sides and pull the interlaced side. -Michael

I bought mine off ebay. Turns out it's the same part for a 7-31, 7-33 and 7-34. Fortunately it's a part that is on good supply. -Michael

Just thought I'd share a funny story. Our city chips/composts tree branches. When I change lines I keep some of the old ones so I can cinch up bundles of branches tight. Garbage man wasn't happy with me using "thin string" because "it would break and make a mess on the street" Watch he says and tries to break the string. I'm sure garbage men are very strong but today they learned about vectran. I always wanted to attach the canoe to my car with it. Any other fun uses for this stuff? -Michael