tsalnukt

As a vidiot....most of the time we are opening much higher than everyone else on the load and we are some of the last out of the plane. Unless the video guys are spiraling down trying to get down really fast, (which can be just as bad) Most everyone that is landing in the main landing area has already landed freeing up the air space. I know a lot of us don't want the traffic and we can hang in brakes so that everyone else can get down before us. Yes there sometimes are people still in the pattern when we are landing and it is our responsibility to land safely and not endanger anyone else just because we want to swoop. I don't think it's the video people that swoop that are screwing it all up...I think it's the idiots that don't realize that there are 22 other people on the load and everyone better look out for me attitudes. Clear and predictable patterns coupled with knowledge and the right attitude....will help

The collins lanyard system is complicated?????? you should check it out. skyhook and a collins lanyard. Can anyone think of how this set-up could not work to your advantage. Strong should up-date their gear.

I'm totally for tacking slinks on mains. The risers are much thinner and they get used a whole lot more and sometimes they don't set just right. The reserve risers are much wider adn don't get used that much adn it makes it easier to inspect if they are not tacked. I really can't think of a good reason to tack the slinks on a reserve. Can anyone enlighten me???

Does anyone know anything about adding an extra piece of webbing on top the leg webbing? A dude came in and says that his leg straps slip a few inches sometimes on opening. Someone else told him to get an extra piece of thinner webbing sewn to the leg strap to make it a little thicker and keep it from slipping. Anyone else ever heard of this??

Do you un-tack them to inspect them and then tack them again?? Why is that better??

Every turn has some sort of a blind spot when you are doing it and with the right attitude can be accomplished very safely. It's the people that have no spacial awareness, skill, expereince, bad attitudes that make problems for responsible flyers. People that don't swoop don't always understand what swoopers are doing and although swooping is a privelige, people with bigger canopies also have a certain responsibility to follow landing directions and to fly CLEAR and PREDICTABLE landing patterns. Education saves lives.

You have to listen to everybody...no matter how many jumps or how much experience. Just because some has a rating or thousands of jumps doesn't always make them right, and I have seen them be wrong on several occasions. IMO Students should be encouraged to asks lots of questions about what they see and what they hear. That's how everyone learns.

I thought I was the only one that thought that way.

I'm pretty sure that you've lost the plot. what if we change the word....how about "blemish", bruise, charley horse, fat lip, or pink eye? I care what the general public thinks about skydiving and when someone asks I will tell them all about it...good and bad...they always ask about the bad. You can't educate those that don't want to learn. I don't know where you live but if you lived close or in a place that is popular for rock climbing, no doubt that you would hear about it on the news or in the paper and that news wouldn't travel very far outside of that area. They don't shut down the cliffs and do an investigation and the FAA doesn't get involved and unless they land on someone no one else is gonna get hurt. If a demo into a public place goes bad it usually makes national or international news and it doesn't make skydivers look good at all. I don't think that it hurts the number of students that bad as it makes it harder and harder for skydivers to do things that we want to do. On hot days we used to jump into the beach on the lake a few miles from the DZ. Now "it's a liability issue". The guy only heard about someone getting hurt at a DZ in another state. I would say that bad press definately "tarnishes" our sport as we know it.

I've been told that it's a must and I've been told that it's not. If they are tacked down then it makes them difficult to inspect to make sure that they are assembled correctly. Of Course you would like to think that whoever assembled them and tacked them down, did it correctly. I can't really think of a really bad situation that could come from not having them tacked down, but I am open to learn. What do other people do and think of all this.

Is there any harm in using diffrent material?? Why not just use a thicker line??? Of course, you would have trouble getting thicker stuff through a cutter. besides that is there anything wrong with it?

Super-tack also works well to pull the loop end through the washer as well.

I'm pretty sure that the first "bend" on the right is normal for that type of pin. I'm looking at several right now and they all have that bend there.

It's and R-max with the precision wrap-it soft links. Thanks again

You are awesome. I kind of thought after a while that they were ok to use but I had to get an answer. Thanks a million.

It's actually the r-max canopy and I think that they are actually the precision soft links. Do you know if they have blue strands in the braids??? I looked at the photos on the precision web-site and the use all white line in the photos.. I guess I thouhgt that they were home-made cause it's the same thing that we used to make before the PD slinks came out. I didn't know that anyone else made removable soft links.

What do the other manufacturers soft links look like and are they approved for use on a reserve like the PD ones

Fun day in rigging....I just came across home-made, removable, soft links on a reserve. Is this legal???? I can't find anywhere that says it's not legal but they are made from the thinner line like what they use for main canopy soft links. Any one know about this stuff????please help. or would anyone know where to find this information, that would be great. I called the manufacturer but I'm waiting for a "call-back"

the fingertrapped part of the loop should be 800 pounds or so but remember.....the loop isn't fingertrapped. The actual loop part is only a single piece of cypress loop.

I was always taught that when you make a closing loop you need to make the knot so that it includes the fingertrap. I have come across a few reserve closing loops that aren't that way. The loop is fingertrapped a few inches down to make the loop and then going through the disc and the knot is just "single layer" of cypress line. Is this "ok"? I know fingertraps are strong but I also have seem them slip. Should I go tell this other rigger to bring it to his attention or is this ok to do???? thanks for your help

Yes they suck but after a bunch of kicking and screaming our DZ started to take them again and after the skyride customers jump and have all kinds of fun the call the DZ directly for the next jumps and they also tell their friends how to book directly with us instead of skyride. Essentially they are a source of advertising for us. Every year there are a little bit less of the skyride vouchers...not that there were all that many to begin with.

wax wax wax....back crack and sack......it will change your life. it doesn't hurt so much if you shorten the hair

Fly, Fly, Fly...that's all you have to do. the more tandems you do, the more you understand. The best things anyone told me is...Fly, with lot's of legs, like you are tracking, and make sure the hip connectors are tight. train 'em good, but briefly, on the ground and make them as relaxed and comfortable as possible. If they are a total flailler then you either hook the legs or just fly it. You can still fly with your legs and hook their legs at the same time. legs legs legs Altitude awareness......... Opening at the right altitude is more important than opening at the right altitude with stability

Thanks for all the useful info. keep it coming

It's a piercing and I'm going to get one tomorrow. Any one out there have one and have any advice???? What type of jewelery to use?? What size jewelery?? Are you happy with it Is your SO happy with it? Any info would be great. Thanks