mcordell

that looks like a stock photo www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Rigs have been made with friction adapters for the chest strap and leg straps for years and years. There are thousands upon thousands of rigs with them. Any mechanical component can fail but the more weight you put on a friction adapter, the harder it grips and holds. You would be amazed by the amount of force you put on your harness during opening, especially a hard opening. If they hold during opening you can pretty well bet they will hold during your decent under canopy. You can get b12 snaps but they are adjustable too so if you are worried about the harness slipping that won't help unless you have the harness tacked once it's adjusted. Just relax and enjoy the view. The friction adapter is much less scary than the fact you are hanging below tissue thin nylon and string. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

and yet an instructor cannot sign off on a b license canopy proficiency card or a D license but an S&TA can. Obviously USPA puts a lot of faith in them, even beyond that of a rated instructor. Why should cameras be any different? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

but exceeding the 2000 jump guarantee on the vigil battery well within the 5-10 year life span is not uncommon. That means during the 20 years you have the unit it's not necessarily unlikely to go through 3 or 4 batteries whereas the M2 is sold as having a battery to last 15 years so the maintenance costs of the vigil are much higher. When you add that to the cost of the unit, the cost of ownership is higher. I just wonder if that cost is worth it or if the M2 is legitimately a better deal. I guess it is too soon to tell if they will stand up to 15 years of use. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

It's worse than that. You are going off the mandatory replacement at 10 years but the battery info provided by vigil (off the top of my head) is "at least 5 years" or 2000 jumps but factory mandated at 10 years. I'm kind of concerned about that. The disparity between 2000 jumps and 15000 jumps is pretty significant and a lofty claim. That would make it by far the longest lasting battery of any AAD afaik www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

that's a good point and my primary concern with the M2. I don't want to buy it based on 3 years of a decent field record only to find out there are problems that weren't immediately apparent. The service life of the battery is drastically improved over the vigil battery, at least in terms of jump numbers, and I'm concerned there may be a certain degree of overconfidence in their product that isn't going to realistically work. That isn't necessarily a definitive reason to discount a product as being a viable competitor, especially in a product category where competition is seriously lacking. THAT is what allows the cypres to be kept at what I would consider an unreasonable price. I want to be able to give the M2 some serious consideration and but don't want to take a risk that isn't calculated and well considered. I was hoping this larger group of jumpers and riggers may have some experience with both devices and could offer some input. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

by your logic the McLaren F1 is a piece of shit car that no one will ever want to buy Thanks for your input. I'll take that into consideration if I'm ever in the market for a supercar. Can the owner not change the tire on one of those when it gets worn out? That being said, my question pertained to two specific models of AAD. I didn't ask about the cypres or the McLaren F1 but your opinion has been duly noted in my logbook. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

that's my issue with the cypres. It has the lowest service life of any of the modern AADs with mandatory service every 4 years. Not only is it the most expensive AAD on the market but when you add in the service costs to the incredible purchase price it is significantly more expensive when broken down on a per year cost. I'm fine with either the M2 or the Vigil but I don't like the fact the vigil battery is not field replaceable. I suppose one service after 10 years isn't a big deal but the purchase price of the M2 is rather attractive. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Assuming I live a long life I need it for as long as possible. I don't plan on quitting the sport. When I first started jumping I bought a cypres because so many people told me it was the only one worth considering. After having to take a break for a while due to financial considerations (divorce) I was on the verge of selling my gear but my (now) wife told me never to sell my gear because I would regret it. I sold my AAD to pay some bills and have been jumping without one for quite a while now. I am planning to buy one for my primary rig but I have two wings containers I alternate between and a third rig (vector) as a backup if I need to make back to back loads without packing. I only plan on putting an AAD in my primary rig I jump most. I'm comfortable with something relatively new if the design is solid. Regardless of past models or cutter problems that aren't the same model of cutter, I am considering the M2 but really wanted to know if anyone had any information that wasn't opinion based as to why one would be better than the other. I will NOT be buying a cypres so explaining the virtues of cypres and how much better it is won't really answer my question. My understanding is that the M2 cutter is completely redesigned and should not suffer from the same issues other cutters in the past have but I'm open to information one way or the other. Thanks! www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I'm looking at replacing the cypres unit I sold with either a vigil 2+ or M2. Because the vigil unit has to have the battery replaced by the factory (which is supposed to be good for 2000 jumps) it looks like the more expensive of the two in spite of the 5 year difference in service life. The M2 says the battery lasts for up to 15,000 jumps but I couldn't find any information on the battery itself. Is it field replaceable? Does it also have to be replaced after 10 years like the vigil? What do you recommend and why? ETA: Ok I do see that the battery is supposed to last the full 15 years without being changed. Either way I'm still interested to know if anyone has a good reason to go with one over the other.Quote www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

What I find interesting is that everyone seems to focus on the C license "requirement" in the SIM. The SIM doesn't require a C license. It recommends a C license. I don't think the C license or any number of jumps is the best way to determine whether someone is ready for a camera or not. I think flying ability and more importantly ability to deal with malfunctions or unexpected occurrences under stress would be a more appropriate guideline. I have jumped with C and D license jumpers that I would never trust in a high stress situation. I have also jumped with A license jumpers that have a good head on their shoulders. It seems to me it would be better to have a requirement or recommendation that camera jumping is generally prohibited until signed off by a local S&TA or I. There should be a progression card like the B license canopy proficiency card that involves freefall skill evaluation by an appropriately rated jumper as well as perhaps a short written test specifically related to camera jumping and maybe evaluation of emergency procedure preparedness in a hanging harness. Once someone has demonstrated competency in these areas they should be able to qualify for a camera rating that goes on the USPA membership card like any other rating. I fail to see how a jumper can be a coach at 100 jumps and spend their freefall watching a student and giving hand signals/correcting a student in freefall, but they can't wear a camera. Seems like a new freefall student is more distracting than a camera, especially when you are responsible for debriefing on the ground afterward. I have a C but I don't jump a camera. I have...it's just not important to me. That being said, I don't coach students. If I were coaching someone I would wear a camera so they could see for themselves what they did and how to improve. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

If I read that correctly, that would require you to intentionally run the freebag through the mard lanyard before packing the reserve into it which wouldn't happen unless you did it on purpose. You wouldn't have to worry about that. This is what people are referring to when they talk about a Collins lanyard. That is designed to release the opposing riser in a scenario where one riser releases. This system does not have it. The reserve operates as normal if the reserve handle is pulled since the trap operates only when the rsl is pulled under tension in a cutaway. Nothing would keep you from pulling the reserve manually. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Whether or not it releases from the trap seems to be dependent on the load being applied to the trap at the same time the load is applied to the PC. In theory, if a horseshoed main were to be cut away and the reserve pc inflates and pulls on the bridle at the point where the trap is wrapped around it, so long as there isn't significant tension on the trap, the bridle should have enough force to remove itself from the slip knot. If there is a lot of tension on that knot then I can see it holding in spite of the pull force of the PC. I'm having a hard time picturing it in my head to decide what the more likely scenario is but if the risers leave the shoulders and travel up with the knotted up bundle of crap it seems possible the tension would be released from the slipknot around the bridle. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I'm not really sure what to think of that. The netting that covers the trap and keeps it in place looks like it would be fragile but I'm sure it's not. On the surface it seems like a fairly rudimentary system but that could be a good thing. The last thing you want when you cutaway is some rube Goldberg machine on your back deploying your reserve. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I have another new wings rig coming toward the end of this month. I wouldn't buy anything else. I'm definitely a loyal wings owner. You really can't go wrong with any modern, major rig manufacturer, but wings containers are decent quality rigs at a good price. I don't sell my old ones, I just add to my collection. I have one I got in 2008 that looks like I just got it. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

***Most doctors (myself included) do understand skydiving and realize that it is not a zero impact sport. Once you are out of the plane you are at the mercy of nylon and nature. There is always the chance of a gust on landing, sudden no wind switch, turbulence.. more variable than running up and down mountains. I would disagree entirely. I think most people in general have no idea what skydiving is like, including most doctors. I talk to people all the time that ask me about the landings in skydiving because they think we do some sort of gypsy moths style thump when we land. I'd also disagree that skydiving is more of a risk to your knees than running. In running you are subjecting your knees to constant jarring impacts. Running is terrible for your knees. I've never heard of someone causing runners knee by skydiving. As a runner and a skydiver I can tell you I have experienced runner's knee from running a 17 mile training run and on a different occasion from running several 4-8 mile runs on back to back days. I have not caused significant injury, but the risk is still there. The worst I have ever done to my knee skydiving was last weekend when I bumped my knee on the step going out last on a 4 way. When I left the door to dive I think I bumped the step. I got a bruise. I'll take that over any overuse injury caused by running. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Sounds like a doctor who doesn't understand the sport of skydiving. I don't know about you but my landings are less traumatic to my knees and ankles than running any real distance. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I got an automated call yesterday from a TX number telling me two f-16s collided near my property and my property was identified as being within the debris field and asking me to check my property and contact the Air Force if I find debris. I checked all 12 acres but didn't find anything. A lot of the debris people have found appears to be thin carbon fiber in pieces about the size of a sheet of paper. Definitely the most excitement my little community has had in quite a while. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Unless this is a fulltime AGR position for either of them. Do they have AGR positions for pilots? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

true...I recall that now. As for the transitioning pilots, I have known several ANG pilots and none of them were academy graduates. In fact out of all the officers I have ever known there were only a few AFA graduates. Perhaps my sample isn't representative of the AFA graduate prevalence rate among officers. Perhaps AFA graduates are not the type of people who would befriend a hooligan like me Either way I'm still not sure what the exact cause is of the crash other than a collision but the one that made it back to Tulsa had to be towed to the hangar for some reason. The one that crashed had the tail separated lying next to it but it was unclear if that was a result of the crash itself or the reason for the crash. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

It was a guard unit out of Oklahoma. While it is possible the pilot was active duty and transitioned to ANG after their ETS date, it's more likely the pilot never attended the air force academy. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Good point...it was unplanned! The plane did a flat spin like a leaf into the ground. The pilot landed near a hedge row and broke his ankle. He was pretty shaken up but no serious injuries. I'm sure ejecting from a spinning F-16 is a hell of a rush!. There were two blackhawks circling the area for quite some time. I assume they were looking for debris. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I imagine once the trouble blows over someone will be buying beer. There's a rigger somewhere that's definitely owed some beer! www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Looks like someone just made a first jump on accident near my house. We live in a rural area and we routinely have F-16s dogfighting over our house. Today they managed to collide and one of the planes went down. The pilot managed to eject and was not seriously injured. The plane crashed 4 miles north of my house. The other jet managed to make it back to Tulsa, OK. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I have 2 rigs and a 3rd on the way and I pack them on different cycles for that very reason. I always have one that is current. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging