mcordell

Well you are wrong. Parachute systems just invested a great deal to move their manufacturing facilities to the US from South Africa and cordura fabric for Vortex containers comes from Brookwood which is based out of New York. The Vortex is the least expensive TSOd container, not the cheapest. That title is held by another US produced rig. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I know a bit more about the process than I can discuss publicly right now but I can assure you they are working VERY closely with the supplier to determine if there is a particular batch of hardware that is subject to a recall and are not just relying on information provided by the supplier in determining the data on the specific ring that broke. I can assure you they are doing the absolute best they can to come to a quick determination and resolution. We should know more tomorrow. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

May be because I've wasted some time fixing issue with the risers this summer and finally I'm grounded for unknown time right now? When many people around jump without any issues with much cheaper rigs from the local manufacturers. The truth is that if this problem is not fixable, I have to order a new container right now if I want to have a rig at the new season. I guess you missed the part where I wrote if the hardware on your rig is affected, the repairs would be made at Parachute Systems expense. Kind of hard to be upset with that. They did not manufacture this component. Out of the 3 service bulletins you referred to, 2 of them were for components they didn't manufacture and o e of those components came from UPT. Every rig manufacturer issues service bulletins from time to time. It's difficult to fault the company when there's an issue with a 3rd party piece of hardware. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

The reason I mentioned that it's not a customer service issue is because you posted this in the vortex customer service thread rather than the thread that already existed that was about the service bulletin. I was just pointing out that the two are unrelated. I'd like to see that picture. The information I got was specifically that the ring cracked. Can you pm me? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

No they didn't have a ring break. The ring showed a crack after the 4th jump. There's a difference in my opinion. It's also worth noting Parachute Systems did not manufacture that ring but rather bought it from a 3rd party manufacturer. I'm sure they aren't the only rig manufacturer using those rings and yet they are the only one issuing a bulletin. The rig in question had only 4 jumps but was manufactured over a year ago. Hundreds of containers have been manufactured since this one with no reported issues with the rings. Seems like a one-off but we will know more soon. This issue has nothing to do with poor customer service. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

That's because Parachute Systems is working with the manufacturer to determine if this issue is a one-off or if it's a batch problem. If it's a batch problem then a date range and/or serial number range will be released, however that information isn't known at this time. They issued the service bulletin before having that data to be extra cautious. The greatest likelihood is that this is an issue with a batch of rings or is a one-off quality issue. That's probably the case considering this rig was manufactured over a year ago and there are no other reports of ring issues. Most of the rigs manufactured that long ago have been jumped quite a bit more than this rig and it stands to reason if this were a large scale issue we would have seen more reports. That is of course speculation based on deductive reasoning and is by no means a statement of fact. I will definitely let everyone know when I get an update. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

On January 2nd 2016 Parachute Systems was notified by a dealer in Holland that a defect was found in the base ring on a Vortex container manufactured in October of 2014. Although the container was over a year old this was the container's 4th jump. The hardware was manufactured by and sold to Parachute Systems by Daesung Forge (DSF). Out of an abundance of caution and with the safety of each customer in mind, Parachute systems has recommended grounding Vortex containers with DSF hardware until such time as the extent of the issue can be determined. Once that has been determined, a list of affected serial numbers will be provided. Stainless steel hardware can be identified by flipping over the base ring and looking at the back. Rings affected by the bulletin will be stamped DSF. It is unknown at this time if any other containers will be affected by the issue or if this was a one-off flaw and Parachute Systems is working with the manufacturer currently to make that determination. Again, the affected rig was manufactured in October of 2014 and there have been no other reports of faulty rings. As information is provided I will update everyone. I also do not know what other manufacturers have purchased hardware from DSF that could be affected if this is a batch issue. It is important to note that containers currently in production and all future orders are NOT subject to this bulletin. If a batch of containers is identified as having quality concerns the issue will be repaired/resolved at the expense of Parachute Systems. If you have any questions about this please feel free to contact me and I will address your questions as best I can at this time. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I bought a tray of 25 off brand batteries with the same miiliamp hour rating as renatas and am still on my first 2 almost a year later. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Nice one Mike ;-) I'm sure it's a Volt! I believe it's already shipped to me and I'm fairly certain it will be a volt but I'm not 100% sure www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

That's it! Thanks! www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I have a custimers used Raven 3 that came with the brake line finger traps undone. There are no factory marks and I cannot find a line trim chart. Nobody answers the phone at precision. Does anyone have the brake setting measurement for a raven 3? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

As far as I know at least all of their canopies will be produced here. They have completed their first ever US made canopy and I will be putting the first test jump on it soon.

The company is pretty far along in this process but it's still ongoing. Manufacturing facilities will be in South Carolina. I'm looking forward to everything being up and running here stateside! www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I can promise you the customer service for parachute systems is going to exceed any expectations you have. I can promise this as a dealer because even if you ordered through someone else I would personally go out of my way to help you if you encountered an issue. I had a customer reach out to me with a concern they had about their interaction with their dealer and I worked with them even though I stood to gain nothing as a dealer. Any customer service issues you have at all can go through me and I will ensure you are taken care of. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to me on my business page at facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging, email me at [email protected], or call or text me at 316-300-7272 and I will take care of it. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I don't often find myself disagreeing with you on much on these forums and so if I misinterpreted your post I do apologize. As for the sale issue, as far as I know this person has never contacted me to purchase gear. I have no way of knowing if they plan to purchase from me or someone else so that wasn't my issue. The reason I interpreted your post that way was because you referred to the purchase of a vortex as a bad decision. I don't believe it is a bad decision. Maybe you meant new gear in general (which I would disagree with but not as adamantly) but you did say the OP made bad decisions already by choosing the vortex and M2. again, if that wasn't your intention then I apologize for misinterpreting, but I'm sure you could see how I get that from your post. As for the M2, I don't know why anyone would need a changeable mode other than to go from expert to speed if they are swooping on some jumps. To that extent, the M2 allows x-mode activation which allows the expert to be used as a speed unit for that very reason. The M2 also arms above the firing altitude as opposed to the vigil arming well below the firing altitude which is likely the cause of some of the issues people have had with them firing in the trunk. The only thing the m2 doesn't have going for it is a way to permanently raise the activation altitude. The m2 firing altitude is slightly higher than the other two however. There are plenty of pros to the M2 and I don't really see it as a lesser choice or a less versatile choice but that's also personal opinion. For the record, I wasn't calling you a gear snob, just saying that advice was gear snob advice. I'm certain now that you responded that you weren't trashing the gear so I retract my previous statement. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I have bought and sold through both the classified ads on here and through various facebook groups. I have only had one bad experience and oddly that was shipping it to a reputable DZ for inspection. The "buyer" basically used it as a rental rig for the weekend and then said they weren't interested and shipped it back. They even said it fit right and everything but they just decided they didn't want it. My advice would be if you plan to have it shipped to a rigger for inspection and everything as part of the deal, as long as the gear is exactly what was described and it's airworthy and fits, the deal is a done deal. Don't make someone jump through those hoops if you aren't certain you want it. It's not a demo. I have shipped stuff to riggers for inspection and I have also shipped directly to someone after payment. I have bought without going through a third party and never been burned. I have also acted as a third party to inspect gear for a sale for someone else. For most of my used gear sales, more and more I'm offering it for sale without a third party inspection. I'm not going to burn my reputation on a bad used gear deal. I have a business on the line and no intention of screwing myself over for a used gear sale and the only time I have been burned was shipping to a DZ like I said. Just make sure the person you are dealing with is known and if necessary call their home dz to check up on them. If the DZ will vouch for them or they are well known in the community for selling gear I think you'll be fine. You can also check the FAA database if they say they are a rigger. If they are in the database I personally feel like you can trust the gear from them without inspection. If you can't trust a rigger in this small community then we have a big problem. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

This is gear snob advice and nothing more. The vortex is a very well built container. Just because it's not overpriced doesn't make it a poor choice or as you put it "bad decision". It's not as popular HERE in the US but that doesn't make it an unpopular container. The manufacturer is moving facilities from South Africa to South Carolina and soon these will all be domestically produced. They are every bit as durable as other containers on the market, they just don't cost you half a new car and your first born child. I'm not sure why you would consider it sound advice to tell someone to buy used gear for close to the same price as a new vortex. A new container will be custom fit for them and it's history is known. For the record I'm a Parachute Systems dealer. I feel I should disclose that since I'm posting about them, however I am also a Wings dealer and a Mirage dealer and I CHOOSE to jump a vortex because of the quality you get for the cost. The build quality is good and you get features standard on a vortex that cost way too much on other containers. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I'm sorry I meant nice used gear. You occasionally find good quality used gear for a great price but not that price very often. More importantly, on the rare occasion you do find gear at that great of a price, what are the odds its going to be a perfect fit for this guy? Nothing has changed about my post. I stand by what I said. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

There are plenty of gear deals out there that are priced to be competitive with some of the used gear offers and would be sized to fit. I sell new gear all the time for the same price or lower than a lot of the used gear packages to get new jumpers in the air. You just have to keep your eyes open. I see all the time people telling new jumpers not to buy new and to buy used until they have x number of jumps but new gear fits you because it was made for you. You can get a container for say a 190 and then as you progress downsize to a 170 in the same container so the logic doesn't add up to me www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Ooh, neat, how does that work? put your feet in the toggles? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

End cell closure is a non-issue. It makes newer jumpers uncomfortable because of how it looks but it's not something to worry about. When I jumped a Sabre 2 as my primary canopy when I first started I used to get end cell closure on every jump and I would take the time to do a slow flare to inflate the end cells and then I would start my regular flying. Over time I realized it didn't matter. I jump primarily Volt mains now and I get the exact same end cell closure on my jumps but I just unstow the brakes and fly and they open on their own. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I have a javelin with a navigator 300 in it that weighs in at about 25 lbs sitting here in front of me. That puts him at 1:1 which is a reasonable maximum weight for a student www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

It is not a Parachute Systems Hurricane. That's what I thought I was getting. The Parachute Systems Hurricane is ZP and is fully elliptical and wasn't built in 1992 and has always been built in South Africa but will soon also be built in South Carolina. I also contacted Chris Dales directly, since I'm a Parachute Systems dealer, and he confirmed it was not a canopy made by his company. The Parachute Systems Hurricane is also not hybrid. It's full ZP. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Well I figured out I can call for free from my google voice phone number but I have called twice and it just rings non-stop with no answer. I'm not having very good luck figuring this out at all so far... www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I found them and thought the same thing but couldn't find any information anywhere that indicated they made a hurricane canopy. I have an email out to them since calling them would cost me a small fortune. Hopefully they can tell me something. It's disappointing because it's a really nice looking canopy and it's in great shape but I have no intention of jumping an old F-111 170 no matter how good of condition it's in. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging