mcordell

OK, here is another question - when is the 2-pin model coming out? I can't imaging that it takes much engineering to make that happen. That I don't know. To be honest if I were an AAD manufacturer I wouldn't make a 2 pin model. The reason I say that is because Sherman has openly stated he doesn't approve any AADs in his rigs (even though they are AAD ready) and so I wouldn't go out of my way to make an AAD that can be used in a racer which I believe comprises the majority of 2 pin containers on the sport market. Maybe I'm wrong about that. There are far more 1 pin containers out there than there are 2 pin containers and quite frankly I'm not sure it would be worth the expense to produce a 2 pin model. That is just MY opinion and not that of Mars or M2 distribution. I don't know if or when there will be a 2 pin M2. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I sold one of my stock demo canopies and put an ad out looking for a hurricane 170 to put in my demo rig while Parachute Sustems makes me a new main. I picked up a hurricane 170 for a great price but when I got it today I have no idea what I have. It appears to be f-111 material. DOM shows August 1992. There's no data panel on the tail and the stamped data panel on the rib in the center doesn't have manufacturer info not says hurricane on the stabilizers and hurricane 170 on the stamp but as far as I know they were never made of F-111. It also says it was made in Canada and Parachute Systems (formerly chute shop) is in South Africa. What the hell is this canopy!? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I'm an M2 dealer...but I only answered a question about if they offered a 2 pin model. That being said, now you know. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

No, it is a 1 pin AAD only www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Stock rigs from wings are 40% off base price with options at full price so they are cheaper if you were going to add those options anyway. And what's wrong with us small dealers? We do package deals too! www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I've seen it done twice. One guy with about 100 jumps ended up on a sub-100 Velocity. He was smart enough to cutaway and land the 120 reserve. If that was my rig and the landing didn't break him I sure as hell would. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Hey now...there's nothing wrong with a smaller dealer www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

check out downhill ski helmets. there are plenty of open-face ski helmets on the market that have impact ratings and fit the bill perfectly. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I did a hard housing update on a javelin earlier this year. I couldn't find the instructions either but I got a hold of Sunpath and they provided me with instructions (which took them a while to find) so I could get the job done. They also provided me with a new cutaway cable due to the existing one being timed improperly. They seemed to have decent customer service. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Saw a blade runner yesterday with the triangle on the bottom www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I have to ask about this. I jump at 182 dzs and it's been my experience the max load of 5 people is right. Is one of those 4 canopies you are counting round (the pilot)? Are there DZs really cramming 6 people into a C-182? Is that allowed and where do people buckle in? I was under the impression they were all set up for 4 plus the pilot. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I was mixing some fact with a little assuming: The OP mentioned riser caps, which sound like the pilgrim hats that come with Slinks. Also it's a brand new canopy which means 95% probable it came with new PD Slinks. Then I was curious which line types a Pulse is offered with, so I looked at an order form, and Vectran is the only choice listed. Seeing this scenario often in real life with new canopies from a few manufacturers probably made my brain jump to the conclusion that this Pulse is just like all the rest. Usually the lines will look great after 175 jumps... except for the area at the soft links where's it's fraying already and therefore needing a reline soon. Chris Oh ok gotcha. I guess I didn't realize vectran was the only option. I figured it may be standard but you could choose something else if you wanted. Fair enough! www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Where did it say he had slinks or vectran lines? Did I miss that? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

The loose material that is bunched up after the slider is collapsed will flap around and make noise. That's normal and won't go away. Depending on the type of links you have, those "caps" are bumpers of some sort. if you have soft links and mini risers then you should be able to pull the slider onto the risers but it's not necessary. Everything causes wear so yes technically that flapping causes some wear but it's really not a concern. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

You should have no problem getting a line set if you need it. I don't use this forum to advertise anything but if you need a line set get a hold of me. I'm a Parachute Systems dealer and can get line sets from the factory for you. Maybe they just want you to go through a dealer? As far as I know they don't sell to anyone other than dealers but for some parts I think they do. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

have had my optima for 7 years and haven't had a single problem with it. You may want to check your setup again double check there is no pressure being placed on it. Is it possible something has hit it through the audible window on your helmet? I used a Z1 as well with mine and have never had a crack. Perhaps you have just had really bad luck with yours. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Not only is this a terrible idea that will most likely kill you, but it's a prime example of gear dependence that has been brought up in the AAD thread. Wow. All I can say is go back and try to better understand what a MARD does. The most common MARD is the Skyhook and it frequently releases and allows the pilot chute to extract the reserve. MARDS allow for cleaner quicker deployments, especially in high speed spins. They DO NOT allow you to cut away low and get away with it. Please be more careful what you post here. I am very surprised that a man of your experience would give such poor advice. I have to assume that reply was not directed at me since I was saying the exact same thing as you www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Not only is this a terrible idea that will most likely kill you, but it's a prime example of gear dependence that has been brought up in the AAD thread. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

It helps a lot if there is enough fabric there. I don't mind moving it all up there like a dolphin. It doesn't cause problems as long as it's pulled up there and not rolled. I did just repack a wings rig yesterday that a different rigger had packed previously and he had roll folded the fabric all to the top and then made a bundle and twisted the bundle tight. It undid itself when I opened the rig but it had tension on it that undoubtedly would have caused a hesitation. I'm not cool with that at all. Storing it loosely at the top gets it out of the coils and lets it nest in the packjob better and doesn't seem to cause hesitation. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

It's not that they refuse. I've just had so much trouble getting through in the past that it's easier to order though Chuting Star. The web page has no parts information or pricing or ordering info, they just say they only sell through dealers. The last time I phoned them it was leave a message city. It was a couple years ago though. On the plus side, I'm looking right now a w-22 that I just put a 193 into. It may be my nicest Wings pack job ever. It's wide enough to allow the cap a place to sink into, unlike the smaller ones. I think the main problem is having to put all the material inside the coils makes the spring too bulky on some sizes. I know you have to pack in accordance with manufacturer instructions, but I've "heard" of riggers pulling all the PC material to the top instead of stuffing it in the coils. There's a nice little depression at the top when you close the top flap that seems like a perfect home for all that material as long as it's not stuffed under the side flaps. I've heard of that....I would never do that... www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Don't take this as argumentative...I'm legitimately curious. If you get the wings container with all the options and not just the base model, the price still gets up there but is less than several of the other containers. My question is, if you aren't comparing the base model wings to another container with some of the options as standard, and instead are comparing apples to apples (adding in all the options so the rigs have the same features) what are you citing as deficiencies? I have seen a few differences in construction between the Wings and some of the other rigs on the market but they all have their differences. I am legitimately curious what you see as a deficiency. Please lets not let this devolve into a Wings bashing thread. I don't want to be a part of that. I'm just curious what about the other rigs people prefer other than brand. I also deal Parachute Systems stuff and recently got a brand new Vortex which came standard with a lot of features. It's basically a duplicate of the Javelin. There were a few things I saw that were different from the Wings and I can see someone liking one rig over the other but I didn't see anything I would say was deficient about the Wings in comparison to either that or my vector....just different. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Sounds more like you don't care if you live, by your own rules. You're OK with dying for lack of a small safety device, and screw anybody who is left to face the consequences. It's not that you want your own rules, it's that you're making what I consider to be a really incomprehensible decision that shows a lack of respect for your own life and the consequences that your death could bring, all so you can feel good about not having a hidden safety device. My own rules include using that little device, it's an intelligent decision. Making my own rules does not include stupid choices. Can we please stop with the suggestion that we should all quit skydiving? I cannot understand how you think giving up the activity completely is the same as installing an AAD. Driving without a seatbelt is real driving. Well, if we have to wear a seatbelt, we'd all be safer not driving anyway! Let's quit driving. I get the feeling that it's all-or-nothing for you, and that "compromise" or "finding a happy medium" are not really options in your world. Seriously, you make using an AAD sound like getting castrated. I wonder how you feel about other safety rules that you think affect only yourself, but actually affect others, too. Edit: I asked my girlfriend, who took AFF but is not an active jumper, about this. We've been all over the world together, skydiving, scuba diving, abseiling, riding in some guy's homemade submarine 600m below the ocean, bungee jumping, etc. She is the adventurous type. My question was what she would think if I decided to jump without an AAD because it thrills me more. She said, "I'd think you're [expletive deleted] stupid, and that you don't care about our life together." Yet she's fine with me skydiving in general. Edit again: She added later, "What am I supposed to tell people at your funeral? That you chose (to be) stupid? Chose (to be) stupid over me?" If those consequences don't affect you, why do you care? You made your decision to use an AAD, apparently so your girlfriend will be able to adequately address the crowd at your funeral and tell them at least you had an AAD, which is fine. That's your choice. Why do you care if someone else's loved ones are mad at them or sad because of the choices they made? Isn't that between them and their loved ones? My wife isn't a jumper but she knows enough to know what an AAD is. We talked about me buying a few AADs to put in my rigs but decided it was too expensive right now. We both understand what they do, but it's just not in our budget right now. It may never be. That's a decision we came to together. Why do you feel like you have the right to tell me and my wife how we are going to spend our money? I'm fine with you jumping with an AAD. I'm even fine with you and your girlfriend thinking I'm stupid. I'm not ok with someone telling me I have to have an AAD. The percentage of jumpers who die due to a no-pull scenario or who were saved by an AAD is very low in comparison with other risks in our sport. As has been mentioned, we have a culture right now where people are in such a hurry to downsize or move to a fully elliptical canopy and swoop before they are ready that people are dying under fully inflated an functional mains. That injures and kills more jumpers than an AAD would save. Why do you draw the line at wanting to require an AAD to save the smaller percentage but not having a mandatory wingloading progression or prohibiting low altitude high performance maneuvers when that is the biggest risk in our sport? ETA: To me that's like saying we should make airbags mandatory. They have to be installed, even if your car didn't come with them. You also have to wear your seatbelt because driving is dangerous and not having your seatbelt and airbags is a selfish risk. BUT, it's ok if you drag-race on the streets and drift around corners as long as you have the safety gear because those high risk activities are fun. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Except the RSL. I did a fair amount of research and got a Wings for my first container because it was substantially less $ than other manufacturers. I knew that a first container would outlive its usefulness in a few seasons, so didn't want to commit too much $ to something that depreciates quite a bit. That having been said my next container will probably be a Vector, maybe an infinity. Because I intend on keeping it around for much longer. Do you not feel like a Wings container will last as long as a vector? One of my containers is a 7 year old wings that still looks like it just came from the factory. It's how you take care of it that matters. The wings container will last you as long as you want it to. Full disclosure I'm a wings dealer so I'm biased toward wings. I have several rigs including a vector, several wings rigs, and a vortex but I still love my wings rigs most. I became a dealer because I loved the product, not the other way around. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Yup. If you're a cop, expect to deal with gross naked people you have to search. If you're a paramedic, expect to deal with motorcycle crashes. If you're a skydiver, expect to deal with high speed earth impacts. If you have kids, expect to lose sleep while they're up in the middle night crying and shitting. Every decision has consequences. Um...as a cop I also have to pick up pieces of people sometimes. And deal with motorcycle crashes. Sometimes those are the same call.... www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Ok calm down everyone. I will take on the monthly financing of AADs for licensed jumpers through my loft. I will lease you an AAD for only $10 per month. At the end of the year you will own it. Because I ship the device the first month, you will be responsible for the $10 monthly payment plus $1350 in shipping. That means you are only paying $120 for a brand new cypres 2! Now everyone can afford one. Who can't afford $120 spread out over a year?! www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging