mcordell

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Everything posted by mcordell

  1. I know one master rigger who just had a request to pack a silk parachute. It was inside a vintage plane and they were anal about keeping everything 100% original, including the bailout rigs from the time the plane was manufactured. He agreed to do it with the understanding they would be fully inspected to verify they were airworthy and would have a very short pack cycle. I only know that he agreed to do the work. I have no idea what they looked like when they got there but I suspect they weren't airworthy. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  2. You don't have to get the lower licenses but to get the higher license you do have to submit all the requirements for the lower licenses. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  3. There are discussion in some other thread why a more than 20 years old reserve should not grounded. So what modern fabrics? Modern fabrics meaning synthetic fabrics (i.e. nylon) which don't get eaten by insects, are mold and mildew resistant, and don't degrade appreciably with age. Meaning gear that is currently in use. You would be hard pressed to find a reserve made of silk that isn't in a vintage plane just to keep things original. That's what I mean by modern fabrics. The two threads have nothing to do with each other. A 20 year old super raven, the subject of the other thread, is made of modern fabrics. The same fabric in fact that a super raven is made of if you order it now. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  4. Then going with a 1 year cycle theoretically wouldn't be harmful and putting hands on a reserve once a year seems reasonable. With modern fabrics I don't particularly understand the need for a 6 month repack cycle other than to ensure service bulletins and ADs are addressed often. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  5. I'd jump it if I were closer www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  6. That's not too long as long as the rig is for an orangutan www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  7. put the handle of a positive leverage tool through the loop and the washer in the groove of a knee plate. Make sure it's anchored well so you don't pop yourself in the face. Kneel on the plate and pull with both hands. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  8. As far as Velcro damage goes, that's about as minor as it gets. That should have no appreciable effect on the riser strength. I would have no problem packing that. If you are concerned you could send those pictures directly to sunpath but I suspect they will tell you it is a non-issue. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  9. When I get a rig for repack I always maintain the 3 ring including food grade silicone on the cable. That's how I caught it. I also offer that service alone free of charge to jumpers at my dz if they catch me while I am there and the rig's main is unpacked. I'd rather do it free than have people not doing it, which they never do. I guess when they grabbed one off the shelf for me they sent their upgraded version then? I've never come across these and I don't personally jump javelins so I'd never been exposed to them. ETA: Ok I went to the site which I guess I could have done in the first place and it's the only handle they offer. The handle that was on the rig is a regular pillow handle so I was thrown off. I guess that's just what they use now. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  10. I had sunpath send me a new cutaway handle for a customer's javelin that had the cutaway cables timed backwards of what they should be. They sent me the handle for free. When I got it today it is substantially heavier than any of my cutaway pillows. Enough so that it caught me off guard. What am I missing here? Is this standard now for sunpath or what? It's almost like it has a section of metal pipe inside. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  11. I can respect that reasoning and you raise some valid points www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  12. My experience is that ANYONE at the local FSDO is less knowledgeable than any rigger. Maybe you live in an area where the FAA people actually know what a parachute is. Like I said, this is a master rigger with a major loft. He is a DPRE and has manufactured things for some of the major companies. I'm guessing if he has to be certified to make the ripcords then he probably is. I still see swaging a ball on an existing ripcord assembly as being less of a repair than replacing a harness, which he can do as well. I think he might get approval for the harness....maybe not. I don't know. My overall initial point was, I think that's a tad too long and should be replaced or shortened. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  13. Look I don't know everything and I definitely have a lot more to learn. There are sooooo many people who know a lot more than me. I do see you as one of those people based on our interactions here. I hope I never feel like it's time to stop learning. That being said, I do see the replacement of a component as a major repair. Just because the TSO is for the components, those components are replaceable. If you can get TSO approval to manufacture ripcords then I have no doubt the guy who did mine has it. He manufactures a shit ton of stuff and replaced two harnesses for me prior to that. Being a DPRE I'm guessing he knows the regs and followed the rules when he swaged a new ball on my ripcord. What really confuses me is, with all your experience and being legally allowed to build ripcords, why are you asking and can't you fix this? I was a little surprised to see you asking this question anyway....are you just gathering opinions? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  14. If it were legal for me to do so under my ticket then it's possible. Depends on the individual canopy. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  15. Which is the same thing that allows them to build a harness as part of the system but a master rigger and replace a harness on a rig. It's a major repair. I think we usually see eye to eye on a lot of things but if you are saying a master rigger can't replace a ripcord as long as they conform to the tso required testing I think we will disagree on this one. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  16. Rolling the tail is great to help control it while you get it in the bag but doesn't affect the opening. Rolling the nose has some effect on how quickly the canopy inflates because the air goes into the nose. Rolling the outer cells toward the center and then opening the center across the outer cells is supposed to allow the center cell to inflate and slow the inflation of the halves of the canopy as they unroll by pushing against them. I suspect it's more likely the packer pushed the nose into the packjob prior to rolling the tail. In my experience that does more to slow the opening than rolling the nose. That pushes the rest of the packjob around the nose which delays the nose inflating while the canopy snivels. If you ever watch a high speed deployment you will see that it all goes into a big ball of shit pretty quickly. packing where the nose is immediately exposed to air will cause it to inflate much faster though. Pulling the slider where it sits in front of the center of the nose also makes it inflate slower. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  17. apples to oranges in my opinion. Electrical components and fabric or far from the same thing. That being said I do have an issue with cypres for that very reason. People buy vigils in some cases because they disagree with cypres killing of the AAD after 12 years plus requiring maintenance every 4 but then they buy a PDR and think nothing of it when there are numerous other reserve manufacturers that don't impose a limit. Do you really believe PD just cares that much more than other companies about your well-being? How many other manufacturers have had reserves just blow apart because they had been repacked too many times? Is the issue that more repacks will cause the performance to be affected more than the airworthiness? If that's the case isn't that a decision I should be able to make for myself? I jump ravens in my containers but that's my person preference. I know how my gear is maintained since I do it all myself and I don't need a parachute that times out. For gear that is swapped around and sold without a full history it makes more sense, but even then a rigger can tell if it is airworthy. If it lands a little harder because it is more porous then get a different one but it will still save your life. They are, after all, emergency parachutes. I am all for people buying whatever they want. They just aren't for me! www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  18. I also don't imagine they would be happy to have their name associated with a cable which is damaged and unsafe. A master rigger replacing the cable and testing it per standards is a repair that he is capable of making. It would qualify as a major repair I would assume, but a repair non-the-less. That's the point of master riggers. That's why they are certificated to do major repairs. If everything needed to go back to the manufacturer there would be no point in having master riggers running lofts. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  19. I suppose it doesn't really matter what they think so long as it falls within his certificate which it does. What makes the manufacturer more competent to swage that ripcord than a master rigger with a hydraulic swaging tool that is identical to what the manufacturer uses? It's really not witchcraft. If he swages a ball on or replaces a damaged cable and tests it to the specifications then the ripcord meets the tso requirement which is to be tested to that spec. The ripcord is a component of the system and the system is what is certificated. The ripcord is stamped to indicate it meets that requirement. That's what I meant by "ripcords aren't TSO'd". That stamp just means it met the minimum testing per the TSO. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  20. But collecting permeability data for what purpose? According to the info I was given it was to try to justify changes to FAA regulation to make 20 years the mandatory limit on all certificated canopies. If that is why they are collecting the data then I think it's bullshit. If they want to limit their own gear that's fine but if they are gathering information to justify forcing others to limit their gear then I can't agree with that and won't give props to PD for trying to force it on the industry. If that's not why they are gathering the data then I apologize for helping to spread that rumor. Obviously I only know what has been relayed to me by people in the industry. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  21. He manufacturers TSO'd items? Mark He manufactures replacement components for TSO'd items which he is allowed under the privileges of his certificate to do. Is there something you are beating around the bush at? Feel free to come out and say whatever you are getting at. I'm a friendly guy....I won't be offended. ETA: Ripcords aren't TSOd www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  22. I believe that this rig is TSO'd under C23(d). You can find the specs/rules/TSO req'ments on the www.faa.gov website. Jerry Baumchen Not quite. The TSO doesn't contain the requirements other than the fact it has to meet SAE AS8015b which is the document that specifies the minimum testing requirements. Here is what TSO C23D requires per SAE AS8015b I guess the 5 seconds my master rigger used was just his specification in excess of the requirements. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  23. I believe the requirement is 300lbs for 5 seconds for swaged ends on cables. The TSO doesn't specify length of the excess but it should be enough to allow the jumper to move normally and allow the cable to remain slack throughout that movement. Is that what you are asking? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  24. My point with the main/reserve argument is that an old reserve which has been packed 50 or 60 times is not unairworthy simply because of the pack jobs. There could be other factors, but the idea that 40 packjobs is that hard on an F-111 canopy is ludicrous. I also often see the argument that "PD must have a good reason for the 40 repack inspection" used as an argument to prove that the packjobs alone have a significant effect on the canopy and old canopies can't be trusted. I have had a conversations with manufacturers (not pd) and one DPRE who has been very involved in PIA about this issue. It has been explained to me more than once that there is a motive behind the 40 repack inspection that isn't because they have your best interest at heart. Money is a driving factor behind a lot of things. I would be curious to know what the difference in porosity is between a brand new canopy and that same canopy after 40 repacks. There have been requests for a 20 year life to be imposed by the FAA. At least one of those requests was by a manufacturer. That manufacturer was asked if they had data to support the 20 year life. Requiring inspections after 40 repacks seems to be a good way to collect data doesn't it? If that data is then ultimately intended to justify implementing an across the board 20 year life on certificated parachutes then don't manufacturers stand to make more money through obsolescence? That may all be bullshit and it may be rhetoric from someone who simply disagrees with the requirement to send the canopy back after x number of repacks but it has been explained that way to me by a manufacturer and a DPRE and if that's the case then people are drinking the Kool-Aid under the guise that it's because the manufacturer cares so much about jumpers. If it's not then I guess I drank the Kool-Aid of people who disagree with that manufacturer's business practices. I guess people just have to decide for themselves. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging
  25. How did the master rigger ensure the cable would withstand an end-to-end load of 300# (C23b, f) or 600# (C23c, d)? Mark By putting it into a testing device that is designed to test ripcords to the proper specification. He manufactures ripcords on a regular basis and tests each ripcord he produces to ensure it meets the proper requirements. He cut my cord, put it into a hydraulic swaging machine and put a new ball on it, then put it into the testing device and put it under tension (IIRC for 5 seconds) and I reassembled it and repacked my reserve. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging