mcordell

I don't have an ad in any of my rigs but if you desire one there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the m2...or the vigil....or the cypres. They all do the same thing but one is significantly more than the other 2. It is what it is. That's like asking a group of cops what the best duty gun is. Glock fans will never convince 1911 fans that the glock is a great gun. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Well we are good here because we measure in Fahrenheit so we are immune to this issue www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

It is a rather obscure number to go with for service life isn't it? I'm certain it's a miscommunication between the manufacturer and OP but even if it isn't...who cares. As long as it's not written into official documentation it doesn't bother me if they impose a 6 month service life. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

could you please post a copy of the email ? it doesn't matter what email he posts. To the OP, manufacturers cannot impose a service life via email and have absolutely no means to impose a service life retroactively. Since aerodyne has never imposed a service life before then there is none. The company can email you whatever bullshit they want but it doesn't matter. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

It seems to me your wife didn't "almost die" but if almost anything she almost experienced a hard opening. You are forgetting that even in the event of a total malfunction on the main, they still have a reserve parachute which would open a lot harder (faster), especially at a tandem terminal. Also, you and your wife should rest easy knowing that the tandem rig would have an AAD (automatic activation device) that is a computer based device that senses fall rate and altitude and if the instructor did nothing at all the AAD would activate the reserve deployment sequence as a failsafe at a predetermined altitude. Your wife didn't almost die. She went skydiving. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

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Great...another service life thread. The aerodyne thing is BS. They don't impose a service life. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

That's kind of a closed-minded view of things. You formed an opinion and then feel like anyone who disagrees is just wrong or stuck in their ways. Your logic is not everyone else's logic. I'm not saying I do or don't agree with the 200 jump rule, but there could be a logical reason for choosing to jump with someone with 200 jumps on their first camera jump vs someone with 200 jumps who has already done 100 camera jumps. One way to look at it is perhaps people don't want to jump with someone who is willing to disregard the safety recommendations of the experienced jumpers. Another way to look at it is, perhaps someone would rather jump with the guy who spent 200 jumps working on his flying skills rather than the guy who spent 100 of those 200 jumps dicking with a camera instead of focusing on their flying. It did kind of seem like you came on here and asked an overall question about camera jumping having already formed an opinion and then asked repeatedly in different ways fishing for the answer you wanted. If you are going to ask people's opinions then you should probably be open to receiving them. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

And THAT folks is what a circle jerk is.....although it is a little bit funny to give a different definition and send people out into the world using the phrase in every day conversation... www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Changing the harness size would not change the yoke width. Changing the yoke width usually involves sending the rig back to the manufacturer, along with a check for about $3000, and waiting for several weeks or months. On the plus side, you don't have to send the rig to the original manufacturer, you can choose the color of the new yoke, and the harness is likely to be a better fit, too. Mark When he said the harness was too tight around his shoulders, I took that to mean front to back it's too tight. That would be corrected by replacing the harness to adjust the MLW length and give more room in the harness. I guess that's an assumption based on his wording. Since he didn't say the container was too narrow at the shoulders and specified the harness it seemed logical. That being said, he also referred to it as the stabilizers so I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. To the OP: be more specific as to how it is too tight and pictures wouldn't hurt. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Reply: Actually the only aircraft that have a wind lock to prevent the door from being opened in flight are the Boeing 727 and the DC-9, MD-80 series. These locks are on the aft airstairs only and are referred to as "DB Cooper" locks, for obvious reasons. I am 100% sure that they are on the 727. The DC-9 and MD-80 may have some other way to prevent deployment than a true "wind lock". I do not believe there are any light aircraft with such a device. It is illegal to jump from a Part 103 Ultralight 2 seat powered parachute. It is illegal to jump from an Experimental 2 seat powered parachute. I am not sure about a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) 2 seat powered parachute, but it may be illegal and probably depends on the operating limitations in the POH for that particular aircraft. Mike Mullins Not questioning you on this but what makes it illegal to jump from an ultralight? I can't say I have heard that before. Afaik it is not illegal from a lsa powered parachute but I never looked into the ultralight aspect. Why would it matter? ETA never mind. I was thinking there were no 2 seat ultralights by definition but I found where they are allowed for training. Never knew that. Point is you are not likely to find one. A 2 seat powered parachute you are likely to find is a LSA which falls under the same regulation as other small aircraft we jump out of and the pilot has to be licensed. I don't see why you couldn't jump those and I have. It's fun. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

That is NOT what circle jerk means. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Worst case scenario you can have the entire harness replaced by a master rigger. I had 2 harnesses replaced for size a few years back. I want to say it was $150 each at the time but may have give up since then. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I don't apply any chemicals at all to my rigs. I paid way too much for them to spray shit all over them. I just try not to get them dirty. So far that has worked. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I personally think that this is invalid guidance. If unconscious then it is just about luck whether you survive or not. - Petri Not really. The larger the wing is, the more survivable the landing in half brakes and unconscious. As a general rule, regardless of the size of the canopy the glide angle will stay relatively constant for the same design canopy. That means under a small reserve you would have the same (very similar) glide angle as you would under a reserve of the same design but twice as big. The difference will be in how fast your face impacts the ground without flaring. The logic is there and the math works out. It's not just luck. The luck part is where you land. The speed of your landing is entirely within your control. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

http://www.fxguide.com/featured/kingsman-not-so-secret-effects/ www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Well....it's not a big deal as long as everything goes as planned. The pilot may end up career wise ~ flyin' a cargo plane full of rubber dogshit out of Hong Kong if things go sideways as far as crater making. Just sayin' I guess I meant it's not a big deal to the jumper As far as the pilot...nobody pays attention to anything we do out here... www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I live on 12 acres and I have landed on my property probably over 100 times. It's not a big deal if you follow a few steps. It's also not a big deal if you don't follow those steps. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

How many fatalities can you cite specifically where the cause was a bent reserve pin? You made a point that Bill Booth has created a different pin design, but you didn't point out the fact that pin was specifically for the RSL system on the rig. The pin was designed to incorporate the RSL into the reserve deployment sequence. The pin was not designed to solve the problem of bent pins. I have provided a few counter arguments but I'm not dismissive of the OP or his point. My question is, is this really a problem we need to address? Have there been fatalities using modern gear caused by bent reserve pins? This sport has a history of "fixing" problems that aren't really problems and causing problems with the fix. Some of these "fixes" resulted in fatalities where the original design that wasn't broken in the first place wouldn't have been an issue. I'm all for addressing a design flaw that is dangerous, but the current pin design doesn't seem to be one of those things to me. If a new design pin was offered as an option to solve the "problem" of bent pins, I would still opt for the proven design until someone else either dies or doesn't because of an unforeseen issue that was created with the "fix". I personally have never seen a pin bent so bad as to create a total malfunction, and that includes the rigs at the rigger course that have been packed by low-skilled rigger trainees for who knows how long. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

but those bits could adversely affect the system and adds complexity in order to solve a problem that doesn't seem to be much of a problem. I know you are concerned about it, but there don't seem to be a lot of other people seeking a solution. with the vector pin setup you can close the rig and secure it with the pin while making it impossible to actually deploy just by leaving out one simple step. Its a good design if it's assembled right but there are pictures on this forum from not long ago where a totally unusable rig was found in the field and others commented that they had done the same but caught it before giving it back to the customer. I don't think adding complexity is a good idea. I have found numerous errors while inspecting a few reserves and they were simple things that could have caused injury. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I disagree with your assessment of the UPT pin being universally compatible. In order to extract the pin via the handle the Velcro square holds the rsl part of the pin and the remainder that is swaged to the cable separates so it can pull through the housing. In the event of an rsl activation the pin is pulled at which time the pin separates. In order to install the UPT pin on a rig not equipped with a skyhook you would have to attach a small lanyard with the rsl portion of the pin attached so the pin could separate when the handle is pulled. If that portion is not attached via Velcro, then it is possible for it to inhibit reserve deployment if the pin reaches the end of that lanyard and the two pieces don't separate. If it is attached with Velcro in the absence of the skyhook system then you have a small lanyard velcroed to the rig attached to a portion of the pin and that part is lost when the handle is pulled. If the thing unattached from the rig during handling is it possible for it to inhibit the pin being pulled? Can the lanyard/pin assembly rotate in a way that doesn't allow the pieces to separate? It is not a universal pin design without the skyhook being incorporated into the rig as well. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Have you considered there may have been a defect in your particular pin? I realize you have said several times you had a friend with a pin bent so bad it wouldn't extract but I think this is an isolated incident. Do you have pictures of the pin? Was it not able to be pulled by pulling on the pin alone or the handle as well? I can't imagine the pin being bent enough to not be able to be pulled by the handle if the rig wasn't over stuffed or the closing loop made way too short by the rigger that packed it. Either way it would be an error caused by someone, not necessarily a problem with the design or manufacture of the pin. You have to understand, in order to change the pin design, a manufacturer has to believe they will make money or at least not lose money by changing the design. Assuming they aren't manufacturing their own pins, they then have to contact their supplier to have them research and create a new pin design. That costs money for R&D. Then they have to be willing to buy the pin (at an increased cost) in a quantity that makes fiscal sense for the supplier to even produce the pins. Considering this industry is not producing products at the rate other industries do(automotive, consumer electronics, etc) the increased cost per unit will be substantial until there is competition from other manufacturers. That cost is passed along to the end consumer...you. So, lets say you are looking at two rigs. Rig A and Rig B both have similar features and have both been on the market long enough to be vetted and are trustworthy. You are leaning toward rig A because it has been around longer and there are more of them on the market...or because your buddy has one and swears by it. Rig A is $400 more and will take longer to get but you are willing because of whatever reason. Now rig A manufacturer decides to use the new, beefier pin. It's not a feature a lot of people are seeking, but it's "better". That pin adds $150 to the cost of the rig. Now you are at $550 to buy rig A. Maybe you decide on rig B to save the money and still get the pin. Now rig A manufacturer has lost your business. That is part of the decision making process. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

If it fits you, you like it, and it's actually like new then it's worth the price if you are going to buy a new one otherwise. I don't see why it wouldn't be based on the info you gave www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I'm not sure there are enough jumpers out there that would spend extra money to buy a stronger pin. I have 3 rigs, one of which is a vector from 1986 with the original pin and none of my 3 are bent. I think the problem isn't the pin as much as it is jumpers trying to stuff reserves into smaller and smaller containers and putting more pressure on the pin than necessary. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

By using the standard prescribed method and testing pull force. It's really not hard and a slightly bent pin isn't a problem as long as it doesn't increase pull force boy on 22 pounds. I don't come across bent pins all that often and when I do the are only very slightly bent. I don't think it is a problem worth throwing a bunch of money at. It could be solved by using a hardened steel pin inside the softer steel to allow the pin assembly to be swaged onto the cable but why would manufacturers buy the more expensive pins and raise their prices in a competitive market when the pins we use now aren't a problem? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging