glgflyer

What would be a reasonable price for a Hornet 190, 400 jumps, DOM 2001?

No, 30 seconds is not too big a price to pay to flake it. And if you read the rest of my post that you got that from you will see that I stated 2 different times that I DO FLAKE MY CANOPY. I was just curious to know if it was fact or if it is a myth that not flaking actually causes more wear and tear. And so far it seems to be myth as no one has actually produced proof. Now, having said that, I still ALWAYS flake my canopy because just as you said, it only takes a half minute or so.

I would like to know if there is any documented proof that not flaking actually causes any more wear and tear on the canopy. I am definitely not questioning this, I am just wondering if it has actually been proven. I jump a hornet 170 and I do flake my canopy. However, I have tested the shake flaking (or whatever you want to call it) a few times while packing. I first flaked the nose. Then I hold the nose cells tightly and give the canopy 3 good hard shakes while keeping tension on the suspension lines. Then I place the nose between my legs as usual. When I looked inside the canopy I was very surprised to see just how neatly the lines and fabric had fallen into place. All lines (except steering lines) had fallen right to the center and most of the fabric had fallen to the outside between the proper line groups. It really amazed me how neat it looked by just shaking it. So, I am just wondering if it really does cause more wear by doing this or is this just a myth. When you think about it, whether you flake or not, the lines and material still end up in a very tight, tiny package all folded together and placed in a small bag and then at deployment it is tossed into a 120 mph windstream. Just something to think about I guess. Once again, just for the record, I do flake my canopy. I am very anal about my packing but I am just wondering about this wear and tear thing.

Did you have to cut the slot bigger to slide it into the pocket?

I just bought a new HR2 helmet. When I tried to install my pro-track in the pocket I find that the slot in the material is not cut wide enough to get it into the pocket. Are you supposed to just cut the slot longer so you can insert the pro-track? Also, is the opening actually big enough for the pro-track? It seems a little small to me. Any help would be appreciated.

I have heard about how great L & B's customer service is but this is absolutely awsome. I purchased a used Optima I from a fellow skydiver a few months back. It worked fine except the battery indicator sometimes wasn't accurate. I contacted L & B and they said to send it to them and they would repair it free of charge. I mailed it to them 2 weeks and 2 days ago. Well, today I received in mail a brand new Optima II with the LED port. Now, how's that for customer service!!?? L & B, you just earned a customer for life!

Does anyone know if Michael Fournier made his record jump from 25 miles up in May?

I contacted L & B today. They said it could be a fault in the battery detection circuitry. They said to send it in and the problem would be resolved free of charge. I'm mailing it tomorrow.

Has any Optima owners had any problems with the battery indicator reading inaccurately?

I'm thinking about the HR2 from Skysystems. Excellent forehead protection!

Hmmm...That's interesting. I also contacted aerodyne about 1 year ago and asked their thoughts on psycho packing their canopies. I explained that I was really struggling getting my pilot into the bag with a normal pro pack but that I could very easily and neatly bag it with the psycho pack method. They told me that a neat psycho pack is MUCH better than a sloppy pro pack. And this was the case with me. I've been psycho packing ever since and I LOVE it. Definitely works for me.

Explain what you mean by tucking the steering lines between the B and C lines. I would like to know how you do this. It might be something I am interested in doing. Thanks.

Thanks for that explanation Dave. I now understand what you were saying. I too have seen pack jobs where there appeared to be more canopy outside the bag than inside. Never made sense to me either. Anyway, I really appreciate you answering my question in such a detailed manner.

I jump a Hornet 170 with spectra lines. It is in a Javelin J3. I psycho pack (personal reasons). When I get the canopy in the bag, it fits so neatly that I can pull the flap right up to the locking stow bands with no effort. I use small rubber bands for my locking stows (actually for all my stows). The only tension on the locking stows is after I insert the lines into the rubber band. QUESTION: Is this too loose of a pack job or is this ok?

365 jumps 1 cutaway 148,017 + 365 = 148,382 247 + 1 = 248 148,382/248 = 598.31

I would love to see a picture of where the slider stow band is located and how far up you grasp the D lines to make the stow. This is a setup I might be interested in trying myself. Is the stow band placed directly on the rear of the slider in the middle? A photo would really be appreciated.

Hi Michael, 1. What do you mean by "rolling the cone"? I'm assuming you are talking about rolling the tail to form the cocoon. 2. What do you mean by "camera packing the nose"?

Jaclyn did a GREAT job organizing this thing last year! Will definitely be there for this one again this year. And $20 reg. and $20 tickets?! Where can you beat that?

What exactly are the two different methods of measuring the square footage of canopies?

Very well said!!

+1......One thing I have learned along life's way is if you think that you are one who can't make a mistake in this sport then we will probably be reading about you pretty shortly. And yes, that means me too. I think "complacency" could describe this pretty well. So I think when we see something like this OP posted, instead of attacking what appears to be obvious stupidity, we should hope that no one was hurt as a result and let it remind ALL of us just how easy it is to overlook something in this sport that may cost us our lives.

But don't you still have to S-fold a flat pack when putting it into the bag?

Yes. What you are describing is precisely what a psycho pack is. It just sounds like you are rolling the tail and then laying it down and dressing it BEFORE you flip it over to roll it up. Why not just flip it before you lay it down?

Thanks DenRen.

Thanks for the info guys. Do you know of an open face helmet that has these mounts?