pnuwin

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Everything posted by pnuwin

  1. I noticed some of the line attachment points in the middle got extra reinforcement over the years. Still flew the same in my opinion. If it did fly different, the change was so small I didn't notice.
  2. We had a rule to trash any carabiners that had been dropped. You couldn’t see hairline fractures. I imagine many would disregard this rule. Here’s a link to a recent incident where a guy forgets his carabiner and has to hang on for his life. https://youtu.be/dLBJA8SlH2w
  3. Does the Smart LPV pack as small as other LPV reserves? From comparing the UPT sizing charts, it looks like the Smart LPV packs the same size as a standard PD reserve.
  4. Brightly colored cotton sewing thread tied to the line or attachment points. Or just buy an Aerodyne canopy.
  5. Tom Cruise skydiving video. Very funny and well done. What fantastic advertising for skydiving! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1wsCworwWk
  6. The first version of the Aerodyne semi-stowless flaps look almost the same as those on the original UPT bag. The revised version also has the sewn side flaps . I wonder if UPT also had problems with their first semi-stowless design but quietly changed it.
  7. Old version was much better. They were originally going to offer both but changed their mind. I wonder why they changed their design. I wouldn’t buy the new one.
  8. I have a Zulu at 1.3 and came from a Pilot of the same size. Zulu is much more responsive to both toggles and harness inputs. I really like flying it and it stops very well on landing even at high altitude dropzones. Openings are a fraction quicker but that's what I prefer. Zulu is more sensitive to bad pack jobs and poor body position on opening. I used to fly around in full brakes with my pilot and never stall. The Zulu will stall after a few seconds so the control range is much shorter. Probably why it has more stopping power on landing. Overall very happy with my Zulu even at the low wingloading.
  9. My Rev2 was ordered when it was first released. That's great news if the chin strap has been revised. I'll private message you about getting one.
  10. My strap comes off in freefall as well. I once had to stop midway through a 4-way jump to stop 2 audibles and a camera from disappearing into the forest below. Tracked away with one hand on my head and saved several hundred dollars worth of gear. My solution now is to put a small stow band over the red clip. Just enough tension to stop it coming off.
  11. I went to a steel ripcord with marine eye for this exact reason. Seems like the steel marine eye has less friction and lets go of the pin when it rotates at the velcro. 14 repacks and practice pulls have not seen the pin jam on the hard housing once. I've had other rigs with the spectra ripcord always jam if you do a fast and realistic practice pull.
  12. It will pack fine but like with most canopies best not try with a brand new slippery one. ZPX is tough to pack new just like regular ZP but after 100 or so jumps it packs tiny. My brother has a 168zpx in a vector3 v310 built for a sabre2 150. Fits fine and not that hard to pack for an experienced packer with an older canopy.
  13. The sustained load numbers might be substantially less because the fall rate would decrease substantially after having a pilot chute out for so long in free fall. It's offsetting your weight by ~40lbs.
  14. Attached is a picture of my C lines about 6 inches from the attachment point at the canopy. Where the slider grommets sit during packing. Slider grommets are smooth and clean.
  15. At about 80 jumps I'm seeing wear on the lines near the attachment points inside the canopy that I never noticed with 700HMA or spectra. If you are flying at low wing loadings, I'd go spectra. Those lines seem to last forever and you don't notice the trim change at low wing loadings. ZLX seems to hold its trim well. Super thin and easy to pack.
  16. This happens to me in free fall as well. Very annoying and I have it mounted on my wrist. The N3 has sometimes gone into canopy mode due to people standing at the door and causing pressure changes in the plane. I've been patiently waiting for a software update to fix this but nothing has been released in years.
  17. Does the UPT semi-stowless bag add more bulk? If you have a full fitting main, will it be tighter in the container?
  18. According to the PD Optimum explanation video on youtube, PD wanted approval for higher maximum weights. Wouldn't this be the reason for the TSO exception? Surely with the same exit weight the Optimum would be slower or at least the same total velocity as a PDR. ( ie. a PDR-176 and OP-176 at the same exit weight) What's the point in having standards if you can just make exceptions that are less safe?
  19. Looks like they added more detail about the suspension lines. Details below. Along with the all-new ZULU aerofoil, we have developed an all-new premium line type, a highly ordered structured thermoplastic polymer, the new ZLX. You will be impressed by the soft and supple feel of the line, which is not as brittle and abrasive as other high performance lines. It has shown us remarkable strength and endurance in a year of jump testing. It maintains the feel of the line over hundreds of jumps without pilling like some lines can show over time. It provides no shrinkage and a longer life than lines currently available in the market. The ZULU will come standard with the new ZLX 700 lines.
  20. It's pretty obvious if it isn't ZPX. See attached close up picture of ZPX. Even though it's low bulk fabric, it's pretty hard to pack like any other canopy when brand new.
  21. I wonder what LCP suspension lines are. It sounds new and exciting.
  22. From talking to people at my drop zone who use their reserves often, the PD-Optimum seems to be one of the best flying, strongest flaring reserves but has slow snivelly openings. An instructor used his at terminal a couple of months ago and was surprised by the snivel. This probably explains why they support some of the highest maximum weights around. They were also tested far above TSO required opening speeds. Like others have mentioned, this could be good or bad. It needs to be factored into your gear selection/combination and type of jumping. Here is video evidence of where it can be bad. Video below is a cutaway at 800ft, no RSL/MARD, jumper can't find reserve due to loose chest strap, Cypres fires at 600ft, PD optimum 143 just barely opens in time to save his life. He still sustains very serious injuries. If the reserve opened just a fraction faster, he may have avoided a hospital stay and lots of broken bones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1TMqJLk4U8 Detailed write up about incident here. http://www.deepseed.com/d-spot/blog/liam/inside-no-pull-cypres-save-0 I should also point out there are several links in the chain other than the reserve opening speed that could have avoided this incident. e.g. Human Factor - Unstow brakes and check canopy before passing hard deck. Don't chop low. Don't loosen your chest strap, hand on reserve before cutaway, etc Gear Factor - Use an RSL/MARD, Raise AAD firing height. Reserve selection. Tightness of container. etc.
  23. I have a micron v310 with a pd optimum 160 and pd pulse 170 in it. Fits fine but you need good packing skills and be fairly experienced with tight mains. Distribute bulk perfectly or it's very difficult to close.
  24. Nothing happens to the ripcord, it just hangs there. There isn't enough tension on the bungee to pull it back in and you can't release it by yanking on it.