riggermick

Ok, first off replacing the laterals is generally easier and less time consuming than tearing in to a MLW. Most of the work is done with e thread and regular industrial machines, on most rigs some 7 class work will be needed. Reinstalling a MLW requires seperating the back pad from the MLW in several hard to get to places additionally many times housings have to be removed and reinstalled. The pain in the ass factor for complete MLW reinstall is quite high. As far as being more expensive than buying a new rig, there is nothing further from the truth than that statement. You may wan't to consider a little more fact checking before dispensing rigging advice and possibly a rating wouldn't hurt either. Mick.

Just a wild guess or perhaps some brilliant insight, who knows for sure?

An "S" suffix indicates short, for a thicker but shorter main container. Not so much, the 's' is for a thicker shorter RESERVE container. The main remains the same, why make life tougher for the owner? Mick.

A sad day indeed. I can't believe it's been sixteen years, seems so recent. BSBD all. Mick. PS: Hi Jeanie.

Yea. Have. What annoyed me was ordering (don't remember where from) several materials (type IV, XII, binding, etc...) all from one vender on the same order and all in "Gold" and getting three different colors... (not even complementory shades) JW Gold =yellow, always has. Yellow is a different shade of gold/yellow, color will vary from one batch to another. Take black fabric for instance, there are three basic black foundations in most of the fabric we use: blue/ black, brown/ black and green/ black. Mix them together on the same rig and they will not match, sometimes quite spectacularly, that's how the game goes, always has. Mick.

Fliteline built my second Reflex in a black and white checkboard and it turned out very nice. Thanks! That had to have been a lot work. For your second or third rig you often end up at a size where you won't want a smaller container and it takes a long time to wear out a rig when you don't jump much in desert conditions. You might as well get something you really like. Guess who's grubby little mitts did all the work on your rig. We made many like yours and some crazy assimetrical stuff I came up with for fun. It is time consuming hence the reluctance to do it. Mick.

Checker boarding is usually as an apliquie (sp) on top of the already cut container pieces. This is where the time consumption and irritation that cause the option to be pricy come from. If you look carefully at a checker board rig you will notice all of the extra stitching and lineup work needed to make the effect work and look symetrical. It's not as easy as finding a piece of fabric and marking it out, it has to be 'constructed' in to the rig as it is being built. That's why many mfg's will tell you to pound sand. Hope this helps clear up the mystery. Mick.

Try these. Mick.

Here they are, took a while to dig them up. Sorry if the resolution is a little weak the attachments are only allowed to be 300kb. Anyone know any tricks? Mick

looks ok to me. Remember, it's the fingertrap not the stiching that holds the line in place. The stitching is there to stop joint slippage when the lines are not under tension, the larks head knot that loops around the line attach tape helps a little too with the whole tension/ no tension thing. Mick.

It looks like a Wonderhog fl1 or possably an eagle system, it's hard to tell from the angle. Another view from directly behind would solve the mystery. Mick,

Man this really sucks!! I've known Jerry for many years, hell even built him and the Ghost Riders custom CRW rigs to their exact specs, what a character. I found out about it from Anne Helliwell on a flight to New Zealand (we're both there now) and this is the first oportunity to pass along our sadness and condolences at this news. BSBD Jerry you will be missed by all Mick.

Fashion, like love is purly subjective, it's in the eye of the beholder. That being said we had to build some butt ugly rigs for our customers. We built some really nice ones too. I started experimenting with checker board and diagonal offset patterns for a while, there are still a few out there still in use. They look pretty cool but were very labor intensive to build, although I did enjoy the creativity involved in making them. Mick.

Nobody 'won' if that's what you're asking. Fliteline was disolved so there was nothing to gain there. We successfully defended our selves against personal asset seizure when the courts said there was no merit to that part of the suit. That ended up costing us a small fortune to defend. In the end the only thing the lawsuit accomplished was to fracture the local jumping community and alienate some of the people involved. It still didn't bring James back or make the world a better place. All litigants involved have scince 'burried the hatchet' and moved on with their lives. Mick.

We sold our business to Ray Farrell @ Action Air in 2001. We closed our doors, as did some others due to the stagnent state of the skydiving market in the late 90's. Being a relativly new start up we did not possess the operating capital to sustain ourselves through the market low. That's about it, a business decision pure and simple. There was no "husband and wife" fatalitiy as mentioned in your post. We were sued by the widow of a close friend of ours who died after a line snagged a grommet on his main container. This had no bearing on our decision to sell our business, granted it did not help. The decision was made because of market factors. So, to put to to rest any rumors that we were "sued out of business", it just isn't so. I know, because I was there and was one of the defendants in the suit. Hope this clears up any falsehoods circulating out there. Mick Cottle (former) VP Engineering, Fliteline Systems,Inc.

OK, So if that is true, he's already out lived you (twice) what's your point? If you don't fully understand what you are using/selling, I suggest you take a crash course on exactly what it takes to develop , manufacture, and consistantly build a canopy that will operate in almost every aspect of it's use. even the unforeseen scenarios that seem to occur in every day use. I can assure you from personal experience, it's waaaaay more than you can imagine. It might even enlighten you somewhat as to how much punisment a canopy can take and still do the job it was originally designed for. Look into it, you may learn somthing new. It will make you smarter (and more credible). You and those like you are the future of the sport, learn from past mistakes and run with them, forget your EGO, we're all fragile we all make mistakes. A quote here: ( I forget who made it) "those who don't understand history are doomed to repeat it" (I think it was Winston Churchill). Bottom line: KNOW YOUR SUBJECT!! inside and out!!!!!! What you THINK you know will get you into trouble unless you FULLY understand it! What say you? Mick. (ask anyone who knows me about my street cred).

crossports? anyone? crossports? anyone? Big holes cut into both structural and non structural load carrying ribs. Two tiny pinholes in a non load bearing area on the top skin. Hmmm, yeah I'd toss it too..........right in to my reserve container . Mick

Wildfire is F111. If you have a soldering iron file the tip down to a point and use a metal or wood straight edge to cut with. It'll do in a pinch. Mick.

Cadillac plastics N Hollywood, CA. 818 980 0840. Most rigs use two different thicknesses of MDS nylon. 1/16 for heavy duty applications such as main container side flaps and 1/32 for lighter applications such as riser cover pockets etc. Cadillac's stock #'s are 174020 for 1/16 and 298544 for 1/32. Scissors work well for most work. Heat the stiffeners with a hair dryer and they will be eaiser to cut/ punch/ sew. Hope this helps. Mick.

Metal flex hosing inc. Philadelphia, PA. 215 535 6868. Cutaway housing, TCA s/s .172 I'd. Ripcord housing, TCA s/s .260 I'd. Nichifu industries make an amp fitting that doesn't need to be drilled out for the grommet end of the cutaway housing. Metal flex will cut to length and fit brass feriles on each housing. Enjoy. Mick.

fwitw. the deployment bag takes the brunt of the load during deployment not the canopy, unless it's a badly designed bag. so no worrieis about canopy wear and tear. sleep well on this issue. mick.

tonto, we parried on the net over many things and we each had firm opinions which we each held true. we each had our reasons for our piont's of contetion. maybe we did'nt always see eye to eye but we always had the skydivers best intterests at heart. the world will be a little less unsure how to proceed now that your voice has been silenced......It is trully a sad day that you are now gone. I grieve for your family and friends. rest in peace brother, we'll continue the debate on the other side. I'll see you then wnen my time comes. To all: be fuckin cafull out there!!!!!! Please!!!!!!!!!!!! riggermick. mick cottle.

oh fuck me! this is sad news! i'm sorry I didn't hear of it sooner. bsbd beezy you were one of the good guys. all the best to family and friends you and george were amongst the guys who truly understood and believed in our quest and was a true pioneer of innovation in the sport. I personally thank you for all of your advice amd encouragement. we will miss you and your input, it was and always will be gladly accepted. we are for ever in debited to your knowledge and understanding of modern sport equipment. fly free my friend. mick cottle/ david burrows. Fliteline Systems. inc (Reflex).

Hi Jeanie, I just found out about Tom This just plain sucks!!!!!!! B and I will be a Perris on sunday. We'll send our condolences. Much sadness .Tom was one if the good guys. As I said before, this just sucks!! B and I miss you Tom!! Best wishes to Tammi. I can just imagine your pain.

It was popular a few (quite a few) years ago, but most jumpers like their gear to last a while and not to have to spend time and money on maintainence or replacement when they could otherwise be giving it to DZ operators for actual jumps. Mick.