USPA

I think you not have a full understanding yet on skyhook operation. The Skyhook starts functioning, directly after cutaway, whatever you do with your reserve ripcord. With a Skyhook you should ALWAYS pull the reserve ripcord. If the canopy, or canopies, produce more drag (=quicker opening of reserve) than the reserve pilot chute, the reserve will open due Skyhook deployment, if the reserve pilot chute produces more drag (=quicker opening) (very unlikely), the reserve will open due to reserve pilot chute deployment. In other words, pulling your reserve ripcord will not affect the skyhook at all. Therefore you should ALWAYS pull the reserve ripcord. The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

My personal beef with the current line-up is the lack of decent (prime) lenses. There are some fish-eye's wich are reasonable, but I'm no fan of those (exept for special purpose, on which they rule... :D ). Since a good wide angle prime is ridiculous expansive, on this moment my preference would be the Canon 5D (full frame) digital camera, with a normal 24mm and 28mm lens. The lenses can be bought fairly cheap, even cheaper second hand, and the total package (body + lenses ) is the same price, if not cheaper, then e.g. a 400D with 10mm and 14mm prime. Anyways, I'm not switching untill next year, this fall expect a new Canon Full Frame (very maybe even 2), a Sony Full Frame, or 1.1 and a Nikon and Pentax Full Frame are also just around the corner. Not stating you should buy any of those new ones, but it will sure bring down the price of at least the 5D and you know what competition does to prices... :D The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

That's a bold statement, If someone wants a rig that has skyhook, I can surely understand that would be an overiding decision. Some people make an overiding decision based on looks, so skyhook would be fine by me. The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

without starting a bashing war, don't forget that track records has it's number of misfires, failed fires product recalls, information 'goofups' etc. etc. Airtec has the most experience on the surface and the cypres was the first 'save' AAD in sports parachuting which paved the way for modern AAD mentality. But they don't have the holy grail, they have made even very recent mistakes, which had their concequences. The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

Besides Cypres and Vigil, also search on Argus (a.o. see sticky ... about only cypres and argus aproved in RI rigs) The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

great, the pia interviews were a great way of getting informed... And this time people most likely know how to react to a camera... ;) The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

ussually around 400 pounds for 6 grand caravan loads, in the summer at MSL (from to top of my head) The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

Hi Douglas, You seem to pretty close to the fire, as we say over here. Do you know of any sony plans to release a SDHC AVCHD recorder? Or any solid-state for that fact? The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

In the EU, your are guarantee lasts as long as a products economical lifespan. After 2 years, after purchase, the consumer has to proof failure is the result of design or production flaw. In this case, the proof is the bulletin itself. Also the economical lifespan is at least 12 years and one could argue the manufactorer advertises an economical lifespan of 20 years. Concluding; In the EU Vigil (AAD) has to replace cutters free of charge. The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

The SB can be found here: http://www.argus-aad.com/media/Bulletins/SBAMM290506.pdf It clearly states unit were also shipped to US and recalled. Never seen such an organized recall as this one. (all affected riggers and persons were personally contacted, also all other customers were emailed and a SB was issued) As a master rigger I hope you stay up to speed on other subjects/ developments better then this one... The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

Actually, they are quite common over here... Not on my rig though, nothing which keeps my main attached to me. The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

In fact, whatever is in the harnes isn't TSO'd either! The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

No It isn't. Not in The Netherlands at least. The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

Sounds ok, but it's not forbidden to use non-TSO reserves in container systems. The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

Could you please tell us more? Do you mean Vigil or Argus? That would be the first mis-fire of an Argus! Please tell when where, when this was reported, etc etc. The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

My Worst spot? About 80 jumps, almost overcast... But the pilot spotted a hole in the clouds. "I'm gonna drop you guys a -tad- more north. I was in freefall over a nearby city, at least 10 km away... The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

In comes Argus... :D The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

Easa and national goverments are clueless about easa regulations. Whatever power they do or do not have, the 1592 EU decision is very clear: When gear is NOT e-tso ir j-tsp approved you can do whatever you want with it. Jump it, or modify it whatever you like, easa has no authority what so ever over non e-tso or j-tso gear, even when used in Europe. The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

But ours quit mid flight, without warning last summer. Just a few hundred hours after the overhaul. Don't know the bells and whistles, just that beginning of january the DZO was still waiting for the report of P&W. Happily the engine quit at 8k, so everyone made it out alive, and the great cessna grand caravan is a great glider, the pilot told me... :D The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

Too bad it has a PT6 engine... :( The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

I saw the video, in fact even 2 hours after you uploaded it. I also tried to place the comment over there, but don't have a youtube account. It may be a small language barrier, but I just don't see it. I was not aware from any flaws in the standard pin. I've seen a pin "stand-up" on a rare occasion, but I blamed that one on a wrongly matched pin and grommet. The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

Can someone explain to me what the advantage of this new pin is? i.o.w. what problem is solved? The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

Thanks from here also. Have been following it all week and yesterday showed it to other jumpers at the DZ. Most of us aren't capable to go there, unless it would be held in Europe for a change... :) Fun to see a number of rep's have no clue what to do with a camera pointed at them, curious how it would be in 2 years... :D The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

This was my first thought also, but later I realised "MLW" is a term also used on safety bulletins. Then again, any rigger or jumper handling materiaal and crosses an unknown term, should find his or her way in the manuals, pointer and handbook. The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

In fact the safest option an AAD could do, if it was confused is to shut itself off. An AAD can't kill anyone unless it fires when it shouldn't. The other way around, an AAD doesn't fire when it should, then the jumper would have killed himself, the AAD just didn't save him. BTW personally I think the only reason cypres2 didn't fire is because the parameters were met below 120 ft (at least 120 feet for the algorithm) so it already shut himself off. This is a design parameter in which Airtec was lucky and doesn't add to safety. But this is only speculation from my side. The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...