Airwolf

Stan, Glad you finally got your new Crossfire2. Still haven't jumped the Safire2 that I bought from you. Waiting (5 weeks now) for a set of risers from Mirage. Hope they get their production line straightened out soon. Keep us updated on the Crossfire2. Post some pictures of the canopy in flight. Blue 1s, Denis

"He who hesitates shall inherit the earth."

I've had similar problems, sometimes lasting several days. My doctor suggested that I try TavisT, over the counter from most drugstores. It worked!

I have the same problem with out-facing turns requiring a head-switch (some days are better than others). I tend to fly the turn in an arc rather than doing a crisp center-point turn. In addition to the suggestions already offered, here is a great 2-way drill dive someone at SDH showed me last week. You can use this dive to supplement the ground training. Launch a compressed accordion and for the entire dive do nothing but compressed accordions, always turning in the same direction. Assuming that you are inside on the launch and on the floater’s right side (you will launch head down) for the first point you will make a right turn (inside turn). For the next point, you will also turn right, but now it will be out-facing requiring a head-switch. This is the turn where I usually drift away from my partner. Continue turning the compressed accordion until break-off, always making right turns. For a left-turn dive, launch from the floater’s left side. By combining this drill dive with the suggestions mentioned earlier you should be able to hone your turning skills. Force yourself to concentrate on using the knee to generate the turn, even if it slows you down. Your goal on this dive is to prefect CP turns, not rack up points. Another thing that helps is stretching at the beginning of the jump day, especially limbering up your neck muscles. Get some stretching tips from some of the senior jumpers or 4-way teams. Hope this helps…. Denis

OK...the verdict is in. I talked to Tom G. who has my rig and he says that the RSL was not connected. The RSL was with the container, not with the main. Also, the reserve rip cord was completely straight; no signs of any stress. So much for being sure that my RSL was connected. Actually, I'm kinda glad it turned out this way, even if I have egg on my face for being so sure and then being wrong. It was not equipment failure; I think we are all glad to hear that. Thanks everyone for your input and theories. I was very lucky and am coming away from this with a greater appreciation of the importance of pre-flight gear checks and safety awareness during the dive. Denis

I didn't see Derek on Sunday but when I do I will ask him. I left my gear with rigger Tom G. and will talk to him today. Hopefully he's had a chance to inspect everything and can give me some kind of report. Regarding the right riser releasing before the left, it is my understanding that this is by design (left cable slightly longer after it passes through the loop) in order to prevent the left riser from releasing first. That is why the RSL is attached to the left riser. I asked some of the guys about the RSL not activating and was told that perhaps there was not enough tension on the left riser because of the streamer. I don't really understand this. Maybe someone who knows more about the mechanics of how the RSL works can elaborate. The RSL was definitely hooked up. Denis

Yesterday (Sunday) was a beautiful day at Skydive Houston. The planned jump was a simple 3-way RW fun jump, nothing fancy. Jumpers were low-timer (maybe around 100 jumps), moderate experience, me (650+ jumps), and a very experienced RW flyer (2000+ jumps). Low-timer had the count on exit. The count was miss-cued and we all exited at different times (big-time funnel). In trying to regroup, low-timer approached me very aggressively and I could tell he didn’t know how to stop. I prepared for and received a hard bump. In making contact, he inadvertently grabbed my cutaway pillow and pulled it out just far enough to release the right riser. I could sense something was wrong (didn’t feel right), but couldn’t figure out what it was. As best as I can remember (I’m a little fuzzy on the exact sequence), we were close to break-off altitude and when my first ProTrack alarm went off, I turned and tracked away. As I was tracking, I could feel something slapping me on my right side. I think I realized that it was my cutaway pillow just as I threw my pilot chute. WHAM!! I found myself hanging lopsided by my left riser with a streaming main above me. All I could think of was my reserve getting tangled in that mess. I couldn’t see the cutaway pillow, but I was able to find and follow the yellow flexible rods from the cutaway housing to the pillow. I yanked it free and I was clear of the main. Next came the silver and WHACK, the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. I have an RSL, but it never activated the reserve with the cutaway. I was too busy taking care of business after the reserve opening that I didn’t look at my altimeter. Checking my ProTrack later showed deployment at 1500 feet. I normally dump around 3000 feet. My landing was uneventful. I got out of my gear and just sat there for a few minutes reflecting on what had just happened and what, if anything, I could have done differently. There are definitely some lessons here. I talked this over with the experienced jumper and he suggested that I should not have thrown the pilot chute (after realizing my cutaway pillow was out). It would have been better to just pull the cutaway handle clear and then go for the silver, leaving the main in the container. An even more important lesson, I should have taken “inventory” immediately after getting the “something isn’t right” feeling. Being a safe jumper has always been my number one priority and I am disappointed in myself that I didn’t do this. I always (well almost always) mentally rehearse emergency procedures on the ride to altitude, but never in my wildest dreams did I envisioned something like this. Now if all this wasn’t scary enough, later that evening I was logging my day’s jumps and realized that this jump was jump number 666. ENOUGH SAID!!! P.S. Thanks Andre, for getting a fix on and retrieving my main and free bag. That’s what I call personalized service from a DZO. And a BIG THANKS to Tom G. at Skydive Houston. That’s the second time in four months your reserve pack saved my butt…I love you man!!

It’s not necessary to shorten the strap (the 12-inch length is just right). When I first saw the 12-inch length I thought it would be too long as well, but as it turns out, when you tighten the strap after threading through the buckle and wrapping back around your wrist, the (excess??) length disappears in a hurry. The length of this strap is actually a little shorter than the original on my Alti 3. Yes, the hooks are just on one end. The strap is made by sewing a length of hook tape to a length of pile tape (hooks facing opposite direction of the pile). The hook and pile mate because you reverse direction after pulling through the buckle. When assembling, make sure that the pile faces up and the buckle is on your thumb side.

Sorry for the late input to this thread…thought I’d offer another suggestion for your helmet airbrush project. I used to build and fly radio-controlled airplanes and we used epoxy paint with great success on our creations. Many of the airplane kits are made of the same composite materials as our full-face helmets so I am quite sure that this paint will work, as long as it is compatible with the underlying paint. I have used epoxy clear coat with an airbrush and from a spray can. It provides a rock-hard protection layer over the paint. This paint is available in small, affordable quantities from most hobby shops that deal in R/C airplanes, boats, etc. They also come in a variety of colors, including clear gloss and matte topcoat finishes. Suggest that call or visit an R/C shop in your area and ask if they sell epoxy paint. There are several good brands available. If you visit a shop, take your helmet with you. If you’re lucky, there will be one or two R/C builders in the shop and my experience tells me that if they have worked with the paint, they will share tips and ideas with you. The shop owners are usually builders and fliers as well and most are knowledgeable about the products they sell. Also, most paint displays in these shops have free brochures with detailed instructions on how to use their products. Hope this helps.

I messed up the link; try this: http://www.drycreekpacific.com/homepage.html

While searching for Velcro to make a replacement strap for my hand-mounted Altimaster III, I discovered the following site offering a product called FastStrap. http:// http://www.drycreekpacific.com/homepage.html The sketch of the strap (What is a FastStrap?) looked very similar to the frayed and worn strap on my altimeter, so I ordered one. It works great and is much more durable than the strap that came with the altimeter. Would probably work with other brands of hand-mounted altimeters as well; it’s about 1-inch wide and 12 inches long and comes in several colors. Turn-around was about 4 days after placing order on the Internet. Just thought I’d share this with the DZ.COM community.