jonathan.newman

Was anyone successful actually getting an FT-50 repaired? Mine is broken and I can't get a response from VIPLO through their contact form.

I'll bite. I've tried a wrist mount go-pro for AFF and I've jumped with a much more experienced AFFI who also tried the wrist-mount go-pro. Neither video was even close to being usable for instructional debrief. Too much shaking and hard to keep in frame. Add that the the snag-fest and it's a loser as far as I'm concerned. That said, +1 to the side-mount contour for AFF jumps. And the 170 degree versions are better than the 135 degree versions.

I'm having trouble separating the sarcasm from the real advice, so I'll give a little insight. Yes, it sounds too good to be true. Escrow can be good if you use a trusted rigger or loft. Don't forget, there are escrow scams where the scammer tries to get you to send money to a fake escrow service. Paypal is also great, but there are multiple scams that use paypal, including receiving your money into a hacked (stolen) account. It might be stolen, but more likely it's just made up gear, the description taken from a legit for sale ad from this or another website. Dates of manufacture might be changed to make it more appealing. (I responded to an ad here from someone who tried to sell a 2006 Sabre 1. (doesn't exist) Good on you for asking questions here first, rather than getting scammed. Jonathan

Had an experienced 4-way competitor who consistently landed her pulse like a bad student. Eventually sent it to PD, and after they test jumped it, they offered to build her a new canopy of her choice. There was something wrong with the way it was built. Next question, for fatso. Have you taken a canopy control course? Sometimes it's not the parachute so much as the pilot.

Hell yeah, if I had a Diablo, I'd trade it for a storm. Wingsuit, baby! On the other hand, if I had a Storm, hell yeah, I'd trade it for a Diablo, Downsize, baby! Seriously. Two questions need to be answered. Is each canopy appropriate for the jumper that wants it? Are the values of the canopies (as defined by each buyer) equal or should there be a trade with compensation? We need more info. On the surface, it could be a good trade.

We taught a canopy course last weekend. One student was on coach jumps and another was on Cat D. Here in Panama, we do the canopy course before the A license. I think it's a great idea. I did a currency jump with a guy who had 3 jumps and 3 hours in the tunnel. He brought videos of his jumps showing maneuvers from cat d through cat h. I just wish we all lived close to a tunnel.

I will be moving to the DC area in a few weeks. I'm looking for a master rigger or rigging loft where I can increase my knowledge and work towards a master rigger certification. Anyone know someone or want to volunteer? I've got over 150 packs, so I'm looking for an additional rating and to learn about more advanced repairs. Thanks in advance, Jonathan

I'm glad SecondRound got to use the search feature in these forums. This was all hypothetical when I started this thread, working at one DZ that taught AFF as the only way, and another that did tandem to iad to aff. I've since moved to Panama and started a tandem and AFF program. There is another thread discussing that here. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4371854 I'm a huge fan now of using teaching tandems before AFF. Tandem 1 is a fun jump, where I focus on shooting a good handcam video. They get to pull, if they want. Jumps 2 and 3 are about relaxation, turns, tracking, hand signals, altitude awareness, body position. Once the canopy opens, it's all about finding the airport, finding the sweet spot, and drilling sweet spot flares over and over. Yes, I let them land with me. The last tandem is all about ohshit. I teach the "alti-arch-legs-relax" and I make them use it to gain stability out the door before drogue set, and again when the 90 degree turns somehow start making us both spin in circles When the canopy opens, I quickly pop a toggle and talk them through their first "malfunction". Then I grab a flare toggle to induce a turn and talk them through their next canopy problem. After this, we practice more flares and land. All of my students went on to stand up their first AFF and none of them needed a radio. One of them even flared and landed a canopy with a locked toggle on a Cat D. The way he flared and slid in, you'd think he was practicing to be a TI. Each student got the AFF groundschool after the first tandem, because every tandem after that was done as if it were an AFF. Each tandem had progression requirements like an AFF, and repeated as necessary. I think this real-time tandem instruction is so much better than an AFF only or IAD only or even a 1 tandem only system. By the way, TK, we do make everyone switch programs right after Cat E -- Go do your hop and pops! (unless you already did them in IAD/SL.

PD puts out a diagram on how to measure line lengths. It's on the same page where you pulled the trim chart. The dimension you are looking for is BK-TOG, or brake setting to toggle. Put your cat-eye on a pencil, and pull the pencil and toggle apart. The distance from pencil to toggle is what you should be measuring; and for the 135, 16.5 inches is "spec". I've seen spec lengths shortened by 6 inches for a jumper who likes his canopies "Tight, tighter! I like 'em tight" (NOT RECOMMENDED) to swoopers who have asked for 6-8 inches more than spec. The way to check is to jump it. If in full flight, you can move your toggles 2-6 inches before the tail of the canopy begins to move you are fine. If the tail moves as soon as you touch the toggle, then it's too tight. Lengthen the BK-TOG. And on the other end, if you're a swooper and your canopy starts to... well, if you're a swooper, then you know all this by now.

Here you go 'ski. This is a tab I sewed onto my Jim Cazer pilot chute for my Infinity container. I have also done it for a Wings and Javelin. For the Javelin I had to stitch-pick the bridle-hider so the tab had a place to go. The tab is just 6-8 layers of cordura or other duck-type fabric. Some zig-zags go all around and three or 4 stripes to give it even more stiffness. I have thought about making it with a stiffener, but saw no reason to change. The hardest part is sewing it so close to the hackey without PC fabric sliding all over. A post-bed or round-bed machine would be easier and let you stitch closer to the hackey.

It's also possible to learn different packing techniques. Roll the tail more or less to change the amount of bulk in the center. (Or don't roll it at all and just fold it a'la'psycho) Change the shape of your cocoon -- wider or more tapered towards the d-bag. Most likely a more controlled pack will fit the bag better. And saves you $130 over a new bag that might make your container look funny. Hey, who remembers when bags had splits in them to make these "new slippery canopies" easier to pack?

Alain, can you make a webpage or video showing how to pack the racer reserve while getting the pilot chute to sit flush? Every one of Racer repacks requires an extra hour of me watching Nancy pack, only to have mine look wobbly. Great explanations.

Well, there were six more tandems still waiting at sunset, so they did the sunset load three more times.

Tell us where you live and we can point you to a local rigger or a nearby dropzone. Tell us what you have, and we can give you an idea of what it would sell for used. Most parachutes have 3 or 4 parts, the main parachute, the reserve, and the container, sometimes an AAD. The packing data card has information on everything except the main parachute. Is there any embroidery on the rigs? Tell us and we can help you find where the data card is hidden.

Oh, you just keep digging, don't you? I should make popcorn now. But seriously, at your stage in the sport, unless you're looking for goggles, helmet, or altimeter, buying anything of your own is premature. Still, you got your answer to your question, and the rest of us a got to laugh. Welcome to the sport. Now bring a case of beer to the DZ, sit around the bonfire and drink it with experienced jumpers who will answer all of your questions to your face. If you want a second opinion, come back here. But, first bring that very code to the search box (upper right of your screen) and see if your Q has been A'ed already.

The USPA TI rating is an instructional rating. It means that you have demonstrated the ability to teach and coach students on the ground and in the the air. With it, you can shepherd students through parts of the ISP and sign off on their progress. The manufacturer's rating says you know which handles to pull.

Hey 'ski, I just got a Sailrite LSZ-1, and after the first day of sewing great, it started skipping stiches and shredding thread. I followed the troubleshooting steps (change needle, increase pressure foot tension, etc) until I got to adjusting the hook position. My second day of sewing, and I had to get in the guts and adjust the hook position. But it works great now. It's not a hard adjustment to make. One screw, I think. One thing I don't like about it is that the stitch length adjuster has no real markings for forward/backward/zero. You just have to figure it out.

Now you can stitch on any part of a rig without opening the reserve container. Just feed the whole rig through the throat. Good job.

So far the program is a success. I've had 3 students transition from tandem to AFF successfully. I now have the student do a diving exit to the rear. I start on my feet with two hands on the student. I am amazed at how well they do in both freefall and canopy flight after 3 or 4 instructional tandems. All of them were able to stand up their first or second landing, and not one even needed radio guidance. On tandem #4 I was able to simulate a few difficulties for the student -- letting him get us stable after rolling out the door, giving him an uncontrolled turn until he did the alti-arch-legs-relax, and releasing a single toggle after opening. He was breathing hard when we got to the ground, but he felt a lot more comfortable in the air. He finished Cat C with a single AFF jump. We only did that 4th tandem because of winds, but I feel it got him over the relaxation hump. I might add it to the program along with some dummy EP handles on the student harness. So far, so good.

I have had the same students on multiple tandems. It's nice to be able to work a little more instruction into each jump. I'm teaching at a smaller DZ where I'm happy to take students on up to 4 tandems before we switch over to freefall. And, I pre-emptively call you an idiot if you don't take up Kim on her offer. Go jump.

I have unpacked a reserve that was soaked in beer for a couple days. The beer left brown areas that felt stiffer than the rest of the fabric. It cleaned up with cold water, passed the acid an strength tests, and got repacked. As for jumping in rain, I don't worry about the reserve, just dry the main and pack it.

PChapman, I have used Shout, Spray N Wash, and probably other laundry pretreaters on dirty rigs. What bothers me about them is the label says to not let it dry before washing and wash within 5 minutes of treating. Nothing bad ever happened, but I am not a big fan of using them. From the "Parachute Rigger's Handbook" "Soak the rig in lukewarm water. Apply straight Woolite® or soap onto the dirtiest areas and scrub with the brush." I have had great results with Woolite and name-brand detergents. I put the detergent on the wet rig, use the brush more to spread it around and then set it right back in the warm water to soak. The label on the detergent also says you can apply it straight as a pre-treater. I assume that something in the detergent is a skin irritant. I would therefore try to keep undiluted detergent away from the fleshy and painted parts of your rig. As long as it's not acidic, the nylon should be fine. I'm worried about rigs getting bathed in sunshine more than in detergent. Good point about using a fan to speed drying. I have seen hip rings and 3 rings with rust on them. I don't know the cause of the rust, but I imagine drying it quickly would help prevent it. I live on the 27th floor, so I hang the rigs in the window and take advantage of the warm night breeze to dry them.

get a wet/dry vacuum, a stiff-bristle brush, and a spray bottle. Try using just plain water at first, scrub, vacuum, repeat. You will likely need something stronger than water. Soap is good, but then you have the added issue of leaving soap in the fabric, which helps dirt stick the next time. If you use soap, follow it up with water three times to make sure you get the soap out. If you aren't jumping because of the winter and need a repack anyway, why not wash it yourself? Open the reserve and tie the pilot chute, bag and lines inside a garbage bag, take out the AAD (you do jump with one, right?)and put the harness in a laundry tub or small garbage can with enough water to cover. Pre-treat the dirtiest parts, the colored parts,pillow handles, and the white parts with liquid laundry detergent. Put it in the water to soak for 4 hours or overnight. Scrub it with the stiff nylon brush and let it soak more. Agitate with your hands (think kneading bread) and let soak more. Then drain, refill with clean water, agitate, drain fill, agitate.... until the water stays clean. 3 or 4 changes of water should do it. hang it up to dry for a couple days, then stuff it all in the garbage bag and give it to your rigger for a repack. Don't lose any pieces.

I currently own and jump both a Jav and an Infinity. I bought the Infinity used after it was cut off a jumper following an accident. I sent it to VSE with an order form listing my measurements. I got the new harness, new leg pads x2, new BOC (cut in like original), RSL, and one toggle, along with a minor stitch repair for $400, shipping included. In less than 3 weeks. Top-notch service, priced right. The Jav works as it's supposed to. I've only had to deal with Sunpath over the phone a time or two, but great service there. As for the main flap cover coming open, make sure your closing loop is not too long, make sure you have the right d-bag in the right orientation. Make sure you aren't over stuffing a larger canopy. Learn to pack your canopy smaller. Finally, try pulling the 1 and 2 flap closer together before you close the sides. As a rigger, both are equally easy for me to pack. As a camera flyer on my DZ, you'd be second in line for a repack right behind the tandem rig. I'd stay late to get them both done. As for opening speed, every reserve under a TSO has been tested to open in something like 3 seconds or 500 feet. And 4 secs with three intentional linetwists. Want the fastest reserve opening? That's been beaten to death, but one of those rigs will take you down a notch in priority.

I just got done "stretching" a stilleto 135 back into trim. It involved measuring line trim, picking out the bartacks of the offending lines, and moving the larksheads to the right length. It's back in service with smooth, on-heading, and non-spinning openings. Flies like new. As an aside to this thread, I don't think the lengths will change much more as the worst lines have already shrunk by 3 - 5 inches. I'm just glad that PD or whoever cut the last lineset left enough line in the fingertrap for me to do this . I just want to throw this out as a labor-intensive alternative to physical stretching. I believe as MEL and other engineer types said that deforming a line by restretching will either be temporary or damaging. But we're talking about 20+ lines rated at 550 to 1000 pounds each. You can degrade that a lot before you start seeing breakage. There is room in this argument for all of us to be right. What I'd like to see is someone at a rigging loft cut a line set from pre-shrunk spectra (bake it).