peter.draper

A little off topic but I loaned a pull out rig to a guy one time, trained him on how to deploy and at pull time he threw the pud and rode it down until the aad fired. Moral... if you do switch TRAIN A LOT before you jump it :)

Velcro is a blessing AND a curse - I pay extra attention nowadays to areas that come within close call of hook.......

When your reserve brake toggles are attached with snaps and there's no high cycle velcro sharp hooks there that can dig into the cordura??????? ;)

A PSA for your info...... It is very important that you mate the hook and pile completely on reserve brake toggles. I opened this today (see pic attached) and found the container damaged over the shoulder by improperly aligned velcro on the reserve brake toggle. The toggle was slightly skewed leaving hook velcro exposed and this has rubbed on the cordura creating some damage.

'Lasso' would be a better name

My Paratec, CPS and Airborne manuals are truly well written (all running to hundreds of pages, but if you can't find the answer to your questions in them you ain't asking the question right ;) )

A well written manual should explain that. The Paratec manuals for my military equipment states from the washer to the tip of the loop. (I think this is usually the assumption, but there is nothing like clarity - especially with parachute equipment)

I thought it was for sewing some cash into, so you can call for a taxi if you land off after a mal...... or buy a beer while you're waiting........

yep, Frexer http://www.frexer.com/ they were very quick and quite honestly the student suits I bought were excellent (just small...... :) ) the website was also highly loaded with adjectives.......

a few years ago I bought a bunch of jumpsuits for tandem students from a manufacturer in Pakistan, I wish I could remember the name of the company, but the Managing Director's name was Waseem Butt. The suits were good quality but "asian sized" in other words a large suit would be a medium in the States always order one size up. I got a lot of use from the suits and they all held up really well. It wasn't the company you are referring to but if I was you I'd order one and see what happens, it ain't gonna cost too much (probably) just remember the sizing issue.......

Thanks for that post and the great pics. I have been trying to explain to some of my trainees the importance of checking grommets and this will greatly help!!!!!! CHECK EVERYTHING folks!!!!!!

what he said......... :)

Today I opened up a rig that was factory assembled and packed back in 2009. It wasn't used, but was (supposedly) inspected and re-packed again in 2011. When I ran the lines up it was blatantly obvious that there was a continuity mis-routing problem with the reserve lines. An in-board line from the front riser was routed around the rear riser and steering line group and back to the link. My suspicion is that it came from the factory like this, and that it was pencil packed by the next rigger because it obviously wasn't inspected. I don't even know how it got packed like this because running the lines for either a pro-pack or a flat pack was impossible (unless it was just pro-packed without a continuity check of any kind, just using a left and right line group). Moral: (1) Just because it comes from the factory don't assume it is right (2) NEVER EVER pencil pack another rigger's work (3) Remember the inspection is more important than the repack!!!!!!!

I haven't grounded any yet, but wouldn't hesitate to if they looked like that. This "soft" ripcord was a dumb idea when introduced, and just another example of a solution looking for a problem. Kudos for doing your job properly!!!!!!!!!

In the case of the rig in my video, it was assembled and packed by the manufacturer, I was doing the first inspection after purchase.... sometimes it's not just overstuffing the container, it's a design issue too. Riser covers holding the side flaps closed, stiffened flaps inhibiting the freebag, the main pressing onto the reserve through the bottom reserve wall all retard the reserve extraction incrementally.....

I found the video of the high extraction force ... it is here http://youtu.be/VpF-LtrMfYo

about a year ago, I had a brand new Mirage G4 come in, (factory assembled and packed) I left the main in as I usually do, popped the reserve and couldn't extract the reserve with one hand. I picked the rig up by the bridle and swung it round the room. I have video somewhere, I will try and find it. I repacked it, closed it and did the test again with a 135lb guy laying on his tummy wearing the rig. It took over 45lb to extract the reserve and initially almost pulled him off the floor.... I grounded the rig...... Yes, with over 80lb of extraction from the pilot chute in a perfect, belly to earth or vertical (cutaway scenario) deployment it will work, but what if you're on your back at AAD firing altitude with the main still in?

well, I did finally get through, and eventually got a response. No I didn't put the part numbers in my original email, my gripe was (and still is) that nobody called me back, emailed me, or contacted me and asked for them or acknowledged my inquiry. these are small spares, for their equipment that we own (we're talking main closing loops, nothing that can damage national security ) - case closed hopefully........

10 days ago I started the process of ordering some parachute spare parts from 2 different U.S. Companies, for use in Qatar. One of them has processed the order, dispatched the goods and they are already here and in use (Thanks Parachute Labs, Inc. ) - the other Airborne Systems has not even put me in touch with anyone, I have not been able to talk to anyone and they have not answered any emails except for a response to my web inquiry promising to put me in touch with Sales, which hasn't happened.... shocking and appalling service.........

I put a couple of jumps on a R.A.G.E. and loved it......

I knew a (Master) Rigger once that did something like this on his own reserve - so he "could tell the D lines from the C lines" - I didn't say anything to him because it was his own gear but seriously? If you're a rigger you should be able to tell D's from C's...... I agree with John, test the lines for acidity and slap the rigger that did it (that last bit was mine not John's)

2 years ago I had a factory assembled and packed Mirage G4 here. I left the main in to imitate a total and fired the reserve. The launch was decent, when I went to pull the bridle I lifted the rig off the ground, I could swing it around and nothing came out. I re-closed the rig and put it on a friend (who weighs 120lb) when I attached a fish scale and pulled straight up his shoulders came up and the scale topped out at 43 lbs straight up, over 50 lbs when pulled toward the main.

that technique is outlined here (in pics...... ) http://www.sidsrigging.com/articles/greed.htm

Anybody on the forums have experience with large scale (military or commercial) parachute drying towers that can give me some pointers in private messages?

I heard he's in the Florida Keys....... just sayin'