Mirage Reserve Pilot Chute

[boozy 0]

Can anybody comment on the looks of a G4 after installing the new reserve pilot chute? My current pack job, after the service bulletin, looks like shit. After talking to a few riggers, I've concluded that the only way to make my rig look normal again is to get fucked out of $100 for a new pilot chute. This is not only a visual annoyance; the reserve flap has such a large gap in it, that I catch it on things in the plane. This is simply not acceptable. So, before I dish out the cash and buy a new pilot chute, I would like to hear if it works. I just want my rig to look like it did before the SB, and to be safer than it is now.

[nate_1979 9]

I have a new one, looks good.. But I never had severe problems with the looks / safety of my rig after the initial modification.. Only ordered a new one because I needed to after I lost mine

FGF #???
I miss the sky...
There are 10 types of people in the world... those who understand binary and those who don't.

[matt91078 0]

i have a g4 with the mod done and it looks exactly the same as before. you may want to have another rigger that has done many mods look at the quality of work on your mod, or just find another rigger that is used to managing the the bulk properly so that the flap sits normally.

[Tonto 1]

My G4 spent 6 months looking perfect after the SB was performed.
My Cypres has now expired, and has been removed from my rig, and
there is no visible difference between this and any of my previous repacks.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[boozy 0]

Well, this confuses me a little. My rigger is quite talented and if he can't make it look normal I feel that nobody can. One detail I might add is that I have a tempo 170 in a G4 M4 container. It's a little large, but I've been told that tempos have a smaller bulk than pd's. So, I am confused, is this a rigging problem, or do I need a new pc?

[Tonto 1]

I'm not a rigger.
I have an MT container with a Stilleto 107 main and PD 126 Reserve.

I can notice no visual difference between packjobs before or after the SB or with or without a cypres in the rig.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[Pendejo 0]

I sent mine in to Mirage to have the mod done. It came back looking as good as it did when it went in (thanks Ward .) You might want to take some pics of the rig and send them to Mirage.

Pendejo

He who swoops the ditch and does not get out buys the BEER!!

[councilman24 37]

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Well, this confuses me a little. My rigger is quite talented and if he can't make it look normal I feel that nobody can.

I love statements like these.

First, I'm Chairman of the PIA Rigging Committee and been rigging since 1982. But I haven't worked full time in the industry. There are hundreds of rigger that know more than I do.

I have yet to know any rigger, including the worst rigger imaginable, who doesn't have somebody who would say the above quote about them. I know some excellent riggers, some good riggers, and some lousy riggers. Some of the later are the ones who think they are God's gift to skydivers, who you cann't resonably even ask why they made that choice on that rig, and think manuals are for starting fires. Some of the best riggers I known are the most humble and KNOW what they don't know.

Factory riggers become very good with and about their company's rigs. They damn well should, they work with them all day long. That doesn't mean that information is easily passed to or learned by independent riggers.

I have a couple of customers who would say the above quote about about me. But I KNOW better. They drive 2 hours one way to drop off and pick up their rigs. (I don't do rigs while you wait.) They're instructors on another DZ where they could get free pack jobs. But they still come to me. I know better. I try to stay current, I stay involved in the industry, I help run the symposium, but I don't get a lot of practice on every kind of rig. Theirs I'm pretty good with.

The current rigger short courses for the most part turn out good beginning riggers. But it really is a license to learn.

Okay rant off.

I'm glad you trust your rigger. You should. But don't think that he's the only rigger in the world who can pack your rig. Another one might just know something he doesn't. THIS ISN'T PERSONNAL. I DON"T HAVE A CLUE WHO YOUR RIGGER IS.

Next pack job, send it to the factory. See what come's back. And have your rigger CAREFULLY examine their technique when it's due the next time. Or have him talk to Mirage for tips on bulk distribution for this set up.

And if your worried about a flap sticking up a little you ought to see the crap we used to jump. (We don't need no stinkin' riser covers!) Obligatory old fart comment.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[riggerrob 643]

Sounds more like you need a new (smaller) reserve canopy.
Mirages are tight to begin with. Over-stuffing just adds to the misery.
Any time you over-stuff a container it will get ugly.

When Mirage Systems introduced their new pilot chute, they said that it was optional, but would help compensate for less than perfect packing technique.
I have to admit that Mirages are tight and they are a challenge to pack gracefully, but mine do not look any different than before I relocated the Cypres cutter (as per MSPSB 12-04).

If your local rigger cannot pack your pretty, then find another rigger. If no rigger in Colorado can pack your Mirage pretty, then buy a reserve canopy that matches your container.

[larsrulz 0]

I used to think the same way as you...I have a smart 150 reserve in a G3 M2, which is listed as snug, just like your reserve is. I trusted my rigger, and assumed since he couldn't make it look good, then it just wasn't possible. I ended having another rigger give me a repack, since I couldn't get my rig to my normal one for a while, and it came back looking excellent; not a single complaint.

Some people just have more experience in a particular rig or have better little tweaks they do. Which one will have the better pack job when it becomes necessary to use may be up for debate, but there is no doubt that some people can make the container look better than others. If this is important for you, or becomes a safety issue like yours, then by all means find yourself a new rigger, making excuses for your current one isn't going to help anything. If you send it to mirage and they indicate that it's a lost cause, then you can continue making excuses for your rigger.

I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

[Hooknswoop 19]

Let me take a shot at it. If you aren't 100% happy with it, it's free. If you are happy with it, it's only $35.00.

Derek

[BlindBrick 0]

My RTS has a canopy rated as a very tight fit, which is Mirage's very polite way of saying "Rigger, I hope you know your shit, cause this ones gonna be a bitch." Despite that, with the propery packing techniques and closing loop length, you can not tell the mod was done.

-Blind

"If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

[wardhessig 0]

I think I have enjoyed reading these posts more than any others on dropzone.com I agree with everyone on here. It is not saying that a rigger is not worth his or her salt because he can't make the rig look as good as the factory. We are very good at packing our containers here, and yes......we should be. I also love the quote "rigger, you better know your shit quote" because it is very true. Tempo's tend to have a mystery bulk thing with them, some of them pack nice and big and some of them pack undersized, its a crap shoot. The size tempo you have in your m4 is larger then what we recommend for you container. But I think the real question you are asking here is does the new pilot chute work or help? Yes, it does help quite a bit. It makes a rigger who doesnt know all the little tweaks and tips, look like they do. If you don't want to buy a new container, reserve, or rigger. Throw down the 100 bucks and call it a day. By the way Pendejo, thanks for the shout out............and if I recall, didnt you use that reserve that I packed up??? Now where did I put that bottle that you sent me???? wait a minute..................

[bob.dino 1]

Quote

didnt you use that reserve that I packed up??? Now where did I put that bottle that you sent me???? wait a minute..................

Busted!