mountainman 0 #1 March 24, 2002 I am wondering what you guys think about this. Do you think that the FAA should raise the repack cycle to 180 days? Please, if you are a rigger and know about this stuff, post your pros/cons of this debate.Should it be.... 120 days? 180 days? >180 days?Let me know what you think. I vote for 180!!JumpinDuo.com...come and sign the guestbook. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #2 March 24, 2002 time the US got with the times and the rest of the world... 180RemsterMuff 914 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,107 #3 March 24, 2002 It should be up to the gear manufacturer. If you have a Reflex, and that's good for 180 days, and a PD reserve good for 360 days, you take the lower and make it 180 days. The gear manufacturers are the final authority on how their gear should be maintained.-bill von Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #4 March 24, 2002 180 days seems o.k. It just feels like a hell of a risk not knowing what is happening to your reserve.. Has mildew started to grow? Is it pinched? Torn for some reason?The benefits of a 120 day repack probably outweigh the drawbacks.. I wouldn't argue against a 180 day cycle. Half of the people in here have finger packed anyways going far over 180 days at their own risk. I don't really mind 120 days.. Doesn't seem like that much trouble considering that reserve will save my life...Rhino Semper Fi ..... http:// www.aahit.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Iflyme 0 #5 March 24, 2002 CSPA says 180 days."There's nothing new under the sun" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,107 #6 March 24, 2002 >180 days seems o.k. It just feels like a hell of a risk not knowing what is >happening to your reserve.. So get it repacked more often.>Has mildew started to grow? Is it pinched? Torn for some reason?None of those things are a significant risk if the rig has been well cared for. Who is the person who best knows if the reserve has been well cared for? The person using it.>I don't really mind 120 days.. Doesn't seem like that much >trouble considering that reserve will save my life...Again, I fully support your right to get your rig repacked every 120 days - or even every 60 days if you prefer. However, I resent a rule that says I must wear my reserve out more quickly because someone else thinks that they know better how to maintain my rig than the manufacturers of the rig, and that they know how I take care of my rig better than I do.-bill von Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #7 March 24, 2002 I get is packed every 120 days as we are required. Significant risk? I don't want to take any risks where my reserve is concerned. Semper Fi ..... http:// www.aahit.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #8 March 24, 2002 QuoteHowever, I resent a rule that says I must wear my reserve out more quickly because someone else thinks that they know better how to maintain my rig than the manufacturers of the rig, and that they know how I take care of my rig better than I do.I agree wholeheartedly. Perhaps 120 days makes sense for someone who makes a lot of jumps, doesn't take care of their gear and hasn't bothered to learn how to inspect it, but for someone who takes very good care of their gear, inspects it often and knows what to watch for, I think whatever the manufacturer says is safe should be the required repack cycle.Unfortunately the rules seem to be written for the "least common denominator"pull and flare,lisa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #9 March 24, 2002 I agree with Bill and Lisa. Unless you dunk your rig, there sould be no reason for mildew to form, unless you toss the rig in a blender it should'nt get cut up, unless you leave the rig in a sauna there should be little harm to the rig as long as its taken care of. If PD says 360 days and PA says 180 and Atair says 30... .then thats the way they should go. I don't tell my car maker how long it should be for me to change my oil or tires, they tell me whats best. If I want to go shorter, no harm no foul. How is a reserve thats packed for 121 days unsafer then one thats been packed 120 days?I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend... ~3EB Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #10 March 24, 2002 I believe in the 180 day cycle, but I thought I'd offer these thoughs:It's not just leaving it in the sauna, it's also the back-seat or trunk of a hot car. How many people lock their rigs in the car at WFFC? Most, I think.What about in the north where we prety much stop jumping for 4 or 5 monthes. Does everyone really store their rig properly? If it's March and you want to jump, but because of a November cuttaway you don't need a repack, do you have the discipline to have one done anyway?What about student canopies and rental gear? Does the DZ rigger really know when a rig gets wet? Do you believe most DZ's will keep a 120 repack schedule if the requirement is 180?Here's a question: to what extent is cordura damp proof? If somebody slides in on their back in wet grass, could that dampness pearmeate the reserve?_AmICQ: 5578907MSN Messenger: andrewdmetcalfe at hotmail dot com AIM: andrewdmetcalfeYahoo IM: ametcalf_1999 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PalmettoTiger 1 #11 March 24, 2002 I don't know how many people this actually applies to, but one advantage of the 120 day cycle is that more jumpers will get a rigger inspection twice in the season.With the 180 day cycle, folks who don't jump during the winter could conceivably get an inspection and repack at the beginning of the season only, so any problems that develop during the season could go unnoticed. The 120 day cycle gets their gear thoroughly inspected midseason, after the wear and tear of the season has been accumulating.Of course it's up to the individual jumper to look over his/her gear after every jump, or weekend, or whatever. But some people don't seek the necessary expertise or don't exercise it. PTigerI'm stepping through the doorAnd I'm floating in a most peculiar way Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jceman 1 #12 March 24, 2002 What's a "season"? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #13 March 24, 2002 QuoteWhat's a "season"?Bwahahahaha!!!! That's what those people who haven't yet gotten smart enough to move to a state with decent year round weather call the few months of the year they can comfortably jump....pull and flare,lisa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trmnljnky 0 #14 March 25, 2002 I wasn't real impressed with the weather in Perris last weekend.Byron Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #15 March 25, 2002 QuoteI wasn't real impressed with the weather in Perris last weekend.And it sucks this weekend too. But you shoulda seen it on Thursday and Friday - warm, sunny and very jumpable. Daylight savings time starts in a week - can't wait to start getting jumps in after work again!pull and flare,lisa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trmnljnky 0 #16 March 25, 2002 that figures. always good during the week.Byron Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Iflyme 0 #17 March 25, 2002 Quotesmart enough to move to a state Never! I prefer my province, where I jump year-round, thank you very much..."There's nothing new under the sun" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mountainman 0 #18 March 25, 2002 OK guys......it seems that there seems to be a pretty overwhelming thought to have it be 180 days.Now......what can be done to change this? Is this something that people think is important enough to get changed or what?Thoughts?JumpinDuo.com...come and sign the guestbook. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #19 March 25, 2002 Reposted from G&R...If I remember the BOD minutes correctly for the last time the issue came up, the FAA decided not to make the changes because there was not sufficient proof that extending it to 180 days was the best course of action. The manufactors can not seem to agree on an exact time peroid to set the repack cycle. Untill the Manufactors, the lobbists, and the riggers can actually provide enough proof to the FAA that they know the correct length of time and a longer repack cycle is safer then a 120 day, the FAA has no reason to change its stance on the issue. And on a similar line of thought line, it took over 10 years to get the tandem program moved from expermintal to a valid skydiving form, and that had the majority of the lobbying power behind it. I'm guessing it will take just as long to get the repack cycle lengthened... unless the stars and the sun and the blood of an..... oh you get it....I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend... ~3EB Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jabeln79 0 #20 March 25, 2002 Im all for the 120 day repack. The reserve is your last chance chute, do you really want to go the extra 60 days just to save money. I think my life is worth more than $40. If there is some really good reason that I dont know about to go to 180 days please inform me. I may be interpreting this the wrong way and apologize if I am. Blue Skies Joe "When they say jump you say how high" RATM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #21 March 25, 2002 Everytime you repack your reserve you are casusing wear on it. Every 20 repacks you are required to send your PD reserves back for inspection at the factory. Closer repacks cause more wear and tear then a longer repack cycle. Its not all about the repack cost. Do you feel like shipping away your reseve for an inspection for weeks every 6 and a half years or every 10? The inspection costs a bit too (like under 50 then the repack and assembly fees) Also it slightly mathmatically means more repacks gives more chances to screw up something in the repack. Can you really tell me that if you jumped a rig thats repacked yester day it'll open safer then one packed last wekk or last moth or 6 months ago if the rig was hanging in a climate controlled closet?I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend... ~3EB Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FallRate 0 #22 March 25, 2002 The USPA is currently pursuing this topic with the FAA. It will most likely be changed. It seems to me that many of the arguments for a 120 day repack cycle as opposed to a 180 day cycle could be used to argue that the cycle should be less than 120 days. To go straight for the extreme, it could be argued that a reserve inspection and repack should be performed before every jump. Someone might have spilled kool-aid on your rig while you were in the bathroom. A pissed-off Ex might have super-glued your pop-top to the container..etc...I have always assumed that the cycle was based on normal conditions and normal use. But I'm not a rigger, so my opinion on this wouldn't count for crap. So I'll refrain from offering one.FallRate Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #23 March 25, 2002 Fallrate,I heard it was just decided NOT to change...RemsterMuff 914 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mountainman 0 #24 March 25, 2002 QuoteI heard it was just decided NOT to change...News article, please? JumpinDuo.com...come and sign the guestbook. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #25 March 25, 2002 I didnt refer to it coz I cant remember if it was a wreck post or something else..... sorry MM (and I said heard... I may be proven wrong)....RemsterMuff 914 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
