ChrisHoward

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Everything posted by ChrisHoward

  1. ChrisHoward
    All machines will need to be "adjusted" to your personal preference. So whatever you end up getting you should expect to have to "adjust" it to your preference. The motor is one way of doing this. I highly recommend servo motors, especially in this day and age. If you insist on using clutch motors then do as someone else suggested and get used to "tapping" the pedal.
  2. ChrisHoward
    This is not a fault with the equipment. Proper training for both instructors and students can easily solve this particular problem. Firing altitude is irrelevant, descent speed is the qualifier here. Student Cypres were created to address the issue of students going in with partial malfunctions ie. line overs. So no, an expert Cypres set at 1000ft would not solve this particular problem at all. If that is what you were trying to prevent. If you simply wanted to prevent terminal impacts then Expert would be the choice. After working with both systems I can honestly say I favour the Expert Cyres (with increased altitude) over the Student model.
  3. ChrisHoward
    I think it's awesome that people are so interested in gear at the moment. Off the top of my head I would say: 1) You could probably sew up closer to your hardware. Your pictures make it look like you could tighten that tolerance up some. 2) I think if the reserve top flap was a separate piece to the yoke you would eliminate some of the wrinkles there. Also makes replacement easier. 3) I like the design embroidered on the back. Nice touch the way it all lines up. I would be more worried about those extra wide riser covers delaying free bag extraction than PC launch.
  4. ChrisHoward
    This makes it sound like it happens after line stretch. This makes it sound like it happens before line stretch. Which one is it? Or is it both? Is there ever a noticeable hesitation in the extraction process? If it is spinning on the way to linestretch you need to start out by doing some research. You need to find out what size canopy is meant to be in that container. You said earlier that you were unsure. You also said that it is a tight fit. Over stuffed containers can easily cause line twists to form as the bag is extracted from the container. You also need to find out the correct size PC for your rig, especially if it is 2nd hand. Incorrectly sized PCs are problematic. And as others mentioned, PC condition. If it is happening after linestretch then as others have said it could be something wrong with the canopy. Check the trims and if 2nd hand I would double check the slider size. People do weird stuff sometimes.
  5. ChrisHoward
    Can you clarify if the line twists are formed before the canopy comes out of the DBag (ie. on the way to line stretch) or after line stretch when the canopy is out of the DBag. Maybe I missed the answer to this but it would help isolate your problem.
  6. ChrisHoward
    No, I meant Spectra just like I said. You are correct though, Dacron is common. I took the Dacron off of my RDSs because of the line burn it was causing on my canopies. Admittedly I use the RDS at high loadings at terminal which is beyond what PD recommends.
  7. ChrisHoward
    If you are making one don't forget to add a swivel.
  8. ChrisHoward
    As in the lanyard from the slider to the DBag? Spectra will do the job.
  9. ChrisHoward
    This is the correct answer. If you are "bailing out" in a true emergency situation then you should be using toggles. Toggles will provide more lift, arrest the dive faster and slow down your forward speed better. All while providing you with more control over a larger range with less chance of stalling.
  10. ChrisHoward
    If this is the case it is not a sizing issue. The leg pads were simply made too short. Regardless of the size of the person wearing the rig the dimension from the hip to the hardware shouldn't change.
  11. ChrisHoward
    I think people believe that their "Custom Fit" harness is made precisely to their exact specific measurements. In reality "Custom Fit" means you were "Fit" into a bracket that works based on each manufacturer's particular formula (Lift web/Lateral/Hip Junction/Yoke). So a "Custom" harness has more range than you would suspect. That being said, in my opinion: A) Comparing your measurements to the actual harness measurements is more relevant than comparing yourself to the sellers measurements. B) A 2+ inch Torso difference is a fair bit. Maybe more than the legstraps and yoke can account for, especially when the lateral is taken into account.
  12. ChrisHoward
    http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2023518;search_string=woomera;#2023518
  13. ChrisHoward
    Clearly my sarcasm went unnoticed.
  14. ChrisHoward
    If only somebody had invented that
  15. ChrisHoward
    This is the sad reality of the Tandem industry. Customers are usually oblivious to the risks their instructors expose them to. And one of the biggest defining factors on whether an instructor will jump or not is as simple as how much he wants a pay check for the day. We are all skydivers and have accepted the risks long ago, but don't fool yourself into thinking your customers would also accept that same level of risk. Next time the winds are marginal consider what your customer might think.
  16. ChrisHoward
    Scan and email to membership@yaddayadda. Now you will only need 3 stamps
  17. ChrisHoward
    If the placard is full then you no longer own a reserve, you own a worthless grounded canopy. So $350 for an airworthy reserve sounds pretty cheap :-)
  18. ChrisHoward
    Something to consider when comparing MARDs from various manufacturers is that only the Skyhook features a Collins lanyard.
  19. ChrisHoward
    An RSL should never pass under the reserve risers. At best it will prevent it from functioning correctly, the scenarios get worse from there.
  20. ChrisHoward
    Lots of great advice on here about audibles. But not 1 single person has questioned why you would be swooping after a big way?
  21. ChrisHoward
    Of course they do. But as pointed out earlier in the thread, they do not get to make the rules, the F.A.A. does. That being said, if you "repair" the components you are now responsible which in North America means Liable. I think this scares off more riggers than anything else.
  22. ChrisHoward
    Yep.
  23. ChrisHoward
    I've always used 1-10. Seems pretty accurate for most line types.
  24. ChrisHoward
    I am well aware of the requirements. They also say to expect + or - 5 years or at least 2000 jumps. Which in my world is far less than 10 years. It seems to me that after all these years of advertising maintenance free equipment they have neatly slipped in a mandatory return to the factory. For what purpose? Battery change? I am sceptical. For the poll, I jump Cypres, always have, always will. And yes I will send mine in on their maintenance dates.
  25. ChrisHoward
    I don't remember you being this out spoken last year when AAD slipped in a mandatory 4 year factory return on the Vigil 2+ while still claiming they have no service cycle. Both of these companies are making changes that very few people can claim to know. I would like to see greater transparency from both, but lets face it, that is never going to happen.