Blis

I got a speed 2000 120 in a v306 and it's just the perfect size (bit soft), 135 in a v308 is most likely quite loose, 150 would be a better fit most likely...

hmmm I am not understanding how failing to sweep the cable would cause a main-reserve entanglement. The cutaway cable protrudes only a few inches past the three ring release (on the rigs I have jumped anyway). If you grab the cutaway and pull to full arms length, you're pulling 24"+ of cable out. How could that still result in the main attached to your rig? OP: Something that might worth practicing is to do your EP drills while in freefall. I found that the EP drills the DZ has you do in your harness on the ground to simulate cutting away a low speed mal is quite different than those used in freefall. The procedures are the same, but the locations of the handles are drastically different since you're not hanging in the harness. Just a tip that I found useful to make good use out of a solo jump. New cutaway cables should always be checked, measured and trimmed to right lenght. This is something most jumpers don't know about and sometimes even a rigger might forget. Suddenly you might have much more cable to pull before cutaway. It's also possible for the other side to be trapped if the 3-ring is improperly assembled which could lead to partial cut-away...

Would you mind explaining a bit about your reasoning to go for a rig 2 soft handles at your (very low) jump numbers? Was it something that people recommended? Does it look cool? Everyone else has? I'm just interested in hearing your reasoning because soft handles are more tricky to use in real emergency, especially for people with low jumps who have A LOT of stuff going on at the moment those handles are needed. Also in some regulations you would need to have D-license to be allowed use a soft reserve handle.

Also on some canopies rear risers are much better option if the tailwind is not strong...

It's not as simple as people make it sound... opt-143 has 31 cubic inches greater pack volume than pr-126... It may or may not make a difference.

Both the main and reserve are too big for the container atleast according to wings sizing and PIA volume charts, would not recommend and I would hate to pack it...

Could you tell us a bit more about why you recommend spectra lines instead of the other options? Is it just because of the longer assumed life span? Just asking becouse from a rigger point-of-view I cant really recommend spectra because it goes out of trim very quickly and even thou it "lasts" maybe twice the jumps compared to other lines the trim should warrant changing the lines at the same time as other lines (vectran lasts maybe 400 jumps give or take)...

Older gear means you need to be much more heads up when buying it and also you should be very aware of the possible limitations of gear, it's best to have a good rigger helping you with the decision...

Are any of these things small enough for the reserve pilot chute and free bag? I doubt, it's about the size of a matchstick box and the need to be charged every month or two (in active use) makes it not suitable for reserve.... But for mains it works perfectly...

I have a Yepzon on my canopy and know several of people with same device... Last time my friend had a cutaway it took less than 5 minutes to find the canopy...

Please explain why barrel rolls would be a good thing on an angle jump? Usually on a angle jump you will have much more speed and not much separation (hopefully) during the jump but when it comes to break-off everyone has (should have) a clear direction where to go during break-off. Also becouse it usually is a high speed jump that already has a decent horizontal component to it should be really easy to gain good separation during break-off. The added speed and reduced room for break-off should all be clear signs to not to any barrel rolls becouse even a slight deviation in course can take you into another jumpers break-off sector...

Usually, if not explicitly stated otherwise, canopies are all ZP. Low bulk costs extra and manufacturers will market those canopies with that in mind...

Skylark should be releasing couple new ones soon... (evo series, magellan, odyssey and skipper)

Definitely a reserve total.... Also very well points out why the first rule of rigging is to always consult the manual first and if not 100% sure call your mentor and/or manufacturer..

I'm not sure about that statement. I think it depends on the canopy. Mainly how it's trimmed. I think biggest factor in canopy stability is how clean the airfoil is, in full flight configuration you should have zero (or very little) distortion in airfoil making it very stable. Obviously if it were trimmed to have very little internal pressure it will be very easy to collapse but I dont think it's a realistic scenario in a skydiving canopy. Ofcourse I might be totally wrong, I'm not a expert canopy pilot or aerodynamics guru...

Canopy is most stable in full flight configuration, so if the weather is turbulent it's best to stay off the fronts (or rears for that matter)...

I do not know of any. Also, about a thousand years ago, we used to freestow the main canopy lines by coiling them in the container. Rubber bands were just for the bag locking stows. We quit freestowing the lines because sometimes they half-hitched around a container flap, but I don't recall any malfunctions resulting from lines entangling with themselves. Except maybe tension knots, and we have those with conventional bags and current line stow methods. -Mark Never heard of someone getting a knot in reserve lines and from my meager experience it is really hard to cause. Basically you're just placing bundles of lines on top of each other, unless you intentionally use force to push the bundles past eachother I imagine it would be really nearly impossible...

I do have speed 2000 120 in a V306, it's a perfect fit... One thing worth noting is that UPT provides info for speed instead of speed 2000, the second one is true low-bulk reserve and first one is standard fabric....

To be honest, as a rigger I'm happy with this change. So far the mirages have used to pack like bricks but with this change hopefully people will start picking canopies that are better suited for the container size.

Skywidesystems also make a very decent toggle setup and I have never heard of toggle fires with them... http://sws.aero/en/products/fire/main_container/risers/

Ok here is an quick update. Working with a fellow jumper who is practicing for his riggers ticket and has a wings with a similar issue. We took time to fill the ears but not overfill, and kept am eye on the ears while closing. Still had less than an ideal amount of tuck afterwards. So took a packing paddle and lifted pressure on the top flap while pulling it down. This allowed the nylon under the flap to slide down and gave a big increase in the amount that tucks in. Hope this makes sense.if not I can post a few pics. So basicly you had a paddle under the top flap when pulling it down?

Again, this could be construed in a number of ways. Up to the user or regulations of the country. Well the regulations state " "(c) If installed, the automatic activation device must be maintained in accordance with manufacturer instructions for that automatic activation device." Well the "maintenance" is performed at 4,8 years. Is retirement or end of life considered maintenance and that the manufacturer has stated in communication that after 12 years it is up to the user OR .... leaves a bit of ambiguity in there. Why not simply state that the device should not be used after the service life - 12.5 or 15.5 years. That way it is very clear - in fact from a software point of view they could disable the device at end of service life - ie. unit would not turn on. They are able to determine when unit requires service. And for the record you bring me an old AAD past its service life - I'm not packing it. The unit itself states very clearly when it's expired, even if it's not stated in manual. I can understand why they wont disable the unit because even expired unit provides some safety compared to not having one at all...

I dunno about $1000. I'm in the process of building a 4'x4' cnc plasma table for cutting metal. The steppers and controllers are about $1500. The website referenced CNC zone with the" New Machine Build- 16' x 5.5' Fabric Cutter/Plotter". Is very good with lots of threads and many helpful members. Last time I checked (couple weeks ago) 4 stepper drivers and nema motors came around couple hundred, drop in a controller and mach3 license and you're looking at 500usd or so... Obviously plasma table is much more demanding becouse of the required accuracy, arc control and enviroment (hf start is very nasty to low grade stuff)... If you wanted you could draw a fairly linear curve with one axis being money and the other being performance. After that it's simple matter of getting components that fit your performance and budget envelope.

Protrack II and Quattro also have canopy tones and swoop guide...

Expired cypres will work, just that there is no quarantee it will fire at right altitude or speed... Not to mention it's against regulations which especially riggers should be aware of...