sundevil777

The jumper making that assertion doesn't necessarily make it true. It looked like there was altitude for a normal deployment. Of course it is hard to tell on the video just how high the cutaway really was. Maybe the jumper is admitting that they cutaway very quickly (justifiably) without having the ability to fire the reserve right away, whether due to using 2 hands on the cutaway or it just being hard to locate. In that case, then any RSL would have served the purpose of pulling the reserve. Knowing that it would have taken a significant amount of time for them to find their reserve handle might get someone to say that the thing that pulled it for me saved my life. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Leonardizing the canopy. Leonard Moorehead came up with the process and yup, the canopies opened like a Sabre1 with no slider dumped in a headdown. He as a mad scientist of a rigger, holding a patent on a type of crossbracing for canopy design at one point. Well, he's still a mad scientist, but he doesn't jump or rig anymore. I understand that some had the result of bad openings, but my experience with exactly the same canopy as the OP was that it did not. Perhaps it is subject to what is used to treat the canopy, or it might depend on the canopy design. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I had a PD210 that after about 200 jumps didn't land well, and I decided to do something similar to ads years ago that I'd seen that claimed to put a zero p coating on a regular canopy. I'd also seen people say that the real world result of such treatments was really hard openings and canopy damage. I decided to just do it myself in a way, by coating the heck out of it with skotchguard that is commonly recommended for containers (and it really does work, even oil stains have come off the white areas of my rig). I sprayed it on really heavy, the top skin is the only part that matters, but it will soak through to the bottom probably. I figured it should fill up the pores of the fabric to some extent, maybe enough to make a difference, and it did! Suddenly my canopy would plane out again, I could get an easy stand up even though I was loading it at the time at 1.15:1 The skotchguard is no problem with nylon, and I figured that I would need to get rid of the canopy anyway if it didn't work. Probably nobody else will agree that this is worth doing, and they'll say it is dangerous, but I did it and it worked great. No hard openings. Of course if your canopy is out of trim, that is a separate issue, and it may not be worth putting new lines on it. The top skin is the only half that matters because that is where the "attached" flow can get "separated" from the surface by air leaking through That isn't a concern for the bottom skin. If we could suck a bit of air into the canopy from the top skin that would make the airfoil more efficient at high angles of attack, so the opposite (high porosity) destroys lift. On the subject of opening distances, remember that 200 feet could get used up just getting the bag off your rig and open to expose the canopy. My Pilot doesn't snivel for too long. I think it is just right. Good luck People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

No, it stems from Gingrich's calling Obama a "food stamp president". Of course it was thinly-veiled "code", intended to tap into the same racist feelings that, for (one) example, the repeated use of Obama's middle name "Hussein" during the 2008 campaign was intended to tap into. As for the crocodile tear-laced, intelligence-insulting denials and diversions predictably put out by Gingrich and those who would rally to defend him on that point, well, they can all just go fuck themselves. Here's your card, boys. Project much? Keep the card for yourself... you obviously need it what with all those 'code' words you see. Quite right! It is interesting that he put himself in the role of passing out the race card. Having a plentiful supply on hand is a good idea when they are used so freely. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

He is a food stamp president. Lots (or even more, if I remember correctly) of those classified as living in poverty are white compared to black. Even supporters of the pres used his middle name. He could have had it changed if he didn't like it. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

He was high enough for the reserve to open without a skyhook. PERHAPS he was (wouldn't like to find out), but if you were in his position wouldn't you be glad with the extra altitude that you saved by using a skyhook? Just saying the skyhook was not needed to save his life. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Have you considered having a larger than normal elevator to help prevent stalling? I guess it is the same as asking if the plane allows an extreme rear center of gravity compared to normal design norms, except that a plane would be expected to be able to take off at the aft CG limit, instead of just being able to withstand it while in level flight at 90 kts. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I don't think so, the right leading edge can be seen folding under just before it spun. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

He was high enough for the reserve to open without a skyhook. If safety is a high priority, having a canopy that isn't so easy to spin itself into linetwists is a better bet (larger canopy). I know, then it wouldn't win CP competitions... People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I also have no desire for a canopy that is so sensitive to body position on opening that a look over the shoulder to watch the PC lift the bag is risky, but of course hard toggle inputs/low turn can kill you on a manta. I also have no desire to land at high speed, if canopies could have flaps like an airplane to allow slower landings, that would be great, but the opposite is now seen as desirable. A nice easy stand up still is a great feeling for this old timer. Unfortunately, a progression to a WL of about 1.5 is seen as expected, and new jumpers get in a hurry to get there. It is especially risky for those that only make a handful of jumps per weekend at best. That includes a lot of people, and they really ought not be pushing their luck. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

What "flirting with racism"? Probably just assuming if you don't like Obama then it must be because of race. Why does it matter what he does with his own money at Tiffany? If he spent it on a McLaren F1 or a sailboat or a plane or a trip to Italy with a huge entourage like the Obama family did would that be any better? It is his money, and has nothing to do with the national debt. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Well, there you go deciding on what technology should be applied, long before it or the competing technologies are well developed. I happen to think that hydrogen fuel cells (or perhaps natural gas powered) fuel cells will be a strong candidate. It is a bad idea to have tax money used to institute industrial policy based on such an unwarranted decision on the technology. Much better to have an award for meeting a particular challenging objective that is well defined, like the X prize competition did for orbital flight. Much better that than just funding stupid tax credits for crappy alternative vehicles. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

That's nasty, and then to dodge/get out of the way of it is really rude! People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

So if getting rid of the side flaps is such an improvement to make a big fuss over, then the rigs with no top and bottom flap over the PC must be much better. I think the energy needed to push the side flaps out of the way is actually not much, and there are some distinct advantages to not having the PC exposed at all. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Perhaps that is what was meant, Perhaps the "bracing against it" was meant while in the plane (continuous horiz stab mentioned). It would seem that would imply an unusual location relative to the door (not far aft of it, and not far above it) that would still be vulnerable to head strikes and reserve PCs going above, and would there be room for rear floaters/camera aft of the door? Perhaps the stab is really high. On the subject of horiz stabs...since it is a new design...if the stab is at all vulnerable to a canopy going over it, then maybe a small sharp edge would be effective at cutting it cleanly? Or, maybe a slight sweep to the stab, and no snag points would allow a canopy to easily slide off before taking breaking the structure. Even a simple window, whether it opens or not, would be more expensive than the type of passive one-way outflow valve as used in cars. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

How can you brace yourself on it but not come into contact with it? I'm not sure what you're talking about, please explain in more detail. I'm not a pilot or DZO or anything like that, but I do have a mechanical design engineering background with Boeing and Honda, so I can't resist giving you some ideas. I would think that an existing engine type would be preferred, with as little customization to any of the hardware as possible being preferred to keep costs down, isn't that correct, or is it not possible to find an existing engine with the specs you desire? Are you planning on applying a FADEC? Most aircraft have notoriously poor fuel quantity indication systems (even the Boeing airliners prior to the 777 had quite inaccurate systems). I think making it less likely to be wrong about how much fuel is onboard (easy quick method of course) would be worthwhile. Perhaps there are some inexpensive ways of improving this, even if it is something that can only be done while on the ground, as I think skydiving operations are a bit more unique than most in the motivation to run with minimum fuel on board. Features to help keep the pilot more comfortable were mentioned, and are worthy of consideration. How about making the wearing of a pilot bailout rig more realistic, as it seems that it is not so easy to do in some aircraft. Perhaps I'm wrong about this being not so easy now or that it is even desirable. How about the comfort of skydivers? Please make it possible to have meaningful airflow to the cabin with the door closed. An outflow valve at the rear might be needed to give some ram-air coming in from the front. Of course you don't want to add the expense of a complicated mechanically driven outflow valve like on a pressurized airplane, but cars have very inexpensive passive one-way outflow valves in the trunk/boot area so that air flows from the dashboard vents through the cabin (to the back seats) into the trunk/boot and out. What kind of seating arrangement are you planning (side facing/rear facing)? For both side and rear facing benches/straddle benches think it would be nice if the material had a higher friction surface than normal (slick vinyl) so that it is easier to stay in place during a climb. How about really generous/rugged handles and steps for front and rear floaters. That doesn't mean encouraging extreme numbers outside, but make it easy for the proper number of floaters to hang on. Assuming you will apply a roll up door, how about making it difficult to impossible to damage the door by accidentally closing it too hard? Something should be possible that is inherent in the design without adding much cost at all. How about communication between those at the door and the pilots? Not that it is such a long distance, but it might be nice to have the ability to communicate in both directions, or even in one direction. It is very cool that you are doing this development. The PAC and Kodiak have already shown that there is a market for new aircraft, and it would seem that it might be attractive compared to the expense of rebuilding twin engine aircraft that have not much value in the airframe. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

There is one thing wrong with your choice of gear, you weigh too much to be jumping a 169. Even if you've jumped it before, it is a bad choice for you. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

It would seem to be a terrible waste to not visit the good folks at Velocity Sports Equipment while you're in Oregon: http://www.velocityrigs.com/ Give them a chance, check out their work, and even if you don't get one of their rigs, they would likely do a great job of measuring you for a competitor. You're a very normal size, lots of rigs are going to feel good on your back. There is nothing wrong with your choice of equipment, but everyone has their personal favorites. Many will tell you that you should buy used gear, for less cost, but if that doesn't matter then have fun with new gear - nothing wrong with that. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

You want to think of it as flying against the relative wind, so the only difference between that and a poised exit is a 180 deg turn. You should be able to not only dive out, but be able to deploy while in that attitude. That doesn't mean go try that now, but you should think about why it is possible. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I don't want govt deciding by specific subsidy the type of alternative. If subsidies are used to push things along, I would much rather that it be in the form of a performance goal and an award for achieving it, like the competition to put people in low earth orbit, there were specific targets that didn't dictate how to achieve them. I think fuel cells have more promise than battery powered alternatives, but don't want targeted industrial policy should making that decision. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Quite right! The choice of staying on the other side of the river has a big impact on how long it will likely take to get back to the DZ, how long of a walk you'll have to make to get to help, etc. That impact is enough to encourage people to try and get back when they know it isn't worth the risk. I would have been tempted to just stay by the golf course, then hanging out at their bar while waiting for a ride would have been comfortable. Plus I think landing at a golf course would be fun. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

You should let him continue - I mean, using an analogy in a debate is a lot like trying to decide whether or not feed a dog table scraps or not. It's kinda like a treat, but it develops bad habits. or is it more like trying to fold a pilot chute?...... Good one, like it People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Is this your final entry in the crappy and unnecessary analogy competition? People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I spent some time on the phone with the jumper a couple weeks back, and he says he has a shot from his Contour camera that got knocked off his helmet, that shows the red lanyard still attached to the hook at linestretch. It seems that the lanyard broke after the bag couldn't be pulled off the reserve. Do you have any more insight on how/if the bridle might have gotten under the freebag? Since the contour camera was knocked off, perhaps the interaction of the camera and bridle/bag was involved in the strange deployment. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Though this video kinda makes me appreciate the fact that i dont use an RSL, a clean break away gives you a better chance to be stable while deploying your reserve( i realize this does not apply to every jumper).....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7MoXNkToxA If you are a regular skydiver, this thought process is not going with the odds. Having an RSL is many times safer than not having one. You are using an exception for your rule! Same as watching TV and thinking that it is real life. Maybe 1%. For some, the choice of not using an RSL is based not on the overall you're better off with an RSL odds. It is based on the willingness to accept a mistake of my own that might kill me (not pulling my own reserve soon enough), and unwillingness to accept that this particular backup mechanism might do me in. I think the guy with the big beard seems to agree, in that he has at least implied (if not said explicitly) strongly that a normal RSL is not acceptable to him, that he would not jump it. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am