sundevil777

If having less flaps covering the freebag is such an improvement, then the side flaps and top/side flaps should be seen as slowing down the deployment in the case of a reserve deployment with the main in place. Those flaps cover quite a bit of the outline of the reserve freebag, similar to some other rigs. I do not really think the effect will be significant, but when they claim a benefit from fewer flaps and then have other flaps that are counter to that benefit, it seems strange. Other rigs have riser covers and side flaps. Having examined a number of rigs with respect to the recent Skydiver Advisory, it is my impression that while the riser covers may contribute to the effect of the side flaps, it is the side flaps and the highly defined lower reserve container that make the greatest contributions. The fact that the Basik Seven needs the staging loop to keep the freebag in place at the beginning of a reserve deployment tells me all I need to know. I don't believe that loop would be there except that the bag would likely fall out without it. That's the kind of reserve container I'd like to have. Now, my 1994 Javelin lets the freebag get out pretty quick even with side flaps. But more modern rigs are far tighter and with far more structure in the reserve container than my old Javelin. Some rigs have much less of the outline of the reserve covered than others. They are not all similar in this regard and we should be careful to not generalize too much (although I'm likely quite guilty of it). This of course matters when the main is still in place. I believe this matters more as the canopies (rig overall) get smaller. As I said I don't think this is a big issue, but it seems strange that a design that specifically eliminated flaps to enhance reserve deployment would cover up so much of the outline of the reserve. All of this depends of course on how much that matters to the deployment, and I don't know how much that matters, so all of this is speculation, I admit. But what the heck, if it gets some people to post here that do in fact know, then we'll all learn. A claim that other rigs delay opening on the order of .75 sec should not be made without citing which rig is being compared and video/data. 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

If having less flaps covering the freebag is such an improvement, then the side flaps and top/side flaps should be seen as slowing down the deployment in the case of a reserve deployment with the main in place. Those flaps cover quite a bit of the outline of the reserve freebag, similar to some other rigs. I do not really think the effect will be significant, but when they claim a benefit from fewer flaps and then have other flaps that are counter to that benefit, it seems strange. 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 are 2 little flaps at the top of the reserve, on either side, are they part of the container (not part of the freebag)? 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 really think it should be brought all the way up next to your head? That doesn't seem like a good idea or necessary. How can it be easier to use when the throw out is better for lazy throws (assuming you agree with that). People will be lazy with their throws, at least some of the time. Clearly experience has shown that this is not always the case. Even if it should always happen with a new rig and proper packing, people and rigs are less than perfect, so I don't think you should dismiss this point as invalid. Many rigs now have handles very similar in configuration for both designs, so I do not see the distinction here, at least in how it can be configured with newer handle options. The pilot chute vulnerability is not relevant, only the handle is what matters. No difference in how secure the handle is with current options available. They don't "sneak" their way out, something pulls on them. A pull out handle can be pulled unintentionally also. No difference with the current options available. If that is true, then that reinforces my point that a pull out handle is just as vulnerable to unintentional activation than a throw out. However, it is the experience of many that a pull out does in fact usually require more force to activate. I have had rigs with both types. The design of both systems has improved over the years in many ways, including that pull out handles used to be held in place with just velcro, and we now can get handles for throw outs that are just as secure as a modern pull out handle. 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 think the cheapo plastic ones should be clearly identified. For some stupid reason Paragear still sells them. They are of course the tiny orange plastic Z knife, also called Zak knife - see attachment. All plastic hook knives are not the same, just the orange ones are bad (if I'm wrong please let us know). There are other plastic knives that are a very good design. Others have previously commented that 2 bladed designs are vulnerable to not cutting cleanly as stuff can get stuck between the blades, something that can't happen with a single blade 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

The data that a GPS unit can provide includes altitude, so it can be used as desired. 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 a slight power to weight ratio advantage in a properly designed opposed engine. It also takes up slightly less room. It's specifically because the jugs are opposed they can take up less space and therefore the entire engine weighs slightly less. When every ounce counts . . . it counts. That would depend on what you are comparing it against. Compared to an inline layout an opposed would have a significant advantage, but compared to a V layout, I would expect them to be very similar, not enough difference to matter much for a car. What is more important to designers is how the engine layout fits within the space available. We weren't really considering insignificant power to weight ratio differences. 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'm buggered if I know, but the only cars I can think of that have thm are Subies, V Dubs and Porshe's. Light aircraft also use them. They give more power so I guess that is consistant with less fuel economy. Why would they give more power? Just because you can think of a couple engines that are opposed, and they are powerful doesn't mean that is why they are powerful. It is no wonder at all that you are able to be misled so easily into believing the 9/11 stuff. Seriously, you really have no mechanical aptitude. 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 always cracks me up - the tendency for people to say, "may or may not". Of course that is true, anyone may or may not be anything! 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

Why would an opposed engine not be efficient? 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

The hackey handle for my first rig was very lightweight it seemed to me. Nothing at all like the weight of an actual hackysack. I'd guess they might even be less than a PVC handle. Perhaps there are some versions that are filled with a heavy material. You listed the cons for a freefly handle as: How did you arrive at those conclusions? The first two are definitely not true, I doubt the last will be. I think you'd do well to reconsider your assumptions. They are at the very least dependent on the mfg of the rig. 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 think it is important to realize why it may take a lot of force to cutaway, which may be much of the reason for some to recommend two hands per handle. Mini 3-rings have higher cutaway forces than the std large rings. The difference is significant, and even the Aerodyne miniforce system doesn't match the low cutaway force (see attachment, I think it came from a post of Bill Booth many years ago). For the sake of a little less drag and weight, it takes a lot more to cutaway. Add in the very real possibility that your risers may not be made quite to the standard, and this can also increase the required force. So, I think it is important to talk about the root cause of why it may be hard to cutaway. My 2 cutaways with std/large 3 rings have been really easy with one hand, and can't understand how so few (even larger guys) choose the larger rings. 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 was a mechanical design engineer with them for 8 years, '87 to '95. B1-B avionics test equipment and then 777 flight deck design. What do you have to offer them - what type of job are you figuring? That will be a big part of determining the advice. 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

The Camp David Accords of 1978. That accord essentially brought peace between Israel and Egypt, who had been mortal enemies for 30 years before that, just 5 years after they fought a war against each other. The personal mediation done by Carter during the negotiations was instrumental in bringing about that accord. An imperfect treaty, to be sure; but the peace between those two countries has lasted ever since. In turn, the peace accord between Israel and Egypt made it possible for there eventually to be a similar peace between Israel and Jordan; and that peace, too, has lasted. As bad as the Middle East has remained, taking warfare with/by Egypt and Jordan out of the mix is nothing to sneeze at. Say what one may about Carter as President, but that was certainly a tremendous accomplishment which, at that time, many people would have thought inconceivable. Carter does deserve some credit for that. I think Sadat is the real reason that it happened, and that it would have happened with any president. 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

Substantial? Like how Carter went on his own to N. Korea and negotiated an agreement and then announced it to the world. Too bad Carter had done it all on his own, and that Clinton felt obliged to not tell a former president of his own party to go to hell. Clinton was rightly furious at Carter for taking foreign policy into his own hands against the wishes of the president. And don't forget that the agreement turned out to be another instance of N. Korea gets benefits with no change at all on their part. Yes, what a great guy Carter is! 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! Many countries figured out that R/W/B go very well together. 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

And one reason not to love it, at least in SA... http://funnyism.com/iphone/9095 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 can always just not collapse the slider. It isn't that big of a sail, but it is something. Oh yes, and a non-collapsible pilot chute would also help - more sail area exposed. 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

Thanks for the explanations. Watching the Slovaki/Italy game, the action was hot right up close to the goal, then a score was disallowed because of offsides. Seriously now, everyone was battling it out right up close but the offsides requirements still apply. That doesn't make sense to me. 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

The more I watch, the more I dislike the rule. It seems to me that once you get past a certain point in the field, that all passes should be allowed. I don't understand why it is needed to have offside possible even when the action is so close to the goal. Doesn't it make sense that it limits the action? 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 suppose there are more scenarios than I figured. Sure wouldn't want to have to be a ref and make calls on this rule. Very tough thing to judge. 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

Woohoo! Back in the air again this weekend! A couple years ago I had to sell my Infinity, a very sad day thing indeed. However, I have returned! Behold the 2nd iteration of the best color scheme ever implemented on a rig from the Great Northwest! Perhaps I'll see my original model someday. 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? Yes, even my son-in-law, a big time soccer guy around here, said that the defense can dog it a bit and make it look like they couldn't keep up, when in reality they just preferred to have offside called. Seems like he also doesn't understand the rule. In soccer, on/offside is determined at the instant the player kicking the ball strikes it. An attacker must have at least two defenders between him and the goal at the point that the ball is struck. Thereafter the attacker can go where he wants. The defenders don't have to 'keep up' with anyone, because on/offside was already determined when the ball was struck. I think he understands the rule correctly. As I said in my earlier post, if the 2nd closest defender slows at the right time, then the offensive player might not realize he has slowed and pass (and be offside). If the offensive player realizes that only one defender is in front of him, then he can't pass to a teammate that is further up, thereby limiting breakaways. If my understanding/interpretation is wrong, of course let me know. Perhaps it is difficult for long-time soccer fans to see how it might seem limiting to someone that hasn't been around it before. 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've seen offside prevent breakaways in hockey. The mechanism of this is not that much different to what I believe you're talking about in soccer. The only difference between the offside rule in ice hockey and the offside rule in soccer is that ice hockey has a static blue line painted under the ice. In soccer, the line is defined by either the half-way line, or the position of the defender second closest to the goal line they're defending - whichever is closest to the goal line. Either way, as an attacker, you cannot cross that line ahead of the puck/ball and take part in the resulting play or it's offside. The blue line in hockey is static, clearly marked, therefore relatively easy to judge, the opposite is true for soccer, so bad calls whether intentional or not are much more likely. The effect of having the offside line defined by the position of defenders is that it reduces breakaways - passes to another offensive player that is ahead of defenders. I think it makes more sense to define the offside threshold by a fixed point than by the defenders themselves. The 2nd closest defender, if he slows at the right time (just before a pass to a further up offensive player), will force an offside call. Anyway, this world cup is the first time I realized how offside is defined and I think it limits the action. 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? Yes, even my step-son, a big time soccer guy around here, said that the defense can dog it a bit and make it look like they couldn't keep up, when in reality they just preferred to have offside called. 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