ZigZagMarquis

Congrats on getting your own rig.

Show me the Math... or are you just speculating wildly? I don't believe you that this would be any worse then a terminal reserve hit.

Unless you're really good at head-down...

Ummm... not really. How is this much different then a terminal reserve ride? You don't think your reserve is going to blow-up if you have to use it terminal because of a hard-pull, total, etc., do you? Yes, the skyhook and main are going to drag your reserve out, by design, but remember... "free bag". I would like to hear Bill's take on it, but IMHO, this isn't an issue.

... better then the other way around... Anyway... 2" tubular nylon, like many have suggested works great... sew one end up, cut to apx length, fill, sew the other end up. I've made packing weights for when repacking reserves out of 2" tubular nylon and #7.5 shot, works great, but they do kinda come out "round" / "tubular" like if you really fill them. Most weight belts I've seen have weight pouches made of Cordura and are kinda sqaure or rectangular-ish and each pouch is 1 to 2 lbs. Some folks will have a two or three 2-pounders and then several 1-pounders so they can dial in what they want. I have a friend who used to wear almost 30 lbs of lead between a vest, belt and pockets in her rig. She's a small gal and was doing 4-way with 3 guys that where well over 200lbs out the door if they're an ounce. Anyway, good luck!

... used to have it... 8 screws and a plate to put back together a Tib / Fib Break at around 900-and some jumps ... had it taken out just short of 10 months after it went in...

Why?

Well... I realize that this is splitting hairs a bit... but the above FAR, as stated, doesn't say the the main, and one approved reserve have to be on the same approved single person harness and container. Thus, you could have yout "test" (read: not yet approved) ACME backpack parachute H/C on and a second, approved, under-harness with approved chest mount reserve... thus, if you were able to cut-away your "test" parachute from its "test" H/C system and deploy your approved chest mount reserve attatched to your approved (under) harness... you'd be "legal". Okay... now here comes my disclaimer... THROW A BIG SALT-LICK ON WHAT I JUST SAID... because, as I was recently "taught" in a seperate thread... there is a MOUNTAIN of additional documentation... AC's... handbooks for FAA Inspectors... guidelines for DPRE's... that numerous Master Riggers, FISDO's (sp?), FAA Inspectors, etc. cannot seem to agree upon that are heaped on top of the FARs to "help clear things up"... *sigh* ... so who knows if there is really a correct answer for this... in otherwords... I'll bet you could round-up a half dozen "experts" on this and come up with about a dozen opinions; more even depending on how much beer was consumed over the course of the conversation...

Dah! (I still say engineers work for the railroad) Sparky Railroad??? What Railroad!!?? Four years of college and sixteen years of workin' as an engineer and they still don't let me drive the trains!!! Anyway... was thinkin' they should call this thing the Stephen's Collin's Booth Lanyard

DOH! I knew that... Went to RWS's web site... Manuals... SkyHook Packing Instructions... a picture is worth a 1000 words... http://www.relativeworkshop.com/support_manuals.html

I heard this about the SkyHook... "While a normal RSL automatically pulls the reserve ripcord pin following a breakaway, the new RWS Skyhook RSL goes two steps further. It automatically releases the non-RSL riser in case the RSL riser was released prematurely (ensuring your reserve will not deploy with half your main still attached). " How do it know? How do it do that?

Well... one good thing about white reserves... UV damage shows up a lot better / is easier to see during inspection.

Mikey... didn't you learn anything from the Roadrunner Cartoons?? Never! Ever! Buy a parachute from ACME!

Or just put another patch overtop of it...

Dunno... depends on whether or not that patch is covering a hole or not..

You should understand it really soon. The Office of Enforcement and Compliance called me the last two days regarding the above.They are the ones that give out interpertations. Hopefully, there will be a written resolution to it all very soon! MEL *slaps forehead* I'll try this one more time and then I'm gonna bail on this discussion depending on what comes back... MEL... what do you mean by your last post? You narked me out to the FAA?? ... but seriously. When FAR 65.111 says that the next person to jump a Main Parachute may pack, maintain, or alter said parachute... how is it you believe doing by so a person would be a violation of the FARs as long as that same person is the only person to ever jump that main? If the FAA is trying to clarify this in some manner... that scares me... I wish they'd leave well enough alone before they muck it up anymore.

MEL... maybe we're saying the same thing... maybe we're not, but I am enjoying the converstation because I'm learning some things... however... you pointed at FAR Part 65.111... an excerpt I cut here: The way I take (3), above... (my words now) a jumper "may pack, maintain, or alter any main parachute" to their hearts desire as so long as they're the only person jumping it... and not be in violation of the FARs. Okay, maybe a bit if a nit, but still. I'm not disagreeing with you on what makes a repair a Major Repair... and will read more on AC 105-2C... but cannot see how a person is violating the FARs, if that (non-rigger) person making a Major repair on a MAIN is the ONLY person jumping that Main... as to the wisdom of doing so... that's a different story.

Okay, educate me please here MEL... what says what where that leads you to believe "anyone" can't sew a patch on a Main, R&R a line kit, etc... it has to be a rigger? ... if that's what you're saying? Traditionally, I've always believed that its riggers that do such work on Mains because its us that have the skills to do so... but I never thought there were actual regulations saying it had to be a rigger working on a Main like it has to be on a Reserve, Harness/Container.

Well... I was always told those things had to be done by a rigger. Kind of like some things being done on an aircraft have to be done by an aircraft mechanic and duely noted in the log-books... e.g. removing a normal door and replacing it with an in-flight door of an approved type on an aircraft certified for flight without the door installed. Well... I've done that myself... but before I got my riggers ticket... I always had a rigger look at it when I was done... that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

Well... is it then safe to say that Main Parachutes have very few regulations? As in... If I want to make a trip past the fabric store... hardware store... and then home to my sewing machine... sew myself up a main of my own making... put it on some risers... pack it up (myself) and then go jump it (myself)... within the next 120 days... I'm not busting any regulation on Mains. Anyway, I think that when folks think about "regulations" on parachutes, they think about TSO requirements and such that are placed on Reserves and Harness Container systems... which, Mains do not have to meet; ergo, not subject to those requlations.

Yeah, I'm sure my post made RiggerRob's day... Anyway, thanks for the information and my bad for not knowing you were the designer and original manufacturer of the Reflex.

Well... its kind of like if Hillary becomes President... Billy will be the "First Husband"... fortunately the former will never happen...

Seriously? A wind limit of 28 knots is 32 mph. The "or more" part could be anything above that? Your example of 16 knots (18.42 mph), gusting to 25 knots (29 mph) gives you a gust factor of 9 knots, or 10.36 mph. That 9 knots is 56% of your steady wind speed. You might as well not have any limits. . Skyberdyber... I can't speak for TomBuch... but what I got from your post and then his reply was that if your sustained wind limit is 28 knots, but why are you still willing to jump in conditions where gusts are approaching that... ?? ... its not like you can land between the gusts? Let me try something a little different... in my own words... I was once told, if you find yourself asking yourself if you want to jump in "marginal wind conditions", add 10mph to what the current conditions and gust are and then ask youreself the same question. Same thing, but again different words, there may be a flaw in your logic... if you're willing to jump in 28 knot winds... why are you willing to jump in winds less then that, but with gusts approaching that as so long as what you "preceive" the sustained wind-speed is below your "limit"? ... again, its not like you can land between the gusts. As for jumping in 28knot (32mph) winds... I would have long since pulled myself off of the manifest and been drinkin' a beer and watching the "drag races"... drag races as in seeing who gets drug under canopy the furthest on landing if anyone is still jumping in such condions.

Well.... excusse me Rob! I didn't recognize Mick as the designer / manufacturer of the Reflex.

Iteresting. I hadn't ever heard that angle on it, Mick. Where did that information come from or do you design rigs or work for a manufacturer? I still find it notable that the "wing-suit-mod" basically returns to old-school technology... guess it wasn't all that bad...