ZigZagMarquis

Didn't feel it important enough for me to call and bug them... just currious and thought maybe some of the Taft Locals might want to post and say if they knew. You're probably right though... less fuel, maybe a couple few jumpers until they comply with the AD.

I've jumped the one over at Taft a couple of times and I may be remembering wrong... but I want to say that with the right seat out, they said could put 16 Jumpers + Pilot on board??? The bird (Tafts's PAC) certainly got up there at a respectable rate and it was a good jump platform and all, looked to be well operated, good DZ, etc... but it wasn't this, "Oh my Gawd, the G-Forces are Killing Me"... "Climbs like a raped-Ape", hype I heard before getting on it... maybe that's just me. Anyway... if given the choice... "Super Otter w/ big motors" or "PAC750"... I'll take the Super Otter for twelve five please Alex... but if given the choice... "PAC750 or Cessna 206C"... I'll take the PAC... in the end, they're all just elevators really...

According to the search I did on the FAAs website... there are 5 PAC's operating in the US. Looks like 1 (or 2 ?) at Davis and then Mark-Mark's at Taft and then a couple of other's around the US... http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/mmsinqSQL.asp?mmstxt=05617YD ... although, I'd take some of that with a grain... as the search engine on the FAA's web-site seems to be a bit finiky...

... bump...

I was taught early on in my skydiving career to never try to stand-up a bag-lock...

BEER!!!! I mean... good on ya... BEER!!! ... but seriously.... BEER!!!!! Okay, where's the .... BEER!!!!????!!! Really, BEER!!! okay, okay.... BEER

JumpJunkie, Sorry to hear that you bent yourself and I hope you heal up just fine... welcome to the broken bones club... Also, Thanks for posting and, if I may, I'd like to say "good on you" for taking responsibility for what happened and not blaming things on others, gear, the earth rotated, etc. Again, I hope you heal up good as new.

Lots of pilots and aircrew members on various types of aircraft during WWI, WWII, Korean, Vietnam, etc. learned to jump after having their aircraft shot out from under them leaned freefall and canopy piloting the hard way...

*cough* ...but basically it boils down to YOU have to have confidence in what's on YOUR back when YOU jump, so, if YOU'RE not feeling confident in YOUR Reserve repack... take it to YOUR normal rigger... Riddler, its all well and good to post such things like this as you have here on DZ.COM. It stimulates conversation and an exchange of information; knowlege and thought is very important in skydiving. The more you know and think (and never think you know it all), the more likely it could save your life of a freind's life some day. From just the info you've provided here, I'm cannot (and really don't want to) say one way or another whether you should trust this pack-job... it could be perfectly fine even given the "appearances" you've gined up miss-trust over, or none of those appearances could have been present and the pack-job could have an error not visable once the container is closed, the possibilities are endless... Like I tried to say... my bad if it wasn't clear... sounds like the guy may have gotten some extra money out of you over the main inspection... first it sounded like you said it was $10, now $30, or is it you're not happy for with what you got for your $30? Discuss that with him or write it off and learn from it, your choice. As for the do over on the Capwell pin test... again, they guy either got you for some extra money for some extra work, or maybe he's confused as to AD (i.e. once its done, its done); who knows for sure. Sounds like there was enough documentation to show the CW test was done and, either he missed it, did it and still wants to be paid for it is all I'm saying; that's one of the possiblities, I'm sure there are many many more. Remember, riggers are people too... I've known a Rigger/Person or two who are flat out dicks, wouldn't cross the road to piss on em if they were on fire, but I've watched them pack and they pack a really nice Reserve that I wouldn't have a problem having on my back... ...but in the end here, whether or not you're going to trust this real or theoretical reserve repack comes down to YOU making up YOUR MIND. Good luck.

Riddler... its many questions, like yours, that motivated me to get my rigger's ticket a few years back. Anyway... my 2 cents on your ????'s 1. When I went through rigger training I was told about sewing the old card to the new, but as I recall it was a good idea, not mandatory and frankly, I've never seen it done. However, aside, as I also recall, the Reserve packing data card goes with the RESERVE, not the Rig. 2. Regarding the CW03-01 "re-test"... hmmm... sounds like maybe he got ahead of himself, went and did it, figuring he'd get another $10 and when you called him on it, he didn't want to fess-up. 3. As for the $10 to sraighten out the lines on your main... can you provide a bit more info? Did you ask the rigger to inspect your main after the cut-away? If "yes", then its fair for him to charge for it if he so chooses to. Now if he didn't say up front that he was going to charge for a main inspection that you may have asked for, that's a bit sneaky on his part and also even though some other riggers may do it for free doesn't mean that the next rigger has to do it for free. You may just want to chalk this one off to experience as to things to ask the next time even if its a different rigger. Kind-of the same thing, if you didn't ask for a main inspection and he did it and now wants to charge you... well, you can tell him "no" and just pay him for the rest, but kind of like you don't piss off a waiter before you get your food, make sure you've got your rig in had first... or you can just pay it and, again, chalk it off to experience... or talk it out wiht him, your choice. Also, I understand y'all may wanting a rigger to look at your main after a cut-away, but at the same time, I'd encourage you to learn how to give your own main the "once over" and how to straighten it out and such... the more you know about your gear, the better you'll be. Anyway, to answer your question... "would you trust this rigger"... to be honest, the only thing I find a bit sketchy based on the info you provided is #2, the CW03-01 re-test... #1, whether the old reserve card is or isn't sewed to the new card certainly isn't going to affect the Reserve pack-job one way or the other... #3, eh, depending on whether you did or didn't ask him to inspect your main, sounds like he may or may have not just gotten you for an extra $10 fairly or unfairly, again, won't affect the Reserve pack-job. Not really a "Yes" or "No" answer, I'll admit, but basically it boils down to YOU have to have confidence in what's on your back when you jump, so, if you're not feeling confident in your Reserve repack... take it to your normal rigger... if this story / question is based on actual events and not a "what if".

Any word how they're handling this at Taft??

3 Times: 1st Time... 20th Jump... PD230...Line-Over Malfunction 2nd Time... 1700ish Jump... Sabre-170...Spinning Ball of Sh*t (SBOS) Malfunction 3rd Time... 2800ish Jump...Sabre2-170...Tension Knots

Don't lump engineers in with mathamaticians! ... and they still don't let me drive the trains...

I've always used the Flex-Z goggles that Gravity-G suggests. I've never gotten around to investing in a perscription pair of goggles, but that seems like a good idea too if your perscription isn't really strong.

If y'all want to listen to music on the ride to altitude, I think that's just fine... but as so long as you only listen to music done by artists killed in aircraft crashes... Lynyrd Skynryd, Buddy Holly, Jim Crochie, John Denver, etc.

Dropped an Otter load through some industrial haze and came out the bottom about two miles off the DZ... and to this day I still take crap from the then DZO ... who followed me out of the airplane later in the stick with an AFF student!

This is something I've wondered about too... in terms of "how compliant" with O2 requirements have past and future (planned) world record attempts been wiht the BSR, FARs (if the jump is in the USA) and just plain common sense. I hope I get this right... but as I recall, the rules on O2 go something like: Sea Level to 15,000ft MSL: Supplemental oxygen on board aircraft. Use above 10,000ft MSL, whenever elapsed time above 8,000ft MSL is expected to exceed 30 minutes. 15,000ft MSL to 20,000ft MSL: Use supplemental oxygen on board aircraft above 8,000ft MSL until exit. A Constant Flow O2 Mask and Continuous Flow O2 source is required on board the aircraft. A bail-out bottle is not required for freefall. A Phisological Flight Training course is recommended. 20,000ft MSL to 33,000ft MSL: I get a little sketchy on the rules here... but a Diluter Demand Mask & Diluter Demand on board O2 source is required... hopefully someone can explain that... and, the big foot stoper, a bailout bottle is requred for freefall... i.e. you switch from the on board O2 source to a bailout bottle for O2 supply in freefall. Phisological Flight Training is recommended as is a training jump with full O2 gear in freefall from below 15,000ft MSL. 33,000ft MSL and above: You get into the zone of Positive Presure breathign systems Presure Suits (above 40K)... etc. IMO, sport jumps from this altitude are unlikely. Anyway... my point... I'd like to know if a world record attempt is really going to be made from 25,000ft, will all the participants be on masks and bailout bottles or not? Training jump from below 15K with all O2 equipment first? Also, now I know what a lot of people do, but sounds like just "sucking on a tube" when you get above 15K, but below 20K, isn't quite right? I wish I would have learned more when they were doing High Altitude jumps at Apple Valley Skydive years ago. Anyway... another point... one of my buddies always brings up on this topic is that "back in the day" supposedly there was a 60 second working time limit on big-way world records... ?

I charge $50 for a Reserve I&R. Included in that, for no additional "labor" charge, I'll do additional things like install a new cypress loop, R&R batteries (customer pays for the new battereies) or send a cypress off for a 4 or 8 year check (customer pays for shipping and the cost of the check-up). Some riggers / lofts will do what I think is "nickel and dime" their customers on such things... e.g. an extra charge $$$ for a new loop, battery installation fee on top of the price of the new batts... etc. The house riggers at my local DZ also charge $50 for an I&R and I don't want to under cut them in their own house. Also, being an "independant rigger", I don't go out of my way to drum up business for myself while at the DZ, if someone asks me for a repack, I'll do it, but again, I don't want to be preceived as taking business away from the in house riggers at the DZ.

Brake Fire???? Might want to have an auto mechanic take a look at that...

... anyway... I've had one or both toggles come unstowed on opening on more then one occasion. I've never cut away simply because one or both toggles came unstowed, but could see if things went really bad after that... like the canopy spun up because of one unstowed toggle, that it could lead me or someone else to cut away and go for their reserve.

... twice!!

ZigZag hasn't seen them either. Of course the last time he came close he broke his ankle. Sparky SEE!!! Peas = DANGER!!! Stay the heck away from them!!!

I can see Sparky's point... which I think basically is that different chest strap configurations... rings / no-rings, properly adjusted / over-tight... can change the loads imparted on the MLW and Chest Strap... certainly the Chest Strap takes some loading during opening... however, I think (again, just my words), I think Mike is trying to point out that depending on how the rig is set-up that may change AND certain configurations may be putting more load on the chest strap then what you think. However, knowing what I know about rig construction and the materials and hardware used... whether it be a traditional harness... a harness with just hip rings... a harness with hip and chest rings... Type-8 vs. Type-17 chest strap... blah blah blah... it would seem obvious that these permutations of the system are so over designed, and this is a good thing, as to be very forgiving... notice I didn't say bullet proof, just very forgiving. As for keeper of the peace... I don't think so... if I had been witnessing this arguement between the two of you in person, I'd have long since offered to give you each a KBAR and lock you in a room to settle it... and knowing Mike, his plan on a knife fight usually involves bringing a gun..

Should have said it better Should have. Could have implies a certain capacity. Hey! This ain't English class....