rigging65

I highly doubt that. There have been a few cases on Rigging Innovation rigs (Talon II and Voodoo both) of a bridle hanging up on the bottom flap's corner when it was pushed too deeply (as it sounds like happened on your Voodoo), but I've never heard of it happening on a pin flap. For those not familiar with the problem on a Talon/Voodoo, the reason it hung up is that there was pressure from on top (that is, the side flap being closed over the bottom flap) which kept the bottom flap from flexing and letting the bridle go free. Since there is nothing clamping down on the pin protector flap, I'm not sure how you would hang up on it...it would simply flex and the bridle would slip loose. Of course, stranger things have happened... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

FYI: A Senior Rigger cannot replace your chest strap. It's a modification and therefore not within their scope of practice. It's got to be a Master Rigger (or the Mfg.). "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

I think an important part that is often missed by people with the best of intentions, is that people don't fall so easily into a "mold" (ie- you've got 30 jumps, so you can't fly anything but a square loaded at 1.0). We stereotype so that we have some sort of baseline to work off of in the event we encounter an unknown...and it most often serves us well. There are probably many, many young jumpers out there that could be tutored and coached and be flying moderately loaded, high performance canopies with only a few dozen jumps. Does that sentence make you cringe? Think about it. Some people are certainly more apt to pick up skills and performance standards faster than there neighbor is. There are new jumpers out there with their sh*t wired tight and a good head on their shoulders that can, with coaching, be very safe...regardless of what they fly. Do all of them get the coaching they need? Certainly not. Do some of them? Yes. Do you know which is which without asking??? Of course, we use our stereotype "molds" out of convenience...and because they serve us well most of the time. And, I think it would be criminal not to use those "molds" in the event that you are speaking to/with someone whom you have no prior relationship with, don't know the background or capabilities of, etc. Please note, I'm in now way endorsing smaller, faster canopies for new jumpers...I'm just pointing out that there are people out there that are capable of handling them. Was JC one of them? I don't know, I didn't know him when he was learning to skydive. It's totally possible that he was, and that someone held his hand through his transitions and he ended up flying a Stiletto earlier than one might be comfortable with as defined by the "mold". I think jumpers are getting smarter, and so you see a more conservative approach because we're able to put two and two together and see that canopies are killing people. But I think we're also seeing a time in skydiving where there is more technical data and more available training in our "problem" areas than ever before. With this in mind, the next time you think about flaming someone when you learn they've got 50 jumps and are flying at 1.3, think about it first. Maybe ask who their canopy mentor is, get some facts. If you don't think they've got the mentoring and support to be flying what they're flying, then maybe they are truly in need of a tune-up...after all, it might save their life...but if they've got a mentor who seems to be keeping track of them and their training, you might think twice before you light them up. We've had this occur at our DZ in the past (and currently) and the thing is, everyone has the young jumper's best interest at heart. It's simply a matter of understanding the capabilities and personality of the jumper in question. Not everything is as it appears...especially if you take the time to look deeper. You may not agree with it, but at least they're getting some training and trying to be intelligent about it, and that's certainly better than the alternative! Just some thoughts.... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Very nicely summarized. As I've mentioned before, I'm not so sure one handle type is so much "better" than another...it's much more an issue of "which types of dangers am I, personally, more likely to encounter?", and therefore, "what type of gear is more likely to increase my overall safety?" and "Am I comfortable with the tradeoffs that I'm making by choosing this particular type/piece of gear?" Once you work these out, then you can make a more informed decision about what type of gear you need. Gear selection is about stacking the odds in your favor. Making decisions based of the environment you're going to spend the majority of your time in is a good form a risk management. Of course, IMO, this is essential for all your gear decisions...regardless of what it is... but I'm funny that way "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Just a note- not all chest straps require the aforementioned "expensive" harness machine. Several just use bartacks (at least a bit less expensive) or even just straight stitching. Regardless, whomever does the work needs to have the appropriate machines, materials, experience and ratings to replace it, that's all! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Yes, but most all of skydiving history has been without the discipline of Freeflying. You see lots of harness gripping going on now, and that has lead to several premature reserve rides that I'm aware of (a few with very bad outcomes). There is also the even newer discipline of Hybrid dives now, which also rely quite heavily on harness grips. So even if you're not a freeeflyer, you could still find yourself in the position of getting "snagged" by another jumper within the course of a "normal" skydive. Again, I'm not saying that soft-pillows are the only way to go, but I think there are simply more snag hazards out there today than there were even 8 or ten years ago. And since the soft pillow is certainly less snag-prone than any type D-handle, one can put two and two together and get four easily enough. Again... many aspects of Freeflying and Hybrids present these risks. And since these are gaining a lot of popularity, they need to be considered...especially because they routinely result in speeds greater than those allowed by the Mfg., and a premi at these speeds can cause great injury, major canopy damage and even death. Add to that the "Exits will funnel, and newbies will grab haphazzardly at your gear during exits or docking" issues and I'd say you have several reasons to be concerned about snags in the current skydiving environment. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

I'm not saying I disagree with your statement, but what about this statement: "Do we really want to jump gear with a large snag hazard that, when snagged, results in a very rapid deployment without consideration for what body position we're in?" Just food for thought...there's always more than one way to skin the proverbial cat.... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Commonly referred to as a "chicken strip", by some... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Hmmm...shit happens?? Sorry, best I could do. Canopies often have their own unique temperament (even within the same model family). They're made by hand, so they're certainly not all identical, and this can lead to individual canopies having individual personalities. We all are, man, we all are.... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

If he's a good rigger, they should be well within tolerance. If you're concerned, just get the set from Atair and have someone install it. I'm pretty sure you'll get the set cheaper from the Mfg. than through a rigger...the Mfg. is set up with the proper jigs and such to build linesets, so it's cheaper for them to build the set than for someone who would be doing it as a "one of" project. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Hmmm...could be that it's a bit out of trim and leaving the breaks unstowed just magnifies the problem? I don't know the answer to that one...I do know that I've jump FX's, Xaos', Sabres, Falcons, Monarchs, Triathlons, and at least a couple more, and not stowing the breaks has always slowed it down for me! Could be canopy dependent though.... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

A good rigger/loft can install the set for you. As for building your own...it's kind of fun, but it takes some time, requires a long table (or floor space with something to tie off to), a sewing machine with 'E' thread and a zig-zag setting, buying the line type, getting the set specs., a finger trapping tool, etc... It's a good learning experience, but it's more work than it's worth, IMO, unless you've got the time and a real interest in it! I might suggest finding a rigger familiar with lineset replacement and ask if you can help/watch. It's worth seeing/understanding! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Ummmm....actually...you do. Try jumping without your breaks stowed. The openings are much longer. It takes more time to pressurize the canopy, since there is more volume to fill...among other things. As for using breaks in turbulence, the most important thing is to keep the wing level. Some say 1/2 breaks, others (PD) say it doesn't really matter. BUT, keeping the wing level and flying the canopy all the time is the most important thing you can do under canopy...regardless of the adverse conditions you're in. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

That is most interesting. I can't say I've ever seen information stating that the knot has the potential to slip. We've been using this knot in this loft for about 12 years and have not once had a problem with one coming loose, let alone untied. I wonder if it's because of the long tail left outside the knot? Perhaps it's because of the diameter of the cord? Maybe a larger diameter cord has more potential to untie? Ideas? I know there are several other lofts in the area that use the bowline commonly and they've not had any problems either (we're in contact all the time). It would be interesting to find out why there isn't a history of that knot failing in skydiving...it just doesn't seem to happen...but, based off the information you've presented, it would seem that the bowline ought to fail easily. Thanks for enlightening my day! Anyone else have experience with this...positive or negative? "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

First off, no one ever said that the tape caused degradation of the webbing. It's been posted again and again that it's the result of the mastic left behind (or under) the tape that causes problems. You haven't seen a problem on your gear? Great! But just as posting little tips here is a great thing, people need to be aware of the potential downsides of using these "tips". No one took you posting the use of tape as an attack. Those with more experience simply brought out their opinions that it's a bad idea, then listed their reasons. You're entitled to use whatever you want on your rig (providing it doesn't violate the TSO), but that doesn't make it smart. People read these posts for information...we just want to be sure they understand both sides of what you're saying. Secondly, since you weren't considerate enough to fill out your profile with numerical information, I can't compare your experiences to mine. Fine. But I'm not a youngster. I'm not an old man, like some of you but I'm certainly not a youngster (neither by age, nor experience). I won't lay out my credentials for you, as it seems it would probably be a waste. If you have questions I'll be happy to answer them, but try getting more information before you jump to conclusions. I have many years of rigging experience, in all different weather conditions, to back up my claims about tape use on rigs, what information do you have besides your own use of it? "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Been there, done that as well... We've been tying bowlines into Dacron and Spectra for many, many years and have never seen it slip. In fact, we use it because it has a history of not slipping. A locking knot is always a good idea, but the point of a bowline is that you can easily untie it, but it stays tight until you release it. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

No one's forcing you to listen. I only offer info from personal experience. I'm the lead Master Rigger for the largest sport loft in Northern California and manage a fledgling Rig Mfg. company...so I've seen plenty of people screw up their rigs. And tape is one of those things that screws up a rig. Dirt gets caught in it and damages the webbing, the residue ruins the color on the rig and can get spread to other people's rigs through contact. You wanna put sticky stuff all over your rig, go for it. It's all you, man! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

If you don't have finger-trapped loops on your breaklines (which you really shouldn't finish your breaklines with until you've personally stall checked your canopy in flight), the best knot to use is a bowline. It's easy to remove, and is strong as hell. If you're worried about the excess hanging out, just finger trap it up into the break line temporarily. The more "High Performance" the canopy, the more critical matching the line lengths to each other becomes. Of course, they should always be the same, but you're certainly going to notice the difference on a Xaos loaded at 2.2 more than on a Spectre loaded at 1.0. It's easy enough to make them perfect, so why settle for anything else, right? It's important to test the break lengths before you finish the lines...and the factory settings are usually close, but not perfect (people have different length arms, risers, etc.). The method we use is called the "4-second-stall". Basically, you completely flare the canopy (up high) and start counting. One-one thousand, two-one thousand.... You'd like the canopy to go into a full stall right after four-one thousand. This gives you 2 seconds of full flare to stop the canopy with, one more second to touch down, and one second of buffer (just in case). With your breaks tied off at factory settings, you might not be able to get the canopy to stall. So, take a two finger wrap on each breakline and try it again. If it's still not enough, take a full hand wrap and try again. Once you get the length sorted out KEEP THE WRAPS IN HAND and land the canopy. DON'T LET GO YET! If you throw a felt pen in your pocket before the jump, you can simply mark where the line comes out of your hand, and that gives you the finish point for your finger-trapped loop. Have your rigger finish your lines into a loop and away you go with your properly tuned breaks (testing it one more time after the lines have been finished is always a good idea as well )! This technique seems to work really well for most canopies, and is the same way I've tuned all my Stilettos, Crossfire and Xaos canopies. Some other things to watch for: Make sure you're flaring fully, all the way to arm extension. It's bad juju to intentionally tie your break lines off so they stall short of full extension, because if you (or someone borrowing your canopy) freaks out and stabs the breaks, they can stall out the canopy far too quickly. Also, your break lines shouldn't be set so short as to cause the tail of the canopy to be deflected....if your settings result in tail deflection during full flight, you've got a problem and should consult your rigger about it. Setting breaks to the proper length is one of the best things you can do to get max performance out of your wing, so take the time to do it right! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

There was a series of drop tests done about a year ago. I'm not at liberty to discuss details, but they were high speed, low altitude, heavy drops. I was very, very impressed. I'm sure Precision will release the info about the drop tests at some point...in fact, you may just need to ask them for it! Team Xaos also did some test jumps on them. Jeffro said they were pretty damn cool. You'd have to get more info from them about flight characteristics though... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Nylon likes needles and thread, not tape!!!! Tape is not for your rig!!!!! Stop using it!! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Actually, pretty much all the professional riggers I know can "feel" within a pound or two of what the scale reads on a pull test...so, yes, it is "ok"... If you do enough of anything, you develop a feel for it...we pack plenty of reserves to stay consistent. Of course, it's always good to double check yourself, which we do quite often...just to keep that edge. That's what it means to be a Professional... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

FWIW, I'm in the very advantageous position of being able to have most all the new toys on the market when they are released. That means I've had lots off cool toys over the years, and a couple of duds. I like my Neptune, and I like my Pro-Track. Both work as advertised and I think they're both a good buy. It comes down to options for me though. Personally, I think putting the Neptune in a helmet is a waste. It's got too many good "visual" options, and you can always throw a Pro-Dytter or (heaven forbid!) and original Dytter in your helmet if you want an audible. Both are going to have problems. I lost the computerized version of all my jumps, twice, because of crashes within the Pro-Track software (but I think there may have been a sending-receiving error in there somewhere as well). That was a big bummer not just because I lost the jumps, but I used to add notes into my entries as well...good thing I keep a hard log as well, huh? I don't have a bunch of jumps on the Neptune yet, but it's pretty sleek. I was never a fan of digital altis, especially the ones you had to turn on, but I like this one. Easy to read, easy to work with. Nice options (backlighting, flip, other features). I find it easy to read, even though I'm used to a clock face, and it's smaller than my other hand mounts. Plus, it's that pretty translucent blue Overall I think you'll see at least a few more of these type altimeters coming out in the next few years. IMO, It's the natural evolution. Is one better than the other (speaking of the Neptune and Pro-Track)? I think they both have merits, and are both good in their own rights. For my $.02, the Neptune is a better visual Alti than it is an audible. If it carries data well, then it might outclass the Pro-Track in the long run...but that's yet to be seen. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Me too...and usually you can do it by feel anyway. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Bullshit!!! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Like Derek said, it's just your perception. Since you're used to covering a certain amount of ground in your swoop given a certain amount of time, if you cover less ground in the same amount of time, your brain tells you that you must be descending faster than normal...when in actuality, it's just the head wind slowing your forward progress. Silly brain, trix are for kids! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."