rigging65

It's not that I don't want you to learn or experiment, man. I would just hate to see you get hurt as a result. If it interests you, start hanging around your rigger and picking up some tips/tricks/skills! "...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..."

IMO, and only IMO, the Coach program's primary goal is to get people into the Instructor (or pre-Instructor) pool. We're becoming desperately deficient of up-and-coming belly flyers (at least in our area). Freefly is a less emotionally strenuous way to learn how to skydive (ie- you don't have to lurk loads, ask for help, etc). It seems that the newer generations just can't see spending their time lurking and learning when they could be trying to get on their head without asking for too much help. Everyone knows it takes longer to learn to freefly, so you can make more jumps between that painful task of talking to others about how to get better. Personally, being a child of the belly world, I blame us for that. Mentoring has gone away in many places because "Those damn kids don't want to listen" or "Those damn old timers move too slow and won't let me get on the good stuff"...take your pick. Freeflying gets all the media hype (and usually for good reason) and all the "cool guys" want to learn freefly...unfortunately, that means many of them lack belly skills. We have a couple of very good freeflyers (National Level Competition jumpers....with a couple thousand jumps apiece) that had to do about 50 "warm-up" jumps before they were in control on their bellies enough to go on the July 4th demo. We were building a round... Since it's our younger generation that grows up to be Instructors, the Coach program is a way to entice those budding freeflyers to spend some more time on their bellies and learn the skills to (hopefully) someday move into the Instructor ranks. New students benefit from jumping with Coaches by meeting other people, getting different points of view, etc...but I think the real benefit to the Coach program is to grow new Instructors. It's either that, or we go back to Static-line when we retire the last of the AFF/Is. "...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've got your own bartacker and aren't a rigger I might wonder what you're doing with it but... anyone can do anything they want to their own main risers (not that it's necessarily intelligent to). They're not part of the TSOd system, so play with them as you feel safe to do so. If you're not using a bartacker machine, I would suggest you use a doubled 3 or 4 point or a doubled box-X in E-thread or larger. If you don't know what this means I might suggest finding someone else to do the work for you. It'd be a real bummer to have one of those puppies let go in the midst of a hooky-hook. "...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's true, and I know at least one I/E that is a total waste of space and teaches very poorly as well. Considering he had to be an "I" first, one would think he would have either gotten over that or wouldn't have been able to become an I/E. The point is, to get your rating you are passing a minimum competency level. If a given DZ doesn't feel that this level is high enough to meet their level of comfort, than they may require more out of their Coaches/Instructors/I/Es than what USPA does. I'm a Coach Course Director at our DZ, and there are several Coach Candidates that have demonstrated above the minimum level of competency needed to get their Coach rating, and they did end up earning it...but they will not be employed by our DZ until they have shown better air skills, better ground teaching skills and more maturity...something we offer to help specific individuals with by letting them shadow other Instructors. BTW, I have nothing to do with whether or not they are hired as Coaches at the DZ, I'm not even consulted about it. How they act/teach in front of Mgmnt. is what determines if they work here or not. Do you think a NASCAR team would let a 16 year old drive for them just because he has a license? Probably not...unless he could prove his stuff...but he wouldn't be proving it to them in their race car. So many people want to grow up so fast these days, just slow down, enjoy the ride, and learn a bit more as you go...you'll get there in due time! Just because you meet the minimums doesn't mean you're what a DZ is looking for. "...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 that the idea behind who can teach what on the card falls into a "who's best qualified" selection. i.e.- a Rigger is the best person to discuss/teach anything having to do with gear...not the only person qualified for sure, but certainly the best...and given the minimum requirements to be a coach... Let's just say, there are a lot of 100 jump wonders out there that have packed a main only a half-dozen times. How does that qualify them to explain anything to do with rigging? Yes, Coaches can teach ground portions of the FJC, but they are supposed to be under the supervision of an Instructor. IMO, it all boils down to the following: Instructors teach students how to save their lives in a basic sense (to include gear checks and some gear maint.). After they are sure that's going to happen, then Coaches can step in and help them learn other skills. This is how our program is set up, and it's worked very well. We also don't let just anyone with a Coach rating do coach-level jumps. We take it upon ourselves to make sure that the Coaches we use are thinking along the same lines as the way our program is designed. It's not that they don't have the necessary skills, but we want people who teach the way we want our program taught. "...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 it was in your basement, odds are there is probably some funky stuff in the water (oils, fuels, etc.). I would recommend rinsing the contaminated areas thoroughly with clean water, then just hang it in front of a fan and let it dry. Water isn't great for rigs, but it's certainly not going to destroy them...petroleum products on the other hand... As was already said, if the reserve section got at all wet, you'll want to dump the reserve and get the AAD out of it right away... "...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 guess it depends on how much cable was out there. If it had kinked, it could certainly have caused a problem...but it most likely wouldn't have kinked. The cable and polymer compound that coats it are pretty flexible. That becomes important when it comes to things kinking. Good catch 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..."

JP's right, but there are older pins out there that are actually bent and welded. Pretty much anything that looks "normal" in today's skydiving (as far as main pins are concerned) are stamped and polished 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..."

Why not just have your rigger throw a few bartacks into your risers across some Ty IV tape and be done with it? If you never use them again it's not like they're in the way or anything... "...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 my $.02, but... We teach to steer the front canopy of a bi-plane using the rear risers only (gentle, small inputs...and only when absolutely necessary) As for side-by-sides, we teach to steer with the outboard most rear riser on each side. That means, you'll steer with the right, rear riser of the right hand canopy and the left, rear riser of the left canopy. Again, using small, gentle inputs and only when necessary. This method seems a bit easier to grasp than figuring out which canopy is larger, dominant, faster, prettier...whatever...especially when teaching students. It's served us well over the years! "...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..."

Most of the larger jumpsuit mfgs. will build in whatever fabric you want. I can't speak for all of them but Flite Suit Company builds in Camo all the time...as well as Nomex, acrylic (although this really isn't a great material) and just about anything else a customer wants us to get for them or sends us. Be aware: No Mfg. is going to guarantee the life-span of the suit if it's built out of a material that the mfg. doesn't normally stock. They haven't been able to research and test 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..."

The watered down version is that a throw-out (or throw-away) uses the pilot chute, which you deploy, to pull the pin and open the container up. In a pull-out system, you physically pull the pin and open the container, then deploy the pilot chute (which lives securely inside the container on top of the bag). The main difference is that it's either you or your pilot chute opening the container. I like the pull-out system because it's much more difficult (although not impossible) to have a p/c in tow or a horseshoe. Only about 10-15% of skydivers use the pull-out because it has a bad history (due to bad designs that have since been cleaned up)...which lead to most everyone using a throw-out because "that's what everyone else uses". "...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 like on a pull-out ...all you silly people with your throw-aways "...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..."

My guess is that it's getting caught in the springs of the p/c and getting holes put in it from metal-material-metal contact. Could also be metal-material-paddle wear that could come during packing... "...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..."

IMO PROS 1) Can't pack an uncocked p/c. CONS 1) They're more complicated to build and maintain. 2) Can't seat pin as deeply (as bridle gets in the way). 3) Bridle wears out sooner. I think there are more CONS to the system, but it's always been a very cool design and has a great safety advantage. Since most of the CONS for the system base themselves around maintenance, you had better be the type of person that really keeps track of your gear and maintains it...not just someone who says they inspect their stuff. "...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 suppose you could make an argument either way with this one. On one hand, on a throw-out you've got a handle sitting out in the wind that could get knocked around. The BOC mouth could wear out and allow it to slip out. Without good bridle protection, a bridle can get in the air and pull the pin causing a horseshoe. There are also a few other things that could go wrong. On the other hand, you've got a relatively huge snag factor with a D-handle....and a pillow might roll under the harness. With the reserve loop being under pressure (and the pin being smaller in diameter) you're more likely to bend the pin or break the loop with an impact...etc. You also have to replace lost ripcords, worn out springs, etc. I guess I'd agree with you, there are probably more chances for a prmi with a throwout than with a spring loaded system. I'm not sure which one is more high-maintenance though (I know that wasn't your question, but I think it's worth considering). "...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..."

Come on man, you can get people to pay for anything if you put the right label on it...how much did you pay for those Nike kicks? "...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 couldn't agree more...but you've got to show me some reasons to change something that's working fine first... "...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..."

Let's not forget that ZP has a tendency to shatter (tear a long, long ways) as opposed to F1-11 which has usable ripstop blocks to stop the tear before it gets to far along. ZPs biggest asset is that it doesn't wear out like F1-11 does...not really an issue with your reserve (at least we hope not ). I'd say the biggest reason is simply that that's the way they've been built for a long time, and there isn't an advantage to changing that. Change for the sake of change isn't usually a good thing... "...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..."

Correct, the last grommet should not touch the others. You'll also find this on some older Vectors as well as a few other rigs... "...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..."

Grommets don't have to meet in order for them to be correct. In fact, certain rigs are cut such that the grommets don't meet when properly packed. If you have questions, contact the Mfg. and let them explain things for you! "...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..."

Not that I'm disagreeing with you at all about the comfort of the leg pads/straps on the Infinity...but that comfort has more to do with how the harness is built than the leg pads. The harness is cut lower than most, thus when you're under canopy is keeps you "sitting" in the "saddle" as opposed to be "hung" in the harness. It's about geometry, and it works! Yet another reason I really like the Infinity....

While I agree with what most folks have said here, we all need to keep in mind one huge benefit that Spring Loaded P/Cs have over throw outs-- They are remotely activated. That's the reason they remained on Student gear for so long, and that's the reason they're in your reserve systems. Once you pull that handle, you're done...it's all on the system now. There is no way to "hang onto" the pilot chute and keep it from functioning. When we transitioned our Student Gear away from ripcords and into throw-outs, our greatest fear was that students already in the system would do what they'd always done and hold onto the main deployment handle...unfortunately, it would now be attached to the pilot chute. All the instructors sat around and discussed how we would get the students white-knuckled hands opened and get that P/C into the air.As it turned out, with all the extra ground training we gave them, this really wasn't an issue... Yes, Spring Loaded P/Cs have their problems, but they take one important failure point out of the loop (once the handle is pulled)...the jumper. "...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..."

Simply find an aftermarket BOC pouch and tack it onto a web belt. Pretty easy. "...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..."

We anchor the break lines to a D-line, but we still experience line-over type damage once in a while. We do PRO-pack, and I think there's a lot of line movement when the packers lay the bundle down on the ground...it's just a lot of canopy to move and keep everything in order. They go back in and clean it up, but I still don't think it's as clean as it could be (say, on a smaller canopy). When we started rubberbanding the break lines, there was a noticeable reduction in "loose flapping lines" seen in videos...so I'd say overall it's working well for us. FWIW: We also have shortlined our canopies by 24 inches. We had problems with unrecoverable line twists early on, and the shortlining fixed 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..."