rigging65

Like I said man, no rig is bullet proof. Some are better than others, but so much of it depends on how you're stuffing the rig (under, over, whatever). I'll give you this; The newer main flaps are better than the older ones! "...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..."

What year? Based on what you've said, we'd probably sell it for about $1000, less if it's never had a re-line (it's due for one now). "...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..."

Ummm...actually, I have. In fact, we've got two of them on our DZ that come open pretty often. No rig is bullet proof, it's just the way it 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..."

Same size as a throw-out p/c (although you can go an inch or two smaller, as you don't need the drag to pull the pin). "...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..."

As much as people bitch about gear costs, do you really think they'll be willing to pay even more for a super reinforced pin?? I don't think so. Complacency will regain control here shortly, and people will be back to complaining that prices are too high. Not that it's skydiving related, but this just shows how stupid apathy/complacency is.... A recent tax bill just got defeated here. It would add $11 a year to your total property taxes. The money was to go to construction and staffing for a new Fire Station. All the studies that have been done show that the town REALLY needs another one, but with all the new taxes and fees Californians are being stuck with, $11 more was just too much. Nearly 70% of the population couldn't see spending another $11 to reduce fire response times by almost half. They're complacent, because they don't need the services every day... Skydivers were complacent about ripcords...until they got scared. So the question is, will we become complacent again, or will be foot the extra bill to make our gear better....? No one has died because of this scare. No one has lost a friend or loved one because of this. We weren't bitten, just scared...and you can quickly recover from being scared... ...My guess is we'll fall back into being complacent once this is sorted out. Money will be tight, and jump tickets are a more attractive place to spend your $$. Just my $.02, for what it's worth. "...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..."

Ya know, I've heard of quite a few pins bending, but on at least a handful of them, the test wasn't being doneto spec. If you don't get all the bits (loop, pull up cord, etc) in just the right place, you really risk putting too much lever arm into the test and bending the pin. Just be careful! "...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..."

Maybe because the internal riser protection on the Infinity is superior to the Vector (and better looking IMO), the harness is more comfortable and it's less expensive? "...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..."

Infinity...all the way. More rigger friendly, better riser protection, cleaner lines. "...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..."

You should be able to get a copy of the SB from Capewell (or someone on DZ.com). It's called CW03-01. Essentially, it requires one of two methods of testing. The first allows the rig to stay closed and pinned, the second if for loose ripcords or for rigs which you can't get the test done due to pin placement (S-class Reflex and Racers, mostly). We're using the first of the two methods here in the shop....and basically testing everyone. Perris Valley is requiring everyone to be tested and is charging $5 for the paperwork and time. We'll most likely be doing exactly the same thing. The nutshell version of the First test (where the rig stays pinned) is to larkshead a pullup cord around the body of the pin, and with the Blade of the pin properly positioned (Shoulder is 3/16" from the loop), you apply 15 lbs of pressure to the pullup cord (at 90 degrees to the long axis of the pin...that is, straight up) for 3 seconds. Then you rotate the pin 90 degrees around the long axis and do the test again. Continue this until all four sides are tested. The SB says you should mark each face of the Body of the pin so that you know which sides have been tested. You're supposed to check for visible deformity or any bending during each pull test. Inspection should be made without magnification, but the ripcord comes out of service if any bending is present. For the complete process (and for info ont he Second type of test) get a copy of the SB. "...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..."

Only TSO'd components fall under that sort of restriction. Main pilot chute assemblies can be swapped around as a properly certified technician see fit. "...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 got this from SkyDance SkyDiving, and thought I'd pass the info along: _________________________________ SkyDance Summer Fun Specials Up-jumper tickets - $16 to altitude, everyday. 18,000 ft. skydives on Thursdays, and first loads Saurdays and Sundays! SkyDance hosted BBQs on Wednesdays after sunset, DZ supplied Pizza on Friday nights. Check out the summer fun at www.skydance.net! ________________________________ "...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 used to be the ONLY way you learned once you were off student status. You were taken under the wing by someone and they showed you the ropes and explained DZ life to you. Alas, as the old school has died away and made way for the new generations, so has the mentoring died away in many places. Ours went away because the new jumpers didn't have the patients to sit still and learn. They just wanted to GO GO GO! Freeflying was at the point where you could spend a lot of time jumping on your own without having to be social with a new group of more experienced people...something which seems to be hard for younger jumpers. Heaven forbid you look like a newbie for a while as you're learning! That wouldn't be cool! The more experienced jumpers offered, but were turned down. This happened enough that most of them just threw in the towel and let folks go their own way and try to learn as they went...it didn't (doesn't) work too well. But at least new jumpers aren't forced to be meet anyone more experienced than they are until they're ready to now! "...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 the key for most people is whether you're actually reading the alti, or just looking at it. If you read it (which I don't think most people do) then you're going to do fine with a digital. IMO, most people just look at their alti. without taking the time to actually read it. If you do this, an analog face (that happens to be the exact same as the familiar clock face) is easier to get the information out of quickly. "...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 shorter riser moves the guide ring closer to you, effectively reducing the amount of flare you get...not increasing 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..."

I can tell you from personal experience that cross bracing really doesn't do much for you until you get loaded up closer to 1.8 or more. I fly at about 2.1 and love my Xaos, but under that loading I'd rather jump a Stiletto or my old Crossfire 1. IMO, if you're under about 1.9 or so, you're just paying more and getting a fatter packing canopy if you're jumping X-braced. You've got to load them up for them to optimize! "...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..."

They've changed names a couple of times and are now called Peersers. They hold up well and people seem to like their fit. We just ordered about 30 more pairs! "...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 what everyone needs to remember here is that repack rates are going to change greatly depending on what region of the country you're in, just like other service oriented pricing does. You don't find the same rates in every city for a mechanic that works on your car, so why would you expect to find the same rates for a rigger? California and Florida are going to be more expensive, the Mid-West is going to be cheaper. It's just the way it is. Of course, cheap or expensive is all based on what your frame of reference is. Northern California is a bit cheaper than Southern California, but both are much more expensive than other places...well, it's more expensive to live in California than anywhere else, so it follows that it's more expensive to have work done. Prices are set based on market VALUE, and your market is where you live/work/jump, so it doesn't matter what the rates are elsewhere because you really can't compare prices from loft to loft when those lofts aren't in the same geographic region. It's all about the market...you're not getting ripped off unless what you're paying is grossly different from what the three guys next door are charging. And if you're rigger is the only one for 100 miles, well, he's got you cornered, doesn't he? I've heard this argument a hundred times from people moving into the area from out of state. It costs what it costs, sorry. If you think you're paying too much for your repacks, sack up and get your own rigger's ticket, then you won't have to pay anything at repack time! "...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..."

It's not a matter of if the other Mfgs. catch on, they already all know about the Skyhook. It's just a question of how much RWS is going to sell the rights to use the Skyhook for...or if they'll sell it at all...and what changes they might impose on RSL designs for rigs that want to use the Skyhook system. Bill's a very generous guy, but he's not giving anything away for free. This is a business after 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..."

Spinning your rings that often is bad juju as well. Oil from your fingers adheres to your rings, which attracts dirt, which damages webbing. Spinning them once a weekend (or after slamming it around...bad skydiver!) is sufficient to make sure you're not "bending" your rings. "...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, but the newer styles have a leg vent in them that helps reduce that by adding a jet of air through the middle of the burble to help make sure your p/c gets out... A spring loaded pull-out...wow...I wonder how that'd work... "...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'd say it's pretty doubtful that it's happening during the initial throw out, as you'd more than likely see some major burn marks from the kill line on the bridle if it were killing itself through a knot. I suppose it could be happening during canopy inflation, as there is a bunch of tension taken off the p/c and bridle at that point... I've seen bridles do this while the jumper was under canopy, twice. In both cases I saw first hand (we were bumping around with each other under canopy), the p/c wasn't totally uncocked. There was enough drag generated to cause the envelope to bounce around and hitch itself into the bridle. I don't see any reason why this couldn't result in a knot as opposed to a half-hitch, but I've not personally seen this happen. I guess the end-all to this line, is that it's most likely happening after the p/c has done it's job, so it's probably not much of a threat...just an annoyance. "...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..."

As long as you have a competent Master Rigger around to work with, and s/he's willing to do stuff like relines from scratch, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to go with an orphaned piece of equipment. I think the only major concern I'd have going in to the deal is finding line specs for the canopy. I'd do this first, before you buy it. With the specs, you can build a new lineset...something you'll need before too long anyway. Other than that, it's just patch and repair for the material portion of the wing...no biggie there. "...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 Tempo has a smaller than average pack volume per it's size, and the J1 is bigger than most people give it credit for. If you pack cleanly and it fits, well then...it fits. Yes, it's outside the ideal canopy sizing for the rig, but I don't think you'll run into much in the way of problems with it. I haven't. "...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, there are quite a few guys out there jumping pull-outs on wingsuits and having no problem what so ever with them. I'm aware of what Birdman, Inc. says about that (as are they) but it's working out just fine for them... "...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..."

Your safety stow does stretch, but since it routes all the way through to the other side, it's being "tightened" as the other side stretches (and vice versa). This would be as opposed to a rubberband that is anchored on one side, so as it stretches, nothing is trying to keep it "tight" other than it's own elasticity. There are pros and cons to everything, but I'm sure if you contacted Jump Shack, they could give you their side of why they're recommending rubberbands while everyone other Mfg. is not. As for loose safety stows; They're bad juju. As with all line stows, your locking stows on your freebag should be nicely snug (see Poynter's for a definition of "snug" ). "...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..."