rigging65

Pros: Low profile, hard to snag. Tends to stay in place better than a D-handle (providing the velcro is in good shape). Cons: Low profile, hard to snag (when you really need to snag it). Can't hook your thumb through it (which makes it harder to snag...either a Pro or a Con, depending on how you look at it). Not as easily identified as a D-handle is. At the end of the day, you should really be mentally in the game enough not to need to see/feel the difference between a metal D-handle and a soft cutaway pillow...but...you might not be all that mentally in the game in certain situations (like after a canopy collision, after a mid-air, after being rammed into the door on exit, etc). And, your harness can shift radically during some spinning mals...so much so that your handles may move across your chest and be out of "position". So, you can argue it either way you want. For day-to-day, normal circumstances (even "normal" emergencies) IMO a soft reserve ripcord is better. There are, however, a very few, very rare occasions that I could certainly see the advantages to a D-handle. For me though, AND ONLY FOR ME, the day-to-day operations and emergencies are better served by a soft-reserve ripcord pillow. "...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. And that's a tough call to make. Do you put the student out under a canopy that is supposed to be their last chance, is going to open hard, etc. just because they might not find a handle in the event that they might have a reserve ride on that jump?? I guess it comes down to the AFF/I and the jump s/he's on. Sometimes the situation changes the argument. It can be a pain to do. You have to actively open up the pocket and seat the handle, something that really isn't all that easy...especially if the student isn't real stable. The couple of times I've put handles back in on fun jumps, there was one I simply couldn't get in. I alerted the jumper to the situation by getting her to look down at her MLW. After she nodded that she had seen it, I gave her a pull signal at about 6K and she dumped her main. When she got down she said she understood that I wanted her to dump high so she'd have time to find the handle if she needed too. Now, one other safety device that might help you out in this very odd situation is having an RSL. Not that I'm advocating relying on it, but (in the situation where a student's handle is out flailing) cutting away with an RSL attached would most likely get you the reserve deployment you wanted...in the unlikely event you needed it. Again, I'm not advocating this type of thinking, but sometimes, when you find yourself in a situation, you have to lean a bit more heavily on your resources than you'd like to. This also reinforces, to me, the idea of not putting the student's reserve out...gives him one more chance if he needs 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..."

That's it. If the handle wants to roll back in towards you, you rolled it the wrong way. Go back the neutral and twist the other 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..."

As an AFF/I, I think I've only ever put one handle back into place. I have, however, unrolled a bunch or cutaway pillows in freefall. This is mostly due to the "less than perfect" harness fit student gear tends to provide. One way to prevent this sort of thing from happening is to intentionally put a twist in the cables, such that the handle naturally wants to roll away from the body. This really helps keep the handle visible, where it should be. I've put a couple of D-rings back into place on fun jumps for people, but most of the time it was from jamming an 8-way base into the door and getting it a bit too cramped. As has been stated, this is the sort of thing a Soft Ripcord handle helps prevent. They do have their downsides too though, as does anything to which there is more than one acceptable option... "...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..."

Since quite a bit of this has already been covered, I'll just stress one point that I think is very important when packing. Specifically, keeping the lines in the middle of the packjob: Once you've (gently) put the canopy onto the ground and are starting to cocoon it, be sure you're only using the topskin section of the fabric laying in front of you to (again, gently) tighten your cocoon up. You can actually lift up the section of topskin right above your warning label, get it to separate from the rest of the pack job and use it as a "skin" to cover and tighten up the rest of your packjob. I've heard the idea of this taught as though you're making a sausage. The lines, flakes, canopy material is the stuffing, and the topskin portion above the warning label is your wrapper. Try to use only the wrapper to wrap the sausage, thus keeping the insides as you left 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..."

If you're looking for your first rig, you might want to consider being open to other rigs. Not that there's anything wrong with wanting what you want, but there's a pretty good chance you won't have that rig forever and maybe not even very long at all. Consider getting something that fits, has the canopies that are appropriate for you and then getting into the air and getting more experience! Used gear is always a good thing to start with as it retains most of it's value at resale, and if you get it a bit dirty it doesn't ruin your day Best of luck, and always keep your options open! "...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 a great idea. They're cheap insurance. Be sure that whatever kind you get they are capped at the top end! "...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..."

Yeah, what he said... "...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 won't find many places that make stock CRW risers, most are very customized, and thus hard to stock. We build several different variants, including whatever options the Dawg wants. If you're interested in a set, PM me and we can talk about 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 watched a very competent pilot have his slider pop up from behind his neck (the kill-lines slipped loose) and inflate, then flop over in front of his face. He very nearly lost it on landing, but managed to pull it out and slide it in without injury. It doesn't happen much, but then again, neither does cutting away once you've stowed your slider...6 of one, half dozen of the other. "...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 on this: Be careful how thick a loop you use, don't just go trying random materials. We had a guy a couple years ago using a long Tandem loop and there was enough friction between the flaps to total the rig, even with the pin already pulled. We could reproduce it on the ground and it seems the thickness of the loop (along with the length) helped bind the flaps in place. 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..."

My suggestion is that you use a really small pocket slider. Anything with any size at all is probably going to produce some seriously slow openings...on highly loaded, little canopies, low slow openings give the canopy more time to spin or dive off heading. Just my $.02 "...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'll learn at least a little more about canopy flight as you progress in your levels. Right now you need to concentrate on what your Instructors are telling you to concentrate on. Of course, if you feel you're under-trained, it's your responsibility to ask questions until you're confident that you can complete the skydive from start to finish, safely. In the next few levels, depending on how your DZ is set up (ie- if they're using the ISP), you'll start to get more instruction on using risers and more in-depth discussions about canopy flight in general. If you're not at a DZ using the ISP, it's quite possible that you will receive only minimal canopy training and will need to get instruction outside the AFF program on flying your wing. Sorry, but old-skool AFF just didn't have much canopy flight in it...but the new ISP does (which is one of the reasons it's a really good program). Ask questions!! "...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..."

Ok, I suppose you're right with that, but without getting too technical, I think my point was that within a common model, changing the wingloading speeds up (or down) your rate of descent down the glide slope...providing everything else is the same. Thanks for the lesson on engines 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..."

What style AFF exit do you use 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..."

Why? It's not like there is anythign wrong with the Cypres 1 units...they're going to be around for a long time to come. Of course, you could always sell it as used and get the new "cool guy" model "...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 to make it clear to all those who may be confused, the ISP (Integrated Student Program) is not simply a Tandem Progression into AFF. It's a program set up so that no matter which way you start skydiving (Static Line, AFF, Tandem, IAD) you can do your first few jumps that way, then everyone funnels into the same AFF-type program (including Coaching) to finish up their training. It's meant to allow all methods to be taught, but get all the same information across to all students. On a personal note, as an AFF/I, those who learn through Tandem usually have terrible body position during climbout and exit. That's just here, but it's very common in our transitional students. "...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've got to remember a few things when it comes to wing loading: First: Wingloading is a guide that tells you how fast you'll come down the glide slope for a given canopy model. If you change models (even if the sq. footage is the same) it may have a different glide slope, and therefore all your numbers are off. Also, wingloading doesn't really tell you what a canopy will do in turns or about it's recovery arc. Second: The sq. footage that a given mfg. gives for their canopy is probably not the same as what another mfg. would size it at. What that means is that you can't get a good comparison between mfgs. unless you actually measure the canopy yourself (in some method) then compare two like sizes (which you'll never find) to get comparable results. You've got to love marketing! Last: Wing loading is only a rough guide to give you some idea of how you're loading compares to another person's and (because there are very general characteristics associated with higher or lower wing loadings) some way to guess what going up (or down) in wingloading might produce on a given canopy. There are simply way too many other variables involved to use any one as a guide for canopy flight. So, what this tells you, is that wingloading is a very basic method for telling you something about speed in canopies. Kind of like comparing a 4-cylinder, 6-cylinder, 8-cylinder, and 12-cylinder automobile. It'll let you know something about it, but only in one area, and not all that much. "...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'll have them in house in about 2 weeks. "...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..."

Contact a fabric/material supply company...but you'll probably have to buy in relatively large lots. Of you can contact a mfg. that you know uses the material and buy some off them. Most of your generic fabric stores don't carry a lot of Nylon based materials like we use in skydiving applications. "...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 to mention line twists pinning the rings to your head! As for hard cutaways, it's not so much an issue when you're flying flat and level, it's when you've got the added G's of a spin to deal with when reverse risers really fall down. The 3-Ring System is designed to work as a series of levers and a pulley. Since mechanical advantage is multiplicative, removing one of the parts from the series can dramatically reduce the overall function of the system. Since reverse risers don't have the "pulley" section they give you less advantage (the loop doesn't go through a grommet, which would usually results in the additional mech. advantage)...by some reports you lose about 1/2 of the mech. advantage (which means you double your pull force). Again, this isn't an issue when there is only 200lbs. hanging evenly off the risers. Where it is a problem is when you're spinning like crazy, with one riser loaded up more than another. Taking your pull force from 4lbs per side to 8 lbs per side isn't much, but add the G's and you go from having say 12lbs. of pull per side to having 24lbs. per side...now we're getting scary. Add to that a point loaded riser and your numbers can get even worse. With this in mind (as well as the section I quoted above about the rings locking in place...usually in line twists, pinning them against your head/helmet), and given that mini-risers very rarely break anymore, it doesn't seem like reverse risers are all that attractive any more. Which may be why you see fewer of them every year! "...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 can do that with any set of dive loops. Just fold them up towards the lines when you're packing and close the container with them in that position. They'll take a set like that and "pop" open when the risers come out. If you keep packing them like that, they'll keep popping out. With that said, blocks are still safer. On another point. There is no canopy out there that can't be flown with blocks...you might just need to work on your arm strength a bit, 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..."

Then you should do more research. Rapide links have their own failings in many areas...as do Soft links. But if you do the research, you'll find that strength is not always where you think 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..."

The hell you wouldn't! Go out and jump a 150 and then jump even a 120 and tell me there isn't a SIGNIFICANT difference in speed and rate of descent. You're absolutely right, but that doesn't change the fact that you're better off under a bigger reserve "in that situation". You're not going to stop wearing a seat belt just because you're not driving on the freeway, are you? You can't control for every possible accident, so you're best to stack the deck in your favor as best you can in ALL areas. "...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..."

Personally, I think there is no better value for the dollar than the Infinity by Velocity Sports Equip. It's bullet proof, with great primary and secondary riser protection, superior pin protection and a very comfortable harness...and it actually has a reasonable market price, even with options! Check out www.velocityrigs.com "...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..."