rigging65

I don't think airflow is going to make much difference in the position of the shackle. Besides, at best, its just going to flop around in a more or less random manner, which could make it better or worse. I think the key here is that it may lock up regardless of what position you have it in. This has been discussed on the NG before, but we're always trying to stack the deck in our favor when we're skydiving. Now, I realize that no-one would ever intentionally jump a rig set up like this (well, most wouldn't), but in the event that someone did it by accident and had a cutaway, I give them better than even odds of getting out of it ok...of course if they don't.... Another interesting idea: Will the RSL fire, if misrigged in this configuration? So far we've only looked at the cutaway portion. I think, depending on what load you want to assign to a releasing main canopy, that a non-velcro or short velcro RSL (Infinity, Talon, Reflex) would probably make it out ok. I don't think that long-velcro RSLs (Jav, some retro-fits) would do as well. Sheer-pull is where velcro does it's best work, and a long sheer pull like on a Jav would be a lot to overcome...especially if you don't assign much drag to the main (ie - streamer, etc). We play with misrigs quite a bit here, just working ideas out and trying stuff, but what most people don't recognize is the extreme amount of drag produced by your main as you cut it away...there's a lot of force there. Maybe not enough to "fix" any problem, but more than most think! "...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..."

$1 per jump or $100 per year since DOM, whichever is more. This is after the initial 25% of course. Same as any other item, it's just more likely you'll go by the $100 per 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..."

Pointer's Manuals are written as technical manuals, so they're not always the easiest thing to read (not to mention DRY). Your best bet is to go hang out in the loft for a while and ask questions...or better yet, take a rigger's course yourself. Rigging isn't brain surgery, it's just technique applied in the correct situation. Sometimes you must remove yourself from the computer and go outside to find the answers that you desire. "...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 size rigs like that alot and it generally works out just fine. Some model containers work better than others, and even some size containers are more forgiving that other sizes within a given model of rig. Kelly's Infinity seems to be very well sized for this sort of sizing...we've never had a problem making this work in one of his rigs. We have run into problems once or twice on Javs, but there were some exceptions with the canopy types going into the rig. "...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 tolerances on ring assemblies are pretty tight, I would be surprised if the middle ring would rotate through without getting caught up. Metal-on-metal contact has a way of binding stuff in position pretty well. Ok, to confirm my own thoughts I just went and tried the setup back in the loft. Twice out of five times the ring bound up. My guess is that with more pressure (load) the ratio would be even worse... "...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...Sigma drogues collapse once the container opens, as do most drogues... "...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 a large percentage of people drive Automatic Transmissions, does that make it better and more "tried and true" than a Manual Tranni? Skydiving Safety is often about stacking the odds, as best you can, in your favor. That's why we train and retrain and review again. You're right, new gear does help reduce malfunctions to a degree, but if one type of gear seemed intrinsically safer to you than another why wouldn't you use it? Just because the rest of the sheep don't take the time to investigate options, doesn't mean you shouldn'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..."

Absolutely. Baglocks are caused, 99.9% of the time, by a long stow looping over another one and half-hitching itself in place. IMO, the reason to double stow is simply to use larger rubber bands because they're easier to get over the lines in the first place. If they're loose, get smaller bands. "...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..."

Some things that we've done to help out with accidents and facilitating the First Responders: 1) Write a script for Manifest to call 911 with. Sit down and think about every little thing you'd want to put in the script, then call your local Fire Dept. of First Responders and ask them what it should have in there. They don't need all the info you may think they do, but they may need something you haven't thought of. At our DZ, nobody calls 911 except for Manifest, otherwise you end up with total chaos. The only possible exception to this is if there was no way to get a hold of Manifest, but we try and make sure everyone has Manifest's number (since there are so many cell phones out there now) and encourage them to call Manifest FIRST, and let our procedure work the way it's been designed to. 2) Have an administrative plan. Ours includes Manifest gathering up a copy of the injured jumper's waver (which includes medical info, and contact info) and sending it to the scene to go with the ambulance to the hospital. 3) Have a plan for guiding First Responders to the scene. The best way to establish this plan is to ASK the First Responders what would help them the most. Usually it includes staging a person at field entrances to flag them down. As always, explain to everyone how vital this position is...if help can't find the injured jumper, they can't help him. 4) If you call your fields something special (Student LZ, 5-sided field, HP LZ, whatever) get a map to the First Responders with these names on them BEFORE you have an emergency. 5) Ask around and find out which jumpers have certified EMS training and are willing to help out. Make a list. We have an Emergency Binder that includes all this sort of stuff (including the script, maps, and a written procedure - in a LARGE font to make it easy to read under stress). Make the Layout simple. Most people don't react well under heavy stress, make it easy and it'll work. 6) Probably the biggest thing you can do to help make your DZ a more efficient place during an emergency is to have practiced what you plan to do. Actually go out and walk through it. Your Staff should know the large-picture-plan, what the whole process is, BUT there is only ONE person in charge and only ONE point of Contact (at our DZ, it's an Instructor/Staff Member on-scene and Manifest), that's it! No more than that! Keep it simple, rehearse it, plan for it...it will happen, so be prepared! "...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 way we've done it for years in Northern California: Each component is priced individually. Retail price (at the time it was purchased new) less 25%, then subtract $1 per jump OR $100 per year (for each individual component) whichever is more. "...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, none of the stowless bag designs around out there use locking stows. The bag is kept shut using tuck tabs, not stows. And, as we've been over in another long thread, stow bands have nothing to do with reducing hard openings. Keeping the canopy in the bag until the lines are at tension (ie- opening in correct sequence) and the slider being properly positioned are the two biggest things you can do to help yourself out with hard openings. TIGHT LINE STOWS DO NOT STOP HARD OPENINGS!!! "...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..."

Be aware, every inch you add is an inch less you'll have to flare with, unless you take a wrap...provided your breaks are set correctly to begin with. "...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..."

Hang it inside with a fan or two pointed at it...that'll do it right up "...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's nothing anywhere that says that you can't simply transfer the information about SBs (or anything else) onto a new card. The only thing you're missing is the signature, but having the important info on the card is more important than having the signature there with it. As far as the legal aspect of not having the signature. Simply photocopy the original card and stick it in your log book. That way, you've got the sig if you ever really needed it, you haven't broken any laws (by trying to sign the card for a SB yourself or anything like that), and you've transferred all the needed info to the appropriate card. "...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 basics of packing have nothing to do with tight rubber bands. The basics of packing have to do with keeping your lines in the center of the packjob, your slider tight against the stops and opened into the airflow (as you stated), and maintaining control of the overall deployment sequence through proper staging (which DOES NOT even require stow bands). Let's not confuse things here folks, canopies open hard because of the rate and method in which they inflate, nothing else. Stowing your lines in tight rubber bands has nothing to do with inflation rates. "...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's a chance of that. Part of it will depend on how much he wants to show it off out-of-area "...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, the physical assets to the company (Fliteline) were purchased corporately and the company shut down. The Reflex is no more. After transporting the machines and such up to our location, we set up a shop and got the original Fliteline TSO re-certified. The decision was made to continue to build replacement parts for the Reflex (since the patterns were already in place) so that no-one would be left out in the cold with a rig and no way to get parts for it. Since then, we've designed and produced a rig called the Viper. We're currently doing our second round of Beta testing on it, having frozen the patterns about a month ago, or so. Once we're happy with the tests, we'll finish patterning for sizes. And so it goes... "...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 use a modified Psycho pack, I guess. Basically, I keep everything exactly like a PRO-pack, instead of S-folding it, I roll the canopy down on top of itself (ends up like the Psycho pack after you've flipped it back over, but I never flip over the canopy as it's already in the correct position). I find I don't need a bridle extension, get the best of both worlds with this pack job, and can tame the slipperiest beast with this one. The only disadvantage is that you don't get the "exhausting" effect of pushing the air out of that large vent down by the lines on a traditional Psycho pack. I always called it a modified PRO-pack, but someone said I should call it a modified Psycho-pack...whatever... "...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 doubt it would live through an opening...although it might, haven't tried 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've seen pillows roll under a rig when the jumper was moving around in freefall...it can happen. Some companies make stiffened pillows, but all you have to do is unvelcro your pillow and rotate it clockwise around the long axis once. This puts a slight twist in the cables that will cause the pillow to stand out away from your body and help keep it from rolling under. Note: If twisting it causes the pillow to roll under, you went the wrong way, go 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..."

The way I read it: A Rigger is responsible for assuring compatibility of components when assembled, so that'd be up to him/her to decide. It's a grey area, but the FAA allows it, unless a Mfg. specifically states otherwise. "...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..."

SkyDance Skydiving will be host a USPA Coach Course on April 25th,26th,27th. A "Coach" is the first of three instructional ratings available through the USPA. It's a great way to get involved at your dropzone and help up-and-coming student skydivers learn the skills they need to have fun and be safe. Basic requirements to become a Coach include a C license (or equivalent), 100 jumps, and a desire to work with new skydivers. A Coach may conduct training in the non-method specific portions of a skydiving ground school, conduct group freefall skills training and jumps with students, make linked exits with students during group freefall skills jumps. Course overview: Rules, ethics and USPA's rating structure Instructional document layout Basic Instructional method and application to skydiving First Jump Course strategies and standards Group Freefall skills training and evaluation techniques Problem Solving Equipment (coach level) Demonstration and practice Evaluation Course Fee: $250 includes 2 days of class time (starting Friday night, April 25th and 6PM) Evaluator fees Materials (USPA Instructional Rating Manual) Candidate and Evaluator slots for 2 Evaluation Jumps Sign Up and Deposit: Contact manifest at (530)753-2651 or at manifest@skydance.net A $50 deposit is required to hold one of the limited slots available, and the balance is due the day of the course. "...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..."

SkyDance Skydiving will be host a USPA Coach Course on April 25th,26th,27th. A "Coach" is the first of three instructional ratings available through the USPA. It's a great way to get involved at your dropzone and help up-and-coming student skydivers learn the skills they need to have fun and be safe. Basic requirements to become a Coach include a C license (or equivalent), 100 jumps, and a desire to work with new skydivers. A Coach may conduct training in the non-method specific portions of a skydiving ground school, conduct group freefall skills training and jumps with students, make linked exits with students during group freefall skills jumps. Course overview: Rules, ethics and USPA's rating structure Instructional document layout Basic Instructional method and application to skydiving First Jump Course strategies and standards Group Freefall skills training and evaluation techniques Problem Solving Equipment (coach level) Demonstration and practice Evaluation Course Fee: $250 includes 2 days of class time (starting Friday night, April 25th and 6PM) Evaluator fees Materials (USPA Instructional Rating Manual) Candidate and Evaluator slots for 2 Evaluation Jumps Sign Up and Deposit: Contact manifest at (530)753-2651 or at manifest@skydance.net A $50 deposit is required to hold one of the limited slots available, and the balance is due the day of the course. "...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 you're talking about is uncontrolled line-deployment. Nothing "uncontrolled" is very good in skydiving. Lines need to be fed out in an orderly and controlled manner to keep stuff like what you're talking about from happening...but that doesn't mean that the lines need to be stowed to be controlled. As long as they're held in place and kept orderly until they reach stretch, it's all good! "...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 is adhesive ripstop tape (about 2 in. wide) that looks just like heavy rip stop material. The downside is that it doesn't stick well AT ALL to ZP, it does, however, do great things on F111...in fact, in can be used as a patch without even sewing it. Over time though, it does leave a residue on the material. In fact I'm not aware of anything you can stick on a canopy that doesn't leave some residue. Is this maybe what you're thinking of? We've used Adhesive Sheet Dacron to make logos before...it seems to work well, but it needs to be sewn in place. "...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..."