slotperfect

Straight from the CYPRES website: "Non-Airworthy: The following 8 CYPRES units were in a UPS shipment to a US customer - the shipment was involved in a train wreck, UPS declared the contents damaged / lost - we have received a recent report that these CYPRES units were sold to a freight salvage company by the train company - because there is no way to tell what physical stresses they were subjected to, there is no way to perform any sort of check-out with any degree of certainty of future proper operation, therefore Airtec considers these units unairworthy 1050A15E5DCA22 4O 01/94 Expert 1070A15E5FCC22 3O 01/94 Expert 10B1A15E5EC922 5O 01/94 Expert 1110A15E5ECA22 3O 01/94 Expert 3081115E5AC522 1O 01/94 Expert 60A1A15E5CC722 5O 01/94 Expert 60B1A15E58C322 5O 01/94 Expert 6111A15E5AC522 1O 01/94 Expert" Me again: I am only trying to keep these units from (illegally) ending up in someone's rig. I trust Airtec/SSK's judgement as I have dealt very closely with them in the past. As a Master Rigger I can say that the FARs give the manufacturer of the AAD the latitude to declare what is airworthy and what's not. If Airtec says the AAD is unairworthy, it cannot legally be placed back into service. What the laws/regulations are in Canada or other countries I cannot say. Arrive Safely John

The new UNISYN harness is really comfy, esp. with the custom quilted backpad! Arrive Safely John

Just call the manufacturer and tell them what happened. They'll work with you if you keep them informed. Kolla at PD is fantastic to work with, if that happens to be where your demo came from. Arrive Safely John

1) Measure from the bottom of the base ring to the top of the leg-strap harness junction. Put moderate tension on the MLW when you measure it to keep it straight. 2) Pick the rig type you want to find used (e.g., Javelin). Fill out the measurements section on the order form and fax it to them letting them know you want to find out what size yoke (see 3 below), MLW, and lateral would best fit you. 3) The other harness fit factors are the yoke (from base ring to base ring around the back of your neck), and the lateral (the short piece that comes out of the bottom of the rig and intersects with the leg strap & MLW). A rig with the right size MLW and the wrong size yoke will not fit right at all. Also, a rig with the perfect yoke & MLW, with laterals the wrong size will affect comfort and where the rig rides on your back. 4) Sun Path codes their sizes like this: J-4K = MAIN & RESERVE CONTAINER SIZES (MINE HOLDS A PD176R & SABRE2 190) C-19 = YOKE SIZE (C) & THE MLW LENGTH (19) (I AM 6'2" TALL & 220 WITH A LARGE FRAME) Note that a "ring" or "articulated" harness on a Javelin will require a different length MLW. For example, I take a C-18 in a standard Javelin Harness, and a C-19 ring harness. Other manufacturers code their harness/containers differently. 5) Buying used gear? Beware of those ads that say "Large" or "Made for 5'11" and fits me perfect!" Both are just to give a general idea of what size the harness is . . . "perfect" is subjective. Some folks like a really loose harness, others a bit more snug. If it's a Javelin you're after (I'm a fan, can you tell? ) Call Rick at Sun Path for the fit info. He's great! Lastly, I can tell you that nothing beats a custom built rig, measurements taken by someone who knows what they're doing (like the folks at Sky Kat **PLUG**). I have an Odyssey that is the most comfortable rig I have ever had on my back. Hope this helps, or at least lulled you to sleep! Arrive Safely John

1) Under normal circumstances, you can send your CYPRES in for service whenever you want . . . BUT if you send it early, they will not perform the service until it is within 3 months of the month of manufacture. E.G., your CYPRES was manufactured in June of 2000. It turns four years old June 2004. You send it in in January while there's still snow on the ground so you'll have it when the weather warms up. Airtec/SSK will accept it, but they won't service it until March 2004. Jessica is right on about sending it late. 2) For the CYPRES for sale on eBay, sending it in for "another check" would be futile, because the manufacturer has already declared it to be UNAIRWORTHY. Any rigger installing this CYPRES in a rig and placing it back in service would be doing so illegally. 3) Anyone buying this CYPRES would basically be buying a paperweight. Arrive Safely John

The seller has added these comments to the listing. As of right now there have been 6 bids and it's up to $127.50. #################################### On Oct-04-02 at 17:10:59 PDT, seller added the following information: Hi again , a lot of people are asking me for the serial numbers of the units i am selling . So instead of listing the serial numbers of all the units i have left , i will be shipping the one that you see in the pictures . You can also read it's serial number in the pictures . So just to be clear , you are bidding on the cypres that you see in the pictures . Thank's . On Oct-04-02 at 17:34:03 PDT, seller added the following information: Ok , here's another addition . A lot of people have been emailing me with concerns that these cypres units are reported as having been in a train wreck , and that the manufacturer considers them unairworty untill they can check them out ( again $$$ ) , because there's no telling what kind of "stresses" they where exposed to during the accident . All i can say , is that i turned each unit on , and watched it doeing it's self check countdown , and they all performed flawlessly . There is no damage to the exterior of them either , as you can see in the pictures . However , if you want to be 100% sure , you can always send them back to the manufacturer for another check . ##################################### Arrive Safely John

Now THAT is one of the best ideas I have heard lately! Arrive Safely John

Thanks for the details . . . this was very helpful. It further confirms the appropriate action taken by Airtec & SSK. I was asked by Arlo to post the same warning on rec.skydiving, which I did last night. I plan to email Cliff again and let him know. I will also tell the gang at SkyKat here at Raeford so they can pass it around as well. Arrive Safely John

I emailed Cliff Schmucker at SSK . . . he sent an email to the seller asking him to pull the item and is negotiating with him to "keep them off the street." I will not post his email here as I did not ask his permission to do so. Cheers!

There is an expert CYPRES listed for sale on eBay here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1866118772. The seller says the one pictured is "just like" the one up for auction except for the sealed plastic bag. Well, the serial number of the one in the picture (1050A15E5DCA22 40)is the first one listed on the Airtec website as being unairworthy due to damage in a train wreck http://www.pia.com/SSK/cypres/missing.htm There was a post back in August about a different serial number with the same circumstances http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=194276;search_string=ebay;#194276 I have emailed the seller of the current listing and asked him for the actual serial number and date of manufacture for the CYPRES he intends to auction off. I will post the results when he responds. Meanwhile, I recommend that nobody bids on this unit! I posted this in "Skydiving Talk Back" as well. Arrive Safely John

There is an expert CYPRES listed for sale on eBay here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1866118772. The seller says the one pictured is "just like" the one up for auction except for the sealed plastic bag. Well, the serial number of the one in the picture (1050A15E5DCA22 40)is the first one listed on the Airtec website as being unairworthy due to damage in a train wreck http://www.pia.com/SSK/cypres/missing.htm There was a post back in August about a different serial number with the same circumstances http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=194276;search_string=ebay;#194276 I have emailed the seller of the current listing and asked him for the actual serial number and date of manufacture for the CYPRES he intends to auction off. I will post the results when he responds. Meanwhile, I recommend that nobody bids on this unit! I posted this in "Gear and Rigging" as well. Arrive Safely John

Perfect! I am working on our participant list; will chime in late next week with the results! Arrive Safely John

Shall we shoot for Saturday, October 12th, around 3:00 in the afternoon?? We don't need time for a bunch of attempts, 'cause we're gonna nail it the first time! Arrive Safely John

Ditto on the silicone . . . just make sure you wipe off the cables with a dry part of the towel - excess silicone left on the cables will attract dust & dirt through the convolutions in the cable housings. The coating on the actual cables is porous, so silicone lubricant will remain in the "pores" to be effective. I clean/lube my cables at every repack, along with exercising the webbing on my 3-ring system. Ask any Rigger and they should be able to show you how to correctly disconnect your main, exercise the webbing, reconnect the main, and do a continuity check before packing it up again. Oh yeah, and if you're one of those folks who jumps in a dust bowl and jumps every weekend, you may want to clean/lube your cutaway cables more often, like once a month! Arrive Safely John

Come to Raeford! http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=219422;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed; Arrive Safely John

I believe this happened at Franklin County SPC (don't think it still exists). I also remember hearing that this guy had been turned away by the pilot earlier in the day for showing up at the aircraft without his rig. On the jump in question, when the pilot showed up to fly, the cameraman was already on board. Arrive Safely John

http://www.skykat.com/usedgear2.htm

Some general comments on stow bands . . . -Call the manufacturer and see what they recommend. Use that as your starting point and adjust from there. -Uniformity is important. Don't use "whatever" so you can get packed and manifested. It's OK to use one type of stow band for locking stows (holding the bulk above the cascades) and another for the regular stows, but be uniform from side-to-side. -If a stow band becomes loose, don't double-wrap it, REPLACE it. -I jump an almost brand-new Sabre2 190 with 825 microline loaded at 1.32:1, in a Javelin Odyssey with a 3-stow bag. I use standard rubber bands for the locking stows and mini rubber bands for the regular stows. -Remove any unused stow bands so they are not the potential cause of a malfunction (lines grabbing the open stow band during an asymmetrical bag launch). Arrive Safely John

Great tip on the Shout wipes . . . thanks! Arrive Safely John

I called Sun Path before I got my new Odyssey and asked them the same thing . . . here's what they said: 1) Red Cap Scoth Guard, Two Coats 2) Shake the can LOTS before AND during the application. Any large blots of liquid that come out because of lack of shaking will stain the rig. I did exactly that, adding a third coat over the neon yellow embroidery. I let it dry overnight between coats. Arrive Safely John

I am out of town right now . . . my complied list is at home. I'll post the complete list when I get back. Arrive Safely John

Hey Chuck, are you going to be in town?? Arrive Safely John

OK, CoconutMonkey, where are you?? Arrive Safely John

Money doesn't define who I am, so if I had to compromise my morals or ethics for it, I would opt out (e.g. "Indecent Proposal"). Jumping on a dare for a stretchy 1 mil profit would suit me fine, tho! Arrive Safely John