mjosparky

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Everything posted by mjosparky

  1. mjosparky
    Bingo, we have a winner. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  2. mjosparky
    It's a condition called "blocking." I did some homework on it. THe results are in one of my repies to the thread referenced above. John, You post on that thread just about covers it. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  3. mjosparky
    JP, I am not a big fan of "shit happens". There is a cause/reason for everything. It a matter of taking the time and effort to find it. I went through the supply of pins I have, 543, and did not find any burrs. I took a 2 foot piece of braided nylon line and ran it through the pin hole. This stuff will snag on rough skin on your hands. It took me about 25 minutes which shows me a QA point during manufacturing would be a snap. RTB, They are not stamped out of sheet metal, but Stainless Steel. They are then tumbled to smooth them out and round the edges. I think it would be a good thing for everyone to either check their pin or have it checked before they jump again. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  4. mjosparky
    One thing to remember, cheapest and best are very seldom the same item. I have never had to use one but I think if I really did need it, cheapest is not what I would want. But then if I had to wear it, but never had to use it big bucks would seem silly. Should I or should I not? decisions, decisions. At minimum it should be USCG approved. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  5. mjosparky
    That is one ugly fucking airplane. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  6. mjosparky
    PM sent. My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  7. mjosparky
    JP, It was a bigger problem with some of the early curved pin, they were made of mild steel and plated. The plating would start to flake and the sharp edges of the plating would cause problems. The newer pins are made of SS resulting in a better overall finnish. Having said that, ALWAYS look your gear over for any sign of wear. The method I use is, after the last jump of the weekend, I do not pack. I take it home, lay it out and go over it very carefully. As you know, this is an unforgiving activity and you must watch for the Grim Reaper. Sparky PS- It is a big deal, if the pin comes off of your bridle, you bet it is a big deal. My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  8. mjosparky
    Todays "useless trivia" might be the information that will save your ass tomorrow. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  9. mjosparky
    The only problem with this is that for main parachutes, this FAR is basically unenforceable. It's totally dependent on the jumper being honest about the main's last pack date. I have jumped a 4 month old main pack job (my own) without a problem, but that's about as far as I would go, personally. Any opinions? Blue Skies Billy Admitting to violating any part of the FAR's on the internet is not smart. Would you do that if you had robbed a bank? My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  10. mjosparky
    There is nothing new in the design of this bag. It is the same design used by Para-Inovators in the late 70's and early 80's. By moving the line stows in towards the center line of the bag you are creating less bag "whip" during deployment. The triangle of material extending away from the bag works like a sail and dampens out the tendency for the the bag to rotate. It doesn't work every time, but then what does. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  11. mjosparky
    But it walks with a limp. My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  12. mjosparky
    Pat, I agree with you on a reserve, 1 or 2 years would not bother me, if I knew who packed it. But have you had any dealings with a ZP main that has been packed for an extended period of time. Some of the ones I have seen you could drive a nail with them and have seen the material tear when being separated. ZP seems to play by its own rules. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  13. mjosparky
    Gavin, This is what myself and some other "dinosaurs" have been trying to convey. But your words say it much better then mine. There is a reason some of us have survived in skydiving for 25 or 30 years or more. When there was something to learn, which was most of the time, we LISTENED. Some of what was being said, and still is, was bull shit. But if you LISTEN, you can take a "little bit" from every one. That "little bit" might be what keeps you alive one day. Keep asking questions and LISTEN. And only offer advise on those things that you understand. Not those things you have learned, but only those you understand. And try to remember, this is recreation, have fun. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  14. mjosparky
    You can believe that what Buck doesn't know about going high and what it can do to you can be written on the head of a pin. I learned more shit then I can understand from a friend of his at Edwards who was working the chamber there. Thanks Buck, Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  15. mjosparky
    HEY! I resemble that remark. My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  16. mjosparky
    Indeed... I will try to be less adversarial in my future posts. I too hope that you will fall in the first category. (no pun intended). And I will follow your lead in my future posts. ( less adversarial). Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  17. mjosparky
    It will take much less then 2 years for a ZP canopy to "Brick" on you. I opened a Sabre that had been packed and stored in a loft for just 5 months and you could use it for a door stop. I am not sure how long it would take, if ever, to keep the thing from opening. 120 mph wind is hard to resist. This might be a good test program for a retired old man to work on. If I come up with anything I'll post it. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  18. mjosparky
    And the other 1% thinks we don't know shit and over charge for that. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  19. mjosparky
    Almost all of the hardware used today was designed for use on Type XIII webbing before there was sports gear. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  20. mjosparky
    I don't think I have ever seen an Alti. one. Am not sure if there was one. But like Wendy said, I bought an Alti. II at Elsinore in 1977 and I still jump it today. Sometime in the mid 80's I dropped it and it went to sleep. Sent it in to SSE and it came back, no charge, ready to go. I also have an Alti. III and it has never given me a problem. The regular altimiters will sometimes break if you take them above 23/24,000 feet. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  21. mjosparky
    Between Chuck, Lou and myself, we probably have more jumps on MT-1XX/MC-4 systems then he has jumps. Your rig is safe and always has been. \ I have B-12 on both my rigs and have jumped them for 28 years. No problems. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  22. mjosparky
    I think Skyhighkiy and Mattjw916 were born twins and separated at birth. My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  23. mjosparky
    There's not much in Pat's books that has changed. The type of aircraft and types of dives have changed. But what Al said still holds true today, if you touch the door with your hands, hand in his case, it will slow you down. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  24. mjosparky
    One problem I see looming on the horizon is O2. The record is coming close to the limit with out some form of bail out O2 being available for the jumpers. I understand that in Thailand they made several trips to 23,000 MSL. The is close to if not in the area where a persons capabilities, both mental and physical, start to go down hill fast. The big the formation gets the higher the break off has to be and the higher the exit must be and the higher the break off must............... And the effects of even mild hypoxia are accumulative. It will be interesting to see what they come up with. Sparky ............. Look for maybe 500? My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals
  25. mjosparky
    Who is Al Gore? My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals