beezyshaw

We originally recommended using a bridle extension, but now it just doesn't seem to be necessary. The theory was that an extension would keep you from having to pull the bridle attachment out of the "roll", which in theory at the time seemed like an important idea. That was about 8 years ago, and after countless thousands of pack jobs without an extension, it now seems the "theory" was without validity. I have seen no opening problems, canopy stress, or an other issues by not using the extension. And I would rather my pilot chute and bag not hang any farther back than possible, so I no longer recommend the extension. Edit: If you use a main pilot chute that either 1)has the kill line inside the lower part of the bridle(the section of bridle between the canopy and d bag), or 2) use a pilot chute that has a loop at the end used to form a lark's head attachment to the canopy, then you already have an "extension" of sorts.

As "somewhat" of an authority on psycho packing, I can tell you that they are the same pack job, only put into the bag differently. Openings are the same, but the psycho pack when done correctly is easier for most people to master and to maintain control while getting the canopy in the d bag.

My first rig had about 20 jumps on it when I bought it. Main, reserve, harness/container...$75.00 for everything

A very common type of bumper and its installation is responsible for many lines being damaged. I'm referring to the clear vinyl tubing that you see around a lot, particularly on older canopies. This type of material is fairly thick and has a pretty hard "edge". If these bumpers are allowed to come up too high on the connector link, then as the lines are spread they make contact with the hard edge of the bumper and will eventually damage the outside lines. Many people mistakenly think this damage is from the slider grommets, but it is caused by the bumper. If your canopy uses this type of bumper, make sure that they are slid down low enough on the link that the lines don't rub against the bumpers after your canopy is open. You can just visually look at each connector link while under canopy to check for improper installation of your bumpers. The attached drawing shows a bumper that is too high on the link and would cause damage to your suspension lines. (The very soft tubing used for bumpers doesn't cause a problem, only the more rigid vinyl is the culprit.)

It's one thing to be a dentist, and go to your friend for a filling; you have to use someone else. But a rigger not packing his own rig? It's beyond my comprehension, really. Edit: I guess the exception is the rigger who doesn't remain current or feel confident in doing the pack job; but if you mean active current riggers not packing for themselves my original point stands.

None of these are particularly "hot" sauces, but all are very flavorful condiments. Lizano Sauce from Costa Rica Pickapeppa from Jamaica Tiger Sauce from New Orleans

This is how to play with a washing machine in the middle east... http://www.hiperusa.com/grenadewash.wmv

The difference in deployment speed is absolutely not a factor in lineset life. Environmental issues and care of equipment are what matter.

Unless you like doing crew but just can't get comfortable with being that close to someone else in the sky

I think the idea of releasing the brakes on the higher, more forward canopy is to keep it in front of (by it flying faster) the other canopy. The bi-plane is a pretty stable 2-out situation, and with the brakes released on one canopy there is less likelyhood of the canopies moving into a side-by-side, which can become a downplane.

You know, of all my skydiving friends I've made for all these years, it just seems like these "farm hands" that I've gotten (maybe too) close to over the last few months have WAY TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS! These threads go on, and on, and on, ... Now, do something important. Get yourself a (insert canopy brand name here) and SHUT UP AND JUMP !!! PS Back to the theme of the thread, can't wait to get back in the air on some good ole' RW big way dives at the Dublin Boogie. Talked to a good buddy in CA who's gonna make the XC trip, so looks like this is THE EVENT for skydiving for St. Paddy's Day. B there or B square.

So, just for the heck of it, how many jumpers out there are guilty of blaming their packer for issues discussed above? Does reading my original post cause you to re-think a bit? Maybe someone could tell me how to do one of those poll thingies.

I made a small donation to the American Council of the Blind (ACB) because as a skydiver I have imagined jumping (living, for that matter) under John's circumstances and it just reminds me of how incredible it is for people who lose or never were blessed with sight to live such full, rich lives. I'm sure it's not too late to give the price of a jump ticket for this worthy cause. If prevention of blindness can happen through research, let's step up to the plate if we can. I think this is the link to donate... http://www.acb.org/donate3.html

My goal this year is to get closer to that million dollar mark taking tandem passengers. I figure at the rate I'm going, I'll be a millionaire at the young age of 113.

I also believe that the spanwise tapes that PD uses in their reserve construction add some of that slight extra pack volume compared to some other canopies.

In choosing a gear dealer, it comes down to this: If you have a zillion jumps and know exactly what you want, why not shop price? On the other hand, if you ever expect advice, service, or anything besides a box shipped to you, think twice about buying on price. Service is a very important part of this industry, and without customer service there would be a lot more injured (or worse) skydivers out there. Good service costs someone a very expensive resource, their time. And most great dealers who are genuine experts in this sport give service way above what they are getting paid for. There are lots of sayings about the value received when shopping for goods and services. But one that comes to mind is this... There are 3 considerations when making a buying decision; those are quality, features, and price. As a consumer, you must pick the two most important to you. You can have any two, but you can never get all three from the same seller. Of course you can make substitutions about the three considerations, but you get the idea. It's called the "you can't have your cake and eat it too" principle.

If I had to give the occurance of lineovers a number, I'd say that probably 60% to 70% are induced by poor packing, and around 30% random "acts of unkindness". Line overs are one of the malfunctions that do seem to be begging to occur when you pull too much of the tail around on a pro pack, or roll the tail too much (therefore bringing those center cell lines and control lines near the leading edge of the canopy. A lot of people don't realize this, but if you want to lessen the chance of this malfunction, flat pack your canopy. Before pro packing, line overs on square canopies was virtually unheard of.

I just had some discussion via PM with AggieDave about main canopy malfunctions. It began in another forum and it was suggested I start a new thread about the issue. It began when mention was made about a packer being responsible for a reserve repack after a customer having a main malfunction. I believe (based on a fair amount of experience in R&D in this area) that far too many main malfunctions are believed to somehow have a matter-of-fact, empirical, basis for cause, with cut-and-dry explanations as to why and how they occur. We've all heard it; someone gets back from either a bad opening or a malfunction and immediately gives the "reason" it happened. Frequently this explanation includes blaming their packer for the anomaly. Now don't misunderstand; poor packing can and does cause malfunctions. But what I'm saying here is in spite of excellent packing, excellent body position, etc. etc., even a canopy that opens very consistently (most) of the time can and will have a "mind of its own" and result in a less than perfect opening. I've made hundreds and hundreds of jumps with all kinds of slow-motion video angles, so my views have basis. The same canopy, packed exactly the same way by the same person, jumped on the same day by the same person, can and does exhibit drastic differences during the time between pilot chute launch and final inflation. Some of the things I hear that are common, but erroneous statements... "My packer packed me line twists." Now, do you really think your packer took your deployment bag and turned it around and around on the packing mat before putting it in your container? Just exactly "how" did your packer do this, then? Folks, canopies just sometimes get line twists, in spite of packing and body position. Bags can bump reserve container corners, rotate on the way off your back for unexplainable reasons, inflation can be less than symmetrical (again unexplainable) and other things just "happen". Good packing and body position LESSEN the occurance of line twists, but they DON'T eliminate them. It's called S%#T HAPPENS! Other types of malfunctions that are too often "explained" with erroneous causes include line-over malfunctions, tension knot malfunctions, hard openings, excessively long snivels, and canopy damage on deployment like burns, tears, and broken stitching. Again, don't misunderstand me. Packing, body position, canopy age, type, and condition can and do cause these problems, but these factors don't ALWAYS explain the existence of things like this happening. If you could see how very different openings can look to the slow-motion video lens, you would see immediately how random and wild even a perfectly "normal" opening really is. So I guess the moral of the story is, pack carefully, open with good body position, choose your gear so that you give yourself the best "chances" for good openings, maintain your equipment properly, but be very careful in "explaining" to others "why" you had a problematic or less than perfect opening; and please be especially careful not to jump to conclusions and blame someone else for your deployment issues. That is all; over and out.

I certainly agree, Bill, that a packer having a rigger ticket is a good idea. However, FAR 105 was recently revised (like the inclusion of tandem jumps, etc.), and 105.43 was changed to allow for "supervision" by a rigger when packing a main canopy... "(a) The main parachute must have been packed within 120 days before the date of its use of a certificated parachute rigger, the person making the next jump with that parachute, or a non-certificated person under the direct supervision of a certification parachute rigger."

As Chuck says, simple answer is "yes", but if you want an explanation about it, Paul Quade has this web page... http://futurecam.com/densityAltitude.html

Contrary to popular belief, just because a canopy opens with a lineover doesn't mean it was "caused" by a poor pack job. I have made many of hundreds of test jumps as a canopy manufacturer using slow motion video to study deployments, and "garbage out" doesn't necessarily mean that there was "garbage in". If I were packing parachutes for wages, and someone demanded I pay for their reserve repack, I think I'd have to tell that person to shove their reserve where the sun don't shine!

We should be finished with the new canopy soon. Right now we have the airfoil completed, and we're testing various configurations of control line settings, sliders, and all the other "fine tuning" that is required prior to product release. The two most important design criteria for this canopy are opening characteristics and good landings regardless of flair technique. When it's ready for production we certainly won't keep it a secret!

You are wrong; these tests were conducted with gear that is comparable with today's equipment. And please re-think your plan of action for emergency procedures. Otherwise, my friend, you are putting yourself on what a lot of us with tenure call "the list". Edited to add...It is extremely unlikely that in the middle of all that is going on in an emergency situation gone awry that you would even hear an audible alarm. I can assure you this is so.

I attended the seminar/product announcement at PIA. It is a piece of zp that is attached to your connector links that is supposed to "inflate" as your bag comes out of the container, thus slowing your terminal velocity during deployment. I watched a video that was less than convincing. I believe the jury is still out on this one.

Me and George Galloway were flying in a little Cessna 150 one afternoon. We had both recently gotten our private pilot licenses. Had it backed off in slow flight with the windows open, and we both just looked at each other with the same thought, "wow, would it be cool to just jump out like on the old Ripcord TV show?" So, we did a little bit of homework and found a skydiving club right in our hometown. We were invited to this guys house for the monthly meeting to see if we wanted to come to the dz that weekend and make a static line jump. All the guys were pretty straight looking, kinda "ex-military" types, but they were talking about this demo they were planning for some little league tournament. Not having any clue what they were talking about, one guy says "and don't forget we need 15 bucks for smoke." We both looked at each other in total shock...this skydiving club pays for weed out of the club treasury! Holy shit, we're in! (yes, a bag of weed really did only cost $15 in 1972, kiddies) But these guys didn't look like "heads" at all! Oh, well, if they're crazy enough to jump out of airplanes for fun, and the club buys the weed, who cares if they look straight! Of course later we found out they were talking about smoke grenades for the demo! That was almost 33 years ago, but it's still funny to remember that night.