Unstable

ok ok ok I might get flamed by the "PD is so awesome I'm going to cry" crowd, but here goes ~ My only concern with the optimum (I've only packed about 20 of them) is the longevity of the fabric. Yes, it weighs less, but it is thinner and I am curious how it will wear. the optimum is very new still ~ what will they look like in 10 years? I think only time will tell this one... =========Shaun ==========

I agree with your devils-advocate comments here ~ it does seem that when a Cypres Fails, not much happens. =========Shaun ==========

For the love ~ in the last few years, I've heard about 5 stories almost identical to this one ~ what is USPA doing with the Airport Access Defense fund? [email] =========Shaun ==========

Hi Mike. =========Shaun ==========

Bill's a funny enough guy, but his hostility towards religion in general makes this about as much of a 'documentary' as anything produced by Michael Moore ~ =========Shaun ==========

A few weeks ago I was in Vegas helping my brother move to a house out by Lone Mountain. A friend of his showed up with a pickup and helped us the rest of the day, and come to find out this guy is a TSA supervisor in charge of one gate (about 6-8 agents) - So as were were moving stuff, I started asking questions and picking his brain to see how much he knew or had experienced with people flying with their rigs. I was surprised. Not only did he form coherent sentences to answer my questions, he was actually a pretty smart guy. He told us that the agents can look at the seal, he knew about the TSA letter and the 'cypres card' and everything ~ I though "Wow, if everybody were like him, flying would be a breeze!" Then on my way back, I had to stop the agent from cutting my cutaway cable. Maybe people are just less of retards when you get them in their own environment... =========Shaun ==========

Disagree. =========Shaun ==========

Well, I apologize if my response seemed terse (I personally disagree with your statement) but my structure for the answer is depended on the person asking ~ I mean, what else can I say? I have a good friend in the area who just recently rebuilt and machined several parts for a very similar bartack machine, and had it tuned for shooting bartacks for various linetypes..... Am I going to give the same response to somebody familiar with these machines as I am with maybe someone who is just learning their ins and outs? The only info we had was that the bartac was not correct for bluejeans ~ which is different that a bartac required to reline a canopy. Location is another issue ~ I have resources and contacts in KS, AZ, TX, and FL if this gentleman wants help tuning. Again, I apologize if my response seemed terse but It is a valid response. People on this forum request more information about the asker all the time. =========Shaun ==========

Chris, Can you post some information on your profile? Are you a rigger somewhere? =========Shaun ==========

What boggles my mind is that it is far too small of a packing paddle to be of any use on that canopy anyways... **I Know that isnt' the FIRST thing that I should be thinking, but seriously! It isn't even 1/2 as long as the width ~ how does that help a rigger make a neat fold?? =========Shaun ==========

Thank you!! There is a rigger in town and until I can get a stainless steel set, I'm going to borrow his set. I am going to go ahead and order a set from CS though ~ thanks!!! =========Shaun ==========

Hey, Can some folks offer me some of their seasoned rigging advice? As I understand, grommet dies are different for the various sizes (duh) and also for stainless or brass/nickle. How exactly are the dies different for brass/nickel and stainless? Does anybody have a good resources to buy a die for stainless for a reasonable (under $50) price? =========Shaun ==========

.... ok I assumed that if one loop of the Dual Hawk wasn't cut, the other wasn't as well... I mean, what would be the point of taking that picture? =========Shaun ==========

...hmmmmm, then why do you still see 2 intact closing loops? =========Shaun ==========

"When In Rome" is the worst movie of all time. Seriously. I went to it in theaters with my wife, who of course wanted to see it because it was a chic flick. Now, I'm a patient man, but that movie sucked so much I remember being angry the rest of the night. the plot was RIDICULOUSLY predictable, and it just drug ON and ON and ON and ON and ON and wouldn't end! I was squirming in my seat thinking "For the love of god, just end..." =========Shaun ==========

A Graphing Calculator to my left, a few mechanical pencils to my right, and I'm surrounded by small asian people here at the library at 2:00 in the morning. Maybe I can hide behind them. =========Shaun ==========

NOOOOOO It's Unstable!!! Where's he been! Oh no he messed up the game!!!! AHHHHHHH!! Um, Sunshine... =========Shaun ==========

I love the way the Air Force Teaches Skydiving. FXC on Main, Cypres on Reserve, and out you go straight to Solo Freefall. Hahahahahhahahaha =========Shaun ==========

That is what I understood the biggest complaint to be~ I've never heard of all those misfires you speak of... But then again I wasn't i the sport when Astra's came out... =========Shaun ==========

THis kind of stuff absolutely breaks my heart. I've seen several Airports in the midwest, with weenie elected officials, decide that they are going to turn their 3,00' runway into a private jet destination point, and the first step is to always run off the skydivers. Blue Skies, Aggieland. =========Shaun ==========

*Side Note* I've always thought that FXC's answer to the Cypres, the Astra AAD was a valid choice and a good option. It has a good performance record, pretty easy to maintain and operate, and are well made. IMHO, if it wouldn't have come out right when Cypres was knocking the Skydiving world off it's chair, then we'd see more of them in the air now. =========Shaun ==========

I want to try to get things back on track on this thread ~ does, TrojanHorse, has Argus set up a US location to return and replace cutters? I have a small collection of them effected by the SB, and If I can avoid shipping them overseas, that would be better... =========Shaun ==========

I would like to Second NovaTTT's comments ~ I've seen some modern rigs retrofitted for FXC units (Mostly in DZ's that don't want to invest in proper gear) and it seems the modifications required would cost money better spent on a modern AAD... =========Shaun ==========

THANK You Mel~ that's what I'm going to go try... I never did that. I won't be able to tackle that until Thursday, but I'll let you know how it goes. YES, it is a standard clutch motor. =========Shaun ==========

I could use some advice from Sewing machine aficionados here ~ I have a Very nice Singer 20u That I had rebuilt by a sail company in Maine, and it has a rebuilt head with stronger presser foot springs and a new motor, so it chews through more material than your garden variety 20u. Beautiful machine. Well, when I bought it, it had a leather belt connecting the motor to the machine which was near the end of it's life. I had a hard time replacing it, so I went down to AutoZone and bought a car fan belt of the same dimensions. Well, it worked ALMOST perfectly. When I release the brake an put a bit of pressure on the drive, the belt begins to slip, when I'm ready to sew, I tap the wheel on the sewing machine, it catches the belt, and then does it's thing. Does anybody have any advice for tuning the motor/ machine connection, beyond the standard advice in the Poynter's manuals? Any good resources for a reliable replacement belt that isn't made of leather or a belt for a small Nissan? Sorry if this sounds amaturish, but I've really got this machine tuned and doing exactly everything I want.... Once I get it moving, that is... =========Shaun ==========