FrogNog

I agree completely. I could never understand how they stay in business with a product that serves no purpose. Sparky My friend and I successfully use WD-40 to unstick parts that are only lightly rusted. In that capacity it's sort of like cheap liquid wrench in spray form. I still agree that it is to lubricants what Vice Grips are to threaded fastener manipulation tools. But remember there are times on the side of the road where all you want is a pair of Vice Grips to get you home to your real tool set. Now, I hope this is NOT the way anyone works on their skydiving gear. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

It was my understanding that petroluem distillates will attack nylon, presumably by trying to dissolve it. In this case their similarity helps one attack the other by trying to "rob" it of molecules, or at least "borrow" them in a bad way. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

I dunno, but if you know a mirage dealer, he/she might have swatches. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

I think a notable characteristic about grounding as punishment is that it's intended to be embarrassing. It follows that saying: "nothing lower than a grounded pilot." I'm not saying embarrassing punishment is or isn't appropriate in various situations, but it is definitely a tool. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

What Amazon said. Also, when the dirt gets on your rig, let the dirt dry and get crusty and dusty before using the stiff brush. The stiff brush I use is a natural plant bristle brush (not nylon and certainly not metal) available at the supermarket. And for the record, I almost never get dirt on my rig, it's busty sailors who borrow my rig that do. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

1. In the US, when jumping from planes, yes. 2. In the US, when jumping from planes, almost never. 3. This is a bad thing that we try very hard to prevent having to deal with before it starts. 4. I don't know. 5. This is a complex issue that can be found if you search the forums. (Searching isn't always easy, but it is rewarding.) -=-=-=-=- Pull.

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Add the "heebies" rule. When you look inside the plane, at the gear, and at the people, do you get the heebie-jeebies, even if there isn't anything obviously wrong? -=-=-=-=- Pull.

My only comment is that rig pic #1 has the same color for the cutaway pillow and the webbing it's attached to. I personally prefer my cutaway handle to be contrasting and obvious from anything else in the area. (And classic red, just in case.) -=-=-=-=- Pull.

(Looks like the Exactachute specs allow for .5 to 5 cubic feet of air passed per square foot per minute.) -=-=-=-=- Pull.

F-111 nowadays is the term used for canopy fabric that is made by weaving nylon, then heat-squishing it (calendering), but not treating it further. The resultant fabric will pass some small amount of air, typically between 0 and 3 cubic feet per minute at a specified air pressure differential when the fabric is new. This is different from ZP fabric which is similarly weaved and calendered, but is also coated with something like a rubber, plastic, or oil. The resultant fabric will not pass any (or very much) air in the same test. These terms may indicate the chemical composition / manufactury of the nylon thread other than its size, but I don't believe the terms F-111 or ZP necessarily indicate the denier (thickness) of the threads woven to make the fabric. There may be an industry de facto standard for that. Please note that I am not a rigger, weaver, materials specialist, canopy manufacturer, or any of that, so while I think I got the main point right, I may have screwed up a detail. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Not to be pedantic, but another option is to pack your own rig. It builds character and helps ensure that the only people who handle your expensive life-saving equipment are people you directly supervise and/or trust. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Sounds like a fine use of discriminatory pricing. If someone wants to spend more on a rig and end up with something extra for it, then here is an option for them. I joke with my motorcycle friends that this is my the Italians started making motorcycles: they found a market of people who were discontent they couldn't spend more than $20k for a Japanese sportbike. I will be sticking with my current chosen manufacturer for my rigs. However, I promise to turn green with envy whenever I see one of these Ouragon rigs. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Yup Same Same here.. and torn... You have a bad mailman and should probably move. I'm less than 30 miles away and my unwrapped Parachutist magazines arrive in the mail in beautiful condition. (Of course, no telling what time of the month they will arrive.) -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Is it clear in this case that an inspection of the canopy will reveal it is dangerous? I didn't think so based on the info. Absent an indelible "unairworthy" stamp on the fabric, inspection alone might not be enough here. That's why I prefer to buy reserve canopies with at least one ride on them. What's the serial number? (Note to self: record all gear serial numbers in a unified place tonight. I've been a bad skydiver.) -=-=-=-=- Pull.

I believe by "step" he means "BIG STEP". That's my first cent. My second cent is about a person downsizing at the same time as going from slightly tapered rectangular planform to full-on elliptical (as the review page for the heatwave said), in the sub-150 square foot range, with an unknown weight, unknown number of jumps, two years in the sport, and a "B" license. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Can you clarify your data numbers to show saturation percentages at certain places with and without deep breathing? Without the actual hard evidence, I found out that anything that squishes my torso can lead me to hypoxic symptoms. Unfortunately, I usually couldn't readily discern them from "young skydiver terror" symptoms, so I can't swear it's hypoxia. But the common link I found to being folded wrong in the 182, worrying too much, or wearing the "small" student rig with the teeny harness was that I would not breathe deep at all. Solution: breathe slow and deep, and everything seemed to get better. On a separate note, do you have any opportunity to perform these experiments using supplemental oxygen? -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Pardon my ignorance, but why does it matter? Is it because canopies are such big-ticket items you expect the logo to not peel off? Or does it bother you in some other way? I don't mean that in a bad way, I'm just asking what your feelings are. I tend to keep my canopy in my bag so much I only really notice my 60% peeled-off Hornet logo for a couple minutes while I'm packing. (Now, the 99% peeled-off orange measures and warnings label, that's a different story.

Airspeed indicator. It whacks against the back of your helmet. Faster whacking means higher airspeed. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

And when the jumper is not straight up and down, the first part of their body to touch the hard ground might not be their feet, or their legs, it might be something higher up that is full of more important organs. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

If you don't feel current enough that you can pull the reserve, you need refresher training, not a main chute repack. Repacking my main is part of my refresher training. It shouldn't make a difference on my _first_ jump back, but it makes a difference on my second!

For a month or two I would leave it packed. I'm not saying that's the "right" thing to do, but in that time period my largest concern would be damaging it from it being upacked around somewhere. (I'm a messy person and my messes are frequently unlucky.) Then I'd repack it before jumping it again, unless I was current from jumping some other rig in the meantime and still trusted the reserve fine. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

You just made me think of an excellent followup question (to mangle someone else's dropzone.com tagline): How many fatalities has the Base Fatality List prevented? The list might, as you say, be bad for the sport, but so are deaths. If the list has prevented one or more deaths (or even "just" maimings), that would make the list bad for the sport and good for the sport.... -=-=-=-=- Pull.

A technical point of order: if the Base Fatality List is password protected, someone with access will leak it every time there is an addition. This means to me there is no middle ground with the list: it must either exist or not. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Won't the wingsuit contribute to a slower fall rate even before it is really flying, just due to the increased drag area? -=-=-=-=- Pull.