KevinMcGuire

the most desired stitch for repairing lines is the 42 center start-center stop bartack. to get that stitch, there are two ways you can go. The first is to buy a "mechanical" type bartack that opperates using a cam that dictates what pattern the machine will make. They are usualy around $1,200 to $2,500.00 depending on which modle you buy and weather or not it is used or new. The down side of these mechanical type machines is that they will only do the stitch that is predetermined by the cam that it has. changing the cam out to do another stitch is not practical. When reparing containers it is common to see 28 32 38 42 48 and even 72 stitch bartacks. To be able to do all of these get out your wallet. The other more expencive route is to buy a programmable bartacker from Juki, Brother, Mitsubishi ect. these will allow you to either program that machine your self or get a chip that contains the stitches you want. then its as easy as just punching in a number and blammo your ready to go. However, keep in mind that sewing machine shops usually don't have a clue about the stitches we use so you'll have to design the stitches your self. It can be quite the pain in the ass. I use the Brother 434E (same as PD)and I love it but there are lots of different types out the to choose from. If you go programmable be prepared to pay lots for the versatility. Usually $3,000.00 and up. good luck. Kevin

I love it. I have approx 700 jumps on it and I have never had anything negative happen as a result of using it. I think that it does just what BR says it does ie... extract the canopy in a symmetrical fashion and support the tail pocket and as a result helps o promote better heading performance. There are those out there who may not agree with me on this but, the numbers don't lie. in the past 700 jumps I have had very few openings that were greater than 45 off heading, (Less than 10) and none that were greater than 90.

I'd be happy to share the tricks that I use for them but it's not really possible to do over the internet. You'd have to be in the room watching I will say that Racers are one of the easiest rigs to pack when you know how. Back when I was a rigglett, I was packing my own rig (which was a racer) to satisfy the 20 pack job requirement. The guy that was instructing me didn't really know much about racers so I was forced to figure it out on my own. Long story short, it didn't go well. After drop kicking my rig to the other side of the hanger, I stomped of to get a bite to eat. while sitting there eating my lunch and swearing under my breath about John Shreman and what a poor design the racer is, a person sitting in the next booth turned and said something to me that I never forgot and has shaped my approach to rigging ever since. He said "If you let that rig get under your skin now, it will own you for the rest of your career. Each rig is nothing more than a puzzle. If all the pieces are present, and you still cant solve it, it's not the puzzles fault. I'm sorry if this does not part the clouds as quickly as you may want but there is a great deal of truth in what that person said. You can apply it when patching a canopy, or repairing a rig or for that matter, to your daily life. Oops sorry, I'm getting all motivational on ya. Any way, seek as many ideas from as many riggers as possible. Combine the good ideas dissgard the bad and come up with something that works well for you. Oh yea, the spin off handle boddkins are the bomb Good luck. Kevin P.S. the wise old man who spoke those words was a man by the name of Fred Bowan. If there are any REALLY old timers reading this they'll know who he is

I've actually gone into partial retirement. I have closed my rigging shop. After 7400+ reserve pack jobs I think I've had enough Yes I did go and get a real job but I'm still making rigs. Its just that now I do so because I want to. Not because I have to. In the beginning, building rigs was exciting, and challenging but most of all it was fun. The thought process went like this. Can I really stick pieces of nylon together, take what I had built and with it place my self directly in harms way and come out alive? 640 jumps later all on gear I built, with no injuries except minor bumps and scrapes from landings, the answer is a resounding yes. Not many can say that, and I'm proud that I can. I did not set out to be a rig manufacture like BR,CR, and the others it just turned out that way. Friends saw the rigs I made and wanted them. In time as the orders increased, I found my self chained to my machines and to my shop with little or no time to enjoy the product that I have worked so hard to develop. In short, I Just need to get out more. But that is not the only reason for my partial retirement. My priorities have changed. My plans (I'm happy to say) now include raising a family. I want to return to the exciting time of building rigs. and to do so I have come up with this plan. I no longer want to compete directly with the other manufactures for every possible sale. While I'll continue build rigs for those who want them I have somthing else in mind. I want to build super custom rigs that are one of a kind works of art. I don't expect to sell many but the ones that do will be like nothing any one has ever seen on a rig before. Perhaps there wont be a demand for this type of rig and if not, no big deal. I can always build them for my self. After all thats the whole reason I started doing this in the first place. I'm sorry if not everyone likes the NEO. I designed and build the rigs that I like. And as the saying goes, "It is impossible to please everyone." However, having said that, let me say this. Last year, I shattered the previous years record of building 50 rigs in a year by a staggering 48 additional rigs. Almost double. While that number may or may not be in keeping with the other manufactures totals, it sure was a lot for me, so it seems that some one out there likes the NEO afterall. Kevin P.S. my e-mail is on the fritz and had been for some time.so if you need to get a hold of me you can do so at my DZ.com address

I've been running a loft in Eloy for years and I had a friend write a program for me that I use. I think it is just what youre looking for. It's Very specific to what we do. I have never seen or heard of any thing quite like it. PM me and I'll tell you more. Kevin

Please forgive me. I was the one that mentioned a loss of altitude awarness. Judging from what has been said regarding the video perhaps that was not the case. I cant say for sure what may have caused the problem with out seing the video and due to the fact that I have no right to ask for it, I'll leave this thread to those who were there. The very experienced "observer" I mentioned was below the bridge. I'd like to not say his name at this time. Just figure it out.

I have to agree with Motherhucker. You are entering very dangerous territory and to do so blind and with out help will most surely be fatal.

There is rumor of a pilot chute problem but no one knows forsure right now I have talked to one very experienced "observer" who witnessed the jump. He said that in his opinion, it was not due to any gear problem but rather loss of altitude awareness and over delay.

This is terrible news. My hart goes out to all of his friends and family.

I've tried to pm you but I don't know if they're going through. Can you give me a call at the shop? (520) 466-0030

I Sent you a private message at your hotmail account

Does any one have any info on the cliff strike that happened at the cactus by the lake? Info I have is that it was a two way gone bad resulting in a rescue operation and a hospital stay.

Can you take a picture of it so that I may have a better understanding of what your talking about? Perhaps then I can give my opinon Kevin

Thanks for the quick response. Honestly, I don't have that much experience with Morpheus rigs so I'm still fuzzy on what your refering to. I'm looking forward to seeing the pics when you can get them or if any one else can provide them that would be great. Theres no point in recreating an old potential hazard with a "new design" I don't want to seem as if I'm trying to promote our gear above others, but I beleive that our design will not have this problem. But again that remains to be seen. I'll be posting some pics of our terminal tests when we're done

I have never personally experienced the problem Tom is reffering to. But I guess there is always a first time for everything. This is the first time I've ever heard this type of problem happening at all-either on our gear, or any one elses for that matter. If there is any one out there who has had this problem, I would very much like to hear about your experience. Tom, You said that "the stitching around the outside of the mesh or the mesh it self can get caught on the edge of the (normal, flat) container." What do you mean by normal flat corner? Not all bottom corners are closed the same way so what is normal? "The stitching around the outside of the mesh can get caught" On what? Please send pics if you have them so every one can see exatly what you mean For years, some manufactures (including ourselfs) have chosen to place "caps" on the apex of PCs in a very similar fasion to how vented PC's are built. It seems strange that no one has reported this problem until now. Or has it been? If so please let me know. Kevin

Just looking for clarifacation. By your statement I gather that you mean that the corner may inflate and the P/C Apex vent then may become lodged in the now inflated Corner. Is this correct?

I thought the same thing about the wrap around dynamic corner idea as BASE# 689. It seems to me that a wrap around corner would defeat the purpose of container that is designed to open completly flat and have zero obstructions for the canopy to hang up on. But that being said perhaps that idea is one that should be concidered a bit more. We have scheduled terminal tests on our corner designs for later this week. We will be paying special close attention to the inflation issue Tom mentioned. We are confident that our design will not inflate but I suppose that remains to be seen. More on this later. Kevin

You are correct. Morpheus does deserve some credit here. I had not heard of dynamic corners before their development of it. I did not intend to imply that we had invented this, but rather that we have expanded on it.

O.K lets try this again

Here are some corner ideas that we have been working with. I looked at several different configurations and then worked to over come some of the cosmetic issues that I saw with the other designs from other manufactures. Other rigs that I saw with dynamic corners seem to very suseptable to a poor looking bottom corners as a result of the dynamic corners. I think that this configuration over comes that problem very well while at the same time works great. Editied because my pics ar too large to up load. I figure it out and get to later. Sorry for the tease Kevin I have put 35 jumps on this configuration and so far they have worked great. I'd be very interested in feed back about this design from those who have lots of wing suit BASE jumps

I think that it is realistic to get you ticket in that time but just remember, a little bit of knowledge can be a dangours thing. Getting a riggers ticket is kind of like getting a drivers licence. It's really a licence to learn. Good luck

Here is a method I use that works extremely well. First, I use a lighted table back lighting the material to ensure that I am folding the material excatly where I want. It can be done with out a lighted table but depending on the color of the material your using it may be just a bit tougher to see the rip stop lines. I also find using a 6" ruler is best for the job. Others may have their tool but for me the 6" ruler is the bomb Once you have decided which line you want, make the fold and hold it in place with your thumb and index finger. Next lightly drag your ruler along the edge of the material where you want the fold, being careful not to damage the material. Imagine your folding a peice of paper. It's pretty much the same thing. Make all the folds the same way paying special attention that all the folds on each side of the material are the same size and away you go. Remember. Do not use too much presure with the ruler as you fold the material or you'll damage the new peice. Good luck

I once owned a BASE rig that had B-12’ snaps. One night after a really cool jump, it became necessary to leave the landing area in a real big hurry. Because of the B-12 snaps, I was able to get out of my rig while in a flat out sprint. It’s hard to imagine a need for getting out of your rig that fast at the DZ but I must admit that was cool

hmmm! I see your point

From time to time we take on apprentices who are interested in learning how to rig or looking to improve their sewing skills. Any one interested can contact us at BombProof Rigging.com. Kevin