cobaltdan

yes, of course there is a cutaway for the drum. the drum also has its own parachute and aad and can also be static lined off the jumper. in military use the cargo is only cutaway as a last resort. they keep the weight even if going for their reserve. btw. the cargo is suspended by an 8' length of webing not a cable. when you deploy your body backslides slightly and if you are not perfectly over the barrel it will orbit and induce line twists. picture piloting a cobalt 350 with a 1000# passenger and 4 twists...flys straight but how do you kick out? ........you cant you have to put your feet on the tether and 'walk' around it undoing the twists !!! damage: when we finaly went too far and induced damage it was basically at several bartacks on the line attachment points. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

its very helpful to organize tracking dives. not to mention real fun to do for sunset. the key is getting the right person to lead. if the leader tracks perfectly you will not learn anything because you will sink out and not be able to keep up. when the leader tracks sort of midrange it is a great learning experience because you can practice an improve your skills by flying in formation poping up, sinking down, playing with speed etc.....you will be able to make small adjuctments to your tracking position and gauge their effect. i always hated tracking dives because the organizer at my dz would track balls out and it just wasn't fun. then i di a series of jumps with adrian nichols and i was hooked, and learned alot. tracking jumps are easy to do with large groups if the leader (first out) tracks up the flight line then slowly turns off. in this way the last tracker out can catch up easily by turning off the flightline harder and sinking. have fun. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

another picture Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

picture attached Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

definately not with a ram-air wing suit. problem with fabric wingsuits is that the aerodynamicsly the wings must be in the wrong place. your arms being the struts put themain wing much too far foward for the center of gravity of a human body.... maybe if you get someone with a really, really fat head. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

the other thing to work about is snapping your neck. dacron functions as a shock absorber in a base canopy. (much more so than would spectra, vectran, etc.) sincerely, dan atair aerodynamics Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

i wonder if you could find some vinyl company that makes cheap blow-ups to make blow up noodle-blades...? sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

go out last, exit the plane into a track up the flight line. track up the flight line until you get your bearing. look at the horizon and at distant landmarks. then turn 90 track, then 90 again until deployment. if you are last and track up line for 5-10 seconds and then do your track/turns to get back to the dropzone ther will be a huge seperation between you and the group before you. if in doubt ask an expereinced jumper to do a tracking jump with you. go with others until you are comfortable that you understand the variables and are safe. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

time for contacts or perscription goggles ? sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

black widow poles are imported from china by jackite for use with kites. they are located in virginia. they cary telecoping poles from 12' to 30' and be sure when ordering to specify you want the 'soft' ones, as they also import stiffer "better" construction ones that do not bend well in wind blades. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

great idea. one suggestion : do not use dowls thicker than 1/2" in diameter and stick them out of the ground as little as possible. for airblade poles 6" is perfect. if you use thick poles they do not snap when hit and can injure, same if they stick up too far. sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

roll, roll, roll and roll tight.... get used to it and enjoy..

"I'm pretty sure the rest of the major players have some level of insurance. " actually the lawyer rws uses gave a seminar at the last pia symposium explaining the theory behind adding uninsured to your company name. in a trial it is not allowed to tell the jury if you are insured or not as this may influence their decision. but you can not hide your name.... for the record parachute equipment is uninsurable. and even there was product liability for parachute equipment it wouldn't matter as 99.9% of accidents occur on properly made equipment. product liability insurance does not cover the manufacturer for anything other than defectly manufactured product.....not poor piloting, not improper maintenance, not improper training, etc... jlmiracle, i think you are over reacting, how did you ever get to be a tandem master? have you not read any of the dozens of disclaimers you already have had to sign to get to this point in the sport? another interesting point of legality is if you institute a legal case. i.e. you sue a dz for breaking your leg on landing. even if you didn't sign their disclaimer somehow, the opposing attorney will submit ever other disclaimer from every other dz in the world you signed (dz's never throw them out) to show you were aware of and accepted the possibilities. rws is a solid company and stands behind their products. sincerely, dan atair Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

for the record jim mutter aka snowflake's order was qued on june 18th, and as a european company we have a 2 week shutdown in august. as far as delivery times go, i believe atair to be above average. During the high season production switches to double shifts, and we always operate 6 days per week. it would be nice however for customers to understand that standard delivery times are estimates not guarantees, governed by multiple materials suppliers, shiping companies, international customs clearance, etc... if ever a customer has a special requirement for a guarantee i.e. a logo canopy for a movie chute, etc.. we have and can make arrangements. (i have been meaning to order my canopy sooner but i need it for quincy next week is >not< a special requirement for us to consider) blue ones. sincerely, dan atair aerodynamics www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

johanw, i cut and pasted the above info from performance variables web site, we sub contract manufacture the spark for them. so no i am not promoting the spark as it is not my design and it is L7 , you know square... sincerely, dan Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

More Info on the Cobra (named Spark in Europe): The Spark canopy is a classical rectangular 9cell construction. It is offered to experienced jumpers as well as for students and is a real success in the skydiving market. The sizes 190, 210 and 230 are also available as Spark Student which has a mixed material construction. Top skin is Zero-P, bottom skin and ribs are made from 0-3cfm fabric. This version is very popular in skydiving schools all over Europe. Spark is available in the following sizes: 105, 120, 135, 150, 170, 190, 210 and 230 sqf. Technical Specifications: Model Cells Area (sqf) Packing Volume (cbi.) Weight with Lines (lbs) Exit Weight (lbs) Span (ft) Chord (ft) Aspect/ Ratio Micro Lines (lbs) Spark 105 9 105 260 5.1 116 16.33 6.52 2.5:1 500 or 725 Spark 120 9 120 286 5.2 133 17.19 6.85 2.5:1 500 or 725 Spark 135 9 135 315 5.5 149 18.14 7.28 2.5:1 500 or 725 Spark 150 9 150 340 6.3 165 19.16 7.64 2.5:1 500 or 725 Spark 170 9 170 365 6.8 187 20.34 8.04 2.5:1 725 Spark 190 9 190 418 7.6 209 21.62 8.66 2.5:1 725 Spark 210 9 210 518 7.8 241 22.73 9.09 2.5:1 500 or 725 Spark 230 9 230 523 8.3 253 23.75 9.51 2.5:1 725 sincerely, dan atair aerodynamics www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

thanks roq, the cobra was skydepot/winchester's name for a canopy manufactuted by atair for performance variable in germany. it is a square 9 cell. sincerely, dan atair aerodynamics www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

snowflake, something does not sound kosher. call me at the office with your name and information and i will be glad to check the que for you. sincerely, dan atair aerodynamics 718-923-1709 ph Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

by leaning i mean slightly pulling. as far as making it open faster >dont

not to resurect an old thread, but for swooping it is desirable to deflect your rear risers when in brakes. as such i stick with doubles. sincerely, dan www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

as phree pointed out don't pump your toggles, instead a slow flare works far better. if you are very lightly loaded, many canopy designs will be prone to end cell closure. i noticed you posted "and the slider finaly came down". if the slider was simply just out of reach above your risers consider it down. if it was farther back up the lines, your issue is not end cell closure. a prolonged snivel with a partialy down slider can be remedied on many canopy designs by carefully leaning on your rear risers. anyway if is is square, stearable, slider is down and it is stable, end cells open or closed fly it and land it. sincerely, dan www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

thanks chuck, nothing to add. sincerely, dan www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)

demo the canopy then decide. some suitable canopies to demo: 9 cell: hornet, sabre, cobalt, safire 7 cell: spectre, tri in the 1 to 1.2 range. you should be just fine demoing anything in the 150-170 range, but remember advice on this list is blind: we haven't seen you fly. if in doubt call the canopy manufacturer and have a long chat or seek the advice of a canopy coach, safety oficer, or experienced skydivers at your dz. sincerely, dan www.extremefly.com Daniel Preston atairaerodynamics.com (sport) atairaerospace.com (military)