JerryBaumchen

I've read all of these posts & I still cannot figure why anyone would be using my name here. Is that 'like Jerry' thing good or bad? JerryBaumchen

Hi twardo & Peter, I simply cannot answer those questions. I do have a very good memory of not liking what I saw when looking at how the reserve loops were installed. But the specifics: nope, I can't help; been too many years gone by-by. That I do not know either. I 'think' that the harness that failed at Sheridan had been 'modified.' As I said, it's all about learning. The really sad story is that the fatality at Sheridan occurred when a local instructor ( who owned the rig & was jumping it regularly ) had it for sale. A rather newish jumper, something in the 20's or so in jumps, took it up for a try-it-out jump. He had a rather minor malfunction on the ParaCommander, cutaway and deployed the reserve at a rather low-speed only to have the one loop peel off. JerryBaumchen

Hi Jim, I am going to give you my personal observation of these rigs & then what I have 'heard' about them. Some of this will be nit-picking so don't get mad. The design flaw was actually how the loops of harness webbing was sewn into/onto the harness. The actual reserve risers then attached to this/these loops with a connector link. What else would anyone expect him to say? Yea, I know, snide remark. As I remember the rig ( going from memory here ) the loops were sewn with a standard 4-point stitch pattern. Then the comfort pads were sewn to the harness at this same location using 5-cord; this stitch pattern went around, to the outside of the 4-point stitching, in a box stitch pattern. The mfr. used the argument that this extra stitching, to hold the comfort pad in place, was part of the stitching necessary for the assembly to be safe. IMO, no one knowledgeable would look at how the harness was built and come to that conclusion. IMO ( again ), they were trying to defend an indefensible situation. Now for the personal observation and the 'what I heard' stuff. The first time that I saw how that harness was built at this location ( the failure location that caused the deaths ) I thought that it was a real nutzy design and simply was not safe ( and, sorry, but I do not remember the specifics of that stitching any longer ). I let it go due to the fact that the rig had been TSO'd and that I had nothing to be concerned with. Later, many years later, I 'heard' that the mfr. had originally obtained his TSO for the rig with it being a harness & chest pack ( I do know that their conventional rig was on the market long before they introduced their piggyback rig ) & then they submitted a Minor Change to the FAA for the piggyback configuration without any testing. Everyone should understand that a Minor Change is undefined within the FAA; I have never read anything that defines what is a Minor Change & what is a Major Change. As a friend ( now retired FAA employee who worked in the Seattle ACO ) once said to me "The TSO C23 (x) standard is the most confusing standard that the FAA has to work with." And he meant that because of this whole Minor vs Major Change thing. He once said that if it's not a Major Change then it's a Minor Change & if it's not a Minor Change then it's a Major Change. How's that for being definitive? BTW, I'm currently on Minor Change (-8) for my container & Minor Change (-7) on my harness. As I said, some of this is what I know ( from what I actually saw ) and some is what I've 'heard.' Hope that this helps and always good to talk about all of this stuff. Learning is a good thing. JerryBaumchen

Hi Andre, If it is a Green Star Express piggyback rig then I recommend that he/you/anyone do not jump it. They had a design flaw and a number of people were killed on them; one guy at a dz that I jumped at. JerryBaumchen

Hi John, This type of stuff only makes one person look foolish; and it ain't her!!!! JerryBaumchen PS) I prefer women with a little makeup on. Do you like the 'Plain Jane' look?

Hi Tune, The listed serial # looks odd ( SST001 ) which is probably the model number. I 'think' Jump Shack uses the date mfd. as the serial #. You might ask him the actual serial #, JerryBaumchen

Hi Vt, Try here: http://www.jobs.bpa.gov/ They did have a quite strong environmental group when I retired from there in '99. Plus they are rather heavily involved in some wind turbine projects; the last that I knew, so take it with a grain of salt. Also, consider taking ANY job at first; you do need to get 'something' on the old resume'. When I graduated in '71 there were virtually NO JOBS in the engineering field. Boeing had just downsized substantially, NASA had a large layoff; it was not a good time to be newly grad'd engineer. My best friend/classmate took a job as a security guard for $1.75/hr until Oct when he found something. Good luck, JerryBaumchen PS) If you need some actual names at BPA, let me know as I am sure I would know some of them who would be still working there. PPS) Call to BPA and ask for a guy named Mike Berger; he is an old friend/co-worker and will give you very good advice ( no BS, as he is a straight shooter ), if he is still there ( I haven't talked to him in a number of years ).

Hi Andre, Take a look at the thread PAPER SEALS in this forum. I ( IMO ) think there is way too much concern with someone doing something ( whatever 'something' is ) when a paper seal is used. As it is today, a non-ethical person can merely use some tool to reflatten a lead seal & then scratch their own symbol ( or some made-up symbol ) on it. Let's not get sidetracked about skeletons in our closets; it stifles progress!!!! JerryBaumchen PS) If you would like a couple of samples of my paper seals, let me know & I'll send them to you.

Hi Peterkn and others, I just posted in the Gear & Rigging forum on some PAPER SEALS. Take a look and see what you think, JerryBaumchen

Hi there, There is a small but growing effort to get Paper Seals accepted in this country, the USA. One local Master Rigger is using them exclusively. He was recently in DeLand for some POPS jumps and was showing them to folks there. He said that everyone liked the idea; and he was allowed to jump his two rigs with the paper seals on them. Allen Silver, the head of the PIA Rigging Committee, has had some contact with the FAA on getting some type of interpretation to use paper seals. Some people feel that he should not contact the FAA on this ( just start using them ) and others think that getting the 'OK' from the feds is the better way to go. For those who might want to contact Allen on this, his email is: allen (at) silverparachutes (dot) com Right now, I do not read anything in any FAA document that defines what a seal must consist of. Yes, I know that a rigger must have a seal press but I do not see where it specifically states that he must actually use it. For me ( and I know that this is only my thinking ), it is more of what is it that a seal must be for rather than specifics on any procedure/item that is used for sealing a reserve. Here are some photos of a paper seal that I have been working on. I make these on a label printer that is connected to my computer. All of the info is in a file that I merely open so I can put the Repack Due NLT in prior to printing. Photo #1 shows a rig with the red rigger's thread installed without any seal. Photo #2 shows the same rig with one of my paper seals installed. Photo #3 shows my paper seal as it comes out of my label printer. Photo #4 is a paper seal made by the local Master Rigger as installed on one of his rigs. You will notice that his paper seal only goes around the knot on one leg of the red thread; I do think this is the better & simpler way to install a paper seal. It should be noted that the 'Repack Due NLT' date is not binding; the governing document is the Packing Data Card. This 'Repack Due NLT' date is a way to keep the user informed of when he needs to get his reserve repacked; everyone does check their reserve pin before the start of jumping each do, don't you? Now that you've had a looksee, what comments would people like to offer? And if anyone has any questions, just post them here or send them to me via email. Thanks, JerryBaumchen

Hi SERE, Since I owned Serial # 64363 ( or merely 363 as we said in 'those days' ) I'll jump in. While this color combo was used by the '64 US Team it was not a 'US Team color.' This color combo was all that you could get them in for about the first year. All of them had the 'PARACOMMANDER' logo sewn onto to one of the stabilizers; I quickly removed it from my canopy. The apex is 1.6 ripstop fabric in these canopies. The 2nd color combo made was in Army Team Black & Gold colors and still had the 1.6 ripstop in the apex. Then, when they begin to offer other patterns, they changed to apex fabric to the taffeta that the rest of the canopy was made of. This change to the taffeta fabric in the apex lead to many 'discussions' on Saturday nights as to which was the superior canopy. I've jumped both and felt no difference; but it did make for some interesting 'discussions.' Hope that this helps, JerryBaumchen

Hi guppie, The rest. at the Snohomish dz/Harvey Field is good. I've eaten there many a time, JerryBaumchen PS) Skydive Kapowsin at Shelton,WA has their own rest. but I have yet to try it; everyone seemed happy with it, though.

Hi Tuna, A long-retired DZO once said to me that dz's were like taverns; they all served the same commodity but the atmosphere was better at some. JerryBaumchen

Hi anatonija, Send an email to Jim Straight at: straigjt (at) yahoo (dot) com He used to own BodySport USA and should be able to inform & direct you, JerryBaumchen

Hi Gory, Try www.paraloft.com JerryBaumchen

Hi Baksteen, Take the upper hand; ask them what size it needs to be then respond "Yup, that will fit." JerryBaumchen

Hi Sangi, OK, let's look at the photos & where you have circled things in yellow. 1. The reserve flaps on the Infinity & the Vector III are very different. The reserve flaps close in very dissimilar sequences on these two rigs. The Infinity top reserve flap tucks into the bottom reserve top flap ala Icon, Mirage, Wings & others throughout the world. The Vector III top reserve flap folds back under the two side flaps and does not tuck into the bottom reserve flap. 2. If my memory serves, the original Infinity ( designed when Larry Chernes owned Northern Lite ) had the main flaps in this manner before the Javelin was developed. Again, there are numerous rigs throughout the world that close/look like this. Just my old two cents on this . . . . JerryBaumchen

Hi Jewels, Having owned two 356's, this might help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_356 Take a look at the photos there and see if it was something like the later 356 versions. JerryBaumchen

Hi tetra, He did work for Rel. Workshop at one time. Just because you do something the boss wants does not mean you like it yourself. JerryBaumchen

Hi david, Re: hapless student Back in the Summer of '64 with a grand total of 20 jumps behind me, I entered my first competition jumping a candy-stripe double-L; I was happy just to make the field on my three jumps. Another guy competing was a Kiwi, named Keith something, who had immigrated to Canada. On one of his jumps he landed on very the top of a telephone pole. Just as his canopy started to collapse, he stepped off of the pole and the canopy had just enough time to re-inflate and land him OK. About 10 years later I ran into him at a party in Tiburon, CA and we got talking about that jump. At that same party we got talking about a contest down in Ashland, OR in the Fall of '64. Jim Lowe hade just returned from visiting his family in West ( by gahd ) Virginia and had brought back a gallon of moonshine. Lowe was showing us how you had to hoist it up onto your shoulder to take a swig. Joe Brockway ( D-394 ) hoists the jug up rather vigorously and breaks Keith's nose in the process. Fun days all around, JerryBaumchen

Hi SERE, Nope, not something that I made although I have made similar. But you are correct on a number of things. When I saw the first photo in the small size I immediately thought Mini-System but then the StyleMaster-type elastic bungies eliminated the Mini-System. I know that Strong used those white plastic ripcords before they began to fail/break due to cold environments. As for the routing of the ripcord housing, that could have been done by a previous owner. Some folks actually liked the idea of an inboard pull. Jim Lowe ( '69 US Nat'l Champion ) jumped a Mini-System in which he re-routed the ripcord housing to the left MLW and with an inboard pull because he had been doing that for about five years previously. I also do not remember this rig from Poynter's manual ( I only have his very first edition ) but that is only due to a failing memory. So that leaves me thinking a smaller company; someone said Rod's Rebel and I am thinking that might be a very good guess. So ???????? Inquirying minds want to know, JerryBaumchen

Hi slj, I've sold gear to people in Poland and this is what they have wanted everytime. I made very sure that they understood the risks of only being able to insure it for the value declared. They understood and I shipped as they requested. Any loss was their responsibility. Fortunately everything went OK everytime. JerryBaumchen

Hi andy & jerolim, I will try to get a photo or two up in a few days. Not being much of a computer-geek I have to take a digital photo, send it to my daughter for down-sizing, have her send it back & then it will be small enough for posting here. JerryBaumchen PS) Now I will try my prowess and being descriptive. The seals are printed on a sheet of paper very similar to how you might buy a sheet of labels for your printer. They measure 11/16" ( 17 mm ) x 2 1/8" ( 54 mm ) and they have a small notch on each long side to designate the center. You use red riggers thread in the normal manner ( but without using any seal ) and tie a knot in the thread. Then you remove the seal from the sheet of paper ( it has a sticky back like a label ), slide it under the red thread where the knot is, then fold it over in half to capture the thread & the knot. This then seals the rig. The ones that I got from the Aussies has their advertising on one half of the seal and the other half has space ( a very small space IMO ) & that says 'APF RIGGER' & 'VALID TILL.' You then write your name, seal symbol, etc in one space and the repack due date in the other space. Anyone have any questions; if so I will try to answer them.

Hi Andrew, That very thing happened here in Portland, OR a little over 10 yrs ago. The hostage was a 12-yr old boy and the police officer simply missed the perp and killed the kid. Bad all around but no charges against the officer. I think there were some new procedures put into place for police officers after that. JerryBaumchen

Hi John, Well, on CSI it seems to come from dead guys. Actually, there is a fair amount of stuff that comes out of good old Mother Earth that I don't want in bed with me. Or we could just buy our seals from China down at the local WalMart; the Chinese seem to put lead in everything. JerryBaumchen