JerryBaumchen

Hi George, Let me 2nd that about Michelle; she is just great. JerryBaumchen PS) Is this enough info for you Chris?

Sparky, Shhhhhhhhh, JerryBaumchen

Hi Chris, Henderson has a website so you can send them an email. At PIA/Reno '07 they had a booth. You might check and see if they will be at PIA/Reno next month. If so, and if you have someone coming over for it, have them pickup a Henderson catalog for you; no cost and lots of stuff in it. JerryBaumchen

Hi Michael, I would be interested in any results you might get working with/testing pins. Work hardening usually just effects the surface of the material whereas heat treating, properly done, will effect the material 100%, or all the way through. I, personally, have had stainless work harden on me when drilling holes in it. The secret is to not stop once you start the drilling. Also, work hardening effecting just the surface is not restricted to stainless steel. I have seen it effect ferrous metals also. Keep us posted if you do get to do some testing. JerryBaumchen PS) If you want a couple of sample-unused ripcord pins let me know; I'll need your address.

Hi Bill, Back 'in the day' we used to straighten pens rather routinely; the were main ripcord pins. One simple method to inspect for cracking is to merely run your fingernail all along the shaft surface ( have your fingernail perpendicular to the surface ) and feel for small cracks. Personally, I would be hesitant to straighten a reserve ripcord pin since I do not have magnifying-type of test equipment. I always advocate each jumper have a spare reserve ripcord & a spare cutaway handle/cable. Again, just my thoughts . . . . JerryBaumchen PS) And Para-Gear sells the device to test the pull force on a reserve ripcord pin ( but it will not work on a system using a SkyHook ).

Hi Michael, OK, I'll take that bet; a $1 to a stale donut. I have been around a fair amount of formed stainless steel ( not ripcord pins, however ) and I would seriously doubt that just the shaft portion would be heat-treated. Your welding rod is probably unusually soft to make it easier to weld. Just my thoughts . . . . . . JerryBaumchen

Hi Mark, Thanks for the update on Tennessee Attachments. I'll remove them from my 'sources' list. Do you have any sources for the binders that you tell about for our friend in the UK? JerryBaumchen

Hi chuck, That is exactly why I made a 2nd jump, JerryBaumchen

Hi Chris, The rigger's dilemma. I actually think we all face this problem ( the thinner vs thicker problem ). An old rigger friend of mine used to keep his binder just 'very oh so slightly' loose so that he could move it side to side ever so much ( but not move when he didn't do the actual moving ) so that he make a good stitch when going from the thinner to the thicker. Try Tennessee Attachments, they will make one up for you. They want you to send samples of what you are stitching up so you would have to send at least two samples; and then it probably would be a compromise. I have not tried them because they are SO expensive. I cannot comment on your 'irregular shaped pieces' since irregular is rather non-descriptive. Tell us more, inquirying minds want to know. I wish I had a better answer as I have dealt with this problem for over 25 yrs now. Let us know when you get the Final Solution. JerryBaumchen PS) It's a kind of odd day so I thought I would just stick my nose into this one.

Hi Jerome, Re: AS8015/C (TSO.C23e) I don't get on the FAA's website unless necessary but I am of the understanding that the reference document for C23(e) is PIA TS-135. Terry, you out there? JerryBaumchen

Hi Andrew, I thought the same thing, at first. But that would be saying that someone working for some company cannot have an opinion. And no one complains when Bill Booth posts on here. JerryBaumchen

Hi Terry, At the moment the only ones that I can think of are the original Para-Plane ( who knew about stabs then ) & the Amigo reserves. I'm sure that there are a few more; anyone? JerryBaumchen

Hi steve, 1. I voted NO; and it looks like most of us did. 2. While I have some agreement with Twardo on 'where' this question should be, at the end of the day I have to say "Right here.' Thanks for putting it up, JerryBaumchen

Hi marko, Just curious; the freefall photo looks like you have a twist in the harness just above the leg strap junction. Thoughts??? Or are my eyes getting worse? JerryBaumchen

Hi skyjumpen, Thanks for doing that. I will get a check out today or tomorrow. This is one stand-up guy, JerryBaumchen

Hi onlyski, My all-time favorite AFN moment; early 60's, stationed in France, USAF. It was just at 8:00 in the evening and the announcer says: For you Army guys it's 20:00 hours. For you Navy guys it's 8 bells. For you Air Force guys it's 8:00 PM. For you Marine Corps guys the little hand is straight up & the big hand is on the eight. Flame suit on, JerryBaumchen

Hi usedta, Yup, that's what I looked like. But no more kiddies. JerryBaumchen PS) perigrinerose: you are just mean

Hi John, I am having visions of someone named Plaxico. JerryBaumchen

Hi DFWAJG, I won't help you decide; somethings must be done by yourself. On my last sports car I had: XCI10 (Exciting) On my current vehicle I have: JUS TSN (just teasing). Good luck or just start flipping a coin, use the process of elimination, JerryBaumchen

Hi John, Be careful there, John. Many a lifetime ago, when my brother was in the Army & I was in the Air Force he had a MOS & I had a AFSC. Not all military is the US Army, thankfully. JerryBaumchen

Hi stitch, IMO, they all do. Books exercise your mind in a way that movies cannot. The only movie ( IMO ) that followed the book completely was TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. JerryBaumchen

Hi Scott, Both you & I are long-time friends of Ralph. That is why I am staying out of this one. IMO, your postings are unusually biased and you should state as such. I bought my first piece of parachute gear from Ralph in 1964 and I bought my last new piece of parachute gear from him about 1 1/2 yrs ago. I have bought a fair amount of gear from him over the years. I would buy from him tomorrow if I was looking for something. I consider anything that I might post to be biased and will not do so, JerryBaumchen PS) For the record: Ralph's place is only about 45 minutes from me. I occasionally stop by just to chit-chat.

Hi guys, If it works correctly, here is a jpg of the PdeF pin toggle system. It might not work as I am not much of a computer guy. JerryBaumchen

Hi andrew, Nicely done. I had forgotten that the Mk II had one less turning slot. I always was of the opinion that the Mk II ( which had a very short life in sales; it was on the market for only about 1 year ) was built for two reasons: 1. Cheaper as lots of the gores were identical. 2. Had less forward speed which worked better for the Europeans who would not competitively jump in the winds that we would continue to jump/compete in here in the USA. JerryBaumchen

Hi steve, There were two schools of thought: 1. A 'very' long retainer line to let the sleeve & pilot chute hang way over the canopy. 2. A rather short retainer line ( about 10" - 18" ) to keep the sleeve laying right in the depressed crown line area. This is the method that I used & would do still if setting up a PC. Take your choice or try both and see what fits you, JerryBaumchen PS) I always preferred a bridle line of about 5'.