rmsmith

>every hard cutaway situation i have looked into has had a >kinked yellow cable. >the force needed to overcome the mechanical advantage >of the detent mechanism formed when a yellow cable gets >even the slightest kink into the gromet is huge. At 6'3" and 225-lbs, I opted for the standard 3-ring on my latest rig as the static moment on the smaller ring set simply produced too much tension on the locking-loop, for my comfort level. Years ago, I cut-away a GQ Security Unit that had several broken suspension lines resulting in a fast "riser-turn" like dive. I could feel the loading on my leg-straps right away, and it was an effort to guide my hand to the cut-away pillow. However, the cut-away was "quick-n-clean", and I pulled the reserve handle after I could see the ground again following a hard arch. It all happened so fast, and I know things would have happened much faster under an elliptical canopy. There's no mistaking that high G-load feeling on your leg straps! -- Sincerely, Richard M. Smith (509) 754-1126 rmsmith@pobox.com

This fellow has his gear for sale right here: Posted By: Wesley Womack (what42) All user's Ads Athens , Georgia, United States PH: (706) 546-0752 For Sale: Mirage G3 for big guy with 230 Silhouette and Raven-M reserve Beautiful Red and Black Mirage G3 size M7 to hold a ZP 210 or 230 and a Raven Reserve 249 sq. ft. Made to fit a 6'2" 220lbs guy, could go taller (up to 6'4") or shorter (down to 6')give or take on the weight. DOM was May 4, 2000 and the rig has 200 jumps on it. Articulated harness, Cypres ready, RSL(can be disconnected when you get it). All in excellent condition. Silhouette 230 is the main canopy in here. The Silhouette is a 9 cell half zp half f-111 canopy made by PD. It packs as easily as an F-111 canopy but flys like a new ZP. The canopy has 130 jumps on it and is Blue with some pink. Raven-m 249 reserve is included, all baby blue. Never deployed and 5 pack jobs. DOM May of 2000. This rig is an excellent starter rig for a big guy who needs large canopies. It has always treated me right. $2,500 for the the rig, main, and reserve. This is great for a bigger new jumper. (It was my first rig) Please email me and I will send you a picture of the rig. I don't have a picture of the canopy though. I also have a brand new, never been used, Bonehead Mindwarp size XL helmet for sale.

>I am just curious if these have been used at any >point on skydive canopies (not CReW) and what >the findings were. I still have an old GQ Security canopy from the late 70's that's in pretty good shape stored away in the garage. It has a dual bridle attachment that is roughly 6-ft between the points of connection. I used it with a deployment bag, and there was a small steel ring at the top of the bridle to prevent it from being pulled through grommet at the top of the deployment bag. Once the canopy was open, the deployment bag would slide down and cover the pilot chute collapsing it. The kevlar suspension lines were stowed on the bottom of the deployment bag in a pocket that closed with velcro along one edge. Overall, it was a successful design albeit too bulky by today's standard.

>Engineering!!!!! A stack of Aviation degrees and .50 >cents will get you a coke in the cheap machines. >Engineering will get you a good job! That's right about an engineering degree. A commercial pilot once told me, "If you want to make a little money in aviation, start out with a lot!"

I think you can reach them at: "William Newell" bbmsc@earthlink.net

>I think a dead kid no matter how they got killed is a >sad situation. You know Bill, what really chaps my >hide is that society is more concerned with the >outcome than the cause. I think that below the surface, most people are keenly aware of the roots of today's violence, but its identification and solution are not politically correct. Thus, we continue to address the symptoms, i.e., denounce clothing, drugs, guns, knives, music, etc., the result being "a net loss of freedom" while the root problem persists. However, you have piqued my curiosity regarding "causation" of youth violence. Could you please share your thoughts with us? Thank you.

>Here's a quick bit of data to ponder on while >you come up with a very researched bit of info....... >A firearm was reported to have been involved in the >deaths of 1107 children; 957 (86%) of those occurred >in the United States. Of all firearm-related deaths, >55% were reported as homicides; 20%, as suicides; >22%, as unintentional; and 3%, as intention >undetermined. The overall firearm-related death rate >among U.S. children aged less than 15 years was >nearly 12 times higher than among children in the >other 25 countries combined (1.66 compared with >0.14) source: Center for Desease Control. You need to be very careful regarding rankings when you are "fed" statistics. The 1107 incidents above are for people aged 18-yrs or less. Therefore, that number would include the inner-city gang youth, which account for the high number of these incidents. The above paragraph shouldn't really be a paragraph; read each sentence separately as the rankings differ for each (a technique of the persuasive writer when using statistics surreptitiously). I find it awkward when the same agency ranks women aged 13 -> 18-yrs as young women when the issue is unwed childbirth. Sincerely, Richard M. Smith (509) 754-1126 rmsmith@pobox.com

In the early eighties I was a high-rise window washer. As the design of buildings became more difficult to access, I had Ray Ferrell configure a narrow boatswain seat with leg and waist straps. It allowed me to sit in comfort on the board, or slip forward into the legstraps to climb into a difficult-to-reach locations. Many people wanted to know were I had purchased this gear. Ray was rigging out of his loft in Alameda, CA at the time, but I never gave away the information. I continued to contract the difficult jobs that paid the most money.

>>This is the part that has baffled me. The entire underside >>of the canopy has suspension lines loaded in tension while >>it is in flight. For the left side of the canopy to cross >>beneath the underside to touch the second or third cell >>from the right side means that the suspension lines were >>no longer in tension, or else they would prevent this from >>happening. > >As I said in the original post, I did not actually see what the >canopy did - looking up at the canopy was the last thing >on my mind - this is what I was told by witnesses.. I certainly agree with the numerous witnesses. >>This would indicate a major stall condition where all lift >>was gone, and the jumper was falling, not flying. > >Falling pretty well explains what I felt, but I don't know if >the canopy was completely stalled or not.. On the video >from my POV, after I hit the ground(at a 45degree angle to >the left), there are a few frames on the video that we were >able to catch the canopy.. It appeared to be inflated, but to >me looked like there were a couple parts of the canopy(part >of the left 2 outer cells and the front half of the 4th cell in >from the left) that were not very well pressurized.. This could >have been because the majority of the load had just been >removed from the canopy when I hit the ground, and the >right side was not visible for a couple seconds - and by then >the lines were slack.. If you and the canopy are moving downward, but the surrounding air is not then it stands to reason that your canopy will inflate. However, if the surrounding air is also moving downward then your canopy wouldn't inflate, and the end cell crossing beneath your canopy would be possible. Continuing with this logic, an atmospheric condition contributed greatly to this incident.

>At approximately 20ft, on a straight in, full flight appoach, >the left side of my canopy(not from the nose, from the side) >rolled under. The left end cell touched the bottom skin of the >second or third cell in from the right side. Of course, the >canopy began a hard dive to the left when this occured. The >canopy then re-inflated when I was a few feet off the ground, >and reportedly then went into a V shape. This is the part that has baffled me. The entire underside of the canopy has suspension lines loaded in tension while it is in flight. For the left side of the canopy to cross beneath the underside to touch the second or third cell from the right side means that the suspension lines were no longer in tension, or else they would prevent this from happening. This would indicate a major stall condition where all lift was gone, and the jumper was falling, not flying.