Deyan

Really good info here. It seems that I was misinformed. "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

I was thinking for some time about this, but the recent fatality in Hungary made me think about it even more. So , what is the real deal with the TSO performance standards? Who make them? Based on what research? My understanding is that FAA/EASA asks PIA to set its own standards. Then PIA sends the documents back to FAA/EASA for approval. We have small reserves because the manufacturers are allowed to make them. And they are allowed to make them because their products meets the standards set by themselves. On the other hand, is it really acceptable to have a performance standard like this one: from AS-8015B 4.3.7 Rate of Descent "The average rate of descent shall not exceed 24 ft/s (7.3 m/s), and the total velocity shall not exceed 36 ft/s (11.0 m/s), in an unaltered post deployment configuration, corrected to standard sea level altitude conditions". Why not some more survivable speeds?! Let say no more than 5 m/s descent and 8 m/s total velocity. That will force the manufactures to drop the idea of 99sq.ft reserves. Maybe even 135 sq.ft. I went trough some of the TSO'd C23D reserves just to compare the MAX suggested weights Here is the result. PDR 113 Max(Expert) 159 lbs / 72 kg. Icarus Reserve 119 Max 158 lbs / 72 kg Smart 120 Max 165 lbs / 75 kg Techno 128 Max 163 lbs / 74 kg Speed 2000 120 Max 158 lbs / 72 kg. It seems that the manufacturers are fully aware that reserves in the range of 120 sq. ft. are not suitable for jumpers heavier than 160 lbs exit weight. So why not just lower the performance standards? "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

I think it will be soft enough to be unsafe. "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

What you have to consider is your body size as well. If you are let say 6ft, you might have some troubles reaching for the PC on a short rig. Or the other way around.... I think that the shortest rig is one of the new Talons. If my memory is correct, the rig was only 14 inches long. (the smallest size). Jump Shack will make you a Power Racer with 15X9 inches backpad dimensions, which is still smaller compared to the smallest V 303 . If you have an average body size, don't buy your rig based on the container dimensions. One or two inches longer or shorter, you will not feel the difference! ETA. One funny thing is that overstuffed small rig looks bigger than the next size bigger container with the same canopies packed inside.......and much uglier "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

Some reasons without thinking too much 1. Some people don't like Sigma main 2. Some people don't like the Skyhook 3. Some people prefer different location of the drogue att. point. 4. Some people don't like the idea of shipping the spare parts overseas especially when they need them for yesterday. 5. Some people want a tandem rig that will go way over 1000 jumps without major repairs ( this is subjective because some tandem masters will find the way to ruin the gear even if it's made of steal and concrete, but in general tandems like NEXT and Atom will last longer than the Sigma.......I'm talking from personal experience here ) 6. Some people prefer a pop top or semi pop top design. There's gear out there for every taste and preference. Saying that this or that is "the best" or "the safest" gear is just a bit overreacting. "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

The SB was just modified !!! Compliance date is not at next repack cycle, now it is before the next jump. The SB it's too big to be uploaded here. I'm sending it to the moderators! "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

Javelin = 6 grommets above the cutter Vector = 7 grommets above the cutter For Skyhook add 1 for each rig. More tension = higher friction. Just think about that. The poptop RPC will pull the loop ( non siliconized ) trough the entire reserve without any problem. Why? Because there's not much tension left in the flaps under the spring. Of course I might be wrong, but this is how I see it. "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

My experience with Vectors is exactly like yours. I always think about them as a plank with a harness, but just to be fair, the location of the main closing loop on the new Vectors is inside the main container as well. "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

I think it's Russian. I can't hear/understand 100 % of it, but when the car started to turn he said: "Quiet,quiet guys.....don't worry,don't worry.." When the car stopped he said:"Everything is normal, everything is OK" "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

That's what I'd like to know as well I have never seen a chest strap sewn in the Dring 4p.st. It's probably something build way before I was born And that Type 7 MLW for a Racer? "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

What makes you think that Skyhook is an exception ? "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

You are right Terry and I was wrong. I knew that 2 seconds delay after cutaway is allowed, but I was not aware that you can add those seconds to the total time when using RSL. "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

4.3.6 Functional Test (Normal Pack All Types): For all 4.3.6 tests the maximum allowable opening time for parachute canopies with a maximum operating weight of 250 lb (113.4 kg) or less, is 3 s from the moment of pack opening. "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

watch this video and you will change your mind again !!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_MsYQ3GtAg&feature=related "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

Fact is they are not... And how are they supposed to learn about it if no one mentions it? The first thing they have to do is read and understand the manuals. Unfortunately 99 % of the jumpers are way too lazy to do that. I know a guy who can tell you 20 ways to mount a GoPro, but he didn't know that a square reserve is packed in a freebag "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

Declare the real value of the rig and have it shipped with UPS/DHL. When they see a "backpack" declared for more than 5K, they will be extremely happy to get their 20 % VAT + 3 to 5 % import taxes ASAP. "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

D-6/4 RS-8, RS-9, RS-10, UP-9M ( but they have sleeves instead of D-bags) "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

This is the key....12000 lbs divided by 4 risers gives 3000 lbs per Slink. 3000 divided by 75 is only 40 lbs or about 18 kg at 75 G's It's useless to argue about how much G's you can put on them since the human body in a harness will take no more than 20 before body parts start flying around. Only Chuck Norris can take 75 G's, but he doesn't need a parachute at first "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

Sure they can

I'm not going to comment the student's actions , but that rig need some really close look from a rigger. ~ 2 seconds delay from pulling the ripcord to the PC launch is a problem! "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

Which rubber bands you have used for the test? Mil Spec. will break at no more than 40 lbs every time ,but once I've tested rubber bands that stayed in one piece even after my fish scale ( 55 lbs) made a full circle "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

My best guess will be because the designers want their "babies" to look cool. By using stiffeners they reduce the tension from one point ( the grommet) to the whole flap, making it less likely to wrinkle . The down side from this is that if a line half hitches the flap, you are in really deep st. John should correct me if I'm wrong, but the only "stiffener" used in Racer is Type 4 square weave. But I guess that the purpose is to give a little bit more flesh so the container fabric is not going to be pulled from the grommet. I asked myself the same question when I had to replace 6 broken stiffeners in one rig "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

Don't roll the lines ( risers ) under the reserve container. You might end up with some nasty burn marks on the container . It will be an expensive repair. "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

I need a material you can see trough and it will not get damaged from the hoot knife. I saw some kind of folio in the local store, but it was expensive and they couldn't tell if it's heat resistant. Any ideas? "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

"S-links" are routed twice , but "Wrap it" links must be routed 3 times. If you think that the "Slinks"are stronger, I'm sure that Mr. George Galloway will disagree with you Blue skies "My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen