gowlerk

I'm having trouble with getting a legal measurement of pin force with the UPT bungee type spectra ripcord. When I scale it by hooking it to the marine eye pin it measures 8 lbs. When I hook the scale to the handle and stretch the bungee till it moves the pin it's 30 lbs. All because of the friction inside the housing I suppose. I'm not liking Spectra ripcords at all. But that's what UPT is pushing on everyone unless otherwise specified. Does anyone else besides Bill Booth like these? Do they ship them in Sigmas too? Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Another thing that has helped me lately is the Mark Lancaster winch type closing tool. Because it leaves me with both hands free I can actually get all the fabric inside the coils. There really is room for it to nest there, but it's very hard to get it into the small tube while holding the spring with one hand or my knees. If any fabric does get out I'm careful to make sure it's at the top or the bottom. Not the sides where it may interfere with getting the cap settled in place. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Stayhigh is a frequent user of sarcasm. Being a sarcastic cynical person myself I recognize it quicker. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

That would be tempting....but I'm too afraid of a possible coil lock to take the chance. At least I assume that's why the manual says to stuff it in the coils. That space at the top is where the Dolphin manual says to put it, but Wings close almost like Javelins. If I didn't have to put it in the coils I would put it in the bottom. Except that's where the last part of the bridle goes.... I think I'll just play it safe and follow the manual unless the manufacturer tells me a better way. I'm not smart enough to think of all the possible ways things could go wrong. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Straw man arguments at best. I agree that these points have nothing to do with the efficacy or safety of AAD use. But they are genuine factors to be considered in the context of making AADs mandatory at USPA dzs as some are calling for. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

I meant just exactly what I said. "could be just around the corner for all we know. " Nothing more, nothing less. Airtec has had component issues before and they could have them again. Nothing is for sure. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

There is also the fact that the next mass recall of some famous brand AAD could be just around the corner for all we know. If it happens, mandatory mass groundings are a possibility. It already is a possibility in the tandem world. Add to that the fact that there is currently no US maker of these devices. Do my patriotic American friends really want to totally rely on German, Czeck, and Belgium companies? Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

It's not that they refuse. I've just had so much trouble getting through in the past that it's easier to order though Chuting Star. The web page has no parts information or pricing or ordering info, they just say they only sell through dealers. The last time I phoned them it was leave a message city. It was a couple years ago though. On the plus side, I'm looking right now a w-22 that I just put a 193 into. It may be my nicest Wings pack job ever. It's wide enough to allow the cap a place to sink into, unlike the smaller ones. I think the main problem is having to put all the material inside the coils makes the spring too bulky on some sizes. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Well... to begin with I would be more likely to compare the Wings with a Javelin than a Vector. There are things to like about Wings, but it's nearly impossible to make the pack job on some sizes look as good. Particularly the w14 size with a 176 in it. But if you put them side by side and compare the level of finish, the type and quality of the hardware and the little touches about how they are assembled you can find a visible difference in the overall quality. Like comparing a finely made Italian suit to a more mass produced off the rack one. Or the fit and finish of a Mercedes against a Dodge. It's mostly a matter of small refined touches. Both will do the job just fine. I pack many Wings here, they are quite popular. But mostly because of price. I don't steer people to them, but I don't steer them away either. I find that newer jumpers tend to buy them, often as part of a package. If you look at the big dealer pages all of the value priced rigs start with a Wings as the base container. It represents good value for the price. And they are better than the rock bottom stuff that is available in basic black only. There customer service is not horrible, but definitely not up to the level of the larger more established players. I've had customers send them in for updates, or have problems like riser covers that won't stay shut and then not be happy with the results. One is now a Sunpath customer, the other a UPT customer. As a rigger I don't like the fact that they make it difficult or impossible for me to order parts without going though a dealer. If I want parts for a Talon, Javelin, or a Vector I phone or email the maker and get it shipped within hours. With Sunrise I have to contact a third party. I don't have time for that, but that is the kind of service that comes with low prices. I know the bashing you are talking about. I don't engage in it, ever. I'm not really sure if there is an issue or not. Many of my customers own Wings and I don't want them to feel the need to question their gear. But everyone knows what the concerns are and I get asked about them regularly. Sunrise has done little or nothing to address the perception problem they have, and that in itself is a problem. So all I can tell them is what they already know. Which essentially is "I don't know". I do tell them that I would not hesitate to jump one myself, and I explain that gear is not tested to work in all possible body positions. So in short the deficiencies are only small details and only compared to the top shelf products. Javs, Vectors, Mirages, Talons, Glides, Icons and probably some others I'm not familiar with are all more refined than Wings. Although Wings does have my very favorite freebag none of my customers care one bit about that. Then there are other little things like how the risers, dbag bridle and pilot chute are made. UPT, Sunpath, etc have all put effort into improving the details of these. The Sunrise parts are ok, but 2003 ok. No modern upgrading seems to be going on with these components. It's not that they are no good, or unsafe, it's just that they are not as good as more current designs. Like I say, it's all little things. That's how any manufacturer does it when they make the decision to compete on price. I'm glad Sunrise is here as an option. They fill a much needed market niche. But you asked, and that's how I see it. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

I think what he means is that he is willing to put up with the relative deficiencies of a Wings container because he will not own it for too long while he saves money for a higher quality h/c that he will keep for longer. I can understand this point of view myself. Wings are highly adequate containers, but a notch below the top of the line products. You get what you pay for, and you pay less for Wings. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Yet you put YOUR family at risk by skydiving? The hypocrisy that this response represents is breathtaking. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

I would just say that those are all the same arguments farmers and chicken processors use to justify employing illegal workers. The real issue is "can I make a living working here?" If the answer is "no" then one of two things has to happen. Either the wage needs to increase, or foreign illegal workers are needed. Option B lowers everyone's wages throughout the whole industry. That is how labor markets work, and it's how some employers cheat. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

How come there is no "what a stupid question" option for this poll? Death is not optional. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

http://k-mac-plastics.net/nylon-mds-sheet.htm I've bought MDS here. For closed cell foam try cutting up a yoga mat. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Professionals probably hate this, but.... http://www.loadcalc.net/ Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Groupon is a tool. It does reach a large audience and can deliver many low profit margin tandems. Some DZs have a need of this kind of business, mostly to keep the staff working and happy during slow periods. It tends to deliver the bottom of the barrel "bargain hunters" who don't buy the extras at a very high rate. They also tend toward the kind of people who you look at and think, "maybe skydiving is not for everyone". My belief is that most DZs would be better off doing less tandems, but at a higher margin. Promoting lower prices at off peak periods can be done using FB and other forms of social media. Especially if you can get your existing jumpers to share the word locally. You won't sell as much as Groupon can, but your margin will increase. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

My take on this is that back when they updated the battery issue they simply elected to punt the issue down the road into the future. The future has now arrived. It's time for them to clarify this issue now. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

7 cell http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/VK_FAQs.pdf Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Nice. You would think Wichard could skip the logo on hardware that needs to be smooth. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Once... Roy Yes, but maybe is landing many times on same jump like this guy! Slater I imagine it would be more like Hulk smashing Loki on the floor repeatedly like a rag doll in The Avengers. You know the scene where he walks off right after, saying "puny god" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L84b4wRaMI&feature=iv&src_vid=2uaPZdhxnek&annotation_id=annotation_286647 Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Is the shackle/RSL causing the damage? Or is it that AMP fitting with the worn heat shrink rubbing it? Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Nice article on how DuPont changed the world. Starting with stockings and then parachutes. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-75-years-ago-nylon-stockings-changed-world-180955219/ Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

I don't understand this love for student ripcord deployed sping loaded mains at all. Maybe it's just because it's outside of my experience. I don't know of any DZ using this in Canada, and we seem to do just fine with throw outs. Of course we are one tenth the population of the US, so the sample size is much smaller. Do most US dzs really use spring loaded p/cs for student mains? I always thought it was just the backward frozen in time BPA that insisted on this. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

But you can bet they are in someone's private collection! Everybody at the DZ has probably seen the video multiple times. Guys please consider the OP in your comments. He signed up for a tandem and is more than a little concerned about his incident. We aren't all wired the same, and while we tend to pour over every minute detail to learn from them as active jumpers these comments don't come across well. From the original post: I think he has a good grip on the situation and a real understanding of the matter. And an adult attitude as well. We don't need to treat everyone without at least hundreds of jumps as an outsider who can't cope. He came here looking for perspective on the incident, and that is exactly what he is getting. A true perspective. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

It creeps me out when I see her referred to by her initials. (KG) Ken Gowler Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.