gowlerk

Lots of points in your post. But in reply to just this one I will note that if you order a Vector without any RSL, as some people still do, it will come with a good old standard pin on a good old standard steel cable. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

It's hard to know if the container is good without seeing it. But there is no reason to think that it's age makes it unsafe. I know and service lots of rigs older than that. The earliest type 17 risers were found to be susceptible to breaking on opening. If the RSL side riser broke, it would result in a nasty main/reserve entanglement. Very bad. That problem was solved long ago by adding reinforcement to the risers. A rigger, especially an older rigger, will know what to look for. It's not usually worth shipping old stuff like this all the way from Europe. There are plenty of old V2s in America for you to choose from. The price depends on the condition and if all the parts are included. People often buy containers that are missing handles, or d-bags, or risers, or p/c only to find that the great deal they got needs 2 or 3 hundred dollars worth of parts. Keep looking, and keep researching. I see you are in Sioux Falls. Find the local rigger from Luverne and become his/her new best friend. That's the best way to get help finding used gear. I love the fact that you are looking this stuff up and asking questions. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

This is the Alti-2 repair info page. http://www.alti-2.com/content.php?155-Repair-Warranty If for some reason it is not repairable, they will probably offer you a trade in price on something new. They are like most companies in the industry, very easy to deal with. And very interested in keeping customers happy. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Yes, you could legally do that and tell yourself you have "layed your rating aside". But the sanction that you risk is that CSPA could revoke your rating. Not an insignificant action if you are wanting to sign packing cards. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Curious here. Of course "Skyride" has no ambitions at all, but someone behind it does. Who is that someone? Is it "He who's name shall not be mentioned"? Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

That's right! I never thought of that. On a Storm Dacron lines may be an easier resale feature. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Are you trying this on the ground? Or in the air with tension on the risers? New parts are stiff, and many sliders barely go over toggles, or even front riser dive loops on some risers. You may have to carefully wiggle the slider past the toggles for the first little while. All the time making sure you don't pop the toggle, or fly into another jumper of course. That's why many people don't bother. But apparently you, like me, want the slider down. Some people release the brakes first. There is a big argument about this, and I'm not getting it to that, no matter who jumps in. Since it's a pilot, I am assuming it has Aerodyne softlinks, so there should be no problem there. Likely you just need to be careful and patient. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Yes 550 is lower bulk. But not as much difference as the difference between Dacron and Microline. Any line that PD will install is strong enough for your weight. The heavier Microline will probably last longer, and may take slightly longer to go out of trim. I weigh about 200 and I get 600 jumps out of my 550 lined Stiletto. They don`t break, but the center ones stretch from the load, and the outside ones shrink from the friction of the slider. This results in the canopy going out of trim. It may matter less for you, depending on how heavy you load your Storm. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Unless you live in Winnipeg! Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

If you go microline (which is merely PD's word for Spectra) go with the heavier 825 size. (my choice as well) The main advantage to the 550 line is lower drag. Not really a factor for you. If you don't mind the bulk of Dacron many people do believe it does contribute to softer openings. Others say bullshit. Make sure you have room for it in your container. And it will probably make it harder to resell, if that is important to you. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Yes, but why does it have a longer flare stroke? Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

What has changed is that bridles are now made of Type 3 tape instead of thicker type 4 square weave. This is done because 2 layers are needed to allow for the kill line. At first one layer of each was used, now most makers use 2 layers of type 3 in order to decrease the bulk. I'm not sure how this ended up in a thread about reserve characteristics! Major drift going on. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Most of what you say is absolutely true. But the above does not apply to the Optimum. They are not the same as PDRs. My vote is for a PDR with harder openings (note, I said harder, not faster) and I put less importance on having a flare that mimics a 9 cell main. But I do like packing Optimums, they have the feel of really nice lingerie. Take that anyway you like! Is there any real evidence that the Optimum was not properly tested? Is there any real evidence that the optimums do snivel? They did get a TSO so you'd need to look at the testing info for real numbers, not the inexact science of looking at a crater in the ground. There have been a few reports but don't forget that correlation does not mean causation. There is another thread about AAD units not firing consistently at the right altitude. There are other discussions about reserves being packed into small rigs too tightly. Any of these could also be the cause. -Michael I did not claim that Optimums were not adequately tested. I'm merely pointing out that the length of time the PDR has been in production, and it's excellent record, does not apply to the Optimum. In other words, you can not judge one by the record of the other. I would both jump and pack Optimums, but I'd rather jump a PDR myself. Optimums are optimized for characteristics that I place less value on. Namely less harsh openings, especially at the higher airspeeds that can be encountered doing freefly jumps, and for a flare that is more like a typical modern main. These are design decisions that are compromises like all must be. You give up something to get a different performance profile. To get the powerful flare you need greater airspeed and descent speed. Some people suspect that to get the gentler opening some opening time must be traded off. I admit that I don't know for sure. But it seems logical, and as far as I know PD neither confirms nor denies it. As a 57 year old belly flier, with experience flying older 7 cells, I prefer a different set of design features. But I am not discouraging others from using Optimums. I trust in PD's ability and integrity to produce certificated canopies that meet the TSO requirements. But within those specs some designs can have different strengths over others. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1459472;search_string=binding%20101;#1459472 http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2168708;search_string=right%20angle%20binder;#2168708 Good news, you don't need reverse. Check out these two threads. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Huge subject you're asking for there. Have you considered using the search function to look for threads related to harness machines in this forum? Lots of information for you by doing so and a lot less work for everyone else. A quick Google search tells me the Adler you are asking about is a long arm machine made for sewing large tarpaulins. It might sew harnesses, but it's not really appropriate for that purpose. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Most of what you say is absolutely true. But the above does not apply to the Optimum. They are not the same as PDRs. My vote is for a PDR with harder openings (note, I said harder, not faster) and I put less importance on having a flare that mimics a 9 cell main. But I do like packing Optimums, they have the feel of really nice lingerie. Take that anyway you like! Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Soft opening, hard ground. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Your best bet would be to put an ad in the classified section asking for what you want. Someone may have what you need new, or nearly new sitting around doing nothing. But there are a few different options like length, ring size type 17 or type 8, stainless or plated, rsl ring on what side, that you need to be able to know the answers to those first. If you don't know these things you will need to just bite the bullet and order from your container maker. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

I'm done. How everybody else just stopping now? Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

"Dances with Drogues" "Thud" and a pilot named "Door" because he was so good that's all anyone ever had to say to him. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Most of the container manufacturers list the current wait times on the front page of their websites. You can be pretty sure that they will meet or slightly beat these times. They are all reputable. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Usually 2 to 4 lbs, sometimes none and occasionally 5. I always record before and after pull force on every rig and I have mostly return customers. That's what I have found the difference to be. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Even if I did that. (maybe I have, maybe I haven't) I never seal a rig before measuring the pull force. You all measure the pull force don't you? Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Ok then. I'll choose to take you at face value. The simplest way I can think of to know for sure after the fact and from this distance is the type of steering toggle after deployment. If they were yellow and/or had loops for both your hands and the instructors hands, it was the main canopy. If on the other hand they were red, and/or had no place for you to grip, only the instructor, it was a reserve. Yes I am a tandem instructor and a rigger. The nature of your questions and the detail of some of your knowledge made me suspect a game was being played. Games like that are not at all uncommon here. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

I am confused as well. Only two possibilities come to mind. The first is the direction you were pulling. If you were pulling at a 90 degree angle to the housing it could be difficult to pull the pin. And the other is the very unlikely possibility that the drogue was not actually out and that you and the instructor were falling without it. Then he deployed the drogue afterward. But it's pretty hard for me to imagine that an SDAZ tandem instructor would be doing that. Did you not talk about it on the ground afterward, or was he in a hurry to be on the next load? EDIT After re-reading your answers, and seeing how quickly you read the manual, and all the terms you used, I would say that you are a skydiver. Probably a TM and you are jerking us around. You got me. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.