gowlerk

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Everything posted by gowlerk

  1. gowlerk
    Find another sport. We don't need your kind. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  2. gowlerk
    I have a customer who ordered a Mirage sized for a pd176, but through a mix up he was sent one sized for a op176 or a pd160. He had the brand new gear and really needed it so I packed it for him. It went in, but the stiffeners on the side flaps were bent and distorted out of shape, it was clear that the rig would be damaged so out it came. YMMV Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  3. gowlerk
    I would say the form factor makes it all wrong. Wide and thin making it only suitable for top mounting and very poor for side mounting. Not very flexible at all. Except possibly a handcam? Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  4. gowlerk
    Love mine, my wife loves hers. Helps middle aged or older people not look so ungraceful. Similar snaps are used for tandems. I've never heard of a failure. But they definitely are not on the cool kids rigs. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  5. gowlerk
    There is a basic trade off in canopy design. Stability versus maneuverability. The more stable it is, the less "fun" it is. And the less likely it is to get you into a spinning situation when you encounter line twists. Like the difference between a sports car and a minivan. You can get into trouble with either, but not in the same way. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  6. gowlerk
    My mistake, I misread "not unkindly". Previous comment has been edited. Thanks If it's only on the cover flap just re-install it. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  7. gowlerk
    Attached to the top flap, or the cover flap? These are common and generally accepted. Did your previous rigger install it, or did you? Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  8. gowlerk
    Line twists can form well above the risers. Spreading them will not stop a spinning canopy from forming line twists. It just changes how far up they are. Line twists on a Saber 2 loaded at 1.2 will almost always be recoverable anyway. Most of this stuff is about HP canopies. A whole different game. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  9. gowlerk
    CSPA requirements are found in a long boring publication called "PIM 1 part 1. Find it here: http://www.cspa.ca/docs/en/pim/PIM1.pdf And good luck, fascinating reading. The ratings issued in Canada by CSPA are FAI (International) ratings and are recognized around the world. PFF is generally the fastest route to your A COP, but much depends on your commitment and ability. Dropzones are pretty much competitive on the price of training. Much more important is to go where they can provide the training when you are available. (Are they open only weekends? Are they very busy with tandems and do they have the staff resources to look after you?) The far greater factor than money is the time commitment skydiving demands. Don't decide on a DZ by price alone. Once you do decide you should be prepared to stay at the same DZ until you are trained. After that the world can be your oyster. Ken from Winnipeg Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  10. gowlerk
    As far as I'm concerned this is the only correct answer. I'm not sure I want to get into an argument with Brian, or any of the the other HP pilots here. But too many people have died trying to fix this shit. Why are you encouraging others to take a chance? Cut that shit away, it's only money and pride. It's one of the prices you pay for the exciting ride you chose. Ken Gowler Edited to add that I haven't listened to the show, and that may be what Brian advises for all I know. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  11. gowlerk
    More likely the father would have her killed for being harnessed up to a man like that. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  12. gowlerk
    I don't really understand your concerns about this so I will just say that your grommets are not particularly small, they are size 0 stainless steel like every other rig for at least 20 years. They are easy like pies for manufacturers to intall, and are not that difficult for riggers to replace. Cypress washers aren't used on mains, so I don't know why you bring this up. In fact very little of what you are saying makes much sense at all. But maybe that's just me. Please understand that the only reason I an even bothering to reply to this is out of concern that you will convince someone else that they can skip using a washer. There is no problem to be solved as far as I can see. But as you are fond of saying, "maybe that's just me" Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  13. gowlerk
    I would note that these instructions are a "recommendation" only and assume that sizing is also following recommendations. This type of closing loop is mounted to the bottom of the reserve tray and can easily be longer if a larger canopy is fitted. I interpret this more as an instruction to use appropriate sized canopies. Not as an indication of what pin extraction force should be. The only time I've seen P/C in tow arise from a pin that would not extract was caused by a lever effect due to the geometry of the pin, the bridle and a stiffener. No reasonable amount of force, including a sharp pull on the ground after the reserve ride would budge the pin. Although several people looked at it and could see nothing wrong. (Including SDAZ's safety officer) I have never heard of a mal caused by a short closing loop. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  14. gowlerk
    Thanks, now I get it. That setup leads to loose pins if the canopy bulk is not enough. I think they went with it to lessen the risk of lines snagging on loose grommets. Another design compromise and another compatibility issue. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  15. gowlerk
    What I don't get is why do AAD manufacturers need a change in the rules to enact an increase in their activation height? And in what way does a change in USPA rules justify a change given that AADs are all manufactured in Europe and used and sold around the world. What is the minimum everywhere else? In Canada it is still 2200ft, as far as I know. But I could be wrong, or there could be a current movement to change it. Given that different jurisdictions have different rules couldn't the manufacturers get together and have a standard of their own? Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  16. gowlerk
    I'm not sure what you mean by a fixed length closing loop. They are all fixed by the placement of the knot, until someone ties a new knot. Closing loops are expendable items that need to be replaced often, and at the first sign of any damage at all. Which means that length will usually get changed at least somewhat every time the loop is changed. Is there some new type of loop that I just don't know about yet? As far as the risks of a too tight versus a too loose tension on the main pin goes, I'll just say this. Too loose can and has caused premature deployments with all the potential consequences up to and including the loss of aircraft and multiple lives. Too tight could potentially cause a p/c in tow. I know which one I'd prefer to deal with. I have personally never seen a main pin too tight. I've seen many too loose. Try to keep this all in perspective. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  17. gowlerk
    If you want to jump a rig without a washer on the main closing loop you will need to do it at a DZ other that the one I jump at. Why would you choose to do that? Washers are the standard. Why would you come here and encourage others to do that? Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  18. gowlerk
    I know this is not useful. But once again. JUST SAY NO TO NANNY STATES. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  19. gowlerk
    Where are they fighting? I wanna watch it. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  20. gowlerk
    Go to Mesquite. An awesome bunch of people. You will learn to cope with the landing area. It's not that small, but the terrain surrounding it is intimidating. And it's all gravel. You WILL learn accuracy and you WILL stand up your landings there. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  21. gowlerk
    Thanks Mark and John both. Documentation is nice, but info from people who really know is even better. That's enough for me to go on, a manual would be nice as a back up, but I suppose that the Racer tandem manual has packing info in that case. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  22. gowlerk
    I'm 6ft 2in. But we have a wide body 182! But my exit is to simply roll out of the door from my knees. Other more stable methods have resulted in rubbing the container on the top of the door frame. I don't like that. Customers love the front loop as long as they know it's coming. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  23. gowlerk
    I received some tandem gear with FCI 425r reserves. I can't find any documentation on these, and I'm not familiar with them. FCI has not answered mt inquiry yet. So I'll throw it out here. Anyone know anything about these? The only reference I can find using search is for 425 mains. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  24. gowlerk
    The best deal I've found for travel insurance that covers jumping vacations in the US is to join CAA and buy it from them as you need it. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.
  25. gowlerk
    You could move to any civilized western democracy. (Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. I really like the USA, but some things about it I can't understand.) Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.