mark

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Everything posted by mark

  1. mark
    Why do some tandems open hard, and why wouldn't that happen with your notional design?
  2. mark
    "Workable" implies that it actually works, not that it might possibly work. How far have you gotten in development?
  3. mark
    If the pilot has only one altimeter, he can set it to MSL and do the mental calculation to get AGL for skydivers, or he can set it to AGL and do the mental calculation to talk to ATC or other airplanes. ATC and collision avoidance are generally more urgent and the consequences of miscalculation more immediate, so setting to MSL is more common. What I don't get is why anyone is arguing with the pilot at all. If you need more altitude, just decline to jump and ask for a higher pass.
  4. mark
    The TSO'd free bag and reserve pilot are required to be marked with the manufacturer's address. With the factory closed, what address is he using?
  5. mark
    Airborne Systems Flip
  6. mark
    I can confirm that the Trap releases under circumstances similar to all the other non-Infinity MARDs, especially folding-bridle MARDS like Boost and Ace.
  7. mark
    The Trap can release under circumstances similar to all the other non-Infinity MARDs.
  8. mark
    Cypres-1: Cypres-2:
  9. mark
    About $0.
  10. mark
    They were going to die anyway. If you leave the rigs in the cockpit when you exit on the ground, you'll leave them in the cockpit when you exit in the air. It's just muscle memory and habit.
  11. mark
    You know what else is insane? Believing this is common.
  12. mark
    I can't think of a single DZO or instructor who is looking forward to a bonanza from recurrency jumps.
  13. mark
    Kirk@para-concepts.com in Ottawa IL is an Icarus repair station
  14. mark
    Walt/Jerry -- are you sure you're not thinking of the RI Aviator, which does have a 15-year service life?
  15. mark
    I agree -- except I think there will continue to be a possibility of new contamination once we start jumping again. We need to start thinking about what the protocols will be.
  16. mark
    We don't have a good way to protect or clean virus from textiles (attachment below from US Army). If you are cleaning around your parachute equipment, you should protect your equipment from aerosols, droplets, or other cleaning agent contamination that could damage the material. Many cleaning products are adverse to nylon. To see examples of what might work and what doesn't, you can start with the following page: https://www.calpaclab.com/nylon-chemical-compatibility-chart/ . Finally, some cleaning agents are adverse to our metal hardware, particularly bleach and chlorinated cleaners like Clorox wipes (attachment below from Bourdon Forge; the important paragraph is near the end). MOR for Parachute Textiles During COVID19 Industry & Military 30 Mar 2020-signed.pdf COVID-19 Letter.pdf
  17. mark
    Precision declines to service reserves more than 20 years old.
  18. mark
    Could be used for packing toward a rating without worrying about the factory-advised (but not FAA-enforceable) service life. $900 is kinda steep for a training aid, though.
  19. mark
    The OP asked for advice about his particular situation. He didn't ask for advice about anybody else's situation.
  20. mark
    The Starmaker PopTop chest is exactly the same container as the Strong Seat, just without a harness attached. Packs exactly the same way: line stows, canopy stack/routing, everything. The packing instructions show a Strong 26' LoPo in both cases. The same container was used as the reserve container on the original SST.
  21. mark
    Not exactly. For AFF renewal, you have to have done in the previous 12 months: 15 AFF jumps, taught an AFF FJC, and attended a renewal seminar. Some instructors may not have the opportunity they were counting on this spring to meet those requirements.
  22. mark
    Not exactly. There's jump currency, and there's instructional currency. For example, you're current as a D-license holder if you've jumped in the last 6 months, but to be eligible to renew your tandem rating, you need to have done a tandem in the previous 90 days.
  23. mark
    No I don't have a better solution. I'm going to count that as 3 votes for temporarily lower standards (yours, mine, and the OP).
  24. mark
    Is this the place for starting that discussion? The currency requirements are based on the idea that skills decay over time. The decay occurs regardless of the reason why you unable to jump. Pushing deadlines back suggests either that we should accept a lower standard of proficiency and safety (at least this once), or that the standards are too high.
  25. mark
    Might still be available from Jump Shack. Earlier this century they partnered with Sonic to build a BASE rig with TSO'd harness. Snap on the Pop-Top chest to make an FAA-legal rig, leave the Pop-Top behind to make a non-FAA jump.