mark

I think it could be done with a little bit of harness modification.

Have a rigger open the rig, take out the AAD. Close the rig well enough to ship, ship it. Sell the AAD, buy another in Germany. There is no loss in this transaction, since AADs depreciate on a straight line, unlike most other consumer goods. You lose the cost of opening and closing the rig, and a pro-rated part of the reserve packing cycle.

Your cell phone and your laptop have lithium ion batteries too. Who is saying you can't transport lithium batteries?

Do you intend your reply to be different? Because it is the same as sundevil777's.

Yes, for rigidity the optimum angle for the cross-brace is about 45 degrees. By contrast, think about the lack of effectiveness of cross-bracing at the tail. Some canopies cross-brace just the forward part of the cell (Icarus NEOS, for example), and some canopies add false ribs at the tail to keep the as-flown shape closer to the as-designed shape (PD Valkyrie, for example).

An early, somewhat successful version of crossbracing was called "airlocks." The chamber-spanning fabric of the airlock valves had the effect of crossbracing the most critical part of the airfoil.

Although USAPR is closely associated with RI, and I've worked with Sandy for a while, I'm not privy to exactly what Sunpath and RI have planned for the future. I've been careful not to ask, so I don't have any secrets to keep. I'm curious why you think Sunpath bought/merged with RI if Sunpath doesn't intend to keep producing RI products. Can you speculate?

Thanks for the correction. Also, like Aerodyne, PD requires a permeability test after immersion.

Icarus Reserve, Parachute Systems Decelerator: same 25 jump/40 pack recertification requirement as PD, including marking boxes on the data panel Aerodyne Smart reserve: porosity check after 10 jumps or 20 packs, but no boxes.

In the US, it's pretty easy to say no. An Astra requires different cable runs and control unit mounting than more conventional electronic AADs, so installing one requires alteration approval from the manufacturer (unlikely) or the FAA (difficult). If the rig was otherwise FAA TSO'd and the owner was thinking about jumping in the US, he would need to have proof of alteration approval. In the US, 105.43 requires the AADs to be maintained according to the manufacturer instructions. Astra instructions recommend, but do not require, testing in an altitude chamber at each repack. If you're trying to follow US rules, it will be your call which side of the ambiguity you choose. Checking the website, it does not look like FXC supports the Astra anymore. The batteries last 10-14 days if you forget to turn the unit off after the last jump of the day. I don't know if you can get factory battery assemblies anywhere. Changing the batteries requires opening up the reserve container. The firing altitude is a fixed distance above the altitude where the unit is turned on, typically in the boarding area to save battery life. In most cases, this isn't a problem. If the owner is going to jump at a dz where the landing altitude is substantially different than boarding altitude, this is a safety issue. The unit can be turned off and turned on again during the ride to altitude, which resets the firing altitude. This is a safety issue for the jumper himself, and a premature reserve deployment would also affect other jumpers on the load.

It is not a "rule of thumb." It is a requirement for the slider to work right: Front lines ("A" and "B") go through the front slider grommets, rear lines ("C", "D", and control lines) through the rear. Right side lines go through the right side slider grommets, left side lines go through the left side slider grommets. You can confirm your continuity check by looking up the next time you jump.

Lines out of order at the link doesn't matter for function. A twist (or two or three) in a line doesn't matter for function either. There won't be any noticeable increase in wear. What will matter is having a line wrap all the way around another line. Having everything in order and straight will make you feel better about your gear, though.

The difference is that a MOJO retrofit does not require any container modifications, nor disassembly and reassembly of the reserve, nor shipping to and from a service center. It's simply swapping out the freebag and RSL -- and your old freebag and RSL are still useable as spares or for sale to offset the cost of the MOJO.

Yeah, except it's not an error. It's not perceived as incompetence, just rudeness.

The static lines themselves are not made to break. The one in this video is capable of supporting the entire weight of the airplane and its passengers. This static line did not break -- it is the reason why the jumper is in tow. It simply failed to release at the main closing loop. The failure to release is actually kind of hard to do, but the video is not clear enough to see why it failed to open the main container. The static line only let go when the jumper pulled his reserve while he was still in tow. (A better procedure for the jumper would have been to ensure the static line was cut before deploying his reserve, which would have allowed for a bit more separation between the inflating reserve and the airplane.)

Try tightening your left leg strap first.

Assuming a cutaway with an initial vertical velocity component of 20mph, the altitude loss would be a little less than 400 feet. That leaves 600 feet to get a reserve functionally open. Sounds okay to me. I don't think there would be much difference if the AAD fired sooner, since the reserve pilot chute needs some speed to work with.

More $ than that if I have to untangle lines because the canopy was shipped without links.

Who did you ask, and what was the exact question you asked?

EOL = End of Life? Para-Flite did not set a service life. Your national aviation/parachute authority may have its own rules. If you are doing an inspection, be sure to check for compliance with PFISB 9401 bartack inspection.

A new Cypres has the same 15-year service life as an M2, and the 5- and 10-year checks are optional.

NZ Aerosports and maybe other manufacturers use a heavier sailcloth fabric for some parts of their canopies. You could ask if they'd be willing to make a canopy that uses the sailcloth in other parts as well. Downside: you're in uncharted territory with respect to pack volume (can't get the air out as easily) and durability/tear resistance. Balloon manufacturers use heavier ripstop nylon as well, which a canopy manufacturer may be willing to substitute into a canopy usually made as a hybrid of ZP and F111.

You might try their rigging school, Parachute Rigging Institute: http://www.parachuterigginginstitute.com/14.html --Mark

The only critical measurements are the ones marked 2.5" and 1.5". The 2.5" measurement is the distance from the grommet on the edge of the cap to the grommet in the center. This distance must be long enough that the fingertrap section is entirely below the center grommet. The 1.5" fingertrap section used for loop length adjustment can be a little longer if pack thickness allows, but cannot be any shorter without risking loosening during the pack cycle. Instead of the usual Cypres knot, you can make a small (0.5" I.D.) loop at the end of the closing loop, and secure using the no-sew method. The length of the fingertrap for this small loop should knot exceed about 2", so it won't interfere with the fingertrap section used for adjusting loop length. Larks-head the small loop to the Cypres washer to get a more solid anchor than the usual double-overhand + single-overhand.