mark

If you've been tying the knot before fingertrapping the dead end into the steering line, there's a better way. First fingertrap the loop, then tie the knot. Experiment to find how much the line is shortened by the knot, and adjust the position of the loop accordingly. Also, just because the canopy manufacturer provides a very long lower brake line doesn't mean you have to keep it all. If you feel you must keep it all, remember that fingertrapping shortens the length of the line; adjust the toggle position to accommodate. Mark

I'm guessing you are referring to the accidental Cypres firings because of radio frequency interference. As you know, the answer is "no, RI did not." I suppose an argument could be made that the accidental Cypres fires were comparable to the unintended Vigil cutter plastic insert cracking and cutting closing loops (though a better comparison would be RF Cypres fires and static electricity Vigil fires, and the response of each company to those situations was similar). That still leaves the technical issue of control unit fit, and the ethical issue of riding on someone else's intellectual effort. Mark

RI is correct: it is up to the h/c manufacturers to approve AAD installations, not the AAD manufacturers. There are still unresolved issues, even in rigs approved for Vigil installation, so RI is well within its rights to withhold approval. The recent Vigil cutter SB illustrates one such issue; Vigil's cutter redesign should fix that problem, but that's in the future, not now. A second issue has to do with the vinyl control unit pockets. The pockets supplied free of charge by Airtec to h/c manufacturers are too small for the velcro to mate around the cable to the slightly larger Vigil control unit, even on RWS rigs (and even though there is a very close relationship between Vigil-USA and RWS). Finally, there is an ethical/moral issue. Airtec has supplied Cypres installation kits free of charge to the h/c manufacturers (agreed: it was also good marketing), and has gone to considerable expense to ensure proper functioning and safety of each particular installation. Vigil is a free rider on that testing, and is a free rider on use of Cypres pockets, cable housings/routings/sleeves, cutter holders, and control unit pockets. Argus will be, too. (I hope these issues can be resolved; when a customer changes from Vigil to Cypres or vice versa, I don't want to be replacing pockets with identical pockets except for different logo.) Mark

Clickies: http://www.atairaerospace.com/press/2005/04/smithsonian-spotlights-atair.html http://atairaerospace.com/parachutes/composite/ Just teasers, though. Most of the questions posed earlier in this thread are not addressed. Mark

If that were true, airlines couldn't serve alcoholic beverages, could they? If a person is sober enough to be an airline passenger, are they sober enough to skydive? I think not necessarily, but it is not clear to me that there is an absolute legal prohibition against drinking just before (or while) skydiving. What is the legal definition of "under the influence?" Mark

Are you using your altimeter to tell you when to turn downwind, across the wind, and final? Mark

The blood alcohol level required to sustain a DUI charge is 0.08 - .10 for automobile drivers in most of the US. Pilots are held to a stricter standard, but the standard is NOT 0.0. I support traditional zero tolerance for pre-jump alcohol use, but I wonder if there is a legal basis for holding skydivers to a stricter standard than drivers or pilots. How much alcohol does it take before a person can be said to be legally "under the influence"? Mark Edited to move decimal points.

Hello Jay! Talk to me the next time you're at the dz. Mark

Hello Jerry! Until Dan chimes in, I think we're the blind men describing the elephant. I remember sewn seams on Dan's canopy, but although I remember him saying the fibers in the fabric could be oriented to substitute for the reinforcement tapes common in ripstop ribs, the fiber orientation in his canopy was conventional right angles. IIRC, the maximum length of a piece of such fabric was just 10 meters and was hideously expensive; production of custom batches with fibers oriented exactly (and requiring ribs to be cut exactly as well) for a particular canopy would put price even higher. Dan did talk about gluing the fabric together as an alternative to conventional sewing -- but he also said that because the fabric is already relatively impermeable, absence of needle holes would make the parachute almost impossible to pack. Mark

Nothing out of the ordinary if the only problem was lines out of order on the links. Although, like you, I'd rather use a more compulsive, detail-oriented rigger. Mark

Thanks all! Mark

I recently opened a Javelin and found the reserve bridle stowed: -- two long folds under each side flap (like Racer instructions) -- remainder of bridle stowed side-to-side on top of the inner bottom stub flap, with the stows long enough to go under the side flaps (similar to Wings or Dolphin). The occasional rigger who packed it also owns and jumps an early Javelin. I know what the current Javelin packing instructions are. I would like to know if there was at some time a different approved method of stowing the reserve bridle. Mark

Hmmm. My experience with non-Federal Control Towers is that they function the same as FAA-staffed towers in all respects. I've always believed the FAA required them to follow the same rule book, but I hear you saying that's not so. Perhaps someone with ATC/NFCT experience could chime in here. Mark

I'm going to respectfully disagree. Just because there is a blank in my logbook doesn't mean I have to write in it. Unless you call an AAD a parachute, FAR 65.131 doesn't apply. Mark

If you have a Cypres-2, the serial number is accessible on the display. Mark

Uh, no. The strength is the same in either orientation. I'm partial to barrels to the inside, on the theory that it's nicer to the slider grommets. But PISA used to ship Tempos with the barrels to the outside. In most cases, I prefer the long side to the risers and short side to the lines, so the barrel interferes less with the orientation. Except on some tandems, where the size and number of lines make a bigger wad than the riser end. And at least one poster here likes the short side to the riser side, thinking that the g-forces of opening are more likely to tighten the barrels that way. (I don't know if that applies to reserve links, though, which experience many more opening shocks in the upside down -- packed -- position than they do in the upright -- reserve deployment -- position.) As long as we're on theological arguments, should Slinks be wrapped clockwise or counter-clockwise, and does it change based on left-right or front-back? Mark

Can you identify the other rig this seller is offering? Mark

The original post asked for technical info, that is, a reference. I agree with your practice, but am wondering if you could cite a manual or regulation. Mark

Because there isn't anything -- it's condition, not time. it's your call, just like when to replace a Type IIA closing loop. For a technical reference, all I could find was the Parachute Rigger Handbook, FAA-H-8083-17, which says on page 5-10, "Many riggers simply replace the loops at each repack, regardless of the condition," implying there is no standard for how often to change it. Mark

I'm imagining a 1992 Javelin that comes to you with the main packed and nothing on the data card indicating compliance with SPSB 03032000 Rev B. (Reflexes and Dolphins also have SBs requiring inspection of the main container to determine compliance.) Hypothetically, what would you do? The Tandem Vector harness lateral is sewn to the main container. Would you return a rig to service if you were unable to inspect that stitching because the main was packed? Mark

What bob.dino said. Mark

I've made several, but none recently. I made the rib pattern for my first one by doing a pencil rubbing of the end cell of the canopy I wanted to copy, and I measured the lines under sag. It opened okay, had a horrible turn, and was retired after two jumps. The late George Harris (a 101st Airborne Division veteran) was kind enough to provide the small amount of fabric I needed. Mark

So this whole chest-back-seat-lap thing started after Wonderhogs came out? My copy of the 1977 Wonderhog manual doesn't say what rating is required to pack the reserve, unlike Jump Shack instructions of the same period which specifically stated that the reserve could be packed by someone with either a chest or back rating. I know there must be earlier Wonderhog instructions, since mine show a curved main closing pin, so perhaps the chest-pack master riggers can cite some reference. Mark

Actually, both velcro and tuck tabs are used, but it's not so obvious. The pin cover flap has tuck tabs on each side, and the tongue slides into a pocket on the midflap. The top of the pin cover flap is sewn to a yoke-wide* piece, a little like the pin cover flap on a Mirage G4. The most likely cause of the pin flap opening is air getting under the wide yoke piece, which pulls the tongue out of its pocket; the small side tuck tabs are not up to the job after that. The yoke piece of the pin cover flap has velcro on it, to secure the riser covers. -- make sure the velcro is in good condition -- pay extra attention during packing to make sure the yoke piece is stretched tight and held against the top of the reserve container by the riser cover velcro. -- no sit-flying in this rig! Mark *yoke = the wide part of the rig, going around the back of your neck. **yolk = the yellow part of an egg. "yolk-wide" is about an inch and a half for a Grade A hen's egg.

The zip tie was put on by a non-rigger during registration/gear-check(ironic, no?) and was on at the end of the boogie. I am assuming, but do not know for fact, that at least one jump was put on the rig. Given that assumption, I'd conclude that no one noticed. Mark