mark
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Everything posted by mark
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The RSL requirement can be waived on a case-by-case basis for a student cleared for self-supervised freefall, i.e. Categories F/G/H (what used to be called Level 8). Shayna's dive has been described as "Level 1" (Category A?), so an RSL would have been required, not waiverable. Mark
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Now that you've had a couple weeks worth of responses, can you tell us why you asked? Thanks! Mark
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I agree that the preapproval process bogged down the PIA Rigger Forum. Not only every thread, but every post in the thread needed an ok. I'd like to try preapproval for starting a new Rigging thread, just to keep the topics on point, but no approval needed to post in an existing thread. On a slightly different tack, would you sort the next "How do I pack my main" thread into the Gear forum, or the Rigging forum? Mark
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I'd also like to see the forum split. Mark
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There is some overlap between the paragliding/powered parachute community and the skydiving community, and you're probably better off talking directly to experts who know both sides. Performance Designs is one company in both markets. You might also try High Energy Sports; Bill Gargano was a well-known skydiving parachute designer/manufacturer before he turned to making powered-parachute canopies. If you call, talk to Betty -- lots of good advice and information from that side of aviation. Mark
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So, um, where does the tether go when they release the drogue? Mark
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The "45 degree rule" for exit separation DOES NOT WORK
mark replied to kallend's topic in Safety and Training
Wouldn't have mattered if he did, it would still be wrong. The only way to get 45 degrees or more is for the vertical speed of the jumper to be less than the horizontal speed of the airplane. That occurs twice: once immediately at exit, and second after canopy deployment. Using the first occurence of 45 degrees is unsafe; using the second is uneconomical. Mark -
Fingertrapping the excess brake line shortens the steering line. The effect is less pronounced on smaller Spectra lines (PD reserves), more evident with Dacron (Precision, PISA). The position of the knot or fingertrapped loop must be adjusted accordingly. Even if you are using the knotted-loop method without fingertrapping the excess, you stiil need to check that the finished length is correct because the knot itself shortens the line. Especially on large-diameter line, having the factory mark at the toggle grommet results in a length slightly off. Mark
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I'm partial to the Pink Skyvan, too. Mark
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No better paint job than the Pink Flamingo. Hands down. Mark
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You'd need to have the pitot heat on to prevent jumpers from using the pitot tube as a floater handle. You'd probably want to have the master switch and mag switch (keys), and fuel boost pump switches moved to the center or right side of the instrument panel, to prevent assistance from tandem passengers. Also, there might be a situation where it would be handy to get to the fuel primer. All four of those things are typically on the left side of the panel. After that, it's just a question of the pilot getting comfortable flying from the right seat, with flight instruments on the opposite side of the panel. Flight instructors do it all the time. Mark
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Just great! Thanks! (For those of you wondering, MEL provided a chipset that allows my electronic bartacker to reproduce most of the patterns in common use in the industry. The standard chipset is ok for most repairs, but now I get to try for that little bit extra that's the difference between merely adequate and factory standard.) Mark
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I don't think Derek needs me to defend him, so I'm here on my own account. The TSO requires some, but not all, instructions to be provided to the user. Oddly, the installation instructions, which the FAA recognizes are important for installation, are not among those required to be provided to the user. In the FAA's usual meaning, "user" would be "operator". For us, that means skydiver/owner, not rigger. Instructions are provided to the purchasers of equipment, not riggers. Otherwise, you owe me copies of all the Icarus manuals. In any case, the TSO is a manufacturing QC document which imposes requirements on the manufacturer. The TSO is silent on the obligations of the user. I can see where manufacturers would want you to follow the instructions; you are right when you say the FARs require us to follow the instructions. However, the FARs are silent on the question of how available the written instructions should be. Mark
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Have you looked at the "Made in" tags on your PD Slink™tabs? Mark
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Javelin "leather look" and houndstooth durability?
mark replied to bigbearfng's topic in Gear and Rigging
If by "leather look" you mean that stuff left over from the basketball factory, it looks okay on some parts of the rig, not so good on others. It doesn't stretch or move like para-pack or cordura, so it's harder to make basketball-stuff reserve side flaps look good, and anywhere else the two fabrics join you're likely to get puckering. It's also thicker than the usual fabric, so the tuck tabs don't work as well. Houndstooth holds up okay, but please don't use it on the reserve pilot chute hat -- it's a real pain trying to get the pilot chute collapsed so the pattern aligns with the pattern elsewhere on the rig. Mark -
I tried Tandem Slinks™ on our tandems last year or the year before. I didn't like the result, and went back to Rapide™ links. With Slinks™, the sliders stopped with the grommets in contact with the risers an inch or so below the riser tops, and the "polishing" effect moved from the EZ384 sacrificial lines to the risers. I wound up replacing risers much earlier than I wanted: except for the weakened, polished/brittle area at the top, the risers were in good condition. Mark
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Opinions wanted about a 2-step RSL procedure
mark replied to borg2050's topic in Safety and Training
Don't keep us in suspence. What did you decide? Mark -
Sunpath calls them "dual cutaway risers," and the system is a "dual cutaway system." "Universal risers" would connect to my capewells, tapewells, and my 3-rings, and to a host of other riser receivers. Mark
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Suggested opening direction for hop'n'pop(subterminal)?
mark replied to phoenixlpr's topic in Safety and Training
Bill Von -- Thanks for the video proof that the 45-degree angle method doesn't work. Now we have this variant. What education and proof technique would you recommend? Mark -
And they last a long time, too. A lot longer than Vectran. Mark
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I just finished replacing the HMA linesets on my X-FX99 and X-VX93. Easiest relines I've ever done -- no fingertrapping, no sewing, no bartacks. New lines clearly marked; all I needed to do was larks-head them in place. Thanks, Precision! Mark
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I've always found it difficult to tell which students would get to the point where they buy their own gear. In the US, only about 3% of static line FJC students make it to an "A" license; AFF does considerably better. Still, most students will never get their own gear. Any transition adds risk. Folks who prefer SOS for their students have chosen to minimize the risk at the biggest transition of all -- from whuffo to skydiver -- in exchange for slightly elevated risk to those few who make the transition from student gear to their own. Mark
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I just repacked a PD 143 made in 1989. It's easy to forget how long that design has been in production. Conversely, Flight Concepts reserves continue to be offered today. Instead of looking at just the date of manufacture, check the date of design. Glidepath/Flight Concepts reserves were state-of-the-art once, but the basic design is from 1980 or so; ditto the Pegasus-derived Raven mains/reserves. PD reserves are a generation later. Mark
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I never did see the movie version of "The Hotel New Hampshire," mostly because I thought the book was wickedly good, and I didn't want it ruined by the bad flavor of a poor movie adaptation like "The World According to Garp" (in which Robin Williams plays yet another variation on ... Robin Williams). John Irving manages to have hilarious scenes in most of his books, but my favorite is the Christmas play in "A Prayer for Owen Meany." That book is for me the most intriguing of all he's written, one that I re-read every couple years. Thanks for reminding me. Mark
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I have seen a diaper-deployed round reserve open with a full inversion, then landed safely. Does that prove or disprove your point? Mark