erdnarob

Sabre 2 is the best canopy at your level. Amazingly, the Sabre 2 has a long range of loading capabilities with performance increasing with loading. That's why you should borrow or rent a Sabre 2-190 (loading 1.1) to get used to it and when having the OK from an instructor try, after a good briefing, a Sabre 2-170 (loading at 1.23). You wouldn't believe how powerful is the flare of a Sabre-2. This is the scenario suitable for you if you want to buy a canopy and keep it for 200-300 jumps at least. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

The Katana 190 doesn't exist yet as far as I know. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Hackish, I have an automatic stitching owl just like the one shown on Terry's post link. I can lent it to you. I use it the repair missing stitching on my indian made deer skin mocassins. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

You have got a lot of good advices here about packing a Sabre. I would just add that you have to keep the slider against the stoppers and make sure it will stay there at the S fold and bagging. I remind you that when the Sabre came out in early 90ties, it became the standard of the world and the first canopy to be really successful with zero porosity fabric. It was followed by : Safire, Pilot, Lightning... which displayed the same features. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Well, as Bill Booth said the discussion here is about the probability of an event B which depends on the probability of an event A to happen. It's a bit like doing a cut away from a main malfunction and get a reserve mal right after. For sure it can happen but with such a way of thinking why not choosing doing scuba diving instead. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Hello Jerry, pchapman just asked me the same questions. I designed my swaging press according a picture seen from Ron Dione's one. When Ron saw it he told me that mine was nicer. 1) since I figured out that the top horizontal bar was going to resist to the flexion (6 tons+) I made sure to make it from 2" thick tool steel. On Ron Dione picture you could see that the top horizontal bar was bent. 2) I use the same set of dies (top and bottom) for both pin and ball. Both dies are identical with a 1/2" long groove very slightly convex since when swaging the squeeze on the cable is more progessive. On destructive testing the cable always seems to break at the very location where it is first squeezed which is a weak point. Having a slightly convex groove avoid partially to have a weak point. Here is pictures of the press top and the rip cord testing device (300 lbs for 3 seconds) I designed and made. It uses the lever principle. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Your Bonehead helmet is made of carbon fiber and fiberglass. No comparison with the Z1 from Parasports. Yours is stronger and lighter. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I think what you see on the picture (from UPT) you mention about the red lanyard is a special bad effect (probably one sees the 550 lbs sheating from its profile). Here is a picture I have posted on another thread where everything looks OK. Also I think the French bulletin is not about the structure of this red lanyard which was the question asked by the author of this thread. This red lanyard with its specific length has a role to play about keeping the proper sequence of events. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Thanks Andrew for the precision. My DZ doesn't offer the PFF/AFF now. We are using the IAD system after one tandem jump. In my post I was explaining the basics of what is the AFF in Canada. You gave a more detailed explanation and you showed how the AAF program can be modified. You said 10 questions for the Solo, I just asked more than 40 two and half months ago to a Solo candidate. Our DZ wants to make sure that few things are known and understood by the Solo certificate holder. As a solo certificate holder, an instructor doesn't have to supervise you in the airplane but you still have to refer to an instructor or coach on the ground in order to have a follow up. Just like taking a pilot course. Being solo allows you to fly an airplane alone but first an instructor has to sign you on. As you explained, a solo doesn't have the green light to do whatever he wants unlike a licensed jumper (within the list of privileges given by his license). Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

When a Vigil is set up on a specific mode it shows it on the display window as long as the device is switched on. To change that mode you need to go thru a sequence of actions and the mode changing cannot occurr without a deliberate action. Just like the device cannot be switched off or on by chance. One does not have to set up the chosen mode every jumping day. The chosen mode on a Vigil stays on as long (20 years if you want) as you want. All you have to do is to switch it on at the DZ and that's it. I don't see why a jumper will have the wrong mode if he knows a minimum about his rig. You don't use a ordinary rig to do a tandem and you don't use a tandem rig for doing FS. Students rigs stay generally for students. There is no mode change to be done since AAD's stay normally in the same rig for a specific type of jumps. I know that people using the wrong mode has happened but I know just one case so far. Then where is the problem. OTOH when comes the time to sell your rig, you can sell your AAD separately and have more chance to sell it because of the three modes. Now a DZO has to manage his equipment (tandem, student and rental) and it's quite easier to do so when having the possibility to change a AAD from a rig to another rig within 10 minutes because the AAD have the 3 modes. If you are not sure of what I am saying ask to a DZO using Vigils... (and no scheduled maintenance which means you choose when you want it). I invite people to be shown how a Vigil (or Argus) works. Knowledge dispels fear. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

First of all, excellent reminders from everybody here about packing. Now about using a packer. This is a good idea to have somebody pack for you when being at a boogie or record attempt if you have just an hour or so between jumps since briefing, debriefing, relaxing, logging, boarding take a certain time. Having a packer relieves you when being under pressure. OTOH you have to keep an eye on your equipment and inspect it and pack it after a boogie. Doing preventative inspection will tell you what part has to be replaced soon and this is why you have to know your rig and being able to inspect and pack it. It's a good idea too to set up the brakes and prepare the collapsible slider when you use a packer. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Hi Peter. For people who can be interested here is a picture of the press I have designed and made for a friend of mine. It swages both pin and ball of a rip cord. Dies have received a heat treatment. 3 rip cords have been tested sucessfully at the aeronautical department of the National Research Council in Ottawa Canada. At the end we had a destructive testing and never the pin or ball slipped at all. The cable gave up at tension of 800 lbs or more. Now, coming back to the thread, IMO it's not maybe the best idea to ask somebody to keep his ripcord after pulling the reserve. It gives the student or jumper a extra pressure when he is trying to save his life. Also, there is always a slight possibility to have an entanglement between the rip cord and the lines if the jumper is not stable . You don't ask a student to pay for the reserve repack when he has decided to use it. The student or jumper renting a rig shouldn't pay if he got his rip cord lost because it's part of the deal. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I agree with you. My answer was for a too short leg straps but Terry has a good point. Leg straps have to support the whole opening load which can reach almost 2000 pounds. I would be very careful to remove the padding and put a new one. You wouldn't believe how fragile a webbing under high tension can become when it is very slighly damaged especially on the edges. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Some physics here: Spinning comes from a non symetrical open canopy behaving more or less like a the blades of a windmill. More load leads to more speed then to faster spin. Now: faster spin for smaller canopies : The resisting torque (tendency to stay straight) is less important for small canopies since their mass and aerodynamical resistance due to the fabric is less far away with respect to the centre of rotation or spin. It's like a small farmer water pumping wind turbine spinning way faster than a 400 feet high wind turbine both under the same wind conditions. Do you get it? No book on parachute equipment really explains that but taking a physics course would. Physics when well understood makes you see things differently. You know more about why things happen. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I don't know what era your are refering to about not having access to a RSL but I was jumping in 1974 with a Steven Cut away System comprising of a 1/2" tubular webbing line connected at one end to one riser (the right one) and attached at the other end to a "side pull" handle of a chest mounted reserve. The line in extra was stowed in a little pocket with velcro sewn on the right main lift web. One day I don't know what happened but I guess I grabbed the metal main rip cord and the Steven together because I ended up with two perfectly open round canopies: the main was a T10 (paratroopers) and the reserve was a 24' flat circular. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Good choice about a Vector III. I am with them for 30 years now (Wonderhog, Sprint, Vector, Vector II, Vector III...) and still believe they are the best. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Hi Bublhed. Here is a picture of the RAX taken from the demo kit I got from Jerry Baumchen. He just kindly gave me the OK to post it. Second picture is the Skyhook from a demo kit I got this summer from UPT and this for comparison purpose. I know the pictures are not explaining how it works in details but it's better than nothing. On the RAX picture, the white line on the right side is playing the role of the RSL. On the Skyhook picture the left part of the bridle is attached to the pilot chute. You can see the RSL with its loop pulling the yellow cable (Collins lanyard). On the pictures the Skyhook is seen from the yoke while the RAX is seen from the bottom of the container. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

OK I will be clear. Cypres approach is that you as a skydiver you are not smart enough to: choose a mode on your AAD, to monitor the mode, to change the batteries...in other word Cypres maker is considering you as a sort of a child. You as a skydiver are like an airplane pilot and you have to first know your equipment and set it up accordingly. A C-182 airplane pilot has to do a magnetos check before each flight. What is the trouble to check the status of your AAD (ON and with the proper mode) when doing your pin check (if your AAD is installed under the yoke) or to have a look at your back pad if located there ???? It just takes the time of a glance say half of a second. Ask a Vigil owner to show you since seeing is believing. OTOH on a Vigil, Cypres and also on the Argus the difference of the firing altitudes between Expert/Pro and student mode is 200 feet. Now lets see what normally happens: you open your chute at 2000-3000 feet. Even a Vigil set up on STUDENT mode will make no big difference. A problem happened when a skydiver used a Vigil on a normal jump when the AAD was set up in Tandem mode(firing altitude is way higher). Where is the big problem here, skydiver or the AAD ??? Most of the accidents in skydiving (probably 80%+) come from human bad attitude or mistakes. One of the major mistake/bad attitude is not knowing your equipment and technique. You certainly don't want to have an AAD which switches on automatically when arriving at the DZ don't you. I guess you would rather like to keep a certain amount of control on what you are doing. You are doing an extreme activity and you are better to stay on alert mode. Monitoring your leg and chest strap adjustment, your release system system, handles and your AAD status before each single jump is part of staying in alert mode. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

In Canada, after you have made your 7-8 AFF levels successfully + an evaluation jump with cameraman and you have reach about 9-12 jumps at all minimum, you get a SOLO certificate (formerly "self supervised" endorsement) after passing an oral exam comprising of about 40-50 questions and getting a review of Emergency Procedures. As a SOLO certificate holder you still are under an instructor supervision and then you start working on your A license requirements. A SOLO certificate doesn't make you a licensed skydiver and you cannot sign up somebody else jump but you can go by yourself, spot and jump after refering with an instructor on the ground. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

As other people tell you, if you have (at 70 jumps) to do a PLF in order to land your parachute, you have a problem. I would suggest you to take some canopy piloting lessons. OTOH don't you think that if you still need to do PLF that your canopy doesn't provide you enough support ? Or are you jumping in Colorado at very high elevation ? Or is your canopy made of F111, has thousands of jumps and became like a huge strainer...? I like the idea that a fellow like you demonstrate interest in skydiving equipment but at your level, you should maybe concentrate more on the basics like using the proper canopy and mastering your landing. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

The other RSL system is the RAX (Reserve Activation and Extration) from Jerry Bamchem. It is made of nylon tapes, grommet and stainless steel pin. Jerry sent me the demo kit and the DVD of the testings. Quite convicing. The RAX seems really to be a good competitor for the Skyhook and the DRX (I didn't see the DRX yet) and has not Collins lanyard soo far but a rig maker can decide to add it. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Of course a RSL use is not letting you decide when to pull the reserve. In a spinning mal one would like to wait a couple of seconds to get stable before pulling the reserve. But a RLS is good for a beginner like a student since it provides a solution to solve a mal problem using a "two birds with one stone" way. That was my philosophy to have no RSL since I wanted to stay in control. But after seeing Bill Booth's demo of the Skyhook at Reno (PIA symposium) and the results (on videos), I changed my mind and now I am equiped with a Skyhook. This summer I got an unsual total mal and pulled my reserve. My bridle/pilot chute/freebag assembly released from the Skyhook RSL without me noticing it. It happened like a lightning and my PD reserve, when I looked up, was waiting for me to get its brakes released. No device: RSL, AAD, beeper...or even 2 parachutes can garantee you to stay alive but properly used and maintained they all can contribute to keep you in good shape. Since skydiving is a extreme activity, many years ago I decided that the best way to protect myself was first to become a rigger. So far so good. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Cypres and Vigil are based on the same simple 3 factors : pressure sensor, timer and software. Vigil is just more up to date and leave you the choice (like the argus) to set up your mode and that chosen mode stays clearly on display when the device is switched on. Your comparison with a key set locked in the car is wrong since it is sure you have no more access to your key. OTOH forgetting to switch on your AAD doesn't garantee you will die. Anyway, AAD status check should be part of the every jump check up just like checking your pins. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

If you have an rig with hip rings, no problem, a master rigger can fix that. Otherwise it is way more complicated and ask to your rig manufacturer. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I think what you are asking can only be provided by a canopy manufacturer you work for. This is the best way to get an extensive experience in a minimum of time. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.