erdnarob

Coming back to the original thread I believe the main word to avoid canopy collision is discipline. Discipline in order to follow the recommendations of the DZ or load organizer. Spiralling, no way. Following the prescribed pattern is a must do. If at 1000 feet too many canopies including yours are going to land more or less at the same time in a quite specific area you can decide to hold by applying half brakes. The other canopies will keep on descending but faster than you. When you see them way ahead of you, you can resume your descent at normal rate. A particular tricky case is when you are about to land and suddenly you see at the corner of your eyes another canopy not quite parallel with respect to you but slightly converging. It is important that before being in very short final for landing to have some fast glance sideway just in case of converging canopies. That happened to me and I started yelling to the other guy since I was going to land a bit before him. He didn't react. I said afterward he never saw or heard me. He was wearing a full face helmet. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

It should be in California. But there is some vineyards in Illinois as well. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Have a look to the video named KINESTHESIA from Guy Manos. It's not recent but still OK. If you really want to know the right stuff contact Jean Potvin and Gary Peek from the univwersity of St Louis Missouri. Both are working together on low speed aerodynamics projetcs. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Have a look on Kinesthesia video from Guy Manos. It is old but still OK. If you really want to know the real stuff contact Jean Potvin and Gary Peek at university of St Louis Missouri. Both are working together on low speed aerodynamics projetcs. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Here is the way I teach to solve that spinning problem. First the cause: You are spinning because your body is not symetrical. You think you are but you aren't. 1) A trick which can maybe work for you is the following: When in freefall bend your fingers and toes forcefully. That will make you know what position in the space or in 3D your legs and arms have. As soon as you do that, normally you will correct accordingly. 2) learn also how to turn. Knowing what makes you turn will show you how to stop the turn by conteracting. eg. tilting arm and shoulder one side. 3) when in freefall if you start turning, arch and think about your ears and put your arms at ears level while bending your fingers and toes as said in item 1). Good luck and tell me if it works for you. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Here is some ideas. In sequence: 1) before boarding the aircraft you should always know where is the spot, what is the wind line and which direction to have to face for landing 2) supposing you have a good spot, the wind line is the line passing by two points: the spot and the target for landing. You should stay centered on that wind line and staying within the cone of manoeuverability which is centered on the wind line, wide at altitude and getting smaller as you descent (ask your instructor) and stay in that cone. In other words, you can go on both sides of the wind line but not too far on one side only. The cone of manoeuverability is tha space in which you can fly and still land at the landing target. 3) Midway between the spot and the target at 2000-1500 feet or so, face the wind on the wind line to check your penetration thru the wind. That will tell you how far you have to go past the target for your final leg. 4) At about 1200 feet you should do your downwind leg (wind in your back) normally going on the right side (wind in your back) of the manoeuverability cone in order to only do left turns (if asked that way). 5) At 800-500 feet you should do a left turn for your base leg and at 500-300 feet turn for the final leg then go straight and make sure to have plenty of clean space ahead of you and prepare for landing hopefully on the target. You konw, a landing has to be planified just like a pilot preparing for landing. After a while, things will go semi automatically but always have discipline in order to land at the place you want. Landing at the place you want is a matter of safety because days will come when the spot will be missed and you will have to struggle for landing at a safe place. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Look for the function as always: Pins are shaped to be pulled without becoming a lever with the loop in the middle and without pushing on a flap at the end. 1) a) straight pins are used on pull out system since the jumper has to pull the handle of the pilot chute which is also directly linked to the straight pin. That way, the pin is pulled side way just like the arm move of the jumper. b) straight pins are alo used on the reserve since the cable pulling at them is laying on the same geometrical plane than the pin which the geometrical plane of the top of your reserve. 2) a curved pin is used on the main when using a throw away pilot chute. Your are on your belly and throw your pilot chute away. The pilot chute goes up vertically but the curved pin is still flat against the pack which is still horizontal. What happens at the bridle extention is that your curved pin will change from a horizontal plane to a vertical one and will slip easily without becoming a lever. I suggest you to put your packed rig flat on the ground, open the main pin cover flap and remove the pilot chute and get the bridle vertical above the pack. Then pull slowly on it in order to see what your curved pin is doing and you will tell me the result. When in doubt, always try to figure out the function or how it works and you will generally find the solution. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Skydive Torontp Inc. uses dual AAD's for the first jump students. One AAD on the reserve and one on the main. When a student has demonstrated some stability after few jumps he get a rig with only one AAD (on the reserve). Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Some basic physics law here would explain what happened. It is the conservation of the angular momentum. In other word, what I have seen on the video is a quite sudden deep input on the left toggle inducing immediately severe line twists. Explanations: In such a case, the canopy which weights say 6 pounds is quite fast to react while the jumper's body and equipment which should be at a total of 200 pounds (a reasonable guess) has the tendency to stay at zero rotation for a little while. The jumper's body was in late to start a rotation with respect to the canopy and therefore line twists occured. The canopy is about 30 times less massive than the jumper but is wider. On the other hand the lines near the jumper are just 2 feet apart or so then easily subject for twisting. Even though the canopy is wider it is maybe 10 times faster to turn than the jumper who has zero angular momentum before the turn and whom mass have a tendency to stay as it was. How to avoid it: When doing a fast turn, start applying pressure on toggle progressively to allow the canopy to start the turn and bank and allow your body to follow the rotation. Once you have the rotation of the canopy, the bank and the rotation of your body, everything should be OK about line twists not likely to occur. Or you also can kick your body while applying a sudden input on your toggle. That way you help your body to follow up with the canopy which starts to turn. Swoopers at 400 feet are doing it by using their legs to do so. Years ago, in the eighties, I had a Nimbus canopy having an aspect ratio near 3:1. On my 3rd jump with it and at a 1000 feet I gave that parachute a sudden medium imput and got an immediate line twists. People at the ground saw it and I even heard their OOOOHHH!!. Fortunately I had only one and half line twists and managed easily to get rid of that. It was a lesson for me to remember. When you drive a car, you don't turn the steering wheel suddenly especially when slippery. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

You should also witness at least one time your rigger when he/she is packing your reserve. Ask him then to show you how to remove a toggle. The toggle is linked to the steering line with a lark head knot. Sequence; 1) there is a loop made a the end of the steering line, thread that loop thru the toggle grommet 2) put the bottom of the toggle thru the loop already passed thru the grommet 3) pull down the bottom of the toggle and apply tension to set up the toggle on the steering line Ask him too to show you how he is doing a finger trap PS. To secure the finger trapped steering line excess, I used a couple of stitches with red safety tie. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Are you sure that those "maillon rapide" are marked "made in France" ? Could they be copies of the original ? Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Here is the way I teach a student how to spot : 1) put your head outside the door making sure you don't rely on the horizontal edge of the door 2) look down on the ground and make circular glances starting with large radius to small ones and try to locate the closest point on the ground from you. This point when found is obviously the point laying at the vertical with respect to you. That spot is moving with the airplane. 3) Try to estimate if the path of that spot is corresponding to the path the airplane has to follow. 4) estimate if the path of that spot goes to the estimated exit point 5) correct the pilot accordingly 6) practice in the air with an experienced skydiver beside you a couple of time Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I have reported on this forum(see UNUSUAL MALFUNCTION thread) my total malfunction. Here is the summary : Equipment : Vector III with magnets and Skyhook Problem: Couldn't find my hackey due to inflated jumpsuit due to jumpsuit zipper giving up in free fall. Solution: I tried twice to locate my hackey and I pulled my reserve handle Results: After I have pulled my reserve handle, I looked up to see that my reserve (PD 160) was already inflated, stable after a soft and fast opening. I landed at a chosen place softly. Since it was a total malfunction (no cut away) with my main still in the container and the Skyhook RSL still in place, the reserve deployment was made by the reserve pilot chute which pulled the bridle cord which made the Skyhook disconnect as designed. Unfortunately, nobody saw my deployment and I have lost my pilot chute/briddle/Skyhook/free bag assembly.But I was alive. Edited by slotperfect to add a link to the other thread: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3324851;search_string=UNUSUAL%20MALFUNCTION%20;#3324851 Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I agree with you. They are fantastic and if you phone them they are like their service, super... But if you want to talk with them, go at the Reno PIA symposium next February 2009, they will be there. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

First of all, a Vector II is a very nice second hand rig especially if it is in good condition. There is still many around and working fine. The MLW means the Main Lift Web (length) and is mesured with a tape going from the hole between your 2 collar bones below your neck and the ball of your hipbone just few inches sideway from the navel. A MLW of 17'' seems a bit small for you but check first your own MLW length on your body. One inch difference is generally OK. The leg straps should fit you too but generally there is no problem with them since your size is in the average and hoping the guy selling that rig is about the same size. UPT Vector can adjust the MLW too if necessary. If you go on UPT Vector web site you can see how to mesure the MLW on yourself. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

For supporting your weight a zero porosity canopy is about equivalent to 2 sizes up when using a F111 canopy. eg. Your Spectre 190 (which is a zero P) supports you like a PD 230 (F111) or your PD 190 supports you like a Spectre 150. But since the PD 190 is made of F111, it will slip thru the air less than a zero P of the same size then will be slower. That will affect the flare which will be less powerful. Other considerations, the Spectre is a 7 cells while the PD 190 is a 9 cells. ( 9 cells parachute have a better flare than 7 cells). Also a 9 cells will fly more horizontally than a 7 cells which is good for the flare. Conclusion: I would say that your PD 190 will flare less than you Spectre 190 but not that much. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

One has to remind that Airtec is established for more than 16 years while Vigil is there since 2003 and Argus since 2005 if my memory is right. Airtec, has sold a lot of AADs during those years and is certainly more at ease financially than new comers like Vigil and Argus. Airtec has also had its share of problems and still has some. Too bad that Airtec is still providing AAD's with a not so friendly display window and very fragile wiring. But now Airtec has serious competitors. OTOH there is a difference between what the companies decide to do and the reality. I know there is service bulletins but we as riggers have our own judgement too. For instance, there is a "recall" in order to replace all Vigil cutters of type 2 because of the possibility they have a burr inside the hole. I had one of those (a spare one) and I tested it. How? I put a foot long of reserve closing loop cord in a vise and threaded the cutter to be tested on that cord and applied tension at the end then I manipulated the cutter back and fore straight along the cord and at all possible angles for about 3 minutes to check if the cutter was damaging the loop. Afterward the loop was perfect and not frayed at all. I appears that Vigil recall them all since they might be some cutters still with a burr in a very specific batch. I wiil not hesitate to use that cutter on my own rig even if Vigil is ready yto change it for free with a cutter of type 3. Comparing the 3 devices, there is no doubt that 2 are more advanced than the third one. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I guess you are talking about main closing loop. It has to be quite thight for safety purpose. On a Vector III for instance, the closing loop is alright if the 2 biding tapes of the 2 last flaps (right and left) are just ovelapping. A closing loop can easily becomes too long when the weather is more humid since the main canopy get smaller in volume due probably to less electrostatic electricity. Most likely seen in July and August. It's time then to readjust the closing loop length. A too long closing loop is dangerous for you, for the airpane and everybody inside the since if you main container gets open in the door, the main parachute can be caught in the tail and rip it off if it inflates. I have seen a guy moving inside a Twin Otter and having when his main container opened due to a too long closing loop. We managed to close back the container and he could jump. On the ground I told him to have his closing loop shortened. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Confidence????? when Airtec recently recall 900 Cypres 2 !!!!! Are you reading your technical bulletins? Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

As I said I have had some posts about my 2 firings on this forum but for you I will say it again. 1) First time was at Perris. I had a low pull (at about 1400 feet) since 5 girls of my outside loop were tracking above me and I waited too long. My Vigil fired when my main was deploying then I got a nice biplane which I landed. 2) Second time was at Rantoul in the DC9 still on the ground when the pilot started pressurizing the airplane. The Vigil approach is to have its device ready all the time while the Cypres is armed if you reach first 1500 feet and the Argus at 1400 feet. With a Vigil you are protected as soon as the airplane climb past 150 feet. In both cases, after dowloading the data from the Vigil, I could see that the device had worked as designed. At Perris if I had pulled 1/8 of second earlier, the Vigil wouldn't have fired. BTW I made more than 1700 jumps without of an AAD. I got a Vigil when I reached 60. Other questions ? Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I dunno but what I can tell you is that my new iPhone 3G is able to serve me a beer with brew on it and it even burps when my glass is empty. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I am certainly more reliable than somebody who is financially connected with an AAD manufacturer, somebody who doesn't respect his contract (2 years ago) and who has already used several different user's names ( Robert Henry, Papaflyer and Henryrobert) on this forum (which is against this forum rules and ethic) to bash on Vigil. Didn't you know that when changing your user's name you still have the same IP adress? Didn't you know that your writing style has been seen under different user's names with the same mistakes ? On the other hand, I have fully explained in great details the circumstances under which the two firings of my AAD occurred in this forum. But you obviously didn't read my posts about that. Your logic seems to be the same; after bashing on Vigil you bash on people who recommend Vigil. This forum is to share experience and knowledge and this is what I am doing. You seem more busy to do your homework for your sponsor than really participating and sharing. It's hard to believe that a person of your experience plays such a game. My French contacts were right when I met them last March in Florida, you have changed beyong all recognition. Trying to be more positive and constructive will make you what you were before. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Well, I know I was high but because my Protrack told me, after and on the ground. You know, in free fall your IQ generally decreases quite a lot and you are not anymore able to perform intellectual things you would do easily on Terra Firma. Next time you jump, try in free fall to make a simple calculation by picking up 2 numbers of 2 digits and add or substract them and find the result, and tell me if you are succesful. I pulled my reserve because I tried twice to get my hackey with no success and at the speed of 174 feet per second twice is enough. I recommend to everybody to not try more than twice to clear or try to find a way to solve a problem when having a total mal. The worst thing which can happen is losing the time perception where seemingly 3 seconds are actually 20 seconds. In case of emergency, in accident, when a person with a gun is in front of and you threatening you, it is a well known phenomenom that people are losing time perception. Beware of yourself and your perception. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

As a rigger i wish that jumpers would develop more respect for their own rig. Having respect for a rig means a lot of thing to me: Respect means knowing your rig, having a 3 D view of it in your mind. Knowing how to name the parts of your rig. Knowing their function and where all parts are located when the canopy is deployed. Respect is being witness at least once when your rigger repacks your reserve. Demonstate interest in the reserve packing by asking questions. After all, the "health" of your rig will influence also your own health-survival. Respect is getting knowledgeable about what can affect your rig, reading technical bulletins, service bulletins from manufacturers. Respect is taking the time to learn how to pack properly the main parachute. Respect is taking the time to do a good packing. Doing a good packing is saving a lot of time and money. A single jump including a bad packing can damage more your parachute more than a thousand jumps with good packings. A bad packing can make you lose your main and freebag/bridle/pilot chute assembly. Respect is appreciation of your rigger, for his job and responsibilities and understand than 60-80$ for a reserve repack is not that much paid. I said it, your rigger has more responsibilities than your doctor, you should trust your rigger in a certain way more than your mother. You think I am going too far. Could you imagine a high sea sailor on his sail boat ignoring certain parts of his boat, ignoring their function and not knowing how even to perform small emergency repair or not respecting his sail boat rigger and his advices ? Nobody will help him in case of trouble in the middle of the ocean of water just like a skydiver in trouble after opening in the ocean of air. Just yourself can help provided you know what to do and how to do it. But the best way is prevention, which means to me, respect of your own equipment as illustrated above. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Thanks guys for your comments. I just have the impression that S folding a canopy allows it to be subject to less friction with the D bag than rolling it. I never heard about testing the 2 methods for comparison purpose. Maybe canopies manufacturers should do it. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.