EvilLurker

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Everything posted by EvilLurker

  1. EvilLurker
    I chased a chopped main for a guy at our DZ once. I had gone out last and was coming back downwind, pretty high due to the long spot, so I took a "detour" and chased his main until it landed while also looking for the freebag, but I never could spot it. So, what's the "normal" landing pattern after a chop, does the reserve PC/freebag drop faster or slower than the main? I always felt bad about not finding it for him. (He appreciated getting his main back from the middle of a cornfield without a long search, but I figure I should have been able to see his freebag, too). Any pointers?
  2. EvilLurker
    No, you also need a microprocessor and a software program, or a fairly complex analog computer. The result will not be an exact altitude reading, but it will be close enough for acceptable safety margins. It's been demonstrated many, many times by Airtec.
  3. EvilLurker
    Orientation is extrapolated from the changes in pressure vs. time, i.e. they can tell if the jumper was stable or tumbling, but not whether they were falling stable back-to-earth vs. face-to-earth.
  4. EvilLurker
    I haven't ever seen a light stick that took more than 5 seconds to reach full intensity if you shake it. I do think it's a pretty good idea to break them before you start the jump run, just so you get used to what everything is going to look like and avoid any "surprises".
  5. EvilLurker
    If you want small Spectra line, try the fishing tackle department. I picked up 50 yd. spools of 72 and 96 lb. there. It will be called something like "sturgeon leader"
  6. EvilLurker
    Bill, I agree about the testing being more complex, but this part: Airtec creates quite a thorough investigation from returned units presently, including orientation, altitude and rate of fall prior to activation, so I still believe the data to implement my idea is already available within the unit. Oh, and a "cutaway sensor" could be something as simple as a 2-wire connector with a shorting link that is tied to an RSL ring, for example. Very simple, no moving parts. Airtec needs to determine that, and my opinion is we'll never see it. I'm not going to post anything else on this thread, I've had my say. It was all just "food for thought" anyway. Thanks for all the thoughtful replies and opinions, folks.
  7. EvilLurker
    Or it could change modes if it senses the main cutaway sensor is connected to the unit, otherwise it reverts to normal operation mode. I don't. I think defining the logic was originally very difficult, but I believe Airtec is totally capable of making modifications now that they have years of feedback and data analysis to study. ***And the end product would be unpredictable..." How so? It's very predictable now, if code was added and debugged correctly, it shouldn't change the "predictability" of the firing sequence. We'll have to see how Airtec responds, assuming this was a case of the CYPRES actually initiating the reserve sequence and the unit was not damaged/interfered with externally.
  8. EvilLurker
    I think you could implement code that would rule out a scenario like that. For instance, it would not consider the jumper to be "under a good canopy" unless their rate of descent was < 35 fps for 5 seconds, or something along that line. I don't see it as an insurmountable problem, maybe I'm naive.
  9. EvilLurker
    I should have clarified that a little: after sensing opening shock/deceleration, the firing would be inhibited unless the main has been cut away, prior to the point where the unit detects a normal under-canopy rate of descent nothing would change from the present design. Very poor explanation on my part. Sorry. Yeah, you wouldn't want an AAD that only worked after a cutaway. Kinda pointless. Let's wait and see what Airtec says (assuming the CYPRES actually did fire due to rate computation, we don't know that yet).
  10. EvilLurker
    Tom, Another possibility would be to connect a lanyard or sensor between the AAD and the main canopy to inhibit firing if the main is still connected to the jumper. The added benefit would be the AAD wouldn't put your reserve into a canopy wrap situation,
  11. EvilLurker
    It's not a typo. I was saying, if you can downsize and land the 190 with no wind, you' have a better idea than if you had tried it on a windy day. A no-wind landing IS the worst scenario, if you don't include a down-wind landing. I guess I don't see what you're getting at. If you landed a freshly downsized canopy down-wind, you would come away from it still not knowing where you stood (unless you always land down-wind, which I don't know anyone that does)). Conversely, landing into a good breeze, you might conclude you could land it fine and get cocky (until the first no-wind day). I guess I'm missing your point. Sorry.
  12. EvilLurker
    I wouldn't say that, a no-wind landing is the worst-case. If the landing approach speed didn't bother you on that 190, you should be ready for a 210, I think, as long as it's not a ragged-out piece of junk. 230 to 210 is a pretty mild downsize. Hey, good luck and thanks for the feedback.
  13. EvilLurker
    You and me both. I traded my Triathlon for a PD Silhouette after a couple of years, though, and I have to say I prefer the Silhouette (same W/L).
  14. EvilLurker
    Hey, congrats! What did you notice different about the landing flare, just for my curisosity? How much wind did you have?
  15. EvilLurker
    The manufacturer needs to see the canopy as soon as possible. It may be bad fabric and the flaw might extend to other canopies, or it's a manufacturing defect and they need to see that, too. Glad you made it out okay. It sounds like a seam ripped from your description. I think you're a "test jumper" every time you buy a new canopy, I always opened high on the first few jumps, just in case. That may be the lesson in this.
  16. EvilLurker
    Have your friend demonstrate the landing flare they use, that's the biggest difference I noticed when I bought my Triathlon. I had only jumped 9-cell F-111s before that, though. A Triathlon likes a deep flare stroke to bleed off speed and the glide angle is steeper than the Silhouette, for example. Good luck!
  17. EvilLurker
    "If you do a complete repack after disconnection, why all the tape and cardboard?" It makes it easy to get it connected back up correctly and I won't get a step-thru or a twisted riser. I'd rather do it that way and it went quick. I have RSL rings on both my risers, too, so it's not apparent which is which. You've probably got a whole lot more experience connecting mains to risers than I do, I need all the "help" I can get. Maybe with more experience I won't bother, but I was doing it in my living room with a 210 and I was cramped for space, so I wanted the hook-up/verify thing to go as smooth as possible. It worked and I still don't see any downside to it.
  18. EvilLurker
    Yes, being in the door with unanswered questions is not ideal. Don't worry about "sounding stupid", they've heard it all. Also, the pointer about looking at the DZ aerial pictures so you can find the landing area easily is good, and I'd add, if at all possible, have someone point it out to you in the plane before exit.
  19. EvilLurker
    I was 41, I should have figured it out before I chose those boots. Believe me, the JM felt like a moron, too, and yes, he should have caught it on the ground. That was also the one and only time I landed at the airport. Scared me worse than the jump. That said, I didn't agree that the eyelets would have caught a line, they were those Danner ultra-small eyelets and the laces filled them up. The JM insisted we get some duct tape (which should have been in the plane, too). Not our finest hour, but I got to do a sunset load on my first jump, so it ended up being pretty cool.
  20. EvilLurker
    Actually, it's an aid in doing it right the first time. People without much experience in rigging (me included) need all the help they can get, and if you use "aids" to get it right the first time you don't have that "I wonder?" feeling on the climb to altitude. Personally, I always do a complete repack after disconnecting a riser. " How hard is it to run the lines, hook it up right and pack it." I dunno, let's ask someone that's opened to find they were flying backwards. "When you start cutting corners in skydiving things can go to shit in a hurry." I agree, but I didn't "cut any corners", I "added corners". It worked well for me. What do you do, throw the risers in a heap and start over from scratch? I've seen newbies pack a twisted riser that way. Landed it, too.
  21. EvilLurker
    As opposed to amateur tandem instrutors?
  22. EvilLurker
    Bev suit: http://www.bevsuit.com/ Tony suit: http://www.tonysuits.com/ I'd say those are the two most popular (around here, at least).
  23. EvilLurker
    Don't wear boots/shoes with open eyelets. I had to come back down from altitude and tape mine over, then go back up for my jump. Wasted a lot of everyone's time and gas and I felt like a moron. Don't try and talk back to the radio when you get instructions, they probably won't hear you. Remember to flare when instructed, I've seen a few people forget that part. When they tell you to go, get with it. The spot is good when they say to go, and the longer you wait, the more you will be past that "perfect" point. If you wait too long, you won't get back to the landing area. Good luck and relax tonight, you'll be fine. Welcome to world's best sport.
  24. EvilLurker
    I'm betting my suit would be a bit tight on you. Is that what you're thinking? Oh, and it's a Tony suit, not a Bev suit, if anyone else is interested. I'll sell it to Ralph soon and he'll get the deal if nobody else makes an offer.
  25. EvilLurker
    I did it once and BEFORE I disconnected I got a piece of masking tape and wrote Rt. Front and Lt. Front and stuck it to the risers, then cut a piecer of cardboard and taped the risers flat to it. That worked well, but if you want to be sure, you repack the rig after you make the swap. If you have it hooked up right, that's pretty painless, you only need to unpack to the point you can chase the line groups to the nose/tail for verification. That would be better if you plan on doing it more than once.