tso-d_chris

Jump number 2, IAD. It was a post dusk, off field landing, without radio assistance. If I knew then what I know now... For Great Deals on Gear

Three guys walk into a bar. The first guy orders a New Castle. The second guy orders a Warsteiner. The third guy orders a Guiness. Upon recieving their beers, the first guy notices there is a fly in his beer. He asks the bartender for another glass. The second guy looks down in his beer, and he sees a fly, too. No big deal, he thinks, and picks it out, and procedes to drink his Warsteiner. The first two guys look down at the third guy, who, upon finding a fly in his Guiness, is holding the fly over his glass yelling, "Give it back, you little bastard, every last drop of it!" For Great Deals on Gear

For Great Deals on Gear

This guy is out in his back yard, with his son, trying to fly a kite. The kite keeps taking off, doing a 180, and then nosing right back into the ground. They can't seem to get the hing to stay in the air. The mans wife, who had been watching the whole ordeal, sticks her head out the back door, says "You need more Tail,' and returns inside. The man looks at his son and says, "Son, I will never understand your mother. Just last night I told her I needed more tail, and she told me to go fly a kite." For Great Deals on Gear

For Great Deals on Gear

All the more reason to spend as much time in the air as possible! It's cooler at altitude. Late July, early August is a very busy time of year for US skydivers. Lost Prairie Boogie and World Freefall Convention are but two possibilities of many. You have many options for making lots of jumps during the summer, but be warned, you will probably sweat as long as you are on the ground. For Great Deals on Gear

You mean tobacco?

Well said. I, too, use rapide links, because that is what is on my rig, and they work. Two things worth mentioning, though. First, I use rapide links knowing that of my options, it is the inferior one. Second, I make a point to visually check my links on opening as part of my canopy checks. I've heard too many horror stories about rapide links failing. For Great Deals on Gear

Check out this link: http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/wingload.pdf For Great Deals on Gear

Are you sure about this? For Great Deals on Gear

That's true. I've seen that video a few times. For Great Deals on Gear

actually, it's exit weight (body weight +clothes+gear)/surface area=wingloading! Example: Jumper weighs 150, and is wearing thirty pounds in clothes and gear, his exit weight is 180 lbs. If he is jumping a 200 square foot canopy, his wingloading is 180/200 = 0.9 lbs. per s1quare foot., or 0.9:1. For Great Deals on Gear

As a general rule, a similarly sized zero porosity canopy is going to have the potential to produce more lift on landing compared to a comparable F111 canopy. This is especially true if the F111 canopy has many jumps on it; its landing will degrade faster with increasing jump numbers (the canopy's, not yours!). You did not mention your exit weight. This will affect the flight characteristics of a ram air canopy. While there is no need for you to get a high wingloading, you would likely be happy with the flight characteristics and landings of a zeroporosity canopy loaded at O.8 lbs:1 sq ft up to 1lb. per square foot. If the winds in your area are typically pretty mild, I would go with the lighter loading. Models you might consider are Performance Designs Silhouette, Navigator, Spectre, Sabre2, Aerodyne Triathlon, or Pilot. Be warned that large zero porosity canopies tend to hold their used resale value best, so if you are looking for a used canopy it may take a while, and the savings may not be as great as you might expect. Be patient and get an appropriate canopy, don't just buy the first big parachute you find. Before you purchase the Parafoil, make sure you have a rigger check it out to make sure it is in good condition. Since you do not plan to make a lot of jumps, if it is a newer canopy, it may serve you well. Also, talk to your Instructors, and your drop zone's Safety and Training Advisor. *Edit to remove references to the Parafoil being an appropriate canopy if it is near new. For Great Deals on Gear

The pros and cons will depend on the application of the canopy. For Great Deals on Gear

Some of the best canopy pilots in the sport put their first several hundred jumps on a canopy with a very low wing loading. This is probably a huge contributing factor in becoming some of the best pilots. There is no reason a first rig cannot last a few years. It takes a lot less skill to walk away from a landing at a low wing loading than a high wing loading. On the other hand, it takes a lot more skill to swoop a boat (very large canopy) well than it does to swoop a tiny canopy. Of course, it is not always about the swoop, especially for new jumpers. Still, I can think of no good reason to have to buy another rig after only six months in the sport. Better to make a wise decision right up front. DOA seems to be trying to educate himself the best he can before he gets in over his head, which is the first step in making wise decisions. For Great Deals on Gear

PM sent For Great Deals on Gear

When I jumped a Bat-Rak for a short time, I had the ring sight hardware mounted closed to the center of the helmet. It seemed a little more snag resistant, and since there's no place to put a camera on the forehead with this helmet, it didn't get in the way. For Great Deals on Gear

Both. They are stronger, so they are less likely to fail. However, should they fail, they fail immediately and totally, eliminating the possibility of them dumping their lines 100 ft off the deck. If it is improperly installed and then used, and changes in a manner that affects its airworthiness occur, that IS A FAILURE. That the failure was due to incorrect installation does not change the fact that a failure occured. BTW I am not a rigger, and never claimed to be. I do think it is important to know as much as possible about my gear. For Great Deals on Gear

As a rigger, I amsure you are aware of the potential canopy damage that can occur if nylon get trapped between the connector link or bridal attachment ring,and the D-bag grommet. Are you suggesting there is no practical advantage to using a Slink in such an application verses a rapid link. For Great Deals on Gear

Since with respect to a TSO, which apply to Slinks and rapid links on the reserve, a failure is ANY CHANGE IN A COMPONENT THAT ADVERSELY AFFECTS ITS AIRWORTHINESS. Including links to previous threads, there have been many examples given. Just because a bent rapid link does not spill lines DOES NOT MEAN IT HAS NOT FAILED. I have yet to hear how a rapid link can be considered as good as a Slink. Slinks are stronger, and problems are evident at time of failure. This is perhaps their greatest benefit. For Great Deals on Gear

Amen to that.

Cool. Thanks. I'll try that-- just as soon as I get back to the computer that has the pics on it. For Great Deals on Gear

Wes, at Rim World video makes bite switches. PM me for more info. For Great Deals on Gear

I would love to do this, but the picture sizes exceed max attachment size. Can anyone help me out? A computer guru I am not. For Great Deals on Gear

I have 7 rides on Tempos, two different canopies. Both flew straight, landed very well, and had a had a stall point that was over 3/4 of full arm extension. Both were also loaded within manufacturers specs. There is nothing wrong with a Tempo, loaded within placarded weight limitations. However, if I were to buy a new reserve today, it would be a PD. I like the idea of spanwise reinforcement. PD has earned a reputation for very good quality control. I have seen their production facilities, and the lengths they go to to produce a consistently excellent product is incredible. For Great Deals on Gear