tso-d_chris

Do you have a link? For Great Deals on Gear

Absolutely true. But, the doesn't change the fact that in such an emergency situation, it is best to already have a plan in place, regardless of whether or not I screwed up to get myself in that situation to begin with. Remember, it is usually a chain of events that is fatal. Stopping that chain can save your life. For Great Deals on Gear

Redundancy is a long standing tradition in aviation. Why do we jump with two canopies? For Great Deals on Gear

So far, never, but that does not change the fact that I have planned procedures already in place in the event that it does happen. I've also never had a line over, a PC in tow, or an aircraft emergency, but I have plans in place now, so that I don't have to come up with them on the spot. For Great Deals on Gear

Incorrect. From Advanced Aerospace Designs: The Vigil does not require special loops to be used closing the reserves, as the CYPRES does. For Great Deals on Gear

Do you mind telling me which DZ? PM me if you prefer. For Great Deals on Gear

What you describe is hard housings in the risers, designed to keep the cutaway cable from binding up if the risers are all twisted up. But those are not quite the housings we are talking about in this case. The cutaway cable has to be routed from the handle to the risers. This is can be done with channels sewn into fabric, called soft housings, or hard cable housings, referred to as hard housings. Similar to the risers tdog described, only in your container. For Great Deals on Gear

As I understand, the main canopy was deployed, and the jumper determined she had a properly functioning canopy over her head. She did not release the brakes. The flag was deployed, and things were good with it. The jumper reached up to unstow her toggles, and found they would not unstow. Jumper determined this to be a malfunction, and initiated normal main cutaway and reserve deployment procedures, without cutting away the flag. For Great Deals on Gear

Before I installed an AAD, if I found myself in freefall at say, 1500 ft, which is a bona fide emegency, considering I always plan to deploy by 3.5K, I would have deployed my main, and prepared to cutaway a mal, because two chances are better than one. With an AAD, I go straight to silver if I find myself in freefall at that altitude, because the prospect of two canopies out is not appealing. Thus, my emergency procedures changed when I started jumping with an AAD. For Great Deals on Gear

Bonehead Optic or a Rawa would both be good choices. Both would give the additional versatlity of top mounting your camera. I tend to advise against simply adding mounting brackets on to regular freefly helmets, such as a Mindwarp or Nvertigo (including NvertigoX). While such modular systems can work well (Gus Wing's camera helmet was one such good example, except his began as a hockey helmet, if I am not mistaken), but more often, the owners forego the gaffers tape necessary to eliminate snag hazards on the helmet, usually because gaffers tape is, well, pretty ugly. The camera specific helmets will give you a much cleaner setup so that you have fewer potential snag points to address For Great Deals on Gear

I did this with mine. I will post some pics of it later, but they are not on the same computer I am using today. For Great Deals on Gear

How often do you have adjust your ringsight? For Great Deals on Gear

If a jumper installs an AAD and does not reexamine their emergency procedures, they are askinf for trouble. True, one should not neglect deploying a canopy because they have an AAD. That same AAD, however, SIGNIFICANTLY increases the odds of having two canopies out after a lower than usual main deployment. How often did people have two canopies out before AAD use was widespread? Of course, if your e-procedures involve going straight to your reserve if you are in freefall below 1800 ft, a two out scenario is very unlikely. Before I installed an AAD, I would have thought nothing about deploying a main from 1800 ft. But, when the AAD went into my rig, I had to change my emergency procedures TO AVOID PROBLEMS MY AAD INCREASED THE LIKLIHOOD OF HAVING. There are very few people (I can think of only one) who I wouldn't recommend an AAD for. But I would not ever recommend anyone install an AAD and not reevalute their E procedures. Often times they SHOULD change. For Great Deals on Gear

I was taught to use two hands on each handle. My first cutaway, I used both hands to pull the CA pillow. Then when I reached for silver- Holy %$*@?!? Where the %&*$ did my siver handle go?!? I was jumping a circa 1983 Wonderhog equipped with a martin baker reserve ripcord handle, which had become dislodged at some point. By that time, I was consciously aware that I had no AAD, and that I was accelerating, low, with nothing over my head. I found the handle, deployed my round reserve, landed pretty hard with a good PLF. Ever since then, I have practiced,and used during actual cutaways, one hand on each handle. For Great Deals on Gear

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=mr.%20bill&sb=score&mh=25

http://www.rigginginnovations.com/info/Sb_new.html I remember when soft housings were a big issue, at least in the skydiving press. People used to do what was referred to as a "three blokes test." It consisted of trying to cut away from your main risers, on the ground, suspended, with two of your heaviest friends hanging onto you and your harness. The idea was to simulate a 3g load. If you try it, get the risers twisted up good and tight before trying to cut away. Also make sure you are close enough to the ground when you try to pull your cutaway handle that you won't fall and hurt yourself when it releases. If it releases, your soft housings should be good to go. Or you could just have them replaced for the peace of mind. Hard housings are superior. For Great Deals on Gear

If you can't do it well in a two way, you won't be able to do it in anything larger. For Great Deals on Gear

What we are referring to is demoing a reserve, same model and size as the one in your rig. It is packed to your container as a main canopy, with your three ring main risers. If it malfuntions, you would cut away and deploy your reserve, per your normal emergency procedures. The cost depends on how you obtain the canopy. Some manufacturers will send you a reserve that is rigged as a main for a fee. Contact the manufacturer of your reserve for an exact price. Since you are using club gear, perhaps you might consider demoing a like reserve for each of your club's rigs, and making a club event out of it, so the price of the demos and shipping can be shared, and everyone gets to experience first hand how their reserve will land, before they have to deploy it in an actual emergency. TALK TO AN INSTRUCTOR BEFORE YOU PLAN THIS, FOR YOURSELF, OR YOUR CLUB. For Great Deals on Gear

If you were planning ahead, you would have thought to replace your shoelaces with pullup cords. For Great Deals on Gear

No, not at 1:1. 150 knots is nearly 173 mph. The concern I have with Boozy is that he will have to land an F111 seven cell low aspect ratio rectangular canopy loaded at 1:1 at 5000ft msl. If he downsizes his reserve, he'll be coming in even faster. IMHO not a wise choice for a canopy used in a situation where at least one thing has already gone wrong. For Great Deals on Gear

Very cool, except for that big swivel clamp. It is definitey a snag hazard. I would recommend a Shumacher swivel clamp that is adjusted with an allen key. It will make your setup that much cleaner/safer, and they are pretty inexpensive. A very nice setup, nonetheless. For Great Deals on Gear

I have six rides on a tempo 150, and one ride on a Tempo170. Not all were sub-terminal. Neither canopy was manufactured after 2000. It is true that PD Reserves are built stronger, with spanwise reinforcement, but for a given pack volume (not switching containers), the Tempo has greater surface area. I can fit a 150 Tempo where I can only fit a PD 126. If I were to order myself a new container today, I would likely order something large enough for a PD reserve sized to my liking. But, it would be foolish of me to give up 24 sq ft of nylonover my head just so I can have a span-wise reinforced reserve in the container I currently fly. For Great Deals on Gear

Is there any way to account for winds? GPS edoes not do this, and will only measure distance covered relative to the ground. To get good, position relative to the airmass you are flying in is more relevent. I've seen plans for a low tech device that would do just that, but so far as I know, such a device has never been built. It also would not work inside a jumpsuit. For Great Deals on Gear

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1595226;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

Buying a used reserve is usually pretty safe, assuming the canopy passes the inspection of a qualified rigger. Reserves are supposed to be accompanied by their packing data card, on which the canopies packing and rigging records are kept. Reserves receive most of their wear from pack jobs, not jumps. PD Reserves also have an area on the Warning Label where the rigger annotates each pack job. Don't be surprised if the packing data card has more pack jobs annotated than the canopy does. Reserves tend to get packed six or less times a year, and jumped far less. When they are jumped, the openings are often subterminal. Over a twenty year span that is less than 120 pack jobs, and even fewer jumps. This is well within the normal life expectancy of a canopy constructed of low porosity material. As far as reserve sizes are concerned, I would advise to prepare for the worst case scenario. AggieDave was right (almost): A rectangular seven cell canopy made from low porosity fabric, such as a PD reserve, is not designed to fly as efficiently as your main. It is designed to open and fly reliably in a variety of scenarios, and it does that well, but it is not going to fly or land like your main. I highly recommend demoing the model and size you are going to jump. I also recommend choosing a reserve that is at least as large as your main. I would not recommend downsizing your main until you have several hundred jumps on your current main canopy, especially if your drop zone's landing field elevation is much higher than about 1000 ft. I know this is not the current trend you see. People downsize much sooner than that, usually. If you're in the sport long enough, you'll start to see a trend which jumpers make orthopedic mistakes with their landings, the ones that bought zippy canopies early, or the ones that learned to swoop on a boat that normally takes two counties to turn 180 degrees. Swooping is about how you fly, not what you fly. Learn to fly your current canopy to its maximum potential. But be careful as you do so; a 1:1 wingloading can kill you just as dead as a 2:1 wingloading can if you make the wrong choices close to the ground. It is just a little less likely to is all. Pick a reserve that is large enough that you can land it safely when things aren't going well, because that is when you will have to fly it. For Great Deals on Gear