egons

RWS does not track the Golden Knights Tandem Team Jumps. As for being the largest individual buyer out there - mmm, you will be suprised to see how many Sigma's some individuals and dropzones own. As for Engineering - we constantly get feed back and suggestions from all sorts of individuals including the Golden Knights. This is one of the best things about jumpers who are passionate about a product. RWS is always striving to improve and make gear safer and without all the input given we would not have the Sigma. The Golden Knights are a fine example and RWS is extremely proud of the fact they are Loyal Sigma Tandem Jumpers... one person that comes to mind is the late Raff who was a very big supporter of the Sigma. "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

Certainly will bring the beer next time I pass by the area "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

Chuck my friend... I appreciate you questioning the two Sigma 370 that had issues with PC attachment points. The fact is that we are dealing with this - you know how passionate I am about the tandem program and the RWS tandem systems. Most tandem instructors understand that our canopies are built by PD. Why? They are good and have a long standing reputation for building a quility product.... now when I receive the customer complaint the first thing is to evaluate the situation and take it from there. Now a meeting has been had between RWS and PD regarding this and the engineers are working on a fix for out in the field and for canopies on the production floor. Noone is trying to ignore a problem here what so ever. I will let you in on another situation - we have experienced Drogue Snatch - solution - we have built prototypes and are in a evalution period on these. We must all keep in mind that the gear is constantly improving. If we did not want to improve we woud still be jumping the Vector 2's with the inner tubalar drogue bridle. Now, in understanding that each and every tandem operator or owner has spent allot of money on their gear... this gear is to make them money and have as little down time as possible. MY job is to ensure that this indeed happens with RWS's tandem program. I have never ignored a problem and have always gone out to find a solution for it, even if it has meant I must get out of the office and physically go and test jump the system a number of times personally! RWS is commited to building the best and safest system on the market - sales pitch... not! I jump tandem and I want to know that I have the best equipment on my back. Now there are many canopies out in the market - I have jumped most out there. Am I biased - hell yes of course. I have done thousands of tandem jumps and I am certainly not going to sell a friend of mine a product that is not up to standard. I stand 100% behind the Sigma 370 main canopy and I am sure the sales world wide speak volumes for themselves. Not every Tandem system is perfect out there... critism is good and I appreciate it and you know what we will look into it and work with it. The Sigma... is it constantly getting looked at from Engineering? Yes! It has been out on the field now for 4 years and by the sales very successfully - we are constantly monitoring wear on the systems and making sure we update construction techniques, etc. RWS is not afraid of sending out a safety bulletin. I might have gone off the deep end on this one, but basically folks we do not ignore customer issues and certainly Chuck those two instances with the PCA points have been noted and is currently underway for a solution. Todd Spillers is a DZO with Sigma's - he is a proud DZO to say that he has the safest tandem system on the market, and Todd knows that all he needs to do is phone me if he has a concern. Chuck you owe me a beer my friend "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

Has your friend seen the Sigma Tandem System from RWS? To answer your question as to which is the best? Well, as a Tandem I/E that would have to be the safest system availible! You pay for what you get - its that simple when coming to innovative products. By the way - what better features is your friend referring to? Hope he enjoys his new system - tandems are fun "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

Most certainly you may try the system - as long as you prove that your heads up and are confident in your abilities which by this stage you should be The system is simple - deploy main as per normal, and then you assume your normal reserve procedures - nothing changes there! However, since we are intentionally breaking away from a main canopy canopy 'intentionally' we have a tertiary reserve mounted to your chest (this is in fact your real reserve for this particular jump). The addition to this system is that your reserve is hooked up on a 3-ring system as in your main -in case you have the misfortune of a malfunction on your reserve. So, what do you get from this experience? A break away in a controlled environment if you have never had one. And of course you will get to experience the super quick deployment of a reserve assisted by the Skyhook RSL! Sound good to you??? "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

As for taking the Skyhook Intentional Cutaway Rigs to Boogies - for sure we always take them... Skyfest: Definitely there will be 3 systems. WFFC: We have yet to confirm this, but we will have them with us - you have to keep in mind that this event has a huge volume of skydivers and aircraft and low passes are not always accomodated. Best would be to swing by our setup when you arrive and give the system a check out and hopefully we will have all the permissions... As for a waiver - yes, we do have one and it is only a 1page waiver. You will also be given a full briefing on how to use the system and a final gear check before boarding your ride! So, if your going to Skyfest or WFFC - we look forward to meeting you all and give the system a bash! "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

Here's a nice example of a clean V-Split Design! Keep in mind that there is no additional charge now for the V-Split "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

Get Skyhook equipped systems!!! To teach students to do canopy transfer sounds absolutely crazy... sorry if you do not like the sound of that, and I am glad your DZO does not approve with this practise. I fully understand where you are coming from, but when you look at the reality of it - no, do not attempt to encourage anyone on how to do a canopy transfer.... The fact that your trying to make your students safer and more knowledgable is great, but the basics is good enough for anyone of us to survive! Heres to a good weekend ahead of us "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

I do agree with plenty of what you have to say, but we could carry on debating this issue and we will be both right and wrong - thats the great thing about having your own opinion! As for the misfire at altitude - I know the individual that this happended to and believe me Vigil USA did not chose to ignore it - quite the opposite in fact. I invite you to write/speak with the staff at Vigil as I am sure they will be able to shed more light on this matter. As for the Skyhook - yes we have had modifications after extensive testing and we keep learning each and every day... the Skyhook has not put anyone is harms way, and if the Skyhook failed in testing the worst case was a normal RSL deployment. I am extremely big on safety and the Skyhook project is something I believe in and mark my words - it will become an industry safety device that comes setup standard on your system just like each and every container is now Cypres ready. I do enjoy reading you question individuals of their opinions, and I am always for a good debate. As for the country being cool - your damn right there and I am not trying to attack you personally Hell, I have only had a AAD in my Micron for one year now - never did jump with one before and would still jump without one if I had too. "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

Your point is??? Do you know of all the incidents that have occured with Airtec's products - whether it be on the ground or in the air? You seem to bash the Vigil every opportunity you have. I personally know of a Cypres that misfired on the ground while the main was being packed - any explanations for that? Just because you do not know of all the incidents certainly does not put you in the drivers seat to inform the dz.com skydivers of which is now safer - that is your personal opinion. However I encourage you to phone Kim at Vigil USA and she would be more than happy to clarify any misunderstanding you may have with regard to the product. In closing I highly doubt two of the most reputable container/harness manufacturers would endorse this product if it was deemed to be unsafe - Bill Booth is first and foremost all about safety. The fact that I work for RWS has no bearing on this either - certainly by the interest and orders shown by skydivers worldwide this competitive AAD is here for the long haul. You may not have Vigils confidence yet, but I am sure you will learn to appreciate it has a place in our market. Without competition you have very little to drive anyone or any manufacturer to innovate.... hence the fact we have now the worlds safest tandem system - the Sigma! Just my thoughts... "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

Firstly, I am only rated on RWS systems... personally I am not at all keen to have an RSL connected if there is no Collins Lanyard. The riser is designed to fail - we obviously want the riser to fail before the MLW, so in understanding that risers do and have broken the Collins Lanyard is a clear solution to this issue. Each and every Tandem Instructor/Examiner has their own opinion on what works and what system is deemed to be the safest. If we understand the tandem incidents that have occurred on a RWS or any other manufacturers system and look for solutions we more than likely can find the answer. The manufacturers invest many dollars into research and testing to produce what they deem to be a safe tandem system, so if a manufacturer recommends the use of a RSL its because there is enough evidence and testing put forth to warrant it. Threads like this are very interesting and it is always interesting to see what instructors are thinking and doing... as long as we all keep learning it all good "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

Skyhook RSL with intergrated Collins Lanyard - try is sometime! If you happen to be at an event that I am present and I have teh Skyhook Cutaway System with me I urge you to give it a spin - you may just be impressed. As for disconnecting the RSL shackle - at a 1000ft if high winds present. I disconnect mine each and every jump just before I land - having a checked routine will save you. Simply jumping out of a plane without the RSL connected on a RWS system is against manufacturer recommendations and is purely irresponsible. I see to many debates on this RSL topic and noone is ever going to win this debate - we can only learn from incidents and when you mention the broken riser incident, one thing comes to mind... Collins Lanyard. Anyway my 02 cents worth - I have personally had 10 tandem reserve rides: All of them with a RSL. I do not remember once when I cut-away that I did not want a reserve right now! Have a good one... "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

Kindly give me a phone call at RWS (1-386-736-7589) and I will be more than glad to assist you with pack volumes of the container. Have your serial number and container size ready - either will do. You can also e-mail me at egon@relativeworkshop.com Cheers "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

And these girls are definitely going to be looking even better in thier new Vector 3 Micron's - as they have also taken the new 'ckicks dig it' handle.... You rock girls See ya on the road..... "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"

check pm "Start doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you're doing the impossible!"