RiggerLee

There are a couple of factors. The pressure of the cartridge. The total volume of the cartridge. The ratio of volume between the case and the barrel. The weight of the bullet and the speed of the powder. Some examples. Say you have a cylindrical case, pistol case, and a longer barrel, 10+ inches. Lets say 45 ACP. By the time the bullet uncorks the barrel the gas has expanded many fold and had dropped significantly in pressure. If the pressure of the cartridge is low, again lets take 45 ACP say 21,000, then by the time it has expanded the the pressure is relatively low and the suppressor effective. On the other end of the spectrum. A bottle neck cartridge. Let's take some thing ridicules. A 300 win mag. Big ass case. High pressure, 60,000+. Every thing designed to accelerate the bullet and maintain pressure behind it down the entire length of the barrel. Lot's of gas. A 26 inch barrel is not a long barrel for a 300. It is very hard to contain that big of a pow. They do make suppressors for 300's. They're big. A lot of them reflex and are integral to the barrel. Mostly they help contain flash and cut down on dust. It aint quiet. Heavy bullets and fast powders follow a different pressure curve. You can load ammunition like that that conforms to the max chamber pressure, it's just a lighter load of faster powder. A load like that drops in pressure faster as the bullet travels down the barrel. The heavier bullet does a better job of containing the pressure and the powder is more fully consumed earlier in the barrel. The pressure will be lower when the barrel uncorks. You can make low signature ammunition that will have less flash even out of a shorter barrel and will be easier to suppress. The smaller the caliber the more effective baffles tend to be.It's just a smaller hole for gas to escape through and you can generally have a better ratio of bore to suppressor diameter. And the smaller the cartridge the less gas to begin with. And of course if you want it to be quiet it has to be subsonic. A super sonic crack is a crack. No way around that no mater how big your suppressor is. So at one end you have a subsonic 22 which really is movie gun quiet. In the middle low volume cases like pistol cases or 300 blk. And at the other end big fucking bottle necks that are punching out supper sonic any way. But for most guns they can do a very respectable job of cutting down on the noise pollution. I still like to wear ear plugs but it is so much nicer when the guy next to you at the range has a can. If every one used them there would be no, or at least far fewer, noise complaints about gun ranges. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

That all depends on the cartridge and the nature of your ammunition. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

There is some truth to that. Example, working with a company that builds MP5's, full auto MP5 $2,000 to $3,000 and that's for a stupidly over priced HK gun. One of the guys here has a transferable one, $35,000. So even non historical current manufacture designs were talking 10X+++ of real values. None of these people will let the 1982 law, forget it's name, be over turned. It's not the NFA that makes the guns valuable it's the other law that closed the transferable books to new civilian manufacture. Some of these rich ass holes would lose every thing. But the NFA it self has no real value. There is no special value to a SBR or SBS or silencer. Hell you can build one your self with a form 1. They have no real intrinsic value, nor do they have any particular resale value. They are just paperwork intensive and the hoops of red tape are really ridicules. And the fucked up thing is there are work arounds for most of them. With out boring you, SBR's are not SBR's if you call them a pistol, even if they have a stock... if that stock is a "pistol brace". It's getting ridicules. Some SBS can be "Any Other Weapons" or you can have a 410 shot gun pistol if the barrel is rifled for say, 45 LC. Or now here in Texas you can own a ShockWave Mossberg shotgun. It really truly is a SBR in every way but name. No special paper work nothing just a normal gun transfer. Suppressors are the only one that there hasn't been a work around for till now. Their actually the most useful. I hope the hearing protection act passes. I was at a range yesterday. I was shooting my first flint lock, whole new experience. Just had ear plugs in. Didn't even notice the guy next to me. He had a can. Then some one else sat down with another AR, no can, and almost blew my hat off when he fired that muzzle break. I'm almost ready to say that they should be mandatory. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

So it took CA MS, and NJ 48 hours to get an injunction against it. Fast work even for the left. I can't wait to see how this plays out in court. Mine is already in the mail. God bless Texas. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

Here is how I heard the story. It was a book on silencer design, there was a history section. National Fire Arms Act, passed in the 1930's, I think 32, I'd have to check. It was an attempt to control who could own machine guns, short barreled rifles, short barreled shot guns, and suppressors were included. It was done through taxation because it's illegal to ban them. Second amendment and all that. It placed what was a wildly expensive tax on them. $200. At the time I think the Maxim, original maxim, silencer was selling for... $5.00? $200 was like huge money during the depression. What was behind this? depends on who you ask. It was the Capone gangster era. There were crimes committed with them but for decades any farmer could buy a Thompson to keep in his truck. It takes a lot of muscle to get this big of a law passed. It was backed by the big companies. It was about breaking the unions. Keeping the Thompsons out of the hands of the strikers. Think of all the old pictures of mobs of strikers being stared down by a line of private security men in front of the gate of a company, all armed with Tommy guns. The companies could pay for them and they wanted to keep that power to them selves. They are the ones that pushed it through. The purpose of the NFA was to oppress the workers of the country and keep them in their place. So how the fuck did suppressors wind up on this list. They weren't even that common. Some people hunted with them. They weren't used in murders. All that movie shit came later. There's a story. It was a favor for some big ranchers that had some pull. Some palms were greased or at least some stakes delivered. So it happened like this. Some one poached some of his... I don't recall if it was cattle or horses. Killed them. Got caught. Turns out he used a suppressor on his hunting rifle. You could get them for your lever action rifles. It was the depression. People were hungry. These big farmers were afraid that these poor vagrants would poach there live stock. Suppressors were added to the NFA list not because of any murder but over a fucking cow, or horse, I don't recall. All the movie shit came later once they were forbidden and exotic. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

I don't normally post here but I just find this hilarious and wanted to share. Just got an email with the tracking number. My Silenced rifle has shipped. It's on the way. I bought it on line. It will be arriving through the U.S. mail on Monday. No FFL. No back ground check. No tax stamp. No signature required. Totally legal. How could such a wondrous thing occur? https://silencerco.com/maxim50/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA8rSssvTSA They went live with it a few days ago. Same day that the Hearing Protection Act, SHARE act passed out of commity to the house. Just as a poke in the democrats eye. Now every one can own a silencer. All fifty states. Some they have to be shipped to an FFL but they are fully California legal. I love there ads there are a couple more videos on you tube. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

On a serious note. What would it take to swap a Javelin PC for a wings? At one time reserve PC's were considered interchangeable. Interchangeability of TSO'd parts. At most a manufacturer might state that the rig should have a reserve PC with a spring diameter of ... Then people started building more custom designs like center loops, hard caps, etc. It made since that they they started including statements in there manual saying that only their PC could be used. So I think you would need an approval of comparability from a FSDO. It's a mod. But a master rigger can apply for it. Plenty of presidents. Approval to retrofit a dyper design onto an existing reserve canopy. Approval to retrofit a canopy with turn slots, three dog house. Approval for an after market 4 line release to make a canopy steerable. So a master rigger gets an approval to install the Javelin PC. He gets a stamp. I send him my rig. He stamps it and signs it and sends it back with the better PC. Or better He stamps the PC and sends it along with a slip of paper to staple to the card. They used to sell the four line mod as a kit. I don't think you had to be a master rigger to assemble it? So who wants to do some paper work? Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

Forget the FAA. They don't test any thing. They don't even do TSO testing, you just submit your own data to them. They might if presented with enough evidence and if their arm was twisted hard enough ask the manufacturer to do follow up testing to confirm compliance with the TSO standard. They wont even issue parachute AD's any more. This industry is completely internal. It's up to us to monitor and correct problems our selves. So when some one famous or well liked dies it will make a splash and people will stop buying their rigs and the company will fold. Problem gone. It's a shitty way to do business, a good company will be gone and I think they are a good company, and people will be dead. We can do better but only if we choose to. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

He's off by a factor of 2. For example first sec. = 16 ft. Remember you're starting with 0 vertical velocity. by the end of the first sec you are falling 32 ft per sec but from a standing start you've only gone 16 ft. That's why 525 is actually a comfortable base jump. Not bad at all. in fact 300 ft to impact is more common in a lot of areas. Canopy flight may be longer but the head wall is not normally 500 ft. There AAD can do it. The biggest issue as I see it is the container and deployment system. I think the army needs to let the manufactures re work it. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

I know those guys. Talked to them at length. Their shit actually does work. This contract is the driving force behind the next generation of AAD's. All the big boys are going after it. You will be seeing a whole new generation of technology coming from this. Frankly I think the guys at freefall are in the lead but you're going to see new gen AAD's from every one. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

Over priced. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

There was a PC drag test done by Sunpath I think in connection with a university of there reserve PC. Saw the video and numbers at one of the PIA meetings. Well done. They couldn't quite meet the speeds in the tunnel and they used a visual measurement of the inflated diameter for their area rather then a real measurement on some part of the PC. I say this because you have to keep in mind where the numbers come from to understand what they mean. For instance it gave them a CD over 2 and it's not fair to compare that number to a test done using the flat area of the PC, think a number more like 1. In the end they got good usable data that could be extrapolated to free fall speeds. So their really is good work being done out there. And a lot of it is being done quite responsible by the manufacturers them selves. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

I just saw a picture of this. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/08/29/north-koreas-antique-airplane-could-be-its-most-dangerous-weapon-yet.html Looks like some kind of PDA? What are they jumping? Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

I'm not sure if we're referring to the same thing but I recall changes to the secondary main riser cover flaps on the reserve tray. I'm not sure exactly how they went about making the changes. Changes in cut, sewing, stiffeners, etc but the early v3's had wrinkle problems in those covers. Over time do to changes in unknown iterations they solved that problem and it has gone away. the early ones were ugly. Early rigs tended to be long, thin and narrow. Later they added a wider range of pattern sets with their microns. I think the patters were better shaped over the shoulder, not as much a board on your back. Those changes were later expanded to the other patterns as well. So early v-3's were ugly and uncomfortable. They've over come some of those issues over the years. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

And here's a thought. Any master rigger out there want to apply for approval for an alteration. Replacement of the wings PC with a javelin? I think there are deeper problems with the cut and sewing of the upper corners of the reserve tray but this would be a good stop gap measure to you know... stop any one from dying over this. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

Is that PIA's job? It seems to me that that's a FAA thing. As I understand it, the proper procedure, if there is a question about an approved part, is to write a letter to... an office in the FAA reporting the problem. I was talking to Gene Bland once about some thing and he was telling me that there is a reporting procedure. Sorry, it was a long time ago and I don't recall the details. The point is that any one can do it, a rigger for instance. Any one that has a copy of that video. It's not a job that requires the PIA to take some kind of stand. You don't need to draw a line in the sand and declare war. You, any of you, send in a report. It starts a file. Then some one sends in another report from the next indecent and so on, and the file gets thicker, until it reaches critical mass and action occurs. Maybe a review of their TSO application. Right now there have been several incidents, with good video I might add. Enough to put some serious weight in that file. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

I can almost guaranty that your not going to like it. There were several canopies in the cloud family. Very old school. If it's a "Cloud" cloud then it's like the first. It was a big deal when it came out because it flew better then a round. It had more forward speed. And the landings were not much worse. If it's a "Cloud". I hope it has a slider on it. Big lines? I think I know exactly what you've got. I've jumped it. Really don't want to go there. The only way you want to jump an original cloud is on a lark or a dare or if it's a bet there had better be enough money to cover the deductible on your insurance. This was one of the first squares. Lot of evolution in it just from people tinkering with it. No slider. Ropes and rings. Pods. Two PC's. Super long lines. 1000 lb cored nylon line. Stretched on opening, never flew straight. Retrimmed the canopy between jumps. They cut the lines down to like 75% the original length in the field. I can land it. Shoot for the peas, better make it. You can so do better. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

I'm old school. Never owned a servo. I'm perfectly happy with and ordinary motor and a good clutch. If it's old you may have to replace the pads. Or if you're a newbe, buy a new 1/2 speed motor and put a small pulley on it. That's what I did for all my employees when I built up machines for them. I just like, and am perfectly happy with, the power of a real motor. More Power, raah, raah, raah. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

Under the right, or wrong, circumstances it can be a problem. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

This football helmet might be good for multiple impacts. What I was suggesting, what is common in most high end helmets is that they are retired after one good hit. The outer surface cracks like an egg crushing in. The whole helmet is sacrificial. To the point of, don't drop it. If the foam was more like the old liners just on the out side, or the polyethylene version of Styrofoam, then it might be more resilient. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

I didn't know if I should post it here or in skydiving. Right now it's more on the horizon then a product and there have been some similar threads here in rigging. http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/08/08/revolutionary-new-zero1-football-helmet-may-help-nfl-players-reduce-concussions.html I always said we would be better off if we put the Styrofoam "padding" of the helmet on the out side and the hard "shell" on the end side next to your head. I think this is the first case of any one actually doing that. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

"Direct Supervision" and it's still rather flexible. It's more a statement of responsibility stating that the task of supervision can not be delegated but leaving the degree of supervision open to interpretation. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

That is the question. If you call it a repair then only a rigger can do it. If you call it a major repair then only a master rigger can sign it off but there is no paper work so there is no where for him to sign. And then what about the people that are, not years ago, but today, building their own main canopies. The manufacturer can do any thing. You don't have to be a rigger to be a manufacturer. If you are building it your self then you are god. What if you say that you are building a new canopy from sub components. There are presidents for that. Aerodyne and others payed PISA to sew their canopies and then just did the line sets here for a long time. But Aerodyne was the manufacturer not PISA. Vertigo payed PD to make their canopies but then finished the assimbaly by sewing on the tail pocket and side panels with the logo. Vertigo was the official manufacturer not PD. It's all bullshit so that we can do what needs to be done any way. The world would come to a crashing halt if every one who was not a master rigger suddenly refused to do relines. I think back to how many I and others did over the years. The master riggers in the area could not have kept up with the work. And forget the manufacturers. They would have been swamped. Why do you think PD sells line sets to any one with $200. Hell the last time I needed a line set, admittedly it was for a big cargo canopy, the manufacturer could not do it. They were swamped. It was going to be months. I wound up buying 1,300 yards of line, it's a big line set, from CSR and building the thing. You do what you have to do. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

So that your standard of inspection. I think that's a good standard. Show me where it's written down in the FAR's. Be nice if it was. I wouldn't mind another set of eyes looking over my work to find my mistakes. But generally they just yell at me asking why I'm not done yet. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com

If you want a more convoluted argument... A major repair is one that can affect the AIRWORTHINESS of the equipment. That brings up a question of the definition of airworthiness. Not standard for mains. No testing to that standard. No certification. No approval. That being the case how can you define it or any thing you do alter it. So maybe you throw out the statement of it being safe. Again no definition. Well you just grounded every fucking main straight from the factory. Want me to start listing the mains that I've watched collapse? I not sure I have the time to list all of them. Want to talk about safe decent speeds or total speeds. Student canopies would pass, yours probable wont. Or you could say that you are the manufacturer. You are re manufacturing a canopy from sub components. If you signed or stamped it I think you could say you built it. I can provide presidents for this. It's actually very common. There have been other arguments made in the past talking circles around the issue. In the end it just comes down to the reality of what is necessary in the sport. This is what day to day reality dictates. I think the FAA should just give up on non approved gear but until then we play word games. Lee Lee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com