AndyMan

This is certainly true in Illinois, too. Illinois lists only 3 riggers, none of which are associated with any of the 3 big lofts (para-gear, para-concepts, chicagoland). A good usable directory would be awesome. Rigminder seems like a great idea, but I wish they'd do a better job telling us about it. Also, this seems like a good feature for dropzone.com. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I have an Icon, a Vector II, and a Mirage G3. My favorite is the Mirage. The rig has aged very well, and Mirage seems to have very good customer service. Their turnaround times for new orders is good, and their prices are pretty good. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I'll thank you not to put words in my mouth. I never said not logging is superior. To each his own. If you want to log, go ahead. However, to be under the delusion that it's required to get ratings is exactly that - a delusion. Skills verification through a logbook is the worst way to do it, the book is easily faked, and I've gone through the procedure 4 times with 4 different course directors - none of which looked at my log book. They were smart enough to figure out more accurate ways to verify my credentials. For you to accuse them of anything but the highest ethical standards is pure ignorance. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Shame on you for being ignorant and judgmental. There are FAR better ways of verifying ratings than an easily faked, self-signed log book. Oddly, of all the 4 ratings I had, each one was from a different course director. Ignoring unreliable logbooks is far more common than you suspect. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I would recommend a 190. After quite a few jumps on that, you may find yourself ready for the 170. Downsizing too fast hurts. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I haven't logged any jumps in a very long time. It just isn't that important to me. If I remember correctly, I probably stopped logging when I had around 300 jumps - a 'C' license. The only time I was asked for proof of jumps was when I traveled to Perris. I then walked over to Square 1, bought a new logbook, put in two recent entries, and submitted it for approval. They accepted it. Since then I've gotten my Coach, AFFI, Tandem, and Pro rating and was never asked for proof of jumps. I've also traveled to countless new DZ's and had my USPA credentials accepted without question. Having all of the instructional ratings may have something to do with it. Some people value the social aspect of a logbook, but I don't - so that's fine. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It may fit, it may not. I put an 135 Airlocked canopy in my J3 briefly while I waited for my new container. The 135 airlocked fit well enough. Airlocked canopies are said to pack one size larger due to the extra fabric, so you shouldn't put to much faith in my success. You can usually put a canopy one size larger or smaller than the manufacturer recommends. You're talking about putting a canopy two sizes smaller than the manufacturer recommends. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I think the description of your wife as irrational isn't fair. It sounds to me like she's got a better understanding of safety than you do. Skydiving is a hell of a lot of fun, but it is dangerous. If you want to be fair to your family you HAVE to admit that you can do everything right - and still die when skydiving. You should only go skydiving when you can be honest with yourself and your family that it is in fact, dangerous. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

The neat thing about the 3-ring device is that it reduces the odds of this specific malfunction to essentially nil. Each ring in the 3-ring is a lever, that reduces the weight passed to the ring below it. By the time the small ring passes weight to the cotton loop, there's only about 5 pounds of force on the loop. That white loop would have to be in particularly poor condition for it to break. I've never even heard of this actually happening. However, there was a time a few years ago when the actual risers were breaking. The risers were breaking where the grommet punches through the riser. This sometimes resulted in exactly the scenario you're thinking about - with the broken risers deploying the RSL, deploying the reserve into the still attached main... Not a good situation. They worked on a few different solutions to this. First they tried a new form of risers that didn't have grommets. These were called 'integrity' risers, but they had other issues that limited their popularity. The more popular solution was to reinforce the riser, by adding a second layer of fabric into the fold. This design stuck - you can usually see a second layer of fabric by looking into the 'v' of your risers, the second fabric is usually red or blue for visibility. They also came up with a design called the 'Collins lanyard', which connects the RSL riser to the non-RSL cuttaway cable. The Collins lanyard will release the non RSL riser if the RSl risers pops. Collins Lanyards are manditory on Skyhook equipped rigs, however it hasn't been terribly popular. It's a good design, but people haven't adopted it because the broken risers scenario has become so rare it's mostly not necesary. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Bill, when you make statements like this you actually have to follow through. Since you posted this back in October, I've emailed you directly, sent you PM's here on dropzone.com, and even left you a voicemail. You didn't reply to any of them. I've called Sandy three times, and I've emailed her 4 times. Sandy doesn't reply to my emails. When I talk to her on the phone she tells me that this will be handled "right away", but nothing ever happens. I'm just about ready to give up and order something from another vendor. This is precisely the kind of customer service I think about when I recommend gear to my students. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

As an aside, I dislike the notion that we ought to trust our DZO's simply because their planes are expensive, or because the planes are full of skydivers. History has shows DZO's willing to risk both in the sake of profit. The trust of our DZO's is not given. It is earned by continually observing safe practices. Whether this situation fits is an exercise for the reader. _An __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

2500 feet of paved runway is plenty of room for an Otter with strong engines, even if you plan for an engine failure. The FAA recommends plenty of room to reach full speed, then brake to a stop. It sounds like that's well within the case. You didn't mention the terrain off the end of the runway, and how it would support an over-run. For example, here in the midwest most runways are bounded by cornfields. Planes rolling off the end of the runway - even if they clip a powerline, likely wouldn't be fatal. I would be more concerned if you said they were going downwind in high winds, but you said the don't do this when winds are above 15. 15 may be a bit high... I'd prefer you said 10, but I think I may be nitpicking. __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

The best way to make me happy? Come back for a second jump! _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

My reaction is different. What the hell are we doing jumping gear where a collapsed drogue will lift the bag but won't clear the risers? On what planet is this airworthy?!? Here's another question: How many Sigma TM's check that the drogue is cocked before each jump? On a busy Saturday? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I don't think it's a physics problem as much as a canopy design one. You can satisfy the physical requirement by having a moderate g-force over a longer period of time. I don't know to what degree it's possible to design a canopy like that. My impression of the harder opening canopies is that they have a very high g-force of very short duration. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Your information is mostly correct, but there's a key point that invalidates it. For years the Spectre did in fact have a reputation for opening slowly. However, one of the fatalities I mentioned, and one of the broken femurs from hard openings was caused by a Spectre. Think about breaking a femur from a hard opening - it must have been an amazing amount of force exerted by the canopy. Also, I'd caution against a Saber 1. I know more than a handful number of people (including myself) that have neck injuries from hard openings under a Saber. I know of one person who had to quit the sport after suffering major neck damage. He will be in pain for a very long time because of it. There are some canopies coming out that reportedly open quickly, but without significant g-forces. I think the new PD pulse supposedly opens this way. This may be the canopy that you're looking for. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I'd be careful what you're asking for here. I understand that you're comfortable with the briskness of a fast opening because that's largely what you've experienced. Please understand that the industry has moved away from fast opening canopies for a reason. First, a bit of history. When many of the fast opening canopies were designed, skydivers had very different standards for pull altitudes. Going back to when the Saber 1 was introduced, it was not uncommon to see people pulling below 2000 feet. Pulling low was so popular that the USPA had to pass a BSR effectively banning the practice. However, it wasn't until the broad adoption of AAD's that pull altitudes started to rise. Anyways, given that people were pulling low, (and sometimes having "low pull contests", canopy manufacturers thought it wise to make a canopy that opens quickly. We're thankful that the culture of low-pulling has largely been relegated to the past. AAD's has made low-pulling even more dangerous, and the industry has begun to rally around 'Canopy Piloting', which celebrates canopy flight and encourages a higher pull. That bit of history aside - in addition to a cultural change around pull altitudes, there's also been some very serious accidents, and indeed fatalities that were caused by hard opening parachutes. In some cases the canopies have opened so hard as to break femurs and necks. In other cases it's the harness that' have failed, with equally fatal results. The danger of hard opening canopies is clear. The industry has adopted wisely by changing their canopy designs to open in more acceptable ways. You'd be wise to purchase a canopy that's known for consistent, stable openings, and comfort your fear by opening just a touch higher. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Weather Underground has an archive of ground winds, but not aloft winds. I don't know of any site that archives aloft winds. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Also, Picasa from Google deserves a mention here because it's powerful and free. Not as slick as Aperture, but good enough for my daily needs. Most importantly, it fits my budget. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

When I'm loaded up with smoke and flags and other demo gear, my wingloading on my Triathlon is getting awfully close to 1.5. I've landed my Triathlon in no-wind on asphalt on a downtown street - with grace and elegance. The crowd loved it! In a situation like this, the fact that the 7-cell isn't the surfiest canopy around is a big advantage. The canopy flies well, and the characteristics don't change remarkably except that things happen faster. The glide is about the same, and landings are similar, except they do get a bit more surf. I'm not sure what you're looking for with a Triathlon loaded that high. Are there better options for you? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Unless A.A.D indicates in their installation requirements that a Vigil pocket is required, then one is not required. Since they don't require one, it's up to the Rigger to decide compatibility. I do not believe that Airtec instructions are relevant. That said, I'm not entirely thrilled with how the Vigil 2 fits in a Cypres pocket. The Vigil is just a hair long and extends outside the boundary of the spandex. Given that it takes a Master Rigger to do the swap, I'm surprised that A.A.D didn't go to the effort to make them more size compatible. I'm fine installing a Vigil in a Cypres pocket unless A.A.D indicates otherwise, but I would prefer the fit to be a touch tighter. I do not think the original poster has any reason to swap one for the other. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

My wife's Sabre 2 opens consistently off heading. I first thought it was her body position until I put some jumps on it myself. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I live in chicago and I've been to both. Summerfest is a great way to do a lot of jumps from a variety of aircraft, at a DZ with outstanding facilities. Lost Prairie is one of the most spectacular places I've ever been - but if you live in Montana you might not appreciate is as much as this city-slicker. Lost Prairie is the kind of boogie that I wish every skydiver would go to, at least once. It's also the kind of boogie that once you go to, you'll long to go back time and time again. There's still plenty of jumping from Otters and Skyvans, but it's the extra things that make it special. Things like the 4X4 trip up to the fire tower, the jump into Lang Creek, and a level of nudity I haven't seen in skydiving in a very long time are what make it very special indeed. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

They punch a hole in the webbing, then insert the male end in and crimp it against the female end using a custom die. As long as the punch went smoothly, and the grommet is well seated it works. If the punch-hole was frayed, that fray will work itself out over time - especially if the crimp is not as tight as it should be. It's possible a rigger may be able to repair that riser by installing a new grommet. It'd be worth a shot as a lot of manufacturers are charging a fortune for risers. It may be that the damage is too extensive for a repair though, it's hard to see in the blurry photos. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I've see more than a few risers with this type of damage lately. A bit of fraying is OK, but it looks like you've got a lot more than I would be comfortable with. I would not use those risers. The cause of the fraying is the grommet wasn't set as tightly as it should have been the risers were manufactured. The stitching holding the hard housing is easily fixed, but not much point given the damage at the grommet. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.