riggerrob

The Dutch rules for new wing-shifters are common-sense. Common-sense in that most wing-suit manufacturers and instructors agree that they are good advice. Sounds like the Dutch standards are slightly higher than those written by WS manufacturers, but that is good. Local rules can always be higher than national rules. OTOH local rules should never be allowed to be looser than industry-wide best-business-practices.

Groups are responsible for ensuring that all their members safely return to the hangar. For example, if one member of a four-way team suffers a malfunction, cuts away and finds himself hanging under a reserve -too low to make it back to the DZ - one of his team-mates should land beside him. A second team-mate should land beside his cutaway main canopy. A third team-mate should land beside his free-bag. Ideally they all have cell phones in their jump-suit pockets. Ideally, the fourth team-mate lands beside manifest and explains why everyone did not land on the DZ.

........................................................................................ That is standard practice during night jumps.

That brings back a memory of a photograph of my main canopy laying on the ground beside the porta-potty and my suspension lines disappearing into the ports-potty. That picture was posted on the bulletin board. Hah! Hah!

The last majo0r revolution in skydiving gear was about 25 years ago. Around 1990, we saw the introduction of: collapsible pilot-chutes, ZP fabric, zero stretch suspension lines, canopies that could be loaded more than 1 pound per square foot, BOC deployment, hip rings, RSLs, electronic AADs, etc. All the major bugs (mini 3-Rings) had been worked out by 1998, so the only major development left was refining containers to make them "free-fly friendly" and that occurred by the turn of the century. I explained this and more to my last rigging course and they all wrote "I will not repack gear more than 20 years old." Their answer was simplistic, but I could respect it, so they all passed that question. If a rig has been jumped for 20 years straight, it is probably worn out by now. OTOH I have a Talon that was made in 1996 and has less than a thousand jumps on it. During that same period I made more than 3,000 tandems and wore out a bunch of tandem gear. Strong says to retire their tandem harnesses after 18 years and reserve canopies after 22 years. If a tandem main lasts more than 8 years, you are in the wrong business! Hah! Hah! Now several manufacturers say not to repack their gear after 15 or 20 years. When I worked in Southern California, most lofts refused to repack anything more than 20 or 25 years old, because nylon wore out so quickly in the desert. I recently told a local jumper to consider retiring his 19-year-old Infinity because it is frayed on multiple corners and I have already sewn a few patches on it. If he brings me a new Infinity, I will cheerfully pack his new reserve. I cannot give you an exact answer. Instead, I will refer you to the judgment of your local rigger.

When I bent that reserve pin, I was jumping an early Strong Dual Hawk tandem. The reserve pin cover is only a couple of layers of Cordura wrapped around a layer of ballistic cloth. Since that rig preceded tuck-tabs, suspect that the pin cover had blown open and the bare pin was rubbing directly on the door handle. Since the early 1980s successive waves of canopy formation and sit-flying jumpers have forced manufacturers to re-think pin covers several times. Modern pin covers with their MDS stiffeners and multiple tuck-tabs are much less likely open pre-maturely.

When discussing spotting, introduce the concept of "pre-spotting" meaning that a variety of people get their eyeballs out the window long before the door opens, so they already know where they are (in relation to the airfield) before they open the door. Multiple eyeballs are also the best protection against mid-air collisions. The pilot cannot see other aircraft approaching from all angles and an attentive jumper might save everyone's life by pointing out an airplane that a jump pilot cannot see. Remember that the majority of mid-air collisions occur below 2,000 feet, close to small, uncontrolled airports.

Not much to be gained from simulating conditions that bent my reserve pin. We understood that malfunction mode 30 years ago. Solutions are also well known. Two solutions immediately come to mind. The first is reducing snag hazards in jump planes. I had that conversation with a DZO last week. He was grumbling about scuffed main pin covers on his Sigmas. I pointed out the different door frames on his access as. His Cessna 182 had a smooth door frame, while his Cessna 205 had some rough edges on its door frame. I suggested that his best solution was to get a sheet-metal worker to install a copy the 182's door frame in his 205. The second solution is better pin covers. Since my incident, Atom, Eclipse, Next, Plexus, Racer, Sigma and Strong have introduced better pin covers.

There is no guarantee that the Skyhook will keep the free at attached to the main. That is an accidental side benefit. Bill Booth jokes that his increased profit (from selling Skyhooks) is off-set by selling fewer replacement free-bags. Bottom line, the reserve saved your buddy's life. He should be happy.

BOC refers to a Spandex pouch (to hold the pilot-chute) that is sew to the bottom flap of the main container. Main container components include: pack tray, right side flap, left side flap, bottom flap, top flap, main loop anchor and pin cover. Since the main top flap is often sewn to the reserve bottom flap, it is often referred to as a mid flap. The mid-wall divides the main container from the reserve container. The AAD battery box is normally sewn to the mid-wall. As for packing, most older rigs pack with the top edge (where the bridle exits) the main deployment bag pressing against the mid-wall. To reduce line-twists, some wing-suitors like to rotate their main deployment bag so that the top of the d-bag rests directly under the pin. This packing method is often referred to as "bridle towards pin." It really only works gracefully if the d-bag is "square " when viewed from the side.

My daddy loved say "It all depends .." Whether a fractured pelvis can ever jump again depends upon a variety of factors. How badly did you shatter your pelvis? How well did the first surgeon put the parts back together? How precisely were those shattered bones re-aligned? How fit were you before the accident? Did you smoke? How old were you when you cracked your pelvis? How much supplemental surgery could you afford? How much bed rest could you afford? How much food could you afford? How much rehab could you afford?

I have seen MIL SPEC pins bent bad enough to prevent pulling the ripcord. The first was on a Stylemaster main that got jammed under the instrument panel of a Cessna. After three tries, the jumper pulled his reserve. I came close to suffering the same problem once during a tandem. We were doing a poised exit from a Cessna when the student tried to stand up on the step. He jammed the reserve container against the underside of the wing and bent a reserve pin 45 degrees. That was the last time I eve4r did a poised exit.

Those longitudinal bends look like they were made at the factory. That is the simplest way to stiffener the anchor plate.

Back in 1993, the Parachute Industry Association published a standard to reinforcing Type 17 risers. 3-Ring Inc. published precise standards for making reinforced Type 17 risers in 1998. Main risers are high-wear items that last maybe a thousand jumps, so the oldest risers still in service should be less than 17 years old (made in 1998). If they lack the Type 3 tape reinforcement: replace them.

MLW measurement methods vary from one manufacturer to the next. Most manufacturers start measuring at the bottom edge of the shoulder hardware (e.g. RW-8), then down to the hip joint. Rigging Innovations measures from the bottom edge of the shoulder hardware (e.g. Raw-8) to the upper leg strap. If it is an R.I. Harness with hip rings, measure down to the bottom edge of the MLW webbing, where it folds around the hip ring. When the harness fits properly, the hip junction covers the iliac crest (pelvis bone). Some manufacturers measure from the shoulder hardware to the BOTTOM of the hip ring. OTOH Mirage has a stock MLW length then adds or subtracts to fit different heights of skydivers.

Yes, I remember a similar, heavily-coated free-bag on another Javelin of that vintage. The white oxford cloth felt " thicker" than most other free-bags. Fortunately that Javelin stayed in Canada, so it never got hot enough to melt the urethane coating.

........ Icarus mains were coming stock with soft links a year ago. Has that changed? I install used Sigma ty-4 bumpers to protect the links and risers in this config. They're stiff enough to keep the slider up and off the goods. ...................................................................................... The last batch of Icarus tandem mains that I worked on had Maillon Rapide connector links. They were manufactured a few years ago and had been re-lined (outside the factory ) more than once.

Almost 30 years ago, I herniated a spinal disc which pressed on my sciatic nerve until the muscles in my left leg cramped up solid. Surgeons recommended trimming the disc, followed by 6 months of bed rest. I declined surgery. The first winter I laid around and felt sorry for myself. The second winter I swam 2 or 3 times a week and felt much better. The third winter I attended aerobic fitness classes 2 or 3 times a week and was able to resume hard-core skydiving. The key is strengthening some core muscles, while stretching others to pull my pelvis and lower spine back into correct alignment. Avoid high-impact exercise (running on concrete) because that re-injures the weak disc. Swimming, cross-country skiing and bicycling are much better aerobic exercises for people with spinal problems. Recommended reading includes "The Back Pain Book" by Mike Hage (Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago 1992 and 2005). That reminds me to do some sit-ups, ball squats, ham-string curls and stretches.

Parachutes de France just published a Service Bulletin about single-layer ATOM reserve containers. Coated (urethane?) Cordura container fabric might adhere to reserve canopies and prevent deployment. The problem is aggravated by the fabric coating (urethane?) melting in conditions of high heat (70 degrees Celsius) and high humidity (95 percent) for 2 weeks or more. Inspection due at next repack or if suspected that it was stored in hot and humid conditions. Parachutes de France is expected to produce repair kits in the near future. Javelin, etc. have reported similar problems before. The problem is caused by the urethane coating melting. The urethane coating was originally designed to water-proof Cordura fabric when used as luggage/backpacks, etc. In parachute containers, the urethane coating helps stabilize fabric and lengthen lifespan. PIA just published the Service Bulletin in English, French and German. The first two versions are easy to understand, but the English version is garbled.

Bottom line: UPT has learned (the hard way) that soft links are not durable enough for tandems. Smart riggers take UPT's experience as "best business practice." Icarus tandem canopies come stock with metal links. Next tandem canopies come stock with metal links. The last time I jumped a Parachutes de France tandem canopy, it had metal links. PD tandem canopies come stock with metal links. Precision tandem canopies come stock with metal links. Racer tandem canopies come stock with metal links. Strong tandem canopies come stock with metal links. According to PIA Technical Standard 102, the canopy manufacturer is responsible for supplying connector links.

The best way to avoid errors is asking a second set of eyeballs to inspect your work.

Written by a Vogon lawyer, which means that no "operator" can understand it without hiring a lawyer.

... Another thing I found out during my discussion with UPT is that the staging loop was never needed for sport containers, and is only "recommended" for student and tandem rigs. .... ........................................................................................ My theory is that the need for a staging loop is based on the weight of the reserve canopy. How many of you can remember when staging loops were fashionable in Wonderhogs? Did the round reserves (e.g. Strong 26 foot diameter Lopo) weigh as much as a 250 square foot student reserve? Has any one weighed a tandem reserve recently? My theory is that only student and tandem reserve canopies are heavy enough to pull a Collins lanyard and ruin your day.

Okay councilman, Please don't keep us in suspense any longer .... What type of Ukrainian airplane used lap-type chutes?

.... is the reserve anchor plate on the bottom of Vector 3 supposed to have a slight curve to it running the entire length (top to bottom) or is it supposed to be completely flat? .... ....................................................................................... For decades, the Vector factory installed perfectly flat, aluminum pack tray stiffeners (aka. anchor plate). I have never seen one bent along the vertical axis (parallel to the spine). Maybe this is something new from the Vector factory?????? It is common to see Vector pack tray stiffeners bent along the lateral axis (shoulder to shoulder) because Vector stiffeners are so long, twice as long as stiffeners in Infinity, Javelin or Talon). Javelin pack tray stiffeners often get bend (along the vertical axis) by riggers who use more muscle than skill when closing tight Javelins. OTOH, Vertical bends are factory-standard on Racer pack tray stiffeners, because it helps stiffen the aluminum stiffener and helps maintain the correct spacing between the two ripcord pins. The Racer pack tray stiffener is a vastly simplified version of the pack tray stiffener in a military BA-22 container.