riggerrob

... The only solution is more square feet of fabric over-head. Then we get into a rousing debate about whether those extra square feet should be round (T-10) or cross-shaped (AT-11) ........ I can fix that for you. 1) ... 2) ... 3) Utilize larger, proven, rounds to accomplish the above. ....................................................................................... About 15 years ago both Bill Gargano and Manley Butler developed larger rounds for paratroopers. Gargano's canopy was only adopted by a few Rocky Mountain Special Forces Groups while Butler's HX 600 was largely ignored.

.... Focus efforts on bringing the weight down of the 4% that are above the recommended 300lbs max. ... ................................................................................. Does that 300 pounds mean: exit weight, fighting weight, etc. ? For example, I weight 195 pounds out of the shower. When I add the 70 pounds (armour, weapons, water, ammo, spare batteries, etc.) carried by a typical Canadian soldier doing a foot patrol in Afghanistan, and I am quickly close to 300 pounds. That does not leave any room for the 100 pound rucksack needed for winter missions, etc.

........................................... I asked a manufacturers' representative (at a recent PIA Symposium) and he blamed the packing problem on grumpy old master sarge ants who stubbornly insisted on packing the new AT-11 the same way they packed the old T-10s. Sorry sarg, but new equipment requires new techniques. Got to change with the times Harrumph Old chap

Love the effective camouflage - can't even see it! Winter or Arctic jumps only.. we must be goin to Russia .................................................. Or assisting Ukrainian allies?

There was a DZ or two that did that. The planes flew jumpers all day and local overnight air freight after sunset. Yes, yes, "air freight." (Didn't they make a movie about that starring Billy Baldwin?) ....................................................................................... Fresh herbs and vegetables

I have installed reserve SLinks on a dozen main canopies and all of my customers put hundreds of happy jumps on those canopies.

Sorry, but I am not following your logic. Let's start with with your turboprop analogy. Turboprop power is limited to the "maximum continuous power" ("climb power" in skydiver parlance) stamped on the engine data plate by the engine manufacturer. As long as you have sufficient fuel flow (measured in "pounds or gallons per hour") your turboprop engine will develop maximum continuous horsepower. At risk of over-simplification: a Twin Otter gets roughly 4 hours flying time out of the 4 fuel tanks in it's belly. If you only fill one belly tank, your Twin Otter will generate "maximum continuous power" for only 1 hour. When we transfer that logic to an electric-powered airplane, the "maximum continuous power" is limited by the size of the electric motor. Any single battery should be able to drive that electric motor at "maximum continuous power." Now let's pretend that our hypothetical electric airplane was originally designed to fly 4 hour sight-seeing tours with 4 batteries. If you leave 3 batteries on the ground, you can still develop "maximum continuous power" but only for one hour. Then the greedy DZO can replace the weight of the 3 missing batteries with more paying skydivers. So an electric-powered jump-plane should be able to generate the same "maximum continuous power" as a turboprop jump-plane. The only variable is how many hours it can fly. Endurance is determined by how many fuel tanks you fill or how many batteries you install.

......................................................................................... Is it a percussion instrument? Is it a wind instrument? Is it a percussive wind instrument?

Before down-sizing you should demonstrate competence on your current canopy. See Bill's list of canopy exercises. Once you have convinced local instructors that you are competent on your current canopy, you should ask their advice about down-sizing. If you have any doubts, make enough jumps on a 190 before down-sizing to the 170. If you get bored under the 190, you are not working hard enough on Bill Von's exercises.

CSPA's minimum DZ size requirements are close to BPA's (I did not look up the exact numbers). Last year a Canadian DZ asked for a waiver because construction was "squeezing" their DZ. Specifically, their landing field was getting narrower. Since they jump I n a mountain valley, winds only blow along the (single) runway. Since their narrow DZ is parallel to the runway, they would only land along the "long" axis of the narrow. CSPA's Technical Committee granted them a 1-year waiver.

... I demoed the Pilot 230 ZPX and didn't really like it, especially the flare. I didn't have too much difficulty standing up the landings, but it did require me to flare relatively quickly all the way in a single motion, meaning that there wasn't much room for error. Someone at my dropzone made a suggestion to shorten the brake lines, but obviously I wasn't going to do that on a demo. ... .............................................................................................. May I suggest wrapping the steering line once around your hands to -temporarily - shorten the brake lines? Do a few practice flares - above 2,000 feet - before committing to this new landing technique.

Agreed The Federal Air Regulations always loop back to include "in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions" so we can agree that an AAD must conform to manufacturers' maintenance schedule (battery replacement, factory inspections, service bulletins, retirement, etc.) on the day it is inspected and repacked. Anything less is less than "best business practices." I am comfortable with repacking a reserve when the AAD will retire less than 180 days later because I legally and ethically "cover my ass" by writing the AAD retirement date on multiple pieces of paper. If the owner, manifest, etc. chose to ignore the written advice of an FAA Master Rigger, then their asses are in the sling.

Looks like a classic case of fixing what ain't broke. I'm sure it's less expensive to manufacture, too - right? ............................................................................................. It was more like too many broken legs with the old T-10. Modern soldiers are "more muscular" than previous generations. When you over-load them with rucksacks - containing 150 pounds of light-weight, go- fast gear - plus body armour, plus weapons, plus extra ammo, plus lots of water, plus extra batteries then drop them in an Afghan mountain valley 6,000 feet above sea level you are guaranteed to break more legs. The only solution is more square feet of fabric over-head. Then we get into a rousing debate about whether those extra square feet should be round (T-10) or cross-shaped (AT-11) ........

, or the windmilling propeller(s) could be used as a source for partial recharging during descents. I think it's all a matter of battery technology versus weight. ........................................................................... The windmilling propeller could also be used as a dive brake. If the prop governor was adjusted correctly, it would make it impossible for a new pilot to exceed the maximum dive speed (Vne).

Sad, but true! Young skydivers are not interested in listening to us grumpy old farts talk about the limitations of cheap gear. For years, I railed against the stupidity of fat white men jumping Micro Ravens. Sadly no one listened until one of the (medium-sized) local lads stalled his Micro Raven into the hospital. He broke a bunch of bones and needed many months to recover. His buddies needed to help him wipe his ass for a month before they stopped buying Micro Ravens. Only then did the price of used Ravens descend faster than a fat man hanging under a Micro Raven! By then Precision had already been sewing R-Max reserves for a few years.

... A few months back there was a rigger who packed a ladies reserve and then her main. He was in the hanger the next morning with a grin from ear to ear raving about how she was going to have a cutaway "because I packed her main right after her reserve, just watch." Sure as hell, line twists smashed her chin into her tits and she cut away. When she landed he was still in the hangar. "I cant jump anymore today I gotta go make that money" was the first thing he said, at the same time laughing hysterically. That is a jackass I wouldn't hesitate to fire. If she only knew.... ................................................................................. That rigger was unprofessional. It is bad karma to joke about that subject. For that reason, Perris riggers learned to distance themselves from that sort of dark humour. Part of their logic involved a legal defence of spreading the guilt between a rigger and a packer and the user. Part of it was getting tired of vacuuming all the sand, grass, twigs, thorns, etc. off the loft carpet a dozen times a day. Part of it was specialization and admitting that the in-documented immigrant packers were far quicker and far more profitable at packing mains. The final motivation was a clueless customer who stormed back to the loft angrily demanding to know why a load- organizer denied her boarding the plane just because he could not see her pilot-chute handle! The rigger on duty pulled out her invoice to prove that she had not paid for a main pack job. The excuse - for her confusion - was that the rigger had rigger-rolled it too neatly! Hah! Hah!

Lise Hernandez Girouard has edited CANPARA for more than a year now. I was asking about the bigger picture ... the 30-year picture. Back during the early 1980s,(back when modern BASE-jumping was just getting started) CSPA was fiercely anti-BASE. I could understand CSPA trying to distance the association from BASE fatalities, but I suspect that CSPA was also trying to copy a USPA attitude about distancing skydiving from trespassing, lock- cutting, graffiti-painting, trash- strewing, etc. BASE jumpers. I understand old-school CSPA logic, but wonder why the radical improvement in attitude towards BASE jumping??

Your critique is valid for long-range airplanes, but becomes less relevant for short-range airplanes. You are ignoring the rise in petroleum costs versus the decline in battery costs. For a short-range (less than 1 hour) fuel weigh is less and less important. Remember that most petroleum-powered jump-planes refuel every hour or so. If they can re-charge several sets of batteries during (less expensive) off-peak hours, electricity might be less expensive. In the long run they might find it more cost effective to cover their hangar roof with solar panels, then sell excess electricity to the town Monday through Friday. The greatest challenge is conversion cost. Remember that most DZOs only install more powerful engines after they have worn out the stock engine. Now we are speculating about how soon some other niche market (e.g. sight-seeing or crop-dusting) will develop an electric conversion that is cost-effective for jump-planes. There are a dozen different ways to swing the cost differential as petroleum increases in cost while electric costs remain comparatively flat.

Pipistrel just introduced an electric-powered trainer. The new WATTsUP has two seats an a 90 minute endurance on batteries. Most flying lessons only last 50 or 60 before the student pilot is exhausted. Batteries can be recharged in an hour or replaced much quicker. They are marketing the trainer to schools with noise restrictions (e.g. surrounded by housing). How long before we get electric-powered jump-planes? My guess is - within 5 years - some manufacturer (e. g. Gippsland Airvan) will offer an electric-powered airplane for sight-seeing tours that will be perfect for skydiving. Within the next 5 years, I also expect electric conversion kits for kit planes, followed a few years later for Cessna, Diamond, Piper, etc trainers. Bets?

Hmm, responsible adults, er skydivers...boogie coming up, travel booked...reserve is in-date but I forgot about that pesky AAD service...guess I need to cancel my plans...yeah, right...anyone ever been questioned about AAD service during a gear check when registering for a boogie...me either...they just look at when it was last packed... Let us know how that policy works out for you when the feds come knocking, eh... ................................................................................ Back to my last post .... If the rigger writes on the packing data card "Cypres retires October 2014" the boogie manifest should notice when they do gear checks. Hmm, lots of people lined up to register, get their gear checked and jump...the DZ staff just wants to get people processed as quickly as possible..."should" is very subjective. They're not examining the packing data card for AAD maintenance, service bulletin compliance or anything out of the ordinary...just the last pack date.....maybe in a perfect world... ............................................................................................... I always write "Cypres retires October 2014" on a separate line, below the last repack date. That is unusual and it messes with their reading "flow", forcing them to look twice and ask "what the ????" This reminds me of gear checks during the 1997 USPA Nationals in Perris. One competitor had a reserve that was going to expire halfway through the competition. After he tried to sneak through gear check for the third time (fancy excuses, swapping cards, etc.) Al Frisby yelled "tall guy with the black Vector! Quit wasting our time!" The other reason for writing "Cypres retires October 2014" on multiple pieces of paper is that it spreads the guilt onto multiple people OTHER than the rigger. If there is ever an accident, the rigger can point to "Cypres retires October 2014" and claim that his ass is covered. That forces lawyers to chase some else's tail.

Reserve SLinks are made of the same materials as reserve suspension lines, so they last as long as reserve suspension lines, 400 to 600 jumps. If you have made 600 jumps on the same reserve canopy, you might want to consider firing the guy/gal who packs your main! Hah! Hah!

All valid possibilities for pilot chute hesitation. Another possible cause might be a closing loop that is too long.

Hmm, responsible adults, er skydivers...boogie coming up, travel booked...reserve is in-date but I forgot about that pesky AAD service...guess I need to cancel my plans...yeah, right...anyone ever been questioned about AAD service during a gear check when registering for a boogie...me either...they just look at when it was last packed... Let us know how that policy works out for you when the feds come knocking, eh... ................................................................................ Back to my last post .... If the rigger writes on the packing data card "Cypres retires October 2014" the boogie manifest should notice when they do gear checks.

Agreed The Micro Raven 109 Dash M was only made during the last batch of Raven reserve production, during the mid-1990s. Aerodynamically, they were pretty much the same as earlier Ravens. They had the same airfoil section and line trim as Super Raven -D. The major difference on the Raven Dash M was structural with span-wise bottom skins and no bridle attachment. Why anyone would want to load any Raven more than 1 pound per square foot baffles me??????????????