riggerrob

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Everything posted by riggerrob

  1. riggerrob

    Ripstop

    riggerrob replied to Lineset's topic in Gear and Rigging

    Structurally, sticky ripstop tape is the same as most parachute fabrics. For small patches, the difference is porosity is insignificant. Two layers of sticky ripstop tape will be pretty much ZP. In the long run, we ask about durability. Back when cheapos (military-surplus canopies) were already pretty porous, we used any cloth tape that was handy. Duck tape, gun tape, etc. really didn't matter until you had dozens of patches, then the increase in bulk made it difficult to insert the fourth ripcord pin. Durability of sticky rip-stop patches is really only a problem at dusty DZs. At dusty DZs, the adhesive holds grit at the edge of the patch, eventually "sanding" more holes in the original fabric.
  2. riggerrob
    Comedian George Carlin said "Cocaine is god's way of telling you that you have too much money."
  3. riggerrob
    Varies with the type of airplane. The primary determinant is the height of the horizontal tail above the door. The Twin Otter's horizontal tail is so high that you have to be a total dumb-ass to hit it. I have front-floated on plenty of Twin Otters and I can remember lots of Twin Otter pilots adding one or two notches of flaps, but cannot remember any Twotter pilot applying full flaps on jump run. OTOH, early King Airs have horizontal tails below the top of the door, making it too easy to hit, so flaps down are mandatory on jump run. When I flew piston-pounding Cessnas, I never lowered flaps - during jump run - because that made little difference in airspeeds, but vastly increased the risk of helmet-shaped dents on the flaps.
  4. riggerrob
    A good reaction - by you - saved his dumb ass. Bottom line, he was a dumb-ass for walking into the swoop lane before all canopies were safely on the ground.
  5. riggerrob
    BS You are a healthy weight for your height. In comparison: I stand 6 feet tall and weigh about 190 pounds and I have made more than 6,000 jumps. During my last medical, my doctor looked at those numbers and concluded "reasonable diet." Before he turned to other metrics, I asked him about my body mass index. "27 percent" When I asked what was considered ideal, he said "26 percent." Bottom line, you are reasonable weight for your height. If you are worried about your fitness level, then start and exercise program that will improve flexibility, strength and aerobic capacity, but don't worry bout changing your weight.
  6. riggerrob
    "... Talk about spin! ... If a guy from Northern Ireland comes to your restaurant do you frisk him for nail bombs? ..." ................................................................................ If the Irishman is cute, I'll frisk him! Hah! Hah! Hah!
  7. riggerrob
    "Baiting" is banned on some other forums.
  8. riggerrob
    I will have to look. The local DZ uses Icarus mains (similar to Precision) and they use #5 or #6 Maillon Rapide links. Then they wrap them with heavy cloth tape to prevent dents to the slider grommets. #5 was the most popular size for reserves links (both round and square) for many years. Strong has been using #6 Maillon Rapide forever on tandem mains. If you install #6 links, you could quote the Strong manual. Maillon Rapides last forever on tandem mains, just keep some vinyl link covers handy because they wear out after 400 jumps on rear risers and 800 jumps on front risers. When in doubt, install the larger, stronger, #6 Maillon Rapide links.
  9. riggerrob
    Arch some more!
  10. riggerrob
    Yes, the PD Slinks for sports reserves are also for tandem mains. ................................................................................... PD Reserve SLinks might be big enough for tandem mains, but they do not last long enough.
  11. riggerrob
    That 20 year limit was originally written to ground all the round reserves from the acid mesh era. Since the last acidic round reserve was made about 1986, they should all be scrapped by now. 20 years is also a reasonable limit on harnesses and containers. If they are jumped on a regular basis, they will be faded, frayed and filthy after 20 years. The other problem is different generations of reserves fly differently. For example, many modern skydivers are shocked when their 7-cell reserves do not turf-surf as far as their 21-cell handkerchiefs! Ina worst-case scenario, you get a fat young skydiver cutting away his 66 square foot main and wondering why his Micro Raven 120 does not flare as gracefully. Hint: Ravens were never designed to be loaded more than 1 pound per square foot and they were never designed to be jumped by stupid, fat white men. In conclusion, anyone who expects a tiny Raven to flare as gracefully as a Velocity 77 is ... "poorly-educated."
  12. riggerrob
    ................................................................................... After 300 jumps, I suspect any line-set might be due for replacement. I am waiting for Performance Designs to mail me a line-set for a customer's Sabre 2-135. Last week I advised another customer to order a line-set for the Sabre 1 that he just got.
  13. riggerrob
    Container manufacturers publish the most accurate compatibility numbers. Canopy manufacturers publish less accurate volume numbers.
  14. riggerrob
    We ran into this problem with Flexons 25 years ago. The problem started with a narrow spring and riggers pulling too much of the free-bag over the pilot-chute cap. I wrote the solution in the Talon 2 manual. Unfortunately, I lost the argument over whether we should include a photo of the solution. A year later, the editor phoned to apologize for deleting the photo after the Canadian Army complained about poor pilot-chute launches. The solution involved compressing the pilot-chute and pulling the side flaps over then inserting a packing paddle and rotating it to clear loose free-bag fabric away from the the pilot-chute cap. I have encountered the same problem with Vector, Mirage, Talon 2, Flexon, Aviator, etc. Before you close the top flap, peek inside to ensure that the pilot-chute cap is clear.
  15. riggerrob
    The Skyhook is Rigging Innovations reserve pilot chute, and has been for decades. I think some other company later started calling some other product a Skyhook too. ......................................................................... Naw! "Skyhook" was a helicopter built by Cessna during the 1960s.
  16. riggerrob
    Hah! Hah! Hah!
  17. riggerrob
    ...................................................................................... Good observation! Try to be methodical with your gear checks .. like a "3 of 3s" check.
  18. riggerrob
    Accurate analysis. That reminds me of how I placed fourth in a accuracy competition ahead of guys with thousands more jumps than me. Light local winds were blowing across the bowl, then across an asphalt runway. I noticed everyone getting bounced about by turbulence/lift over the asphalt runway, so I flew a crabbed approach. I stayed on the bowl side of the asphalt runway, gently crabbing in sideways, I only did my last 40 degree turn at 100 feet above the ground. All my landings were in the pea gravel bowl. Hint: I flew the last 500 feet of descent in 1/2 to 3/4 brakes. Back then I jumped a 230 square foot Strato-Cloud.
  19. riggerrob
    "... I've replaced the starter in my Blazer in the street in front of my house. ..." ............................................................................. Got you beat! I once changed the air filter and spark plugs on my car in the Canadian Tire parking lot! Some people call that a red-neck tune-up.
  20. riggerrob
    I doubt if you need to repeat the TI course. I have done refresher training for several Strong TIs. I insisted that they get a Transport Canada Class 3 (equivalent) medical, re-read the manual, verbally review the exam with me and do one jump with me straped to their chest. If they did not scare me during the jump, they got their rating back. When I said "Transport Canada Class 3 medical equivalent" I meant that their doctor had to approve them as healthy enough to jump. I do not care if they file any paperwork with Transport Canada. When one TI wanted to resume jumping with students - after a minor heart attack - I ignored TC's standards, but insisted on a bill of good health from his cardiologist.
  21. riggerrob
    R.I.'s bridle pockets look like an ancient Russian idea re-visited. The ancient (1950s) Russian system used a static-line to deploy a sleeved canopy. The sleeve remained anchored to the jumper's shoulders until the KAP-3 AAD got scared. The sleeve had large pockets sewn to the top. Their (roughly) 1 meter diameter made the sleeve pockets pull as hard as a conventional pilot-chute. Note that this system was perfected before the Russians learned how to wind spiral springs for pilot-chutes. Those pockets served two functions: first, they stabilized the sleeve, much like modern tandem drogues. Secondly, those pockets worked like pilot-chutes after the KAP-3 AAD got scared. This system allowed the Russian army to use the same hardware for static-line and free-fall soldiers. Yes, it was more like "drogue-fall" .... but was overly-complicated for low-altitude drops.
  22. riggerrob
    "... Asking a rigger to repack for free? Poor form. ..." ................................................................................... That reminds me of a cheap-skate DZO that I worked for twenty-odd years ago. After he sold a medium-sized Vector to a fun jumper, he told the junior rigger that she was going to assemble and pack a U.S. Navy conical into it FOR FREE. (For younger readers, round reserves were still fashionable back then.) After she struggled for a couple of days, she asked me if I wanted to try. After one look at the volume chart Para-Gear catalog), I shrugged my shoulders and wandered off. I figured if the DZO could create the problem, he could create the solution.
  23. riggerrob
    My computer just jammed in a scam propagated by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. The scam alleged that I had been searching for porn (BULLSHIT!) and insisted that I pay a $100 fine (within 24 hours) or face ........
  24. riggerrob
    Whether you butt-slide or PLF depends upon your ANGLE of arrival. If you land with excess forward speed, the first option is to run off the excess speed. The second option is to slide off the excess forward momentum. A good forward slide is slightly off-centre, to shift the impact/friction from your tail-bone to your thigh muscles. Since the human body is conditioned to fall - or slide - forward, no big deal. If you land straight down, then the best bet is to PLF. If you land going backwards (e.g. to much wind) then you should PLF in a effort to shift the momentum away from your tail-bone to the fleshy parts of your thighs.
  25. riggerrob
    Some of us are looking forward to jumping that National 24' flat (or maybe even conical!) so we'll have a cool story to tell later ................................................................................. Take it from someone who has jumped a 24 flat, a 24 conical, a 26 conical and a wide variety of square reserves ... squares are better.