riggerrob

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Everything posted by riggerrob

  1. riggerrob
    Who will have boxes that can still read those old games?
  2. riggerrob
    "The Canadian Air Regulations are even vaguer than the American Federal Air Regulations, so we follow International Aerobatic Council guidelines." said Donn Richardson, a retired Transport Canada pilot inspector who still enjoys competing in his Christen Eagle aerobatic biplane. Similarly, the North American Trainer Association publishes much stricter (than FARs) standards for their Formation and Safety Training seminars. If you show up at a FAST training camp, bring your (hard-shell) helmet, Nomex flying suit and parachute. "I will never fly in another man's airplane without a chute." said long-time aerobatic and T-28D pilot Peter Hertzig. If you want to fly aerobatics or formations with the big boys, you have to wear a parachute.
  3. riggerrob
    My brother's friend made me put on a bailout rig before he'd take me up in his Extra 300L. Told me if something happens, the glass canopy opens or whatever, look back. If he's not in his seat, get out and jump. Considering we were flying around over Monterey Bay, CA I didn't like that option. Thankfully I didn't have to bail. I flew aerobatics in an Extra 300 once. The guy told me that nobody has ever had to bail from one before. I wasn't totally against the idea of something going wrong. ............................................................................ We have sold dozens ... nay ... hundreds of emergency parachutes to Extra pilots.
  4. riggerrob
    You're sure about that? Turbines don't run on leaded aviation fuel? The thought of sucking in leaded exhaust all weekend isn't making me feel all warm N fuzzy... Turbines run on jet fuel, i.e. glorified kerosene. Thank You. .............................................................................. Turbines do not need tetra-ethyl lead. TEL was primarily used as an anti-knock agent in gasoline-powered piston engines. TEL is not even relevant for diesels ... 'cus diesels are supposed to "knock." Hah! Hah!
  5. riggerrob
    What did your local rigger say?
  6. riggerrob
    As long as you do not endanger people on the ground, or people in airliners, the FAA would prefer not to be bothered.
  7. riggerrob
    I devote the bulk of my time to training young riggers on the "must knows" of modern skydiving gear. Much of what I know about military-surplus parachutes will die with me. Much of what I know about first-generation civilian pilot emergency parachutes (Security, Pioneer, Handbury, acid mesh, etc.) will die with me.
  8. riggerrob
    If you spend all day sucking piston engine exhaust, you will die of carbon monoxide poisoning long before the lead kills you. If you still fear tetraethal lead, then move to a DZ that only flies turbines.
  9. riggerrob
    Lay a metal ruler across the Dacron suspension line. Press down, then cut with your hot knife.
  10. riggerrob
    Holy risk homeostasis Batman! Now that skydiving has become boring, you need to add, proximity-flying, trees, cables, skis and landing closer to obstacles than an serious demo-jumper would plan. Next thing ... wonder why you got hurt?????
  11. riggerrob
    Yesterday I was inspecting a reserve container when I noticed a bit of verdigris on a pack tray grommet. Since I could not scratch the verdigris off with my fingernail, I looked closer and saw a groove worn into the (nickel-plated) brass grommet, so I replaced the grommet. Then I replaced the Cypres loop. Then I used the emery cloth to remove a rough edge from my knee board. Bottom line, Cypres loops are fragile and can be damaged by any rough edge. Inspect your tools before every pack job.
  12. riggerrob
    ................................................................................ The Cypres 1 manual says to replace loops when they start to fray. The Cypres 2 manual says to replace closing loops at every repack ... so I replace loops at every repack.
  13. riggerrob
    I know a TI who's day job is in an RCMP crime lab. Unfortunately, he is not ambitious enough to earn a rigger rating.
  14. riggerrob
    Regulations ... smegulations ... skydivers only repack their reserves in a paniced week before the big boogie.
  15. riggerrob
    My April Fool's joke was a twist on an old science fiction ploy: I wrote about the airplane that I want to jump out of five or ten years from now.
  16. riggerrob
    Rubber bands - on your main deployment bag - might rot out after a couple of years, so definitely repack your main before jumping it. The worst environment for rubber bands is the Southern California desert. That hot, dry atmosphere can rot out MIL SPEC rubber bands in as little as two years. This is inside pilot emergency parachutes that were stored inside hangars.
  17. riggerrob
    My NOVA 150 is not much fun in turbulence. The nose keeps tucking under. Hah! Hah!
  18. riggerrob
    I agree that using this equipment in a normal skydiving environment is not wise, so you would be wiser using it as designed. Strap your ruck-sack, rifle and snowshoes on securely ... only jump from airplanes with large doors and plan to pull at 4,000 feet. The latest civilian TSO standards allow extra time and extra altitude for personnel weighing more than 254 pounds. This is primarily to reduce opening shock on tandems, but is also relevant to military HALO jumpers with ruck-sack, rifle and snowshoes. So I would not worry about an MT-1X opening slightly slower, rather I would just plan to pull at 4,000 feet. If the original poster is planning to jump with a huge flag, he will need the extra altitude to deploy his flag etc.
  19. riggerrob
    The extra altitude is primarily for low-experience soldiers. Most military jumpers only do a handful of jumps per year, because they have so many other skills to stay current on. Try to think of these deployment altitudes in terms of a civilian A certificate holder who is doing his first jump in the spring-time ... after laying on the couch all winter.
  20. riggerrob
    ................................................................................ Pain compliance does not work with the stupidest of students. The dumbest/toughest students just turn around and punch you back!
  21. riggerrob
    ... 150 as it will cut through turbulence more effectively ... ................................................................................... Careful with that logic ... just because you can buy a fancier canopy does not justify taking increased risks. Sure, the other young jumpers will brave winds 20, gusting suicidal ... but you will see POPS sitting out the gustiest part of the afternoon. Those POPS sport an assortment of scars, stitches, knee braces and limps from when they exceed their gust limits.
  22. riggerrob
    Last time (1981) I free-fell a military T-10 in sleeve, it was paced into a Canadian Army Military Free Fall rig. The opening was so brutal, it took four days to straighten out my neck! Then the canopy totally inverted. The drive slots were in front. steering was backward: pull left to turn right, etc. Dozens of small holes were burnt through the canopy, but the descent rate was still reasonable. The ultimate insult came after I PLFed beside the pea-gravel bowl, when Sgt. Pat Turpin chewed me out for not deploying my reserve! I bit my tongue rather than tell him that I trusted an un-diapered 24-flat less than I trusted a T-10 with a few dozen small holes. Hah! Hah! Bottom line: d-bags are easier to sew than sleeves and more reliable.
  23. riggerrob
    One step at a time. Devote the first month or two to learning the basics of flying jump-planes. Then ask the local rigger to inspect and update your gear. Then sit through the first jump course. Maybe borrow student gear for your first few jumps back. Do a few jumps with a coach .... but remember that flying pays better than jumping in the long run.
  24. riggerrob
    ... yes, guilty as charged. ... How did you come across it? ... ................................................................................. Your latest book (Black Vortex) was reviewed in a British military magazine. One of the joys of living in a major port city is that I can buy: American, German, French, British, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, etc. magazines and read a variety of different versions of the truth. For example, one of the reasons that I read "Soldier of Fortune" magazine is to hear a soldier's perspective of all the silly wars in Africa, etc. SOF's hard right wing politics may grate on my nerves, but they tell me far more than I will ever read in the mainstream media. Just last night, a Belarus-born co-worker told me that the primary reason that Russia recently (2014) annexed a couple of Ukrainian provinces was out of fear that NATO would base troops (in the Ukraine) too close to the Russian border. Mainstream media have not mentioned this angle.
  25. riggerrob
    ................................................................................ Teach them to put their hands on the harness (just under the 3-Rings) then slide them down to the (cutaway and ripcord) handles. It also helps if they are looking at their handles while reaching/sliding.