riggerrob

Steeply banked turns increase G-loading. Increasing Gs fools the canopy into flying like it has double or triple the suspended weight. If a jumper weights 200 pounds at 1 G, then he weights 400 pounds during a 2 G turn and 600 pounds during a 3 G turn. Increased G-loading is similar to increasing suspended weight in that it increases forward speed. OTOH increased G-loading also increases rate of descent. Increased rate of descent kills if the canopy flattens out/recovers from the dive too late. Ironically, increased G-loading does not change glide angle by much. Glide angle remains much the same independent of speed. Swoopers translate the extra speed/energy - generated during steep turns - into extra lift during landing. They only need small riser or toggle inputs to start their landing flare. Once their flight tragectory has levelled off, they gradually trade extra speed for lift.

I jumped Nova 150 about 50 times and enjoyed it. Openings were a bit harder than modern ZP canopies, but about the norm for the early 1990s. The only problem occurred when I pulled down on a front riser, then the leading edge folded under! I also have a few hundred jumps on an Ariel 150 along with many hundreds more on Sabre 170, 150 and 135. Eventually I graduated to a Stiletto 135. I weighed about 190 pounds (naked) back in those days.

A Canadian lawyer just announced that he is launching a class-action law-suit against e-cigarette manufacturer Juul. I call this another bogus, class-action law-suit. Today’s (Wednesday, October 2, 2019) Star Metro Vancouver newspaper includes a large photo on the front page and two pages of text inside ..... but barely mentions that only one man - in Quebec - has been diagnosed with lung disease specifically-related to e-cigarettes. Canadian mass-media have largely ignored the National Public Radio (USA) story linking the five deaths in Illinois and Michigan with black-market e-cigarettes containing THC and vitamin E acetate. Who knows where those black-market e-cigarettes were manufactured????? When vitamin E acetate condenses in lungs, it creates medical problems. This is another example of mass-media assisting fear-mongering politicians to gain more control. Disclaimer: I never had a tobacco habit and quit ingesting THC years ago, but I am outraged by the shallow coverage typically published by mass-media. I refuse to name the lawyer for the same reasons that I refuse to name the racist asshole who shot up the mosque in New Zealand.

People are forgetting how much main canopies have diverged from reserve canopies over the last 30 years. Many younger riggers refuse to repack reserves older than themselves. Even grumpy, old, grey-bearded Master Riggers like me (62 years old and rigging for the last 35 years) want nothing to do with reserves built during the 1980s. Heck! I no longer even have the tools needed to inspect round reserves made during the 1980s. Back in 1989, zero-porosity fabric and zero-stretch suspension lines had only been recently been invented. Most skydivers loaded their 7-cell, F-111 fabric mains about 0.7 pounds per square foot. The range of main sizes was severely limited and only petite women jumped 176 square foot mains. Only a few brave souls loaded their reserves more than 1:1. Early BASE jumpers just used their regular skydiving canopies (e.g. 7-cell, 220 square foot Cruiselite made by Para-Flite). Anyone who expects soft landings under a 7-cell, sub-150 square reserve more than 30 years old should ..... buy the best medical insurance available.

Please tell Jimmy that my Dad survived a quadruple bypass a decade ago and we only had to bury him last week. He survived 89.5 years, raised 4 children, competed at two Olympics, etc. Since Jimmy looks younger and healthier than my Dad, we expect him to last even longer.

This reminds me of an ad seeking a pizza delivery driver: “Blah,blah ..... must have own four-cylinder car. Please send picture of car.” Basically they want to drive your car into the ground while paying you minimum wage.

What do you folks think of Walmart’s announcement that they are getting out of pistol ammunition sales? Walmart said that pistol ammo is only about 6 percent of their total ammo sales and they won’t restock any more after current stocks are sold. Walmart also said that they are banning “open carry” in their stores. Will corporate America succeed where government have failed?

Russian paratroopers pull a drogue release handle a few seconds after exit. Dumber Russian paratroopers wait until they scare their KAP3 AADe. That drogue ystem softens openings when the jump plane flies faster than 130 knots. It also allows pseudo-free fall from high altitudes, with minimal training. American smoke-jumpers copies the Russian drogue system. Back in the early days of tandem, they used the same F-111 canopies as both main and reserve. Strong Enterprises was already sewing drogues for American smoke jumpers; so adapted a drogue to their Dual Hawk Tandem. Hard openings suddenly became a minor problem along with far fewer torn canopies, reserve rides, etc. An unexpected offshoot was the slower free fall allowed free fall photographers to keep tandems in frame and, a new revenue source for DZs.

I have done a few tandems out of Jet Rangers and an Alouette 3. I have also skydived solo from Chinook, A Star and Huey. Start by asking the pilot to reverse the co-pilot’s seat (left side, front). Seat tandems as normal and fasten seatbelts. Belts work best with original seats installed. Above 4,000’ start your normal hook-up procedure. Slide the left door open a minute or so before exit. Slide your butts towards the door. Tell the student to cross their arms on their chest and try to kick you in the butt. Push off gently and wait until 4 seconds after exit before tossing frigid. Yes, you might be tempted to ask the pilot to hover as you exit, but he/she will burn far less fuel (and be able to fly higher) if he/she maintains at least 40 knots.

Criticizing the TI for being too busy videoing to pull the reserve ripcord. Landing with a ripcord still in your harness is sloppy.

Sailtrite makes great little sewing machines. They will sew E-thread through multiple layers of Corduroy or webbing, similar to a Singer U20. I have been using a Sailrite for the last 4 years and live it!

Is Suzie's departure the reason that Jump Shack is advertising for a new Master Rigger?

Er ..... jumping single-canopy rigs - from aircraft - was deemed STUPID back during the 1920s or 1930s. Those regulations are written in blood! You may call me grumpy, but I still think that jumping single-canopy rigs - from aircraft - is STUPID. If the aircraft can lift you high enough to use a reserve, then you are foolish to jump without a reserve. Is that blunt enough for you?

Constitutional amendments can be revoked.

_________________________________________________________________________________________ It WAS ocean-front property ..... just thousands of years ago! Hah! Hah!

If you don't know the technical difference between a BASE jump and a skydive, you should not make the jump. signed: Grumpy old grey-bearded Master rigger

Look at DZ listings in “Parachutist” magazine (USPA). Visit German DZs close to you and ask them about other DZs. Many well-educated Europeans speak two or three languages, so communication should be only a minor hassle. In the long run you will want to learn how to speak basic German.

She did the wisest thing and deserves to be set free with "time served."

Pluralizing is a way to avoid gender-specific pronouns: he, she, LGBTQ++, etc.

A hurricane can dramatically increase tension. The aircraft carrier deck is rolling 45 degrees to the side. Exhausted sailors bounce off bulkheads ....., etc. Seas will need 4 or 6 days to calm enough for the cargo plane to land. Fighters might be able to land in rougher seas because their higher/heavier wing-loading makes they less affected by turbulence but no sane pilot wants to do near a hurricane. Perhaps our heroes are already in cloud when they blunder into the hurricane. Flying through the hurricane bounces them around inside the airplane .... breaking arms, etc. .... if they release seatbelts too early. Flying out of cloud - into the sunny eye - gives a moment of emotional relief but it also applies time pressure. They only have a minute or two to exit. If the last person hesitates and exits late, he will descend into the hurricane wall. In that scenario, I would take exit altitude down as low as 500 feet (150 metres) to minimize the risk of missing the target and reduce exposure time to winds. If a junior jumper hesitated, I would “muscle” him to the door and pull his ripcord as I shove him out the door .... easier to do if he/she is unconscious. The primary reason that we do not drop students in winds exceeding 15 knots is the risk of dragging after landing.

Deployment altitude depends upon velocity vector. ... er .... which direction you are travelling and how fast. If jumping from a military transport airplane you can take jump altitude down to 500 - 300 feet (150 - 100 metres) above ground. If the airplane is travelling 100 - 130 knots (160 - 200 kilometres per hour) horizontally, your parachute will open with hardly any altitude loss. If you pull your ripcord in the doorway, your parachute will open with hardly any altitude loss. That gives you less than a 30 second parachute ride.

This reminds me of a political cartoon during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Canadian female speed skaters and figure skaters and the Canadian Womens’ Hockey Team had just earned gold medals, so the coach of the Canadian Mens’ Hockey Team encouraged them to “skate like girls!” Hah! Hah!

I want to hear the Navajo perspective on immigration.