riggerrob

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Everything posted by riggerrob

  1. Which specific model? ..... part number? ..... year of manufacture?
  2. Relax. I was 6' tall and weighted 180 pounds when I started jumping. I weighted 190 pounds for most of my jumps .... got as fat as 220 ..... but now weigh 215 pounds. At my peak, I jumped a 135 square foot main parachute, but then up-sized to a 150 and just bought a 169 because I am old and fat and don't need to fall that fast anymore. My smallest reserve is 172 square feet. Student parachutes range between 230 and 300 square feet. You should start on one of the larger student parachutes (280 - 300). Since most parachutes are only certified for 254 pounds, you do want to get your weight down to the 220 pound range. Remember that maximum suspended weight includes your harness, reserve parachute, shoes, helmet, etc. A typical set of skydiving gear weighs 25 to 35 pounds. The lightest equipment is only for highly-experienced skydivers who weigh less than you. A few newer designs are certified for more than 254 pounds, but finding them will take you an extra few days of shopping. A big, loose-fitting suit should be enough for you to match fall rate with all but the lightest jumpers. As for weight-loss methods .... may I suggest long walks (more than 30 minutes) on steep hills. Steep hills burn plenty of calories, but don't pound your knees to mush. Hiking is still a weight-bearing exercise that encourages greater leg bone density in the long run (apologies for the pun).
  3. Please allow me to correct a spelling error in my previous post. " 4-6 September, 1888. First parachute descents in Canada. Canadian-born Edward D. Hogan, of Jackson, Michigan, performed hot air balloon ascensions and parachute descents at the Great Eastern Exhibition, Sherbrooke, Quebec. Ref: le Pionier, Sherbrooke, Que., 6 September, 1888." Quoted from: 125 Years of Canadian Aeronautics, A Chronology 1840 - 1965. by G.A. Fuller, J.A. Griffin and K.M. Molson. Published by the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, 1983. It has been 30 years since I have seen this book. I met Mr. Molson when he was curator of the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum in Rockcliffe.
  4. ........... You are ignoring the Biblical definition of the Antichrist. ........ ----------------------------------------------------------- What is Ron's definition of the "anti Christ?" Please be specific.
  5. Tempos have unusually long lower brake lines (cat's eye to toggle). Sorry that I do not have the trim chart in front of me but most Tempos need toggles tied on about 25 inches below the locking eye. This prevents most jumpers from stalling the canopy when they flare. I have packed hundreds of Tempo reserves - and have more than dozen saves - and only heard one customer complain about how his Tempo flew. Despite the fact that he ...... Meanwhile most other reserves have lower steering lines closer to 21 inches long.
  6. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- May I suggest a different approach? That reminds me of my third reserve ride ..... and dozens of incident reports. They all start with the jumper forgetting about arching as he/she feels line-stretch. If you continue arching during deployment, you halve the chances of a spinning malfunction. I learned this during my first dozen wing-suit jumps. Some TIs habitually "control" students' legs for the same reason.
  7. ............. If you insist on using clutch motors then do as someone else suggested and get used to "tapping" the pedal.
  8. Not sure if any civilian DZs are willing to spend that much money on ground training aids because jump towers and PLF Pits are specifically designed for round parachutes. Meanwhile modern civilian skydiving schools only jump steerable square parachutes. Maybe ask one of the veterans' groups or historical recreators if you can attend one of their training camps. Back in 1979, I did a static-line jump with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion reenactors and enjoyed their company. As for recreators' groups jumping "gutter gear"..... Hah! Hah! Historical reenactors may jump old-pattern rounds, but the parachutes are recently-manufactured and well-maintained by modern riggers. Many of those riggers are recently-retired military veterans who are familiar with the finer points of packing rounds.
  9. How many jumps do you have? Early in the learning process it is easy for all that adrenaline to deplete blood sugar reserves and leave you exhausted. Snacks help, but the long term solution involves learning how to control your arousal levels. As for MS specifically, the latest issue of "Economist" magazine recommends COPPERTONE sun block for its ability to delay onset of MS symptoms.
  10. Similarly, get the A licence qualification card (or whatever they call it these days???). Ask your local instructor to do a few more jumps with you to complete the card. If he/she is too busy, ask him/her to recommend a local coach to help you complete the card. Also, take a lunch and spend the day at the DZ, watching jumping. You can learn a lot by watching wind socks. landing patterns, packers, etc. Cold lemonade is a great ice-breaker on hot days. Even the busiest skydivers will pause long enough to chug a lemonade. If you don't have a long drive home, consider hanging out at the bonfire in the evenings. Beer bribes are a great way to loosen the tongues of Parachutists Over Phorty. If you listen carefully, you can learn from POPS mistakes without the scars. Keep a sleeping bag in your car in case you enjoy a few too many wobbly pops with the POPS. Stir and repeat.
  11. I saw a partial eclipse in Vancouver ..... now I can only see spots!
  12. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ah! Religion as entertainment! From many peasants' perspective - for thousands of years - religion was the only form of entertainment in most communities. Most music and sculpture contained religious themes. This was before the inter web, before recorded music, before television, before radio, before print media ....... Similarly, holy days frequently included freasts. One statistic says that during the Middle Ages, Polish peasants ate 25 percent of their calories during religious feasts and holy day food was often of higher quality than their normal boring diets. As for the debate between religion and science ....... remember that we currently live in a society with more scientific explanations than all previous societies. When earlier cultures could not scientifically explain a phenomenon (because they lacked satellites or electron microscopes) they used "God in the gaps" to complete their explanations of the natural world. Finally, tithing was a form of taxation back in the days when churches provided most of the social services: entertainment, marials, burials, bar mitzvas, orphanages, hospitals, schools, etc.
  13. Impending shortages of 100 octane, low lead aviation gasoline will accelerate retirement of older, piston-pounding jump-planes. In many parts of Africa and the Arctic, av gas is either frightfully expensive or impossible to buy. As for the rest of general aviation ..... it is only a question of "when?" My guess is over the next 20 years. 40 years from now, not even warbirds will be able to afford av gas, because refineries will have stopped "finishing" av gas. The first to go will be high-compression, turbo-charged, 6-cylinder engines that require higher octane fuel. A couple of companies are developing 300 horsepower diesels to replace the Continental O-470 and TIO-520 engines currently powering Cessna 206 jump planes. Development is slow, but there are thousands of privately-owned Cessna's, Mooneys, Pipers, Beechcraft, etc. that will need to convert engines over the next 20 years.
  14. Yes! Taking a deep breath, blowing out slowly, then focussing eyes on the airplane, then letting go all help to make graceful, stable exits.
  15. If a new TI is smart, he/she will ask a local TI for advice before jumping a new type of airplane. Also consider that I have posted here the finer points of sitting exits from Cessnas. I did my first 9 tandems from Porters, then jumped Cessna 205 and 207 for the rest of the season. The following season, I jumped Dornier 228, Syvan and Allouette. Fortunately, I always had a senior TI to show me the ropes. UPT says a minimum of 200 tandems before you strap on a hand cam. Again, smart young TIs will ask senior TIs for advice before jumping new cameras.
  16. I disagree. For the past three summers, I have been helping out at a single-Cessna DZ. I only do tandems there. This spring their keenest IAD Instructor/Coach earned his TI rating. I am pleasantly surprised at how thoroughly he understands so many of the finer points of the tandem business! He knows techniques that it took me hundreds of jumps to learn during the 1980s! TIE Erica .... did a great job of teaching him! Over the years, I have done 4500 tandem jumps from a wide variety of aircraft at dozens of different DZs in several different countries.
  17. Were you able to keep the plane in sight? If YES then you described good, stable exits. It is all about flying the relative wind. For the first few seconds - after letting go - relative wind is still blowing (almost horizontal) from the front of the airplane. For the first few seconds (say 4 seconds) a stable arch will hold your spine perpendicular to the relative wind .... er ...... Part way between vertical and horizontal, but relative wind is blowing almost horizontally. The confusing part is that eyeballs tell you that your spine is still near vertical. After eight seconds, you will see your spine gradually rotating til it lays parallel with the horizon. Then things start to make sense. Your belly is still pointed into the relative wind, but the relative wind has changed to blowing from straight below. Now the wind, horizon and eyeballs are all aligned.
  18. Dear copoxon, Thanks for sharing that fascinating study. I like the way the cabin is wider than most current jump planes. I especially like the way the cabin is deeper than current jump planes WITH under-belly cargo-panniers. Taller cabins make standing exits more "natural." Bigger cabins make loading quicker, making thier proposed airplane more attractive to courier companies. Taller cabins could hold LD3 containers to reduce manual labour and speed loading. Hint: courier companies bought half of the new Cessna Caravans that eventually trickled-down to become jump-planes.
  19. Battery/electric planes will start with short-haul operations: aerobatics, glider-towing, self-launching gliders, flying schools, short-hop commuters, parachute schools, flying schools, etc.
  20. Mumbling about a problem with yourself is normal in some circles. "Where did I leave that dadburn tool??????" Similarly, asking God helps you straighten out your thoughts ....... like my buddy phoning me for advice on truck repairs. Boasting after a few beers is considered normal in many circles. BUT when the stories grow so grandious that original participants no longer recognize the tale ..... that's "liquor logic." When craving for a drug opens your mind to listening to your "inner demons," then problems rapidity bloom. As for Ron's fundamentalist Chrisian approach to drug abuse ..... I respect his logic, because I attended a whole bunch of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings 20-21 years ago. AA often refers to a "higher power" as a way to remind alcoholics that they are not the most important person in the galaxy. Referring to God also reminds alcoholics that they are part of a bigger picture .... a picture waaaaaaaay larger than their tiny minds can grasp. What did AA do for me? I never really found God, but I have been sober for 21.5 years.
  21. Aah yes! "Grommet Mania 2000!" A loose grommet - on a Reflex - may have caused the first fatality, but the scariest part was a jumper "going in" with a Javelin a few months later. Seems that the second jumper ignored a known snag point on Javelins. Reflex, Dolphin, Javelin and Vector all issued Service Bulletins to beat down grommets and add bits of fabric to reduce the risk of skinny new lines snagging poorly set grommets. Even properly set grommets can loosen over time. Before the fatality, jumpers whined about me charging a dollar to beat down their grommets. After that, they quietly paid extra for re-smooshed grommets.
  22. -------------------------------------------------- The "carrot" is Jesus'/God's/Allah's/the great spaghetti monster's love for his flock/followers. Love works slowly. Early Christians used a fish to signify their faith. The fish is based on the biblical story about Jesus walking on water. Other early Christains used a shepherd's hooked stick to signify the role of Christ leading his flock to enlightenment. The "stick" is the wrath of the state inflicted on non-conformists/apostates/schismatics. Come the dawn of Roman Catholicism, the church shifted to the crossed sticks that Jesus was crucified on. Roman Catholics sent a simple and clear message: follow the state religion or die a slow, painful, public, humiliating death. Romans were not shy about crucifying rebellious slaves, etc. either. Since fear "stick" works 100 faster than love, it makes for quick converts. As for Jesus dying on the cross to absolve our sins ...... that is the Jewish concept of a "scapegoat." Too bad the bigger Jewish story was never passed down the Christian tradition. Returning to the OP ...... any church/government/association can grow "too big for its britches" suffer the sin of arrogance and fall from grace.
  23. A couple of local DZs use second-hand tandems they bought from Lodi. Mains were due for reline, but harnesses and containers only had minor scuffs. Given the slower pace of jumping at Canadian DZs, these Sigmas will easily last another decade ..... and thousands of jumps.