riggerrob

Are you guys pulling and cleaning cables every 30 days? Are you inspecting mains every 25 jumps? See the Strong Dual Hawk manual. Are you replacing flex pins at the first sign of wear? Do your packers know where spare flex pins are stored? Bottom line: plastic sheaths stripping off cables is known problem and a recurring problem. Years ago, all three American tandem manufacturers had problems with flex pins breaking or jamming, so they told us to replace flex pins before "X" number of jumps. Several solo jmpers have also had difficulty extracting cutaway cables ...... same solution. On another note: your photo shows significant fraying on the bottom of the bridle. Installing a plastic bumper on that Maillon Rapide will reduce bridle fraying by 80 percent. Again, bridle fraying should be identified during 25 jump inspections.

The only time I have suffered a two-out was when jumping student gear (during an instructor certification course). My Manta 290 (main) and Tempo 250 (reserve) flew gracefully into a biplane, with the main leading. Since I already had the main toggles in hand, I just did gentle toggle turns. As long as I only did gentle toggle turns (front canopy) they remained in a stable biplane. Since I was descending so slowly, I did not bother flaring. The jump concluded with a gentle butt-slide in the grass.

We recently had a similar debate about a 28 year old APS Bogie reserve. We concluded that the fabric and lines were still in great shape, but we needed to advise the customer to keep his wing-loading less than 1/1. The original reason for setting life limits on parachutes was fear of silk parachutes rotting or being eaten by months. The second reason was wear and tear and corrosion caused by daily use. Both Butler and Para-Phernalia refuse to repack pilot emergency parachutes more than 20 years old. The third reason is obsolescence. Newer designs fly better. This returns to my first paragraph. Since older (pre 1990) mains did not land gracefully when loaded at more than 1/1, a young skydiver is silly to expect it to land softly while loaded more than 1/1. The fourth reason is acid mesh. Back during the 1980s, a bad batch of mesh caused a few round reserves to disintegrate. That problem caused demand for round reserves to drop below Death Valley. Since all those suspect round reserves are more than 30 years old, they below in museums. Finally, after seven-cell canopies made of F-111 fabric disappeared from the skydiving scene, older jumpers forgot how to flare them and younger jumpers never learned how to fly them, increasing the risk of injury when landing unfamiliar 7-cell reserves.

I punched one student in the face, . Embarrassing! Then I modified my technique by pulling up outboard of their ears. Over the years I have jumped so many different tandem harnesses from so many different manufacturers, that I cannot remember the specific model.

I agree with whatever spezticle said.

Whether you buy a digital altimeter (Neptune) or analog (Altimaster 3) depends upon how you learned to tell time. Since I learned how to read time before digital clocks were invented, I can read analog dials the quickest. I no longer bother focusing on numbers around the edges of the dial. Instead, I concentrate on the ANGLE of the needle. Straight up means that I am high. Straight down means that I am close to opening altitude for tandems (most of my jumps these days) or Freefall students. When the needle points horizontally towards the right (3,000 feet) I am close to solo opening altitude. Finally, when the needle swings into the red arc, I bloody well better have a parachute over my head! OTOH Young pups who grew up with digital clocks are more comfortable with digital altimeters. Digital altis are preferred by high-speed canopy pilots because they help competitors consistently start their pattern at the same altitude. Discuss altimeters with local instructors. Ask them when you can try a digital altimeter. Maybe do a few jumps with two altimeters (one digital and the other analog) strapped to the same arm and determine which altimeter is easier to read. Th only stupid question is the question that you do not know the answer to.

Jay Stokes can help you find the "tandem pants" that he developed for jumping with "mobility challenged" tandem students. During the 2013 PIA Symposium, Jay led a seminar about jumping with "challenged" students.

Tandem instructors need a minimum of 500 jumps, coach rating, etc. The NZ plan is for you to learn a variety of entry-level skills: driving students, manifest, dressing students, packing, editing video, freefall videographer, etc. ..... work at a DZ for a year ....... earn a coach rating ..... until you accumulate 500 jumps ..... Since DZ.com contributors know little about skydiving in India, you need to research DZs in India before committing to the NZ skydiving college program. You may need to work abroad for a year or two before an Indian DZ will hire you. As for working visas in New Zealand .... ask NZ drop zone operators or college staff.

...... Set your brakes, keep your slider where it belongs, keep the lines in the center of your packjob, and cock your pilot chute. ...........

Like the OP, I have also suffered a pre-mature deployment caused by a loose closing loop. I had just installed a new canopy that packed smaller. It was a pleasure to close, but I decided to shorten the loop ...... sometime ..... in ..... the ...... near ...... future .... A closing loop is too tight when you can pick up the entire rig by the bridle. In practice, few people can close rigs that tight.

Similar punishments include threatening to wrap them in pig-skin before sending them to Allah. Hah! Hah! In case my previous remark sounds anti-Islamic ...... I must clarify by saying that I fear religious extremists from any faith. I believe that religious war is the worst sin.

This part of the debate started with me expressing a preference for molar bags. I like molar bags because they require one fewer tools (locking pull-up cord) and reduce the risk of canopy damage when dragging the pull-up cord through the molar bag. I can count on one hand the number of reserve canopies that I have patched and most of them were damaged by riggers who used more muscle than skill when pulling cords through. The other advantage is that molar bags (almost) eliminate one variable: the amount of canopy bulk near the closing loop. That bulk can radically change closing forces and loop length. The fewer variables I have to worry about, the better. I also dislike the sort-of-molar-bags installed in Icons. They have grommets in both the top skin and bottom skin as well as an interior wall protecting the closing loop. They are better because their inner wall prevents closing loops from rubbing on canopy fabric. Their disadvantage is requiring a steel T-bodkin to drag the closing loop through the bag. Again, the fewer tools the better. As an aside, the last couple of Icons that I packed were so "stupid tight" that they required perfect technique to insert the canopy in the freebag. If I had not packed all those Talon T0 prototypes a couple of decades ago, I never would have attempted packing those tight Icons. The fully-packed reserves were "as soft as concrete!" As another aside, one of the few free-bags that I had to patch was a similar Icon, after another rigger had used more muscle than skill while inserting the canopy into the (Oxford cloth) free-bag. The easiest free bags are in Wings because they are shaped to allow riggers to pack some canopy fabric near the closing loop, but canopy fabric can never rub on the closing loop. Finally, you need zero extra tools to route closing loops through Wings molar bags.

I prefer packing G4 free bags.

A complete malfunction (aka. total malfunction) means nothing came out of your main container (not even a pilot-chute), then your back is clear to pull only your reserve ripcord. Most other malfunctions are 'partial malfunctions' with enough (of your main chute) out to interfere with reserve deployment. Partial malfunctions range from a pilot-chute in tow all the way to a madly spinning main. Because most partial malfunctions spin, they are at great risk of entangling with your (partially deployed) main. When you suffer a partial malfunction, your best option is pulling your cutaway handle, closely followed by your reserve ripcord. P.S. Malfunction questions are best answered by a local instructor.

Your local rigger MIGHT be able to squeeze in a Raven 218, but all his/her profanity will hurt your delicate ears! OTOH if you value your local rigger, you will buy a low pack volume reserve like a PD Optimum 218 or an LPV Smart 220.

One of my co-workers comes from Mexico. We were discussing the drug trade, the Mexican Army's attempts to suppress drug-trafficking, etc. Eventually the conversation got around to Mexican Army uniforms. So I asked him what colour the uniforms were. We narrowed the conversation to two camouflage patterns: Cadpat and Marpat. When I asked which camouflage pattern?, he replied "I don't know. I have never seen them."

A recent tandem fatality - in Poland - reminds us of an old problem: cracked plastic coatings on flex cables. Flex cables are often installed on tandems or student gear to reduce the risk of main pins releasing prematurely. Flex pins are made of stout steel cables coated with low friction plastic: nylon, Teflon, etc. Preliminary reports say that the plastic coating stripped off the flex pin that holds the main container closed. That small scrap of plastic jammed the main container closed. The TI tried unsuccessfully to release the drogue, then pulled his reserve ripcord. Sadly, his reserve entangled with his drogue. Cracked flex pins are not a new problem. After problems a decade ago, all three big American tandem manufacturers (Racer, Strong and Vector) reminded users to inspect flex pins every 25 jumps and replace them before 1,000 jumps. Something as important as main closing pins reserves multiple inspections. Professional DZOs always keep a few spare flex pins near the packing area. Rigger's inspect flex pins during every 25-jump inspection. Professional packers replace flex pins at the first sign of cracking. Professional TIs inspect flex pins before every jump. Before solo jumpers get complacent, remember the solo jumper who thundered in last year after he stripped the red Teflon costing from a Racer cutaway cable. That scrap of Teflon jammed a main riser, preventing him from releasing a malfunctioned main. He died. The Racer factory responded by introducing cutaway cables coated with more durable ORANGE Teflon.

Then maybe you ought to read more carefully. ***....... I'm not convinced that there ever was a good reason for a daily habit of spinning the rings, ...... S49 .................................................................................... A long time ago, a basement rigger made 3-Ring risers with rings that were too soft. Those rings were softer than the MIL SPEC rings used by major manufacturers. Hard opengings bent soft rings into ovals or egg shapes. Spinning rings revealed rings that were "out of round." That was the original logic behind spinning rings. Like many senior jumpers (almost 40 years since my first jump) I tire of seeing junior jumpers being taught the same superstitious dogma (do this or you will die a dishonourable death) about old habits. Some of those habits are based on gear that is no longer in service. For example, I still gently coil AAD cables becaus Cypres 1 cables cracked easily. I am still gentle - with cables - even though Cypres 1 have all retired.

Sounds like an awkward attempt at humour by your radio instructor. Please ask him/her to clarify. Typical newbie confusion that is best answered by local instructors. Flying over a runway below 1,000 feet risks colliding with an airplane. Avoid getting downwind of the target with obstacles between you and the target. By obstacles, I mean things that will hurt you if you land on them: forests, open water, fences, telephone wires, railroad tracks, buildings, etc. Runways present low risk of injury, but high risk of being run over by an airplane. Other jumpers flying a mixture of left-hand and right-hand patterns confuses everybody. Multiple different landing patterns only works if no-one crosses the wind-line .... er ..... centreline ...... which is why most DZs establish default landing patterns. For example, at Pitt Meadows, when winds are light and variable, everyone flies a right-hand pattern and lands to the west.

5-cell Swifts (serial number R3-????) were only affected by the rib Service Bulletin. Updated canopies have a special stamp on the Center tail. As for packing ...... yes, the original steering lines are such a nuisance that I always have to glance at the manual. As for flat versus pro-packing .... leave the nose exposed and follow the container manufacturer's instructions.

Try applying "creative groping." This means patting (flat hand) your thigh too low and sliding your hand up to the handle. Alternately, lay your hand flat on the harness and slide it down until you feel the handle. Practice "creative groping" several times on the ground - with your instructor" before your next jump. "Creative groping" is asked to teach with handles mounted on the bottom of the container. As for your nerves and (too) narrow focus .... those will relax as you gain more experience. Tunnel time helps because you can practice without "time pressure."

Installing a canopy one size (15 square feet) larger or smaller usually fits fine. The next smaller size will be slightly easier to pack. You might need to shorten your closing loop to maintain sufficient tension on your pin. OTOH The next larger size of canopy will be more work to pack and will probably need a longer closing loop. Hint: if you can pick up the entire rig - with the bridle - your closing loop is too short! Hah! Hah! If you get silly by trying to install a canopy two (30 square feet) or three (45 square feet) too big you are asking for troubled: slow pack jobs, sore hands, cursing packers, grommets pulling loose, cracked stiffeners, etc.

I applaud Ron for outing a bit of false news. Sadly, most of us are too busy to sort the wheat from the false news.

Have you tried "vampire packing" while hanging from the ceiling?

Your comments relate to Bill Booth'stheory of risk homeostasis. Once an invention "solves" a malfunction mode, skydivers use that new "safety feature" as an excuse to take greater risks (e.g. deploying mains lower). The flip side is that old malfunctions quickly fade from "common knowledge". Part of the problem is that young skydivers never hear about the old malfunction. For example, USPA popularized seat-belts for skydivers after a couple of fatal crashes in 1992. But locally, lack of seatbelts injured everyone onboard when a King Air crashed 9 years ago. Even though the wreckage still lurks on the edge of the boarding area, current skydiving instructors avoid talking about it for fear of scaring young jumpers. Ergo, young jumpers don't wear seat-belts because they are not fashionable.