riggerrob

One Master Rigger's opinion: start by asking your local rigger which container they like packing. Good call about Javelins. Javelins are expensive and a bit "dated." I took me a decade to learn the finer points of packing while hiding delicate pilot chute fabric. Hint: the latest version of th manual shows the best method. Wings are based on the Javelin design, but with som updates. I took me a decade to learn the finer points of packing Wings "prettily." Vortex are similar to Javelin except for smaller diameter pilot-chutes (easier to pack pretty) and tight side flaps (more difficult to close). Vector 3s are great, but expensive. Mirages provide great pin protection even if their design is a bit "busy." Mirage G4 require fewer steps to pack. Icon is also top-notch, but again "busy." Infinities are the best compromise of features and price. Some riggers love Racers while other riggers hate Racers. An FAA Senior Rigger recently asked me to repack her Racer. I offered her free Ghost Loops and a packing lesson. She offered me an extra $10. If I skipped th lesson! Hah! Hah! It took me a decade to learn how to pack Racers. The learning process included discarding my first set of steel T-bodkins and learning how to make ghost loops (special tools unique to Pop-Top reserve containers. Eventually the Racer factory started handing out free Ghost Loops. Also consider that Racers require 2-pin ADDs which are more expensive. I have never packed an SWS Fire.

We all know about sexual intercourse, but what about sexual outercourse?

............. A handful of the modern rig/canopy manufacturers make gear that is rated to >254lbs. Maybe buying one of those rigs with a large appropriately rated reserve and it could still have use on the the "just large" crowd.. ................ .............................................................................. 254 pounds suspended weight is the norm for reserve parachutes certified since the mid-1980s. Federal Aviation Administration, Technical Standard Order C23D requires test drops to prove that a parachute will survive hard openings at a minimum suspended weight of 254 pounds, but allows manufacturers to certify parachutes with heavier weights and faster airspeeds (tandems and military freefall). Your "larger" students require parachutes certified for more than 254 pounds at 150 knots.

Cessna 182S are too new and too expensive to haul skydivers. All the different models of Cessna 182 and 206 are factory-certified for flight with the door removed, but some require the factory-supplied wind deflector. Multiple after-market (Supplementary Type Certificate) inflight doors are available for jumping. Your best bet is to hire an aircraft maintenance shop that already holds an STC and has already modified a batch of jump-planes. The most popular (in-flight) jump-doors for Cessna 182 and 206P (co-pilot's door) are just the regular aluminum doors modified with a piano hinge across the top edge. The expertise is in the new door latch and holding-open device. Again best installed by a shop that has already converted several jump planes. Finally, cargo door U206 are most popular with tandem instructors. 206 can be flown with the cargo door removed in mild weather, but climb faster with the door closed. Closing the door also vastly reduces the risk of accidents if a parachute opens in the cabin pre-maturely. Many U206 jump-planes have (STCed) slide-up Lexan doors.

The Cessna Pilots' Association publishes an excellent guide book on purchasing a Cessna 182. The CPA guide will help you avoid many pitfalls. As for modifications (e.g. jump door) consult a company that specializes in jump-planes (e.g. Nevada Airlift). Prices will probably be lowest in the USA or Canada - because of availability - ... maybe low enough to offset the cost of stuffing your "new" airplane in a shipping container and shipping it to India. A shipping container is far lower risk than flying it to India.

------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, because tobacco smokers have poor blood flow (in bones) they get assigned a lower priority than non-smokers. I can give you two examples. A long time ago, I watched a chain-smoking, freefall videographer break his heel landing in turbulent winds. Tandem instructors refused to jump that day. His heel took many moths to heal. He told me that smokers heal slower because of reduced blood flow in their bones. Fast forward to 2014, when my knee (dis-located during a plane crash 6 years earlier) started dis-locating when I knelt to pack. The best knee surgeon in town was reluctant to waste his time on a 57 year old patient, but mumbled repeatedly to himself "but you are not a smoker." Fortunately, I was healthier and fitter than many 57 year olds, so he talked himself into re-aligning my tibia. However, he refused to repair my posterior cruciate ligament because it is a difficult operation close to nerve bundles and blood vessels. Bottom line, when you are short of surgeons or donated lungs, etc. only patients with the highest chance of survival get the operation.

Tribalism is a reaction to the huge scary world out there. To avoid being swindled, people tend to divide the world into groups of associates and only the inner-most group are allowed close contact. Typical groupings include: nuclear family, blood relatives, relatives by marriage, sports team members, other teams, co-workers, management, frequent customers, parishioners from your church, parisheners from a similar church in a neighbouring town, drug dealers, scary soldiers from another country, etc. Since a few of those strangers are going to rape/beat/kill/ steal, etc. we only interact freely with close family members. Outsiders are treated with increasing skepticism the farther they are from blood relatives. Tribalism started as a healthy defence mechanism, but some tribes take tribalism too far when they automatically hate play one from an outsid tribe and kill them at any opportunity. Finally, all the raping/looting/pillaging/arson/murdering that Europeans abhor in Third World countries was standard practice in Europe 500 years ago.

Sweet revenge! A bunch of politically/religiously indoctrinated city slickers die from a hazard that local farm boys know how to avoid! Ironic!

A 4-sided war. Nothing new. Humans have fought multi-combatant wars as long as we have had more than 2 tribes. Undercutting an ally is standard procedure if it will improve a nation's post-war position. For example, World War 2 was as not just about defeating fascism (Hitler in Germany, Mussolini in Italy and a military junta in Japan). Sure Russia, the British Commonwealth and various conquered countries were all trying to push fascists back to pre-war borders, but the most important issues were decided at the Breton Woods Conference. That was when the USA rewrote the global economic map. The USA emerged as the winner of WW2 because the country gained trading rights in most of the British Commonwealth. This undercut the British Empire so badly that Britain relinquished most of her colonies in a mere 20 years! Meanwhile, the future of France was a struggle between Gaulist, communist, fascist, royalist, etc. factions. The future of France was decided when Churchill grudgingly decided to support General de Gaulle.

And all this time, I thought you guys were chatting about a clandestine airline operating in the shadows of the CIA. Hah! Hah!

The best seasonal dropzones are in Northern areas that get snow during the winter: Canada, Denmark, Finnland, Northern France, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Scotland, Sweden, most of the "Union" states within the United States of America, etc.

......................................................... A long spot at Schweighofen, Germany will see you landing a round reserve in a French swamp! Guess how I learned that???? Hah! Hah!

This Canadian has jumped in 7/10 provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia. I also taught a rigging course in Saskatchewan ... does that count? I have also jumped in 10/50 of the United States: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachewsetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington and Wisconsin. Does Puerto Rico count? I have also jumped in 5 European countries: Austria, France, West Germany, Netherlands and Portugal. Does teaching a rigging course in Switzerland count?

I am backing councilman on this issue. "Phantoms" suffered lots of Service Bulletins during the 1980s, so National replaced it with "Phantom Aerostar" canopies in 1990. Aerostars have so many minor design changes that they only vaguely resemble original Phantoms. More recently, National has been selling FFE Preserve 1 canopies in PEPs. That makes the youngest original Phantom 27 years old! "It is the recommendation of National Parachutes .... maximum 20 year service life from the date of manufacture ..." Perhaps the "20 years" (mentioned in the newer manual) was a subtle way for National to retire its oldest canopies?????? GQ Security published a 5 year service life after some of their round canopies (sewn during the early 1980s) suffered from the same acid mesh problems as Phantoms. That matches my practical experience rigging in the Southern California desert. Most SoCal lofts refuse to repack pilot emergency parachutes more than 20 or 25 years old because they are faded, frayed and filthy. Furthermore, sunlight damage to harnesses makes them suspect of failing before Minimum Breaking Strength. Also consider all the minor damage done by 20-ish years of bromocreasol testing and tensile testing. Ergo, I will only repack original Phantoms if the packing data card shows less than 40 repacks (similar to Performance Designs' standards for their reserves). But those are getting fewer and fewer ..... If you want to hear any more of my opinions about Phantoms, just read the advic Manley Butler published circa 1990. Hummmmppppffff! Perhaps this is a problem of "generational stagnation." Old pilots and riggers fondly remember the coolest and most beautiful parachutes that were as cool and beautiful as they were in their prime. Twenty or thirty years later, it is tough to admit that their original parachute is no longer the coolest and most beautiful parachute available. Even more painful is old pilots and rigger's admitting that they are no longer the coolest and most beautiful man on the plane!!!! Either that or their brains ossified 19 years ago and please do not waste their time trying to teach them anything new! Hah! Hah! In a perfect world, all those round PEPs - sewn during the acid mesh era (early 1980s) - would be replaced by shiny, beautiful Aviators or Softies containing 250 square foot ram-air reserves.

Back in the good-old-days, parachute main lift webs were simple with a single piece of webbing transmitting loads between the two connector links. That single piece of webbing wrapped under your butt. All the other chest straps, back straps, etc. we're secondary because all they did was prevent you from falling out of your solid saddle. Then - during the 1930s - those pesky Japanese introduced hip rings. Ever since then harnesses have only gotten more complicated and more expensive! Grumble! Grumble! Hey! You kids, get off my pea gravel bowl!

----------------------------------------------------- When is "YK224P?" When is "ZK013P?" Few English-speaking North Americans even pretend to understand French bureaucracy. As for Quebec ..... they lost communications with their homeland 350 years ago. Hah! Hah!

Why are there so many different ways to write the date? Month/Day/Year (USA) Day/Month/Year Julian Day/Year Year/Julian Day Year/Julian Date Week/Year (Vigil) Year/Month/Day (me) Jump Shack writes the date of manufacture a unique way. They hide the date of manufacture inside the serial number. The first two digits tell which week (of the year). The third digit indicates year. Beginning in 2009 Jump Shack adds an extra digit to more precisely define year. The last two digits tell the order it was built. For example: 221013 means that Racer was sewn the 22 week of 2010 and it was the 13th rig made that week. Etc. How are dates written in the former communist countries of Eastern Europe? I got so frustrated by all the different date formats that I standardized on year/month/day. I got so frustrated that I standardized on year/month/date: 2017/11/31. Note: I do not bother "translation" all the different " dates of manufacture" as written by different manufacturers. Instead, I just copy those D.O.M. as stamped on the data panel.

Yes! A Master Rigger can install hip rings, but the process is as expensive as replacing the Main Lift Web. MLW extends all the way from the reserve connector links down to the bottom end of the leg straps. Adding rings increases labour and material costs.

An 8-year-old boy recently told me "Easter is when Jesus gets re-elected."

The (medical doctor) passenger was bumped to allow United crew members to fly to Louisville. If those crew members did not arrive in Louisville (on time) United would have been forced to cancel a revenue flight. That being said, I still think that a medical doctor should have been "priority last" when deciding to remove passengers.

AFF students have done hundreds of thousands of test-jumps with spring-loaded pilot-chutes in main containers. Lots of video is available.

I have worked for a couple of DZOs that I cannot recommend to friends. One, I quit after a month and did even bother to say good bye! Fortunately, those DZOs are no longer in the business.

Closely examine the chin strap and its buckles. After 2 years and "X" number of jumps, they maybe wearing out. If so, Bonehead will cheerfully sell you replacements.

Apprehension is normal and healthy. You merely have more apprehension than most. Your best course is to modify your self-talk. Instead of your current random fears, learn how to focus your self-talk on a check-list of items that need to be completed before jumping. Did you sleep well? Did you eat a decent breakfast? Did you pack snacks? Did you pack spare clothing? Is you car gassed and ready to go? Is your credit card strong enough for a day's jumping? How high is the cloud ceiling? How strong are the winds? Etc. Similar IMSAFE check-lists are printed for pilots. You will find yourself so busy working your way down your checklist that you will arrive at the airplane - fully dressed - with enough time to glance at the windsock one more time and think over your landing pattern.

First time I have seen nail polish on closing loops. Would polish "glue" closing loops to pins .... increasing pull force? Traditionally, we used nail polish to mark "witness marks" on metal connector links. Witness marks made it easier to inspect for links loosening accidentally.