riggerrob

If every DZ - in a province - refuses Groupon or Slyride, the discounters quit selling skydives in that market. The province - as a whole - loses a few tandem students. Yes, you lose a few customers off the bottom end, but the advantage is more money in the DZO's pocket for - say - airplane parts. The bottom rung of customers would never buy at regular retail prices, so you don't lose many. Nor do you lose money wearing out your airplane for nonprofit. Remember that profits pay for fuel pumps, propellers, tires, brakes, pistons and all those other "consumable" airplane parts.

I would love to take a slide to exit, that sounds like fun! May be a bit of drag though. ...........:................:................... Yes, Choosing the correct netting is a challenge. Netting should be as slippery as Teflon Holes should be too small to snag a finger, but numerous enough to still allow air to flow so freely that it does not affect stability.

Back in the good-old-days, riggers earned considerable coin sewing patches on canopies with roach burns ..... er dropped cigarettes. Hah! Hah!

..... Anywhere I've ever seen around where I am, if you got it packed January 15 then you'd be fine through July 15. Just add six months. Nobody cared about trying to calculate the number of days in each month relative to a nominal 30 day month. ................................................................ Close enough for me. Smart skydivers bring thier reserves in for inspect and repack a couple of weeks before they are due ..... or a couple of weeks before the big boogie. ............................................................ But the big difference is I'm in Canada where the 180 day rule isn't from the feds, so we always had more latitude to break the rules a little. ......................................:...... The key point is: "break the rules a little." As long as CSPA riggers follow best-business-practices, Transport Canada will stay out of regulating parachute riggers. The last thing we want is Transport Canada meddling in parachute rigging because recent court testimony has shown that TC cannot be trusted to enforce CARs in Canadian airspace. TC has testified "we cannot be experts on FARS." Everything TC knows about parachutes can be written on a single packing data card .... the edge of A packing data card. The last thing we want is TC trying to regulate something they understand less than FARs. On a practical note, few commercial pilots, aircraft mechanics or master parachute riggers can see the difference between FARs and CARs, but Crown Attorneys will cheerfully debate the subtle differences for eight or more years. GRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

Correct call. When in doubt: wash! When a strange (unknown) chemical gets spilled on a rig, the first priority is blotting off excess with paper towel. Secondly - if there is any risk of it soaking in deep enough to damage webbing or the reserve canopy - open the container and air it out. If chemicals penetrate, rinse liberally with fresh water. The solution to pollution is dilution. Third step, try to vacuum out strange chemicals. Fourth, some chemicals can be neutralized (e.g. baking soda neutralizes acid). Fifth, when in doubt, wash with mild soap. Rinse and repeat until all chemical residue disappears. Sixth, re-inspect for structural integrity.

Ron, We respect your truths and enjoy reading your truths because you force us to look at the world from a slightly different angle. You force us out of our own comfortable ruts. And if Ron's truths make me uncomfortable ..... good on him! .... because Ron forces me to discuss the scriptures with friends and unwrap and examine my embarrassing memes/stereotypes. One of the dangers of only listening to one side of an argument, is that one can get too comfortable in one's chosen rut. When I lived in Perris, California I was amazed at how shallow and short-ranged the news media had become. During my days off, I drove 90 minutes to visit a book store that carried: British, Canadian, French and German magazines that allowed me to expand my horizons beyond the LA basin. So it is not just hill-bullies living up some secluded valley how have a narrow view of the world. Kind of like some of my conservative friends say the the Church of Jesus Christ has great diaster preparedness plans but theology unsupported by archeological evidence. On a more personal note: if I may compare my life-style with Ron's. I sinned heavily (mostly with booze) between the ages of 20 and 40. Life got much easier after I quit drinking. The last 20 years of sobriety have been far more contented, healthy and productive. The brightest of us listen to a variety of sources (including Ron) then decide which theory to believe. I may not always enjoy Ron's conclusions, but I enjoy the debate. If Ron's truths force me to re-examine your life-style, then Ron is doing his job properly. Keep those opinions coming Ron.

Hee! Hee! Lawyers only speak half-truths. The problem is this lawyer spoke the wrong half of the truth ....... the wrong half if he wants to get re-elected ..... or re-hired. Personally, I respect his honesty. I would much rather hear a harsh truth - early in the process - than sweet, empty, politically-courteous babble. Bottom line: I respect honesty and respect this rare lawyer. This is about freedom of speech. Didn't one of the USA's founding Father's say something about "I may not agree with you sir, but I will defend to the death your right to speak your truth" ..... or words to that effect .....?

............................................ We are not certain what herniated my spinal discs. Probably a combination of 8 guys landing on top of me, then we all got tossed around the cabin with me ending up on top of the dogpile; with poor J.P. stuck underneath the dog pile. Poor J.P.

Yes councilman, I am as confused as you as to why Strong Enterprises does not sew diapers onto the C9 canopies that they install in some Para-Cushion PEPs. Consider that Strong Ent. were one of the first factories to standardize diapers on sport reserves. On a related note: last week I packed a Strong Para-Cushion Wedge Back PEP. What a nuisance staring at all those squiggly suspension line stows in the manual!!!! Last month I coached a junior rigger on the finer points of closing Para-Cushion Seats ...... what a "spaghetti mess" of lines in the pack tray! May I add another vote to councilman's petition to gain permission to stow all the suspension lines on the diaper in Strong Para-Cushion Wedge and seat PEPs? Finally, I often tie something around all the suspension lines - on square reserves. I just make sure that it is something I will need again before closing ..... like .... say ...... a freebag bridal.

First time I have heard of tying red thread around the lines?????? We wonder where that practice originated?????? Remember that rounds have very little spreading force on their skirts. Also remember that CSPA's first fatality report started with someone tying the main suspension lines together. Personally, I only trust C9s that are equipped with the original quarter-bag or a Butler diaper (type 4 with all the suspension lines stowed on the diaper). Ant older configuration (e.g. zero staging device) is so ..... "1940s!

Gowlerk, Thanks for the warning, because you prevented my wasting time on a "lawyerly" opinion. Hah! Hah!

I've had similar...except that I don't "go in", but end up magically slowing down and gently landing on my feet at the last second...and always think its weird even during the dream. Sounds like a wingsuiter dream. ..................................................................... So our dreams are 40 years ahead of the rest of the planet? We are not crazy, just 40 years ahead of the rest of you. Didn't a (British) stuntman land a wing suit last year and walk away?

I have a recurring dream that involves impacting at terminal. The first few times, the dream involved watching local senior jumpers flaring thier huge RW suits (think balloon suits during the late 1970s) and landing softly standing on a dyke. Later, I had the same dream many times. The dream always started in freefall, low pull, slow opening, impact, dust myself off and hope no-one saw my embarrassing mistake.

........................................................................................ Yes, I was one of the TIs onboard that King Air when it crashed. Everyone on board was injured. My injuries included: concussion, 9 stitches to forehead, broken nose, dislocated shoulder, 3 torn ligaments in my left knee, bruised sternum and ribs, sciatica, etc! Heck! Everything I owned was bruised. It was 2 months before I slept through the night and a year before I could walk without pain. My dis-located shoulder healed 80 percent, but surgeons do not know how to repair the three torn knee ligaments. Starvation slowed the healing process. The second TI: Reno suffered a concussion and was hospitalized for a week. When I spoke with him a week after the accident, still had no short-term memory. The last time I spoke with Reno was in June 2014 (almost 6 years after the accident). Reno was frustrated by lengthy legal processes and wondered why he had not seen any money. "If I had known it was going to take this long, I never would have gotten involved." The third TI: Gus suffered a broken leg, but still helped the pilot pull wounded from the wreckage. Gus is equally frustrated by lengthy legal proceedings. Speaking of the pilot, he suffered a cut forehead. He is frustrated by lengthy legal procedures. One student suffered a fractured pelvis. I can still remember her screams in the hospital! Finally, the solo jumper named J.P. suffered such bad brain injuries that he will never be half the man he used to be. To his credit, that tough old paratrooper has recovered far more than anyone expected. Just like a stubborn old soldier to mess with all the insurance company's precise predictions. Hah! Hah! Aha! I finally figured out why the bullies (in lawyer suits) representing Transport Canada have dragged out these legal proceedings for almost 8 years: they are hoping J.P. will make a complete recovery and they will end up owing zero. Meanwhile they are ignoring how thier lengthy legal processes prolong the traumatic stress of the wounded. The worst part is lawyers who keep reminding me of the crash 8 years later. My memories of the crash have faded only to be replaced by nightmares involving bulldykes wearing Raven suits!!!!! Oh! Wait a minute ..... This cannot be a nightmare because I am not in bed. ...... I am sitting in the Superior Court of British Columbia?????????

About a decade ago, I was asked to write a business model for a Cessna 206 on floats. We quickly concluded that the extra weight of floats would reduce payload, limiting us us to only carry 2 tandems at a time and zero video. Fortunately, your Caravan has a much higher payload, so will be more flexible .... hopefully more profitable. The other question was: how to exit? We never did figure that out. Previously, experienced skydivers have climbed down the steps and stood on the floats. .... but we cannot ask tandem students to do exits that complicated. The second suggestion was to strap some form of net or slide between the door sill and the outboard edge of the float. In theory, you just tumble out the door and slide past the float. ??????? Wistfully ...... What we really needed was a Fairchild Husky (on floats) - with a canoe-sized hatch under the tail. Unfortunately, the last Husky last dropped skydivers during the 1980s. Sad! I still think that the business model should include launching from a yacht club, marina or beach resort to entice the widest range of tourists. Good luck on your project. Please report how you succeeded.

........ I have not yet seen today's FBI report, Normiss). Just like the drunk loser in Chattanooga, who couldn't hold a job because he couldn't quit using drugs and drinking all day. This guy was a raging homophobe who couldn't just let other people live their lives (I'm interested in earlier speculation here about why he drove such a distance to this particular club). It's really easy for both of these jackasses to leech onto the hate-spewing group of like-minded sociopaths to provide "justification" for their evil murders. They were both losers who couldn't deal with their own issues, so they found a group to which to claim allegiance to justify their hateful (self-loathing?) thoughts. I could be wrong, and will look for the results of the investigation to fill in the information I don't know that I don't know. But that's how it looks from my perspective at this point. Daesh is using cherry-picked passages from the Quran to "justify" their sociopathic power-hungry, blood-thirsty behavior. They could have found this anywhere, but religion is the easiest path to "legitimacy." And they're finding plenty of like-minded dickwads to jump on their bandwagon. ..................................:........................... Good points. Usually, "fag bashing" is just another form of cowardess or bullying. IOW venting one's frustrations on a defenseless minority .... like those Wyoming rednecks who beat a gay high school student to death. When the ex-wife - of the Florida shooter -complained that he was manic-depressive and used to beat her, that confirms suspicions that his mental problems predate his conversion to ISIL's version of Islam. Her accusations also prove that he was the sort of coward who beats on women ..... a long way from a righteous jihadi. Sounds like he was a long way from completing his inner jihad?????? However; there is a second possible explanation in the Florida case. It has very little to do with Islam .... rather it relates to tribal traditions that pre-date the arrival of Islam in Afghanistan. The next question is: "Which Afghan tribe was the shooter born into?" "Was he born into a tribe that practice man-love Thursdays?" "Was he more of a pitcher or a catcher?" "Was he a reluctant catcher?" Which tribe was the Florida shooter born into?

Rumours are far more entertaining than facts! Hah! Hah! Circa 1990, SKYDIVING Magazine published a fictional tale entitled "The Man Who Loved Cat Chasing." Cat lovers were horrified! Others (like me) laughed up thier lunch! Hah! Hah!

Yes, I would try to do the repair while leaving the reserve pack job intact. To cover everyone "morally and ethically" I would write on the packing data card: "2016 June 15, Pitt Meadows, signature, replaced chest strap."

News update: ISIS, ISIL, Daesh and a dozen other Islamic terrorist organizations have been recruiting in North America for several years now. They are recruiting young men born into Muslim families, many of whom have never visited thier ancestral homeland. The 2014 terrorist attacks in Canada were recruited by ISIS using the Internet. Perhaps you have heard of the Internet? Islamic recruiting websites offer direction-less, angry young men an outlet for thier frustrations ..... a way to prove thier manhood ..... a way to get laid ......... Islamic websites use recruitment strategies and recruiting films resembling recruiting strategies employed by the United States Marine Corps and the next hundred armies: become a man, see the world, meet exotic women, fornicate with exotic women, etc. Few of these troubled young men were devote Muslims before they started reading ISIS propaganda, but ISIS recruiters offered them a clear and simple path out thier boring; frustrated young lives. One measure of a society is how it challenges its angry young men. Does it encourage them to compete in sports? does it encourage them to steal cattle from the neighbouring tribe? Does it encourage them to slaughter the neighbouring tribe? Does it drive them into petty crime? Does it send them off on religious crusades?

What type of ejection seat did that Swiss pilot use? What type of parachute was he wearing? I assume that he wore a 28 foot diameter C9 packed into a B-12 or BA-22 container.

Wear your best walking shoes!

Yes, it was a skydiving plane that crashed 2008 August 3. The King Air had 3 tandems and a solo onboard when an engine quit. The pilot shut down the other engine and force-landed it in a farm field off the end of the runway. 4 years later, Workmans' Compensation Board of British Columbia announced that they were suing everyone vaguely involved to subrogate the money they spent rehabilitating the 3 wounded TIs and the solo. 7.5 years after the crash, all but Transport Canada and the airplane owners have been excused from the lawsuit. The next court hearing is in July 2016. How many more years this lawsuit will drag on is a mystery??????? Th saddest part is how the Superior Court of British Columbia "lost the plot" back in 2012 and proceeded despite protests from the wounded. My financial and emotional losses - during this prolonged trial - now exceed my damages from the original crash. Do I sound bitter?

Rigging Innovations tried that marketing ploy 25 years ago and almost went broke! They published teasers of thier revolutionary Flexon harness/container. Flexon development (hip rings, tuck tabs, BOC, Antron fabric, etc.) went slower than planned. The R.I. factory almost shut down for lack of orders.

I am wondering how much is simply better reporting. How much more reporting is due to the prevalence of GoPro cameras? As for your second question: Yes! I was injured in a King Air crash back in 2008. Plane crashing sucks! Recovering from all those injuries sucks! Starving, while trying to heal from surgery sucks! But the worst part is lawyers Prolonging Traumatic Stress by dragging out court cases 8 years after the crash!

A "random rigger" question .... as opposed to the exact details you expect from the "specific rigger" down the street? Hah! Hah! Sorry, folks, but your question reminds me of an old "running joke" at a (Pacific Skydivers) DZ where I worked years ago. Every week the phone would ring and a customer would ask for "Specific Skydivers?" .... Hah! Hah!