hackish

I need practise and pointers. I decided to make a leash from some spare 1" tubular nylon I had kicking around. At least if it breaks it won't kill anyone :P I tried hand sewing it with 5 cord - maybe a tad heavy. It feels like it tears the webbing while pulling the "thread". I did a simple stitch and then went back to it looked a little more like a machine stitch :) Despite counting the stitches and staying on the same row it ended up with a distorted shape. Any pointers/comments from the real fabricators? -Michael

I used to think that too. Suppose you get out at 3500 it will still take about 12s to get to 2000. If you pitch at 4250 at terminal 12s later you're somewhere around the same altitude. I never had a problem getting out at 3k because that's where I started. I understand how AFF students may feel. If you're getting linetwist from H+P then it's probably something you're doing or not doing. I love to do H+P's. Full altitude and low. Enjoy the scenery and the feeling of flying a canopy. -Michael

I think it's a bad idea for anyone to consider anything unsafe if improperly assembled. I mean damn those brakes will kill you if you put the pads in backwards! Your rigger is expected to correctly assemble your reserve and/or RSL/MARD system. -Michael

I suggest downloading and reading the manufacturer's recommendations. On the sabre they have some specific instructions with regards to not tucking the nose. -Michael

I caught a local jumper on a 170 with similar wingloading to me. He was still jumping his on student mode. I have tried and succeeded on the same canopy to exceed the student activation speed on mine (set to Pro obviously). Simple fact he didn't know. I don't think this is a shortcoming of the AAD design, just a jumper who needs to know more about his equipment. You can design the best AAD in the world but if the jumper doesn't know how to use it then all bets are off. -Michael

For a second there I thought you were going to say that you decided to go bang her brother instead and it turned you gay. -Michael

If you are going to zip-tie your handles then tie it together with the let strap so you can't possibly put the rig on without removing the tie. Doing the leg strap instead of the other shoulder allows you to sling the rig over your shoulder. -Michael

Both of the units contain the logic for both behaviour. Same as the cypress 1 has the electronics inside for 1 cutter or 2 cutters. It just depends on what they solder on the board. From a software point of view it's actually safer to have one single bit of code than 3 independent sets - one for each behavour. Also, the vigil very clearly says, student, pro or tandem on the display. So if you turn it on then you will know how it's set. You do look at the display after you turn it on don't you? If you're concerned about accidentally changing settings then you're just as likely to accidentally change the ground offset on either device. Finally, on the point of inspection you can just as easily send your vigil off to the manufacturer every 4 years if you like. In packing them I find the vigil is a little better put together but I suspect by the time the cypress 3 comes out they'll improve the wiring and such... -Michael

Slider size can have a big impact on how fast something opens but I wouldn't want to just start picking up different sliders and playing with them. Talk to PD and see what they say. Off heading isn't uncommon but I find end cell closure is often related to packing. Sometimes when I use a packer I will get endcell closure every jump but when I do it myself it's very very rare. That's just my experience with the sabre2. -Michael

I would suggest to go down to the skydiving place and watching. This way you can see it with your own eyes and talk with the people involved so you can make an educated decision on whether or not you want to try it out. -Michael

I don't know about you guys but if I were single I think the DZ is the last place I'd try to pick up. Skydiving chickies just don't strike me as the sort who are also at the DZ trying to score. Just my impression... -Michael

I travelled from YOW to MCO and back. Every time I carry about 1/2" of documentation from the FAA letters to one I found online from westjet saying that you can carry on a parachute and one from the CATSA website that lists it as being allowed. I arrive an hour earlier than they ask and tell the screener up front it's a skydiving parachute. There are also some reasons... A former employee now works for immigration and has access to all the CATSA stuff so I asked him and he polled some of his CATSA friends. He said you absolutely need to inform them up-front that it's a parachute because you're more likely to be escorted away if they hit the panic button. It also prepares them for the fact they're going to see something scary looking. -Michael

Hey Chris. I'm going to head down to z-hills this weekend. If you want strippers forget the US, go to Gatineau. Hookers and other assorted stuff I have no experince so I can't give you advice there. -Michael

The machine is sewing but not sewing properly. I managed to sew the sheath on but the underside looks like crap. I've just arrived at Deland so I'm away from home now. If you hear on the news that someone was killed by a hookknife that fell out of the sky it wasn't me... honest! Don't worry it's well stitched on there. Also got the ditter pocked on well enough too. That stretchy crap is hard to sew and make look good. Sum and short of it I need to do some learning. -Michael

Wow, clearly there was nowhere near enough tension on the bobbin. I bought a snowboarding helmet and decided to sew a little pocket in the ear flap for my ditter. It reminds me of the sort of drawing a 4 year-old gives to his dad... I guess it works... so I'll have to see if I can find the time to take a sewing class or something. -Michael

Thanks for the info. I went up to a #16 needle and used some upholstry thread instead. It did work but there was a tendancy to end up with a few threads coming from the bobbin side. It seems like the thread was somehow getting an extra loop in it. How would you suggest figuring out if the bobbin tension is correct? -Michael

If there is not enough tension on the top thread is it normal for it to be breaking all the time? I'm just using general purpose sewing thread. Maybe I'll try to get something heavier. -Michael

Ok, the lady's sewing machine nearly went for a skydive today - well maybe it would be a BASE jump through the living room window. How hard could it be to sew a hook knife pouch on a jumpsuit anyway? So I went to the sewing store and they assured me that a cheap consumer grade omega386 piece of junk would be up to the task. I haven't sewed since I was in grade school and that was more than 15 years ago. So I carefully followed all the instructions in the owner's manual. Carefully stitched 2 pieces of paper towel together. Like riding a bike right? Now mechanical and fabrication comes quite naturally but this @#$@# thing does not seem to be my forte. I can hand feed the machine and sometimes it works for a few stitches. Then it ends up in a mass of tangled crap on the underside and then the machine starts jamming or the thread on the top will break. It still stitches paper and such properly but when I go to the jumpsuit it looks like the upper thread tension is way too loose. I've screwed with the tension on the top and it consistantly makes no difference. The material is just cotton and the jack the ripper pouch is just 2 layers of nylon or 2+ some tape on the edges. Does this sound like it's just way too much for the machine or some simple toubleshooting procedure I can follow? If not simple can anyone recommend someone in the deland area who would put a few stitches in this thing? -Michael

I think it's probably first hand since I've probably stood next to the PD test jumpers in the airplane. Seeing the PD jumpers out testing stuff day after day was enough to convince me that their stuff is well tested. -Michael

If it's turning with your brakes set then adjusting the length of the brake lines at the toggles will have no effect. My sabre2 used to turn so much I could barely make it fly straight with all the harness turn my hips had. It was out of trim. Badly out of trim. If the harness adjustment doesn't do it you could have your local rigger check the line trim. -Michael

I was probably tired when I wrote that. Probably I didn't have my coffee either. I probably like recommending products where they have a good reputation and I know they've probably been tested more than other products. -Probably Michael

I know everyone will have their own opinion on the AAD. I got a vigil. After packing a few reserves I was impressed by the construction. I found the cypres wires to be very flimsy looking. It also doesn't go in the trash after 12 years and you don't "need" 4 year maintenance but you can get it if you wish. On the rig, however, the tuck tab issue may contribute to hard openings. I watched Booth's video from PIA and what he says about magnetic riser covers does make a lot of sense. For that reason I'd suggest a new vector-3 with the magnets. For the reserve I flew a PD160R and a Raven once. Was so happy to see nylon over my head I didn't care how either of them flew! You're probably good with the PD product. I know their stuff is well researched and test jumped many times. You can probably even arrange to test jump a reserve you're considering. -Michael

Take a canopy course and get all your landings filmed. It really helped to improve my landings. I was standing them all up before and didn't feel that I needed a "lot" of coaching in that area but it still really helped. -Michael

I think you guys are lucky to have access to experienced camera guys. I don't think anyone at my DZ who flies cam has 500 jumps. The only one who is willing to share his knowledge was broken all year from a hard opening. Seriously though, I've been training to do camera jumps for most of the summer. In all of that I think I only actually put the cam helmet on twice. I'm happy to have a background as a photographer and I can say firsthand getting any shot versus a really good one is damn hard. -Michael

Just for fun I've packed a both Sabre2 and a Crossfire2 with over 6" of offset between the risers. Didn't do anything. I did it twice on my sabre2 170 just for fun. First one was a very off heading opening even though I did my best to fly it as it twisted it went into about 3 linetwists. Second one twisted up so bad I nearly had to chop it. That was enough playing with purposely offset risers. From a physics point of view keeping the nose, lines and slider even seek to promote even inflation of the wing. If one side catches the air quicker it will begin to inflate quicker and as it begins to inflate it will expose more of that side of the nose. I find even rolling one side of the nose tighter than the other will cause an off heading opening. I have a good video of this somewhere... -Michael