hackish

So you're saying I'm too anal? :) Just want to make sure I got things right. Since the manual is required while packing a reserve I do expect a manufacturer to keep it up to date. Despite the fact this Mirage has been the hardest thing for me to pack yet I'm impressed with a lot of interesting features on it. Assymetrical tuck tabs on the reserve flap. The velcro on the reserve handle is attached to it's own piece of tape rather than sewed to the webbing. Plus the reserve container feels like a brick shithouse - takes its shape really nicely - too bad it was so damn tight. -Michael

Following the instructions to pack a Mirage G4 ... "Fold all but 3-4 ft of the bridle under the #1 closing flap. Thread closing loop and pull up cord through Cypres cutter and #1 closing flap. Use temporary pin to pin closing loop in place." Um... Cypres cutter isn't on flap #1. Is this an outdated manual? I downloaded it directly from the mirage website so I assume the instructions are current. Can anyone with experience packing these confirm? I suspect the instructions are outdated because an AD moved the cutter but just want to be 100% sure. -Michael

I think by the time the bag gets to the ground it may be tough to know exactly what happened first. If the brakes were not set then there is a fair amount of slack on that steering line. If the lines were subsequently stowed in a sloppy fashion I could see it causing a loop that then locks a bight in place causing baglock. -Michael

Maybe hang around the packing area and watch others. See how they're failing and how they're succeeding and apply that to yourself. If you really want to get extreme videotape yourself trying to do it - the other perspective may help you to see where and how things are getting away. -Michael

I read that press release from vigil and I really think they need a better translator. At least the germans can translate the descriptions of their problems properly. Unfortunately the marketing strategy of that German company seems to be one that does not talk about any malfunctions their devices have had. Certainly they call an AAD that was apparently off and still fired a faulty battery, then may have proceeded to fix the problem with software. Or was it a software bug to begin with? The worrying safety bulletin above strikes me as a pollitical thing rather than a technical thing. For the record I'm saving up to buy a vigil 2. -Michael

is this a fact? not questioning you just curious about this sort of data. anyone know what the average ammount of force it requires for a main pin to pull? sorry its off topic! Booth did some R&D on the pull force of a standard pilot chute. Somewhere else in poynter I found the coefficient of drag comparison for a number of reserve and popout PC's and used the comparison to extrapolate that the pull force would be similar. The force to pull a main pin out should be somewhere around 12 lbs. I was packing a vector 2 reserve this week and I believe that's what I saw as I was flipping through it. -Michael

I remember doing a H&P at 14,500 and saying to myself shit I didn't cock that thing properly. After towing it about 1000' to terminal I reached back and pulled the pin myself. In my case altitude was not at a premium and I had lots of time to deal with it. It deployed. I'm not sure if the riser covers will make that much of a difference since they need to be opened by the reserve anyway and if your d-bag is still in place I can't see the main risers escaping - there is no reason for them to since the main bag in place should be keeping them under tension. The chances of the reserve pilot and bridle becoming entangled with the main bridle and PC are probably related to the deployment position. Reserves are designed to deploy most efficiently in a head-high position but the PC should "spring" directly off your back. In a head-high position this could be directly across the path of the main bridle. At terminal you will still be getting 150-200lb of force from your reserve PC so chances are it will still pull the freebag clear through being impeded by some interference of the main bridle. Finally, it has been documented a number of times that the main container loosening when the reserve leaves can lead to a PCIT clearing. In this situation it may not be best to have the main risers whipping off the 3 rings as the main begins to inflate during reserve inflation. In theory the reserve should beat the main but an inflating canopy is probably more likely to be snuffed out by an entanglement. So I don't have any "answers" just a few facts and ideas to add to the discussion. -Michael

I suppose I should have looked closer before asking. Noticed that list last night while checking serial numbers for the recall on an AAD I was installing. -Michael

I'm surprised at the number of stolen gear reports. Maybe this is a yearly thing as people are starting to get the jump itch. I hope most skydivers are as honest as I believe they are. In any event I wonder if Airtec keeps a master list of S#'s reported as stolen - certainly they would need to process the serial number every 4 years when the cypres is turned in for maintenance. Just curious. -Michael

The question has already been answered but I did want to add that it's important to read PD's instructions on packing that canopy. They have some "different" recommendations for consistant openings and I found they did make a big difference as compared to the way the packers liked to pack it. The Sabre2 seems to open much much nicer due to significant adjustments to the design. -Michael

There have been many opinions stated at different DZ's. You should always do X or you should never do Y. When I visited the jumpshack they had an excellent high speed photo of a d-bag lifting out of the container. I'm sure the elastics were stretched a good 6" so I am of the opinion that it's not quite as important as some people believe. I'll go along with the recommendations that PD publishes but also say that most jumpers have significantly less than that. -Michael

While in deland we had a window that partially came out at the front. Pilot told us if it came all the way out we'd be getting off since I was doing a H&P at 14k I heard him. Was nice to see the AFFI briefing her student. We never did have to bail but was a good learning experience. One thing I took from it was that it's important to have what the pilot said communicated with the all the jumpers so if we did have to bail it would be expected. -Michael

So I'm a newb but I don't think I'd want the customer supervising me pack his/her reserve because it's distracting and takes away from the concentration I need to devote to the packjob. I was actually thinking of videoing all the packjobs in case anyone ever makes an allegation that something wasn't done right. -Michael

The highest I've been was 16,500 with some PD test jumpers. We were all doing H&P's and they were on oxygen. I was supposed to get out at 15,000 we went a little higher before jump run started. When I stood to open the door I felt a little light headed. The jump went without incident. Still interesting. -Michael

Very interesting. I'm happy that someone was able to express this mathematically. -Michael

Being new and all to the craft I consider the 3-4h it takes me to completely inspect and repack a rig. Some places pay $45 to do this. While in time I will probably be quicker if you were able to do a complete I/R in 1h that's still pretty poor billing if you have expenses (running a loft). I didn't get into it because of the money. I mean doing a brake job a day would pay more than slaving to pack 2-3 reserves. The liability of rigging is probably greater as well - it's pretty hard to screw up brakes. -Michael

Heat shrink is not expensive but there is definitely some cheap crap out there. Since I build a lot of automotive wiring harnesses on race cars I've found that there are lots that do the job very poorly. For wiring I prefer using the 3M stuff that has adhesive on the inside. On a rig I believe it MAY be a good choice too since it will prevent slippage and stop the possibility of the heatshrink sliding up or down on the housing. The adhesive is a high viscosity heat activated stuff so I wouldn't expect any seepage into the housing material. Would be interesting to hear any discussion about the exact type of heatshrink used and potential problems. -Michael

Very cool stuff. What is going on with the toggles? At first I was like WTF 2 rear risers per side but I traced the lines up to the tail. It looks like a piece of webbing that goes from the steering lines to the risers. Never seen that before. -Michael

This should be correct as the cutters require (going from memory here) about 1.5V across them to fire. Normally there should be no significant electrical charge across the cutter wires save a very small measurable one so the AAD knows there is a cutter attached. The AAD manufacturer could probably confirm this. -Michael

If you're thinking of getting a rig on a commercial flight then a friend found a really nice roll-on luggage piece that it fit into perfectly - the smaller the better. If for another purpose I suspect the best idea would be an army surplus medic pack. I've seen them with a nice big red cross on them. -Michael

Here the going rate is $50-$65. I am biased but I do believe that $65 is a more than fair rate - especially if the rigger takes the time to do a proper inspection and repack. For the packjob, bulk distribution is lower on the list of priorities than placement of the components. In other words the lines should be all neatly placed. If you do take it to your friend for a re-do then he should open it in front of you. If you care to delve further into determining if it was a safe pack job then carefully remove it from the d-bag and ensure all the linesets are together and neat. Open the s-fold and see if the nose is neatly laid there and ready to present itself to the air. Make sure the slider is placed orderly against the grommets. These are all going to be larger factors in how orderly and reliably it opens as compared to wrinkles and small bulges. I'm a newbie but some of my practise pack jobs came out lumpy - they were massaged into place and when they were opened and inspected all of the important components were in the right places. -Michael

Well at least someone wants to get some facts right. Normally people wear clothes under their "jumpsuits". Something surprising to people in the ground is that it's quite cold up there. Every 1000' you go up the temp goes down about 2 degrees. We usually jump from 10,000 ft or so... I unfortunately don't have time to chat it up on AIM but if you do some research you can probably get enough basics to come up with a general idea and run it by us to see if what you're thinking of is realistic. -Michael

I do think the first step is to have the cypres data read and figure out if the unit intended to fire the cutter. If it attempted to do so and the cutter fired successfully then I'd be led to believe it was broken after the fact. -Michael

The slider has stayed because it employs the kiss principle. Very simple and it does work. Rob and I spent some time discussing a detachable slider but ultimately it is very difficult because there are many considerations. First you have to make sure it is going to be reliable - unlikely to snag a line or cause a malfunction. Second you have to make sure it's durable. All the hardware we thought about would have a tough time lasting and withstanding the 1000lb or so MBS required by the slider. Finally it would have to be easy to pack. Take something complicated and the potential for mistakes goes way up. There is no simple alternative that works better - that explains why it's been unchanged for as many years as it has. -Michael

I didn't quite understand if that section was specific to demo jumps or for everyone. It would make more sense for demo jumps that you would need permission and that you'd definitely use WDI's. I have a feeling that's what it's for... -Michael