hackish

Having recently gone from no jumps recently I can say that it's worthwhile to get a number of jumps (let's say 40-60) under your belt then look at getting a rig. I've never flown the smaller stuff but from the technical end you will probably want to get something big even if you're loading it lightly. Something like a 120 is bound to have short lines and will be very responsive. -Michael

I repack every month just for practise. As BillVon says there have been tests where mains packed for years opened just fine. If it does however concern you then it really isn't that much trouble to repack before jumping. -Michael

Sure you can quote me on it. I did the canopy coaching course - Scott Miller's course but it was personalized for me as I did it one on one. We covered a lot of material I already knew and had done but it was great to get someone to video and critique all of my jumps. Made a lot of tiny changes that ultimately made a big difference on the approach and landing. I was afraid that I wouldn't learn a lot and although I may not have learned many more technical details I definitely found better ways to actually "use" them. Also got a few suggestions from some of the PD guys who were out doing test jumps. Funny how a tiny detail like shifting my upper body toward one riser helped my harness turns immensely. -Michael

From a scientific point of view I think you need to think about the number of square inches you are presenting to the airflow comparing these in head down and sitflying and belly to earth should put you in the ballpark. Maybe you could get someone below to photograph you in each position, scale them and get your son to measure the square area. -Michael

As luck would have it the DZO reviewed the situation scratched his head and referred me to a rigger across the street. The guy considered the situation and said that because the equipment was (mostly) TSO'd it would have to follow the 120 day repack cycle. So $45 and a couple of hours later I was repacked. The repack was actually far more comfortable and much more compact so I've really got no complaints. I guess 12,000 reserve packs of practise will do that! In any event I've had great fun so far jumping from a pac and a caravan - all new experiences for me. Also found this sabre2 170 flies great. I absolutely love it. It's responsive enough that I won't need to think about downsizing for years. I think it flare about 10 times better than the sabre210 I've been flying. -Michael

A part of the reserve system is not TSO'd. Even though it is well researched and well tested it does not apply to the TSO and is part of the certificated parachute. I suspect technically an FAA rigger would not legally be allowed to certify the reserve. Don't want to back myself into a corner too much here. The reserve is within the 180 day repack rules we use in Canada and I believe it is safe - or I would not be jumping it. -Michael

I think on this point you wouldn't be able to route it in that fashion. I believe the rings may provide lateral stability of the ripcord cable and thus prevent the housing from allowing the cable and pin from shifting too far in any direction. On rigs with no RSL installed I've always seen at least one ring. -Michael

If the rig does contain components that are not TSO'd then I assume it does fall into that category. I think the passage ficus posted explains it well but are there any others people know of that would override that? It would suck if I had to get a repack because the reserve has to be unpacked at the end of the week to remove the AAD :( -Michael

Thanks to Goober and Tom I printed out those documents for an expected argument. Instead the security people shrugged said cool, never seen one of these before and didn't even ask me to take it out of the bag. The airline seemed to have no problem with it. The only one who asked was the customs guy but only because he did some military SL jumps. All that stress and it worked out just fine. -Michael

So I've made it down to DeLand to jump my ass off. I brought some gear with me. It's maintained by a Canadian rigger and is about 160 days into our 180 day repack cycle. The gear is legal to jump in Canada. Nobody seems to know if I need to have it repacked to conform to the 120 day repack cycle here or if I will be able to jump it as it is. The gear is a PD reserve and a Vector 3 with a PD main. One of the small components on the rig may not be TSO'd if that makes any difference. -Michael

I think as Drew touched on it - the successful skydiver in a relationship has learned to balance their lives. Mine seems to accept and respect my sport. She's working on becoming certified as a packer but doesn't really want to take a FJC. She enjoyed some tandems so far. How does one make sense of that? No idea but I'm keeping her! So part of the mixture is also to find a woman who is happy to see you involved in a sport you enjoy. -Michael

Who is packing my reserve? To be honest... me. Given the amount of time it takes I do feel that $80 is still a fair price. Then again I work on cars for a living and I feel that $80 for 3-4h of my time would be an insult... -Michael

"Parachute-related equipment, such a gas cylinders" I think that refers to high altitude bail-out bottles. I suspect it will all go off without a hitch but if they do have problems I'll just pass the screener all the paperwork and by the time he crawls out from under the pile I will already be on the aircraft. I think it will just come down to the security screeners but I suppose I should probably pack a temp pin and some cypress cord just in case. I doubt they'd allow a positive leverage device in my carry-on in case they want to see the reserve... -Michael

I know there have been past threads about this. I've been doing my homework and wanted to report what I found. WestJet has a note in their documentation that parachutes are not permitted on the airplane as carry-on or checked baggage if they contain an AAD. They used the words explosive device whereas I'd like it to be called a pyrotechnic cutter... :) I called to get clarification and they said it was acceptable if and only if the AAD could be disabled. I told him that I could turn it off and he asked me if that would disable it. Yes. I will know on Monday if they let me... So I did some searching on the Transport Canada website... http://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/english/travel_voyage/list.shtml [QUOTE]Skydiving rigs with and without Automatic Activation Devices are permitted as carry-on or as checked baggage. Parachute-related equipment, such a gas cylinders, are classified under dangerous goods, thereby prohibited from both carry-on and checked baggage. More importantly, parachutes are also subject to the general restrictions on size and weight (i.e. whether they can be safety stowed as carry-on) and the restriction on the number of pieces of carry-on. Please contact your air carrier for more information.[/QUOTE] Hope this helps and I'll let everyone know if they let me on the plane. -Michael

Rob, you need new material. What did the angry rigger say to his customer? Come claim your refund if it doesn't work... Ok, that really wasn't funny but I haven't been skydiving long enough to have any material. -Michael

Unfortunately the stars are not well aligned. I've been exchanging email with Scott for more than a month and he has other things to attend to - I can respect that. He referred me to someone else (bobo maybe???) but they never got back to me. Enough stress for me - I'll just go jump - if coaching is available I'll do it. If the weather sucks I'll see about the tunnel. Good points about the spot. I usually open fairly high so probably not going to be a big problem. Fresh dropzone, different equipment and lots of scare stories about Florida alligators.... If you are open 3000' away with no wind you'll still have around 7500' of range. It just doesn't feel like it when you're coming back from a long spot... :) -Michael

I've never done the tunnel thing but I did have a lot of trouble getting the plane exit down pat. I think that a plane exit introduces different variables. For example if you do a wing exit (like on a cessna) you'll already be sorta hanging in the relative wind so there is no marked difference between hanging there and once you let go. For me it took a bit to really "feel" it. The other point that screwed me up was thinking about the ground 10,000' below. This always caused my feet to pedal and me to dearch. -Michael

This whole idea of getting out when the green light turns on is a little odd to me. I guess having been taught to spot from very early on has made me a little wary. I expect I'll probably be out last but are the spots usually on or are these horror stories I keep hearing the exception? -Michael

I am of little experience when it comes to traffic and this is why I'm concerned. At most I've had 2 students and their instructor to fly a pattern around. I think the biggest problem will be judging the altitude in the pattern. I've often seen people online here bitching about those who screw things up flying S turns and deep in the brakes and don't really want to end up there. Hrm. New DZ and rented equipment... Already at a disavantage here... -Michael

I wouldn't want my face under that. I think there is a mark on the ceiling at nouvel air now from my spring. If you're the one pulling the silver and doing it intentionally with their face near it I can imagine you'd be getting in some trouble. If they pull it and get it in their face then I guess it's not your problem... Has anyone been asked to pull the canopy out? If so then I could see pulling the main out as they probably wouldn't know the difference. If they point to the reserve container after the main is all over the floor you could then tell them that it's the emergency device and needs the FAA to be involved. This way they are satisfied that they got to "check something out" and don't feel like you're making it difficult by presenting threats of FAA involvement at the outset. The thought of repacking the main on the terminal floor makes me snicker. -Michael

I found the clip thinking it would be something bad and blown out of proportion. Fortunately I think it was fairly positive. An "in air emergency" and "terror" is great for them to get people's attention... -Michael

I remember when the stuff under those reserve flaps looked all new and scary. I can understand how a regular jumper would feel because they're so used to seeing and packing mains. If I recall correctly only the rigger who packed the reserve should technically open the pack job and then reseal it without doing a complete repack. One thing I don't understand and it may be because I'm so new to the sport is why $60 or $80 is that big of a deal to so many? It's your life. -Michael

Next week I'll be at deland and in a similar situation except the OP has a big head start. I've only bailed out of 182's and a maule once. Going to be lots of firsts for me... Shall I bring a case of Canadian beer? One little question I've gotten conflicting answers about is would it be acceptable to chain the lines when you land or is the landing area so busy you're expected to touch down and get off it immediately? -Michael

I'm heading to Orlando for next week. I will definitely be hitting Deland as I've already called and confirmed that I can jump with my CSPA Solo. I'll have a total of 3 days to jump my ass off and go see things. Any other details of DZ's or places to go / people to meet while I'm there? -Michael

I think the condition says a lot. You can get your local neighbourhood rigger to do a full canopy inspection. Some canopies with 1000 jumps on them look practically new, others belong in the trash. Also on the line replacement issue some lines last longer than others so don't "assume" canopy X will need a reline after Y jumps. Have the trim checked and again look at the condition. 400lb microlines will wear out much faster than something stronger/larger. -Michael