mcordell

I came to this decision after speaking with a rigger...and after speaking with UPT. I suppose I left out the part that my vector was just recently reassembled after years of inactivity. It got a new harness courtesy of tom dolphin and a new reserve. The pilot chute is a vector I pilot chute and while it still measures 22 pounds, acceptable by UPT standards for the old pilot chute, I wanted to upgrade to the new vector pilot chute as soon as I had the money, which I do now. Unfortunately the bridle is not larks headed around the pilot chute, it is actually stitched...must have been how it was done once upon a time as this is how it came from UPT....well I guess it was relative workshop. This rig is fine for now, but it will be unpacked and repacked, along with several other rigs, numerous times here in a couple months for training. I don't know that the old spring style will endure this without dropping below the 20 pound threshold. I figured it is better to replace it now than have it not be airworthy and have to wait for a replacement pilot chute later. I failed to ask mr dolphin while i was in MO what level of rigger would have to do it since it required stitching. I didn't know if replacement of the pilot chute with a different type qualified as a repair since it is factory directed or if it was a modification since it's different. thanks. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Do I need a senior or master rigger to replace the reserve pilot chute on my vector rig? I bought a new pilot chute but obviously the bridle will have to be unstitched from the old pilot chute and re-stitched around the new one. I didn't know if this counted as a modification or maintenance or whatever and who I needed to have do it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

That is a paragliding canopy though. I don't think anyone will get that kind of lift on a skydiving canopy....right? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Slyde right? You aren't making much effort to hide yourself with your new names eh? You also seem to be repeating yourself. http://www.dropzone.com/forum/Skydiving_C1/General_Skydiving_Discussions_F18/All_Pilots_Are_Swimmers_P3552071/ www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I have a slipstream II jumpsuit. I can tell you they do run a bit small and I had to return the first one they sent me in favor of a larger one. I like it...it seems to be just fine for me. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I don't have heaping amounts of skydiving experience, nor am I a rigger, however I have been exposed to gas on several occasions and have worked with it quite a bit when I worked SWAT (SRT) duty. The gas approved for use by police departments is either CS or a mixture of OC and CS. Either way the standard decontamination for exposure to these substances is soap. Washing your rig as detailed above should either eliminate or drastically reduce the effects of the gas residue on your rig. If there is any remaining residue it absolutely should not harm your gear, but may cause mild discomfort if it is placed in direct contact with mucus membranes or sensitive skin, specifically when you are sweating. I wouldn't use anything other than soapy water to clean your rig. If it makes you feel better, rather than searching on the net for an answer, contact the police department and explain the situation. Ask them what type of gas they use and get a phone number from them for companies that specialize in cleaning up crime scenes involving gas. Contact them and ask them how to clean it and judge the harmful effects of the cleaning procedure from what the experts tell you. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Then don't be a social worker. both degrees allow you to work in probation/parol, law enforcement, crisis counseling, and several others. You can also work any job that simply requires a degree. Don't forget that once you leave school and start working you have to pay loans back....it will probably be easier to do that if you aren't working as a packer. Besides, there is probably more room for advancement in your professional career path than in working as a packer too. Everyone gets bent out of shape about starting pay, but qualified people usually don't stay at that rate for long. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

That seems kind of counter intuitive. I believe that is what they are designed to do. I know, I know, they don't open the reserve, they cut the closing loop.....which the vast majority of the time will lead to a successful reserve deployment, no? How is that any different than saying pulling the silver handle will not open the reserve, but rather removes the pin from the closing loop. I understand your point, but I don't think you can definitively state the AAD will not open your reserve. It begins a chain of actions that is likely to lead to an open reserve by cutting the loop and I think it's fair to call that "opening the reserve". www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

It was more in jest than serious. I drive for a living, often quite fast, and yes I do actually induce skids intentionally for training when I get a chance in an empty parking lot.....specifically when it's icy out. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Does that logic apply to driving? Does this mean that I should drift my car around corners every time I turn so that when I go into an unintentional skid I am more prepared to control it? In regards to AADs. I don't have that many jumps, but I would much rather jump with an AAD than without. I know....I haven't been around long so I couldn't possibly have encountered many who were unconscious and saved by their AAD.....except for the unfortunate fellow at Lost Prarie I witness landing on his reserve and unconscious when I was there about 12 years ago. And I couldn't possibly know of a guy that collided with another guy in the air, both of which were unconscious for the rest of the jump. One had an AAD and the other didn't. For one jumper, he had vertigo for a while. For the other one, the jump lasted the rest of his life. I wouldn't say an AAD is GOING to save my life, but I have a nice shiny new Cypres 2 so why not use it. For the record, I have two rigs and one doesn't have an AAD, but I'll still jump it. I just would much rather have one than not. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I disagree. I would doubt the Atom Legend R is the best container on the market. I haven't jumped one but I seriously doubt it's the best out there considering it doesn't appear to be in high demand. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I think there are a lot of people out there with a great deal of experience that are jumping rigs much older than that and that have been used much more than 12 jumps. I'm certainly no expert but I don't think many people would question gear based on that age. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Seems kind of rude since he didn't ask anyone to do the work for him, but rather t provide him with some resources to review to complete the work on his own. Where would you suggest he ask for pointers if not from the largest gathering of skydivers available online? Perhaps you should abstain from commenting if you have no intention of helping. To the OP. I saw someone put Packingmanuals.com on there reply, but I think they meant www.parachutemanuals.com as Packingmanuals.com seems to be a broken link. Hope that helps. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

You're right. Of course it was still pretty f*cking stupid. So is jumping out of an airplane. Whatever. Get a profile if you want to be taken seriously. Whatever skycop. Learn to admit when you're wrong if you want to be taken seriously. That's great advice...but can you point out how he was wrong? Seems to me, from reading the thread, pretty much everyone has agreed that there were blatant violations of regulations. Some have said that it stopped already, but I fail to see how he was wrong. Are you saying that CReW with tandems is ok? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I'm trying to find some gear that was sold in Okinawa Japan around 1995 or so. It was previously owned by Mike Cordell, known for a long time in the jumping community as Gator. He had a rubber alligator glued to his helmet for as long as I can remember. He says the rig was sold to a survival instructor in the military, not sure which branch. It is a vector 1 container, black with royal blue trim tape and a combination of White, Light Blue, and Royal Blue on the reserve bottom flap. I have an identical one if anyone needs a picture but I think it will be pretty identifiable. The main was a Manta which was colored from left to right Black, Royal Blue, Light Blue, White, Black, Black, Black, Black, Black. The reserve was a Raven 3 I think in all white. There was also a packing mat, black and blue I thing with the name "Gator" embroidered on it. There may or may not have been an old bell helmet with giant camera mounts included as well (not important). I highly doubt anyone is still using this gear and probably I won't find it, but it would be interesting if I could. If anyone knows where it is please let me know. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

It seems to me flaking the bottom skin serves the purpose of distributing the material evenly among the right and left sides of the canopy so that when it is bagged it has a uniform thickness. Keep in mind this is just my understanding and I'm not that experienced, but it seems logical. So to those who don't flake the canopy neatly, do you clear the stabilizers? What would it take to pack a lineover? Wouldn't it be obvious that a steering line is wrapped around the canopy from the back and underneath the bundle or is it possible to pack in a way the canopy inflates on the wrong side of a line and forces it to the top skin? Are there potential malfunctions if you don't properly flake the canopy? www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I also have a 22' SAC, a 177 firefly 7 cell, and an altitude shop corsair in addition to this other gear. THAT gear will be stored and never jumped for safety reasons.

My mother Too big a price eh? I grew up on a drop zone and the only canopy I remember seeing my mother fly was this joule. When she died I got her vector 1, raven 1, and joule, among other gear. These three pieces of equipment had about 100 jumps on them and are in excellent condition, almost new by the looks of them and have been inspected thoroughly by a master rigger and a senior rigger on separate occasions. The vector did not fit me, so I had the harness completely replaced. The raven 1 is in my main rig as m reserve and I have unfortunately jumped it once (my fault). I bought another raven 1 to put in my primary rig and am putting the other back in it's original container soon. The main of course is the Joule and I would really like to jump it. I have lost some weight in the last two years and my WL is less then my profile. I'll probably be 190-195 out the door now so I'm not overloading the wing. This concern was voiced via PM and is quite a good point, but I'm a tad lighter now. This is a second rig, not my primary rig. I'm not trying to piece together beginner gear to get me in the air, but more would like to have it to jump every now and then for nostalgic reasons. When my stepfather comes out to jump with me finally, I want to do a memorial jump of sorts for her now that I am capable and I would like to wear it then as well. More importantly though, I plan to jump it this month some time. I can assure anyone who is curious that the gear has been inspected more than necessary and is quite safe. Tom Dolphin has it right now to pack the reserve and to fix some minor issue with the reserve toggle attachment. He built the harness so he has it back. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

After almost 2 years of piecing together, I almost have a rig complete that I have been wanting to jump for a while. I am slightly apprehensive about the main however. The main is a Joule, made by Quantum Parachutes in 1986 or 87. It's a 9 cell, F111, 180. The question I have though is, it doesn't have any D lines. I called Bill Gargano, the guy who built it, and asked him about it. He told me he built it without D lines because that was the current trend in Northern California when he built it. He also told me that it doesn't have "as deep a flare bucket" as modern canopies because it doesn't have the D lines. The way he explained it made it sound like it will slow down quickly and flare well, but not for as long. The canopy has somewhere around 100 jumps on it and has been thoroughly inspected by a rigger to ensure it is airworthy before anyone says anything about age. Does anyone have any experience with the Joule or with other canopies with no D lines that would be handy before I jump it? I plan to play with it up high for a while to get comfortable with it before trying to land it, but it would be good if anyone else has experience they could share. I believe GQ security's The Unit and the X2ten both had no D lines but I could be wrong. I also thing both were Gargano's designs. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

There you go, I put jump numbers in my profile I don't really know if anything was directed at me in particular, however, I removed my jump numbers from my profile not because I'm ashamed of my lack of experience, but rather because I got tired of seeing people being blasted for their jump numbers in relation to their time in the sport. We all have to start somewhere. I started my student progression While linebckr83 was still in student status, but as everyone can see he has a great deal more jumps than I do. From what I understand he is a great flyer and has become quite accomplished in the last two years. Hopefully when I am more comfortable jumping with more people, we can get together and do a 4-way as I'm sure you would be able to help me work on my body flying. Unfortunately life situations don't allow me to jump with the frequency that others do. I work full time on third shift, my wife works, and we have two small children. My priorities in life are different than are those of some others in the sport. Were I single and had the time, I would spend more time jumping. I simply cannot due to family obligations and financial inability. I have no problem with anyone who spends all weekend at the drop zone making jumps, and respect the fact that those who cannot really afford it have made their way in this sport by working hard to pay for their jumps, as is the case with linebckr83. I simply cannot devote that much time to a sport without ignoring my family to some degree, which I am unwilling to do. I have seen time and time again when people on this forum blast someone for having a number of years in the sport, while only having minimal jumps and I find it offensive. Not everyone has the ability to devote that much time to what amounts to a hobby to many. For that reason, I removed my jump numbers from my profile. If others are concerned with my experience when engaging in discussion with me, then I will leave it in my profile. In regards to the original topic of this thread, I posted what I believe to be legitimate advise about waiting to buy gear until you know what you want. Perhaps others from my DZ will point out that I bought gear after about 6 jumps against the advise of others at the DZ who felt I may regret it and eventually leave the sport having wasted my money. The fact of the matter is, my situation is unique, as is everyone else's. We never know what someone's situation is entirely before dispensing advise, and perhaps sometimes people are offended when their advise is not followed. I grew up on a drop zone which was owned by my parents. I have been dreaming about skydiving since i was a small child. As a result, I had a great deal of experience in those around me to help me determine which gear I would like. My father, mother, and step-father all jumped in the early 80's (my father starting in the late 70's) and owned a drop zone in Washington which ultimately became a drop zone which is still in operation today. My stepfather is a rigger from whom I was able to draw on years of experience in choosing gear. When my mother died in January of 2008 I regretted the fact that I had never had the opportunity to jump with her as I had always dreamed. With some of the life insurance money I got from her death I invested in gear I knew was right for me so that I would have the opportunity to jump with my father before I let that chance slip away, thus fulfilling a lifelong dream. Because I am unable to attend the dropzone often, I use these discussion boards to try to stay abreast of the various aspects of this sport, such as rigging issues and incidents. I think perhaps others sometimes view me as being a repeat carnival rider who shows up and makes a single jump, then goes home. I can assure you I am just as excited about this sport as anyone else. As a result, I don't think it is fair to chastise someone because of their inability to engage in this sport to the degree that others have. This is why I left my profile blank. To the OP, talk to those with experience at your DZ about which gear may be right for you. Don't be in a hurry to buy gear, but if you think buying your own gear is best for you, then get advise from others about what gear is suitable for you and what is safe for you. Blue Skies, Mike www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I don't really know enough about this problem to address it. I thought perhaps the removal of the knot in favor of the bartacking would help. I don't pull my slider down. I only collapse it and leave it where it is. Since you have had experience with both pulling your slider down, and also removing it entirely, have you found a noticeable improvement in flight characteristics? I have wondered if it really makes much of a difference, and after seeing your removable slider last time I was out I was curious how much difference it makes. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

I don't know if it will solve your issue or not, but my dad's canopy has the same control lines if I understand your description correctly. Once he found the correct length he had a rigger friend bartack the line. He doesn't have a bartack machine, but used a commercial machine with close zig-zag pattern I think and it came out quite nice. If you feel so inclined I'll show you what I mean next time we are out and perhaps it's the solution you are looking for. My control lines are done with the no-sew finger trap but we couldn't get that big line to finger trap like that. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

which is why I try not to dispense advise on things like downsizing..... There are some questions on this forum for which one should rely on the experience of the person answering to gauge the validity of the answer they received. I try to stay away from those. In a thread like this however where someone is clearly asking about gear TSO'd for their specific weight, I don't think experience is relevant in listing gear. I however didn't do that, but rather agreed with others that the OP should wait to buy their gear until they have a few jumps so they have a better idea of what they might want. Not to mention, the profile on here can be made to say whatever you want it to say. I think it would be a mistake to trust the profiles of everyone on here when gauging their experience. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Um....no, Terry. A simple thank you isn't praise. It's a courteous acknowledgment of another's effort. I was raised and brought my kids up knowing that honesty is its own reward... Well then you have been sufficiently rewarded. congratulations. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging

Excuse me, but punching six big holes in each riser is not "without damaging the riser". I disagree. One could easily separate the threads of the webbing and push the cording through without damaging the thread at all. This does not weaken the structural integrity of the webbing at all and could be removed with no trace if done properly. www.facebook.com/FlintHillsRigging