councilman24

An alternative to tape is heat shrink tubing. Yes you can use locktite. Get the blue. Just a little bit on the threads and let it dry and wipe off the excess before packing it up. Loctite is required on PD reserves without slinks. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

The first jump, and maybe the first few, are blind faith. Then you start reading the incident reports, thinking about what your doing, and realize how out on the edge it is. You learn that you can do everything right and still die. You realize how much you don't know yet. For many people the SECOND jump is the scariest. It's no longer blind faith. They realize where they're going and what they're doing. I'm unusual, but I went for a couple of years of driving out to the DZ wondering what the hell I was doing. Why didn't I turn around. Then I'd make the first jump of the weekend and I'd remember why I was doing it.

Several years ago I did watch a deployment of one of my pack jobs from under canopy about 200' away. Looked pretty good. I asked Bob what he was thinking. He said he thought "Ok Terry, here we go." I told him he should be talking to someone else at that time. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Apparently in their manual, which I haven't seen in person, all Security pilot equipment had a service life of 15 years. I understand this to mean both the canopy and the harness. So those pilot rigs retrofitted with National or other canopies should be "dead" now. The folks who attend PIA have just "rediscovered" that fact in the last year. I haven't heard it had anything to do with the merger. Him, actually I do have the manuals at home. I just have looked at them recently. I'll look later. I don't have a manual for and know if this applied to security canopies sold either in sport rigs or separately. But they've reached my personal comfort limit. I half assumed the above question was someone wanting to use it as a main. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Ok, after 45 years I guess I just don't get it, but aren't thongs, by definition, SUPPOSED to ride up?! I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

First, if you got them separately are we sure the 155 even fits in the Racer, let alone a 170. (too big OR too small) Do you know? Also I see no mention of a reserve. If there's a reserve, is it the right size for you? Also do you want/require an AAD? I'd hold off buying a custom container until you have some more experience and know what you want. If you can put together an airworthy rig that's all the more money for jumping. In 24 years of jumping I've bought two custom containers. One the 3rd year and one the 17th year. The rest have been used or stock on the shelf. And the Monarch's I've known haven't been so great. Others like them. But it may not compare to what your demo'ing. You may decide it's not for you. A used 170 9-cell zp main might be as cheap as $300-400 (original sabre). A custom container may be $1200 up. They may not be mutually exclusive. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

As a medical first responder we treat any fall from a standing position as potentially life threatening. So, velocity of feet or head? Any information would be only anecdotal. As in, I've seen people break their leg stepping off a curb and I've probably walked away from 25 fps in the peas. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I always invite my customers to watch the I & R. But I tell them they get a better job if they don't because I won't be distracted. One customer (and girl friend at the time) immediately replied "I'll just watch you pack someone elses." While I want my customers to pull their reserve, please wait and do it with you rigger. We want to check the pull, watch the launch, and not have you damage the reserve trying to get it to us open. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I've torn one Pioneer round, examined a weak security, and torn one Ram-Air reserve at about 8 pounds. The real "acid mesh" bad ones are scary. Two bias panels, the same color, next to one piece of mesh. One bad (2 or 3 pounds tensile strength) and one normal. And both looked and felt normal. The ram air is scary and is still being investigated, but the manufacturer is no longer in business. It was either 1989 or 92 (don't remember without looking) Laser. There are other circumstances that make this unusual but AFAIK the reserve wasn't mistreated. I don't know it's history prior to about 1997. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Until 1992 Strong's canopies were still TSO-C23b. http://www.strongparachutes.com/PDF_Files/PCmanRevH.pdf The Vector still is. Just two examples. The change in TSO didn't make obsolete the approval of previously approved items. And the Vector is still made under the Wonderhog TSO approval. Strong's LoPo was made under TSO C23b with LoPo fabric around 50 cfm (depending on reference). Your right I think I did mix things up but in Poynter's original manual it was still 21 fps in AS 8015. Mis print? There is a parachute out now that probably does 21 fps with 254lbs. The preserve V is rated to 275 lbs and 150 knots. http://www.freeflightent.com/PV_Pack_Inst_V.pdf I have two customers with these. Check out the manual for a complicated system. I'd like to have a riggers only forum but even the FAA doesn't agree what their regs mean, so we all have to "guess". I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

254lbs, low speed catagory. (TSO C23b I assume.) But, I wouldn't necessarily expect to walk away from one at 254lbs. I landed a crossbow reserve, essentially a security 26 lopo (NOT high performance round like crossbow main) twice when I weighed about 160 lbs. (suspended after cutaway about 175) with out any problem. Don't think I stood up. I've had it rigged as a main for several years and a few folks have jumped it. But the 130 to 150 lb light weights crashed pretty good, but didn't get hurt. Both NAS-804 and AS8015 were 21 fps decent with 170lb dummy. Hmmm I'd remembered the 21 fps but forgot that it was at 170lb not 254lb. This summer I jumped a National Phantom 28' as a main at a loading of about 235lbs. Landed in the peas or I would have been brused but several hundred round PLFs in the old days would have let me walk away. These are NOT lopo fabric (hmmm don't remember but 40 to 60 cfm I think), but F111 that is 0-3 cfm. Military T-10 fabric is 80 to 120 cfm. Note that this reply is based on the expectation that your thinking of jumping it. If your 160lbs or less go for it. Upto 180 if you've got LOTS of round landings with PLF's. Over that, find my Phantom. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

http://www.cs.fiu.edu/~esj/uwf/works.html United We Fall is both some technical stuff, history, and lore. It's available at the above site online. http://www.skydivingmagazine.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SBS&Product_Code=DM&Category_Code=B The above link is to Double Malfunction, a novel. But I've decided I recognize about 2/3 of the characters. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

My half asleep answer would be that it has to be legal in the jumpers country, then that countries rules apply. For those without any rules? Comes down to whether you want to put you name on it. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

The kicker in the new 105 is knowing "foreign parachutist's civil aviation authority requirements." It's not often easy to find the foreign requirements. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Hand here is the cheapest place I've found. http://www.chiefaircraft.com/cgi-bin/air/hazel.cgi?action=serve&item=/Aircraft/Accessories/LifePreserver.html I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

go to http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/dualsq.pdf for more information. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

No, you will not find the right size at Office Max. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Where is Mark these days? I've lost track of him. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

At the PIA business meeting last weekend the schedule was set (except for a couple of small things). This year the Symposium runs Sat. Jan 15th through Tuesday Jan 18. Exhibits actually open at 2:00 pm Friday until 6:00. Hopefully this will give the Florida folks a chance to come up for the weekend and still man the DZ's and companies during the week. This change was made directly because of input from the skydiving community. There is also still time to come and share your passion about the industry or the sport by giving a seminar. If you've got a better way come let us know. While the official deadline for applications was Sept. 1, we're leaving the web site application up until at least Oct. 1. So, if you are the expert, or at least THINK you are , go to http://www.pia.com/symposium2005/registration.htm and fill out an application. The full general schedule will be up by next week. The speaker schedule will be later in October. PIA Rigging Committee Chair 2005 International Parachute Symposium Speaker Coordinator. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Thanks for the information. I'm not familiar with Hollister. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

The subject of setting an AAD higher than the manufacturers default when landing at the take off site came up in previous years. What is Vigil USA's position on people doing that? Essentially two choices; let it work the way it's supposed to and only do it to offset ground level or anything goes. On side of one argument is setting it higher created the two out unneccessarily. This post is not intended to question ASC's actions. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Hey, I need to put together an air to ground mike for airshow announcing. Can anybody help with the best equipment for this? Thanks, I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

The 70mm IMAX camera is chest mounted on a frame. It's too big to put on a helmet. When jumped they had two catchers just to catch the camera. If the attached jumper, Joe Jennings, nobody cared. Save the camera! http://www.bigmoviezone.com/filmsearch/movies/movie_stories/?uniq=3 What you saw may have been a 35mm movie cameras. Go look at this helmet. http://www.aerialfocus.com/about.html And this is a great article by Tom. http://www.soc.org/opcam/11_jj98/mg11_skydvng.html Appologies: Norm flew it too. See this article. The story about catching the camera I think came from Norm at a PIA symposium presentation. http://www.lastrefuge.co.uk/data/LRP_aviation_main.html I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

If I got this right you have a rig to repack and you wonder if it "legal" in it's current cofiguration? I can only give you an American answer. In this country riggers are allowed to determine the compatability of canopies and H/C's. (There is an exception that I won't go into on TSO C23d stuff.) One thing to keep in mind is that can easily be plus or minus 10% pack volume in individual canopies of the same model. In addition while PIA has issued a standardized method to measure canopy volume it varies with repeat, who's measuring, relative humidity etc. And I several manufacturers use their own variation. Measureing container volumes is even more subjective. It's really only done by packing canopies of "known" volume in to it. In addition calculated volumes can be come up with but it's a flexible system going from rectangular to round as you stuff it fuller. Canopy suggestions and container and canopy volumes should be taken as "typical" or "suggestions". Each individual assembly has to be judged on it's own compatability. I've seen many systems over the years that theoretically were compatable but really weren't. Usually somebody trying to put the biggest reserve in the smallest container. "The catalog says they should fit," whines the jumper. But when they get a plus 10% reserve and a low end on container and they were pushing the limit it sometimes doesn't go. As for smaller, my guess is that it is probably ok. Other things that come into are the type of lines, Dacron or Spectra. I've only ever refused to pack one rig because the reserve was too small. A Tempo 170 in a Javelin J-5. The safety stow didn't have any tension on it the bag was so empty. Oh, and a similar situation on a new rig that was built the wrong size. I DON'T know the BPA regs. The French would like to have a no exceptions compatability chart and had trouble accepting the range of sizes identical models can have. So in this country you "may" pack it if you deem it compatable. In the U.K. you'll have to get advice on your regs. Hopefully they don't blindly mandate following the suggested compatabilities. PIA Rigging Committee Chair I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

The Europeans were involved in writting c23e with the idea that the JAA would adopt the same standard as the FAA and there would be cross recognition. At this time I don't think there is. But I'll ask at PIA this weekend. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE