councilman24

I will after this public meeting I have to chair in an hour about running a lake augmentation pump and the flooding that the 3rd wettest May in history and a continuing wet June has caused. Even though we turned the pump off and mother nature has added 4 inches to the lake level, we're still getting blamed. Grrr. The joys of local politics. Of couse this lake was down 18 inches and about 1/3 the surface area when we put the pump in. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I am, just didn't show it. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

PIA tried to propose a service life for parachutes. This was ment with great resistance and anger by the user community. Pretty much at every PIA business meeting this is discussed. The concencus is that there is no way to make one policy fit all. A 10 year old reserve stored properly and then put into service is not the same as the same year and model put into service at DOM and beat to hell, pack 3 times a year, rode 4 times, and stored in the back of the car. Many manufacturers do put service life limits on their products. Some are for the general customer like Securities 15 year life on the 350 type pilot rigs and PD's 40 pack jobs or 25 jumps before reevaluation by the factory. Others are contract specific. Often a foreign customer, military or otherwise wants a service life as part of a contract or bid. Manufacturers are happy to supply this number, whether in reality it means much or not. An absolute service life tends to imply that all individual items will be good that long. We know the variability in use and wear makes that untrue. We have never been able to come up with a working proposal for a general service life. The general concensus is that it is unworkable. PIA Rigging Committee Chairman I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Iraqi Minister of information The Chicken has prevailed of the infedel invaders. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

If chemicals are bad, stop eating food, drinking water, and breathing air. All of which can be found in my latest chemical catalog. BE SPECIFIC. Rant off, from professional chemist working to save cattle and pigs from infection. (hey, isn't that sexier than a four hour erection?) I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

That's kinda like wasting beer! A waste of a perfectly good water melon. And it doesn't hold the vodka if you cut it open like that. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

But it's not a similar cost if he already has one. I see no reasonable justification to through out a Tempo to by a PD. What's he going to do? Sell it to someone else so they can then decide they need something else? Stll in a bad mood! I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

You know Hook, when operated within placarded limits, I don't much care if a reserve has a "good" flare. It's only ment to land you safely, not comfortably or stylishly. If your outside the placard your a test jumper and all bets are off. Most of the jumper aren't going to know how to flare their once in a lifetime reserve landing anyway. I'm in a pissy mood today. Grrrr I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

The wall wasn't 700 feet tall was it? With your experience perhaps a short run to an open area would have been appropriate. But with your experience that may have been hard to realize. If in doubt about the landing and not knowing whether you were going to clear the obstacles, get away from them. If there was an open field on the other side of the wall, that may have been where you should have been. Don't be afraid to give up on the dropzone if making it is unsure and an alternative is sure and safe. A lot of people have been killed and injured trying to make it back to the DZ. Your situation was different, you were trying to stay AT the DZ but similar state of mind in play. If it was a forest downwind of the wall, well you probably did the best you could. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

And it may be found unconstitutional. From the article "Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist agreed with the outcome of the case, but still wrote separately to say that the Pledge as recited by schoolchildren does not violate the Constitution. Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Clarence Thomas agreed with him." Hmmmmm, he only had three. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

There ARE rigs that take longer due to their design. A case in point is the Preserve V pilot canopy. Softies with these canopies DO take longer, no matter how familiar you are with them. I feel fully justified in charging more for them. ParaPhernalia charges even a higher precentage more for Preserve V's than I do. I don't do Racer's because the last one I did was in 1991. On the rare occasion I'm asked I tell them straight up that they should take it to another rigger who is current. Why don't I get current? Because I'm asked to do one about once every four years. If someone insisted they wanted me to do it, I probably would charge more because it will take me longer. Are they paying for my self training? Yep, but I warned them. The same way I tell them to send most repairs to the factory. The factory is current, they have any patterns necessary, they'll do a better job, either cheaper or free, and I won't get mad at at the rig trying to get it done. There are a lot of things I don't charge for. Changing AAD batteries during an inspection, taking out or putting in an AAD for service, new loops (figured into the cost), new rubber bands (remember pilot rigs) unless I have to change all of them because of lack of maintainence, and a bunch of other stuff. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

In the early 80's Don Carpenter of the 1975 World Champion Rainbow Flyers had something he called a squirrel suit. This was during the RW wing wars. As far as I know it was commercially available. It had slots for the leg straps and a continuous curved single surface wing from the wrist to the ankle. This was still with ripcord rigs, but definately after the 1960's bat men. I'll ask him about it tomorrow. We jumping into his sons high school graduation party. Of course we all had Brand X and Silly Suits with wrist to waist wings. Still have mine. As an aside he also had another suit I think he called a shobi suit. It had rigid paddles in the forearm wrist area and in the shins. The idea was you turned the wrist paddles parallel to the relative wind to go faster and perpendicular to the relative wind to go slower. Also stuck out the shin paddles or bent the out of the air at the knee; kind of a rigid bootie. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I don't see no ocean! I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Nothing keeping you from going to the WFFC. Just means you get to party all day. And hmmmm, is it a walking cast? If so maybe you can fly the tunnel anyway? Of course when you get the cast off you'd have a built in turn. We had a gal back in the early 80's with a broken leg. Fiber glass casts were still kind or rare but she had one. Did some water jumps and ended up doing some regular jumps with it also. I think she went through 2 or 3 casts. This is NOT recommended but she wasn't going to let a cast keep her on the ground. I busted my leg up in February 1987. With a bunch of metal made my first return jump in October, landing on my butt. Started back up the next spring. It sucks. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Lets see, you've heard some of these before. 1.Reserve stuck to inside of freebag, 40lbs to pull bag off. Would have delayed low speed. Owner left rig in car all summer. 2. Failed tensile test on ram air reserve. May or may not have been landable upon deployment. 3. Failed tensile test on a round. 4. Partially interlocked PC spring. May have delayed deployment. 5. Lots and lots of broken internal strands on safety stows. Usually about every other or third pack job on a rig. I've never recognized them breaking while packing. So I think they give up the ghost during the cycle. Little probable effect. 6. Rag stuffed under pilot rig (strong) PC. Inhibited PC launch. Owner denied doing it but I don't know who else would have. 7. Lots of melted/deteriorated/broken rubber bands in the old days. 8. Strenth compromising (but probably not to failure) damage on reserve riser. First time I serviced it. Time of damage unknown, but probably manufacture or assembly by another. It could have happened during cycle also. With the possible exception of 6 the owners didn't know. You don't want to know about all the rigger errors. Or the serious main system issues found during reserve inspections and repacks. If your asking concerning 180 day cycle, the rigging errors and main defects should also count. The owner doesn't know about them either, even if he should and even if they're preventable. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

My source attributed it to Allen Roulston, June 1996. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

My girlfriend may haul my ass over there. She has money on account. Haven't been there in awhile but a couple of instructors still bring their rigs to me, 120 miles away. Maybe I'll bring my round. seehttp://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1104904;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread Chairman, PIA Rigging Committee I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Don't hold your breath. We're hoping option one accomplishes the change. So were not moving ahead with full design of the study yet. If option one doesn't work, USPA has not yet agreed to share the cost of the study. And, a current reserve manufacturer is conducting their own study, but the protocol takes about 2 and half years. Stay tuned for coming attractions. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

There are two initiatives ongoing. The first is at the request of the FAA to PIA and PIA is supporting that effort. Further details aren't available at this time. The second is a PIA project to acquire data comparing performance at 120 days to 180 days. This project included a request to USPA to help fund the effort, asking for $15,000, 1/2 of the anticipated costs. This request was to be considered at the Winter 2004 USPA BOD meeting. The minutes don't make any mention of the request. Either it wasn't put on the agenda or it was tabled in committee. This effort is currently on hold while the above mentioned FAA initiative is ongoing. Many of the riggers involved with PIA share concerns mentioned above about rig wear and tear voiced by Rob. Rehmwa, you may be conscientious with your rig but most repairs I do are at my suggestion (or insistence). Of course an opposing argument is the wear put on a canopy by packing. PIA as an organization, last time it was voted on, supports going to 180 day inspection cycle. edited for clarity Chairman, PIA Rigging Committee I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

They make bear forms. The bull would be a custom job! I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Of course their's the Twin Beech lake load we had in the 80's, with 550 cord tie downs ont he belly warts, old strato stars, PC, rags with swim suits and bare feet .......... and 80% of the load missed the lake!!! I don't know how big a target your talking about but I learned long ago with some of the lake jumps we used to do not to jump anything I didn't want to land on the ground. Of course we usually picked the worst spotter for these loads. Nobody these days wants to jump newer gear into the water, and none of the newbies want to jump gear old enough that we want to get it wet. Anyway, my water rig actually is a swift plus reserve, choice of F-111 mains and 1982 Northern lite harness. All stuff basically given to me. Or the round. Sound like fun if I was out that way. BTW the cheapest new water gear I've found is at http://www.chiefaircraft.com/cgi-bin/air/hazel.cgi?action=serve&item=/Aircraft/Aircraft.html But I got mine before the DOT shipping charge of $20 Still only $55 plus shipping, same as ParaGear before extra charges. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I doubt your ears hurt from the sound. It's just not that loud. If the sound really did hurt then many other common things in life would also. You may not have been able to equalize the pressure due to a cold or other congestion. THAT can be a problem and cause pain. As to the noise, if I want to cut it down I use like colored duct tape, for black gaffer's tape would be better, to cover the vent from the outside. Open cell foam probably wouldn't do much. Closed cell foam or just another piece of plastic taped to the inside would probably help more. Don't do anything permanent. If you start doing CRW you WANT to be able to hear. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

One that's still opening as your going into the tree. That's how I busted up my leg. Ended up hanging 40' up a tree, half way up a ski sloop. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Started on C-9's and T-10's, first rig was a Para Commander, last reserve ride that got all the way to the ground was a Phantom 24. After I busted up my ankle in 1987 and put on 40 pounds I didn't have a round that I wanted to jump. Had a 26' lopo on three rig risers that a few others jumped but too small for me. Was looking for a Phantom 28 but not willing to pay $200 for one. Finally found one on ebay and got it for $60. Well, the forecast was for light and variable Saturday so loading up the car I grabbing the Phantom, an old d bag, PC, and some risers. While I was between loads put it together, packed it up, and tried to decide if I was nuts enough to do this. Every year or two I have to do something crazy. This wouldn't of worried me so much except for having an exit weight of about 245lb. I really didn't want to be busted up at the start of the season. Oh well.......... Threw a wind drift at 3000', climbed out at 5000', geeked the camera, and deployed at 4000'. VERY fast opening but no spike in force so no pain. No shit there I was, I thought I was going to die! Nope, all my round skills came back, and I started my landing approach, at 3800! Okay, okay, crusin' in, driftin' with the wind, no noise, pretty kewl again.

Just lurking the base forum, but I've never seen cross connectors for CRW of this design. Long ago a cross connector was maditory on CHEST MOUNT reserves so that if one hook was left unsnaped the canopy wouldn't deflate. This was probably was applied to round mains but I honestly cann't remember, even though I had one. This idea became a front to front link connector for CRW so that tension on a planed CRW formation wouldn't cause the upper jumper to slid up pulling the slider and collapsing the canopy. It was realized that side to side probably wasn't a good idea, maybe because of a fatality. So now cross connectors are front to rear on each side, exactly like the idea above. Don't know whether they'll turn a Base canopy or not. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE