councilman24

If it doesn't have enough power to last for the 14 hour cycle it won't finish the self test and turn on. So YOU don't have to make a decision. If it counts down to 0 then your good to go. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

While Sabres can open hard by anybodies definition, a normal Sabre opening may seem hard to somebody used to a Spectre or other newer model canopy. Jumpers have asked for softer (read slower) opening canopies and the manufacturers have responded. So your hard opening may be my normal opening. In fact, I was having a problem Sabre being replaced by the factory and had one of the first demo Spectres out in the field. I specifically decided against getting it because it took too long (for me, normal for it) to open. So I got another Sabre. If in fact your particular sabre does open harder than you want it to, it can be addressed as stated above. But when you get out at 2000' (Minimum pack opening altitude for D license) you don't want it to take 700'. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I packed it and I wouldn't do it. Why would anyone use their last chance to live if they didn't have to? Oh yeah, to get a BASE number. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

A lot of riggers don't UNPACK the main. They either inspect and pack the reserve with the main in, or cut it away, remove it, but leave it in the bag. Then hook it back up and reclose the main container. I've listened to groups of riggers talk about the aid's they have to keep the risers straight; mats with velcro keepers, labels, etc. I frankly was surprised. I've never thought that was worth even the low risk of hooking it up backwards or twisted. I tell all my new customers that they will get the main back unpacked but reattached and straight. I heard of one rigger who gives the main canopy back unattached (not right if he took it off) and some old time riggers didn't even want the main in the rig when it was brought to them. Riggers aren't packers. Some choose to return the main packed but I don't. Each main is an individual and likes to be packed a certain way. I haven't packed most mains, only my own. So I don't necessarily know what a particular model likes, let alone an individual canopy. I also like a much faster opening than most newer jumpers. Of course now with many jumpers NEVER packing their own main, I can see why they are dismayed to get their rig back unpacked. They don't know what to do with it! In the area where I'm at we have few if any packers at the DZ's so no one much cares that the rig comes back unpacked. Of couse old farts like me who only jump a main someone else has packed if they're borrowing a rig (and then may stll repack it) don't WANT their main packed. . I pretty much won't pack a main even if asked. Only if someone wants instruction on packing I will demonstrate and/or help them pack it. Chairmain, PIA Rigging Committee I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

You have to be able to stip the garbage and as noted above you can count is for length. Otherwise it's just mulitplying fractions. They just made it look hard. It just as eaily could be a singe triangle that is smaller that the previous, with out the fractal stuff. Seems like a good excersis for extra credit in simplifing the problem to the real question. Of course I haven't been in the sixth grade for 33 years. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

http://www.aerialfocus.com/ 35mm is done helmet mount. IMAX 70 mm is not. Check out Tom Sander's resume at the above link for a shot of his helmet. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

In the US it is now ILLEGAL to jump, and therefore to pack and certify as airworthy, an AAD not maintained according to the manufacturers instructions. Part of last change to FAR part 105 and only non-TSO'd device regulated. So, if a rigger packs it, a jumper jumps it, or a pilot flies the jumper to altitude, they're all braking the FAR's. Does it stop working at 12 years 3month and 1 day? No, neither does your reserve after 120 days. But at some point the risk out weighs the benifit. Of course the legal aspects in the US make that moot. Chairman, PIA Rigging Committee I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Yep, For the locking stows your holding twice as many lines, for canopies with cascaded lines. Depending on the rig and number of locking stows. My four grommet bag has big rubber bands on the center two (first two) locking stows. By then I've gotten to the cascades. The outside two (third and fourth) locking stows and the rest have small bands. For 800 lb microline. I've never thought much of double stowing but we used to, especially when there weren't small rubber bands available. I'd be more concerned about the length of the stows ... not so long that a loop from one stow can go over the stow next to it. I see lots of newer skydivers with 4 or 5 inch floppy stows that scare me. I'd also worry more about the extra line between the last stow and the risers. I see lots of line left and people not paying attention to where it's going. Of couse there use to be the folks that didn't stow any lines. Curl them up in the bottom of the container. Maybe a diaper on the tail of the main, maybe not. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Do you want it easy or do you want it right? Take some good advice when it's given. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

This isn't a fiction collaboration. This is essentially Gen. Zinni's memoir with Clancy name on it so it will get sold. Notice there is actually a third author listed on the cover. I'm sure he actually did all the writing. Clancy is trying to get the story of some of the general officers to the mainstream public. They, Clancy and Zinni, were on Charlie Rose last night. Zinni thinks the civilian DOD leadership should be fired. That they've screwed up Iraq, let alone it being the wrong war at the wrong time. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Yes it was for an LED to be mounted on your goggles. I'd contact L & B http://www.l-and-b.dk/ and see if one is available. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

From our regulations, "Sec. 105.49 Foreign parachutists and equipment (a) No person may conduct a parachute operation, and no pilot in command of an aircraft may allow a parachute operation to be conducted from that aircraft with an unapproved foreign parachute system unless-- (1) The parachute system is worn by a foreign parachutist who is the owner of that system. (2) The parachute system is of a single-harness dual parachute type. (3) The parachute system meets the civil aviation authority requirements of the foreign parachutist's country. (4) All foreign non-approved parachutes deployed by a foreign parachutist during a parachute operation conducted under this section shall be packed as follows-- (i) The main parachute must be packed by the foreign parachutist making the next parachute jump with that parachute, a certificated parachute rigger, or any other person acceptable to the Administrator. (ii) The reserve parachute must be packed in accordance with the foreign parachutist's civil aviation authority requirements, by a certificated parachute rigger, or any other person acceptable to the Administrator." Yes you can use your rig here as long as it's legal in your home country. Go to http://uspa.org/membership/travel/rigs.htm#tsa for information on flying with your rig. Yes it's allowed and usually easy. But they may open your main and or reserve if it's deemed necessary. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

The voting surprised me. In over twenty years of rigging I've never heard anybody suggest that the heel should be on the grommet. This changes the angle and may bend the pin, as mentioned above, potentially adds more friction, and in extreme cases my start loading the hollow swaged portion of the pin. I've often had to correct customers who were reseating their pins too deep. In a quick survey of 4 major rig manuals, none address it but all their photos show the heel only up to the grommet. If some gear manufacturer or other industry source thinks it should be deeper I'd like to hear about it. If these are all riggers voting something has drastically changed in someone's course. BTW the manufacturer's need to post smaller file size versions of their manuals. Some of these things are monsters, even with the T1 line at work. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Little remote control motor. To either move arms or wind in and out steering lines. http://www.hobby-lobby.com/jumper.htm I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Yeah, I spent hours in those fields with the search parties even though I saw the bear land about 200' from me. People from the other side of the airport swore that it wasn't the bear that they saw, but it was. Here's the $20 toy version of a ram air kite. Just right! http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3081736 I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

And it's cool to jump a round? Athough I did buy another round this year to jump. I think you need to put a small ram air kite on this teddy. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I routinely strongly recommend/require customers to replace their worn out spandex pouchs, but have never felt uncomfortable with my reflex pouch. It has never seemed less secure than the spandex pouches on my other rigs. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Yes. PIA, USPA, and the FAA all are working on a change. There are actually two parallel tracks being pursued. But, just as here, not all in the industry support a change to 180 days. As noted above a whole lot of things can go wrong, and do we wait an extra 2 months to find them? A properly cared for rig it probably doesn't matter if its 120 or 180 days. But I've found lots of stuff that was unrelated to what the happened at the previous inspection and repack that could have killed. PIA Rigging Committee Chairman I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

This is the first I've heard of Jump Shack, or related companies, making pins. I understand that they make ripcords, and cable / pin assemblies, but as far as I know they don't forge pins. I believe the very first pin that broke was a capewell pin on a Jump Shack (I never remember the other company name) assembly. I don't remember who the Jump Shack employees are on here. But please correct us about whether Jump Shack makes pins from scratch. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

As said in a previous thread. A ripcord pin intended to be SWAGED onto a cable, not sewn onto a bridle, must be soft enough to cold flow into the cable. It has to be hard enough not to bend. Someone could make a harder pin, but you couldn't put it on a cable. We have a design that has worked for decades. Could it be better. Yes, because the current pins were not designed for much of their current use. But, drastically changing the materials and design of reserve deployment is a serious undertaking. Many of the innovations on main systems took years of field experience, and sometimes deaths, to optimize. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

QuoteI don't know if this is true, but someone once told me that flat packing greatly reduces the odds of a line-over..can anyone confirm this?[/reply I would say that's true only because it's easier to make the mistake propacking than flat packing. If done properly with control of the tail propacking shouldn't be any more prone. But I had one customer who packed two line overs almost back to back when he was learning to propack. I told him I appreciated his confidence in my reserve pack jobs but STOP TESTING THEM. I maintain there is virtually no difference between a propack and a flatpack (B on A, C on B, D on C)type. The only real difference is the material is spit out to each side with a pro pack and s fold back and forth with the flat pack. Flat packs ARE NOT packed 90 degrees off heading. (None of these comments apply to the A on B Don C "flop pack") Probably the best (most important) reason to propack is it takes less room in the hanger on the mat. Compared to when we packed in the grass and had lot's of room. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

SN 1449 was DOM Aug 88 and 5325 is 12/93 So 87 or maybe 86. I might have one in that range in my paper records at home. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I've been there. I had a 1400' reserve total. I pulled it at 1700' and it opened at 300'. In between I'd thrown the ripcord away to make sure I'd pulled it (after looking at both pins), rolled on my back to blow off a hesitation (nothing but blue sky), and anything else I could think of. I actually gave up, thought "reserve total, I guess I'm dead," and was waiting to hit. When I gave up I immediately calmed down. The panic and hurry to do what ever I could turned off like a switch. I was going to hit a house size brush pile across the road and behind a building. The last thing I thought was that I was going to go straight to the bottom and "I wonder how long it'll take them to find me." People would have thought I waited to long to pull. The reserve PC, captured by one loop, would have come loose on impact. I've wondered how many others fatalities were like this. When it opened I looked up and thought "I'm alive!" Then I looked down, saw the power lines I was heading for, and thought "I'm dead!" I had enough time to turn the round and land in front of the power lines in the same brush pile I was going to hit. I like the shoe in the pants idea, but don't think I had enough time. And there wasn't any grass to grab!!! That was in 1981 at about 80 jumps. I've been on bonus days ever since. Hmmmm turn the camera off? Why, they need something for Max X. Maybe wave bye bye in the camera. Yeah, that's it. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

If you get slinks make sure your risers are compatable. Namely that they have toggle hoods to keep the slider, now able to come past the "links", from pushing out a toggle during opening. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Through TSO C23c, all emergency parachutes had to meet the same opening time requirements. With TSO C23d, parachutes with a max operating weight greater than 250 (whether tandem or not) are allowed extra time or distance to be funtionally open. This is calculated by a formula and adds two or three seconds to the opening time allowed. Under the proposed standard for TSO C23e, just finished in January at PIA's meeting in Reno, this adjustment for canopies intended for heavier loads is retained but modified. So yes, Tandem reserves certified under d and in the future will be ALLOWED to open slower. This can be a function of both design and packing method specified. The test is of the canopy and it's packing method in the manual. A rigger should (must) follow the instructions, so if originally designed (including the packing process) to open slower as allowed under TSO C23d, it will open slower than a reserve designed for a Max weight of under 250 lbs. There is no requirement that the over 250 lbs canopy MUST be designed to open slower, but it MAY be designed to open slower. Anything TSO'd under TSO C23c had to meet the same opening speed requirements, no matter Tandem or not. So no, in theory and under law your rigger can't just pack your reserve to open faster or slower. In reality slower might be possible, but most reserves are packed to open as fast as possible (to meet the test requirements) and big ones will be designed to open slower, probably but, not necessarily, with the fastest opening pack job. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE