councilman24

Just a reminder to those in the Colorado area. The fall PIA business meeting is Sept 18-21 in Colorado Springs. Go to pia.com for more information. THIS IS NOT A SYMPOSIUM. But, the committee meetings on rigging, technical, symposium and others may be of interest. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Been there, just waiting to bounce. Which brings me to my myth. It's the second impact after the bounce that hurts. So.... If you grap the grass and don't bounce you'll be fine. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Are you sure that max weight wasn't based on experience? Sounds like a student canopy and a student weight limit but I wasn't able to find any info on it. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I didn't mean to imply we (collective we of experienced skydivers) lied to newbies on purpose. But it is common DZ legend that I was told and believed for many of my early skydiving years. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

1) depends on country, and more likely family. Anybody can sue for anything. If your rig wasn't maintained (at the very least legal) and that contributed you might face criminal charges as well as a civil suit. (I'm not a lawyer.) If you gave a 50 jump wonder a 70 sq. ft. pocket rocket I'd be worried to. I wouldn't count on any DZ waiver to cover you if your not an employee. 2) Who owns it really isn't much of an issue. Lots of people know that. If it was a terminal impact you might not want it back. Gear has been returned in several days to a couple of weeks from local law enforcement. If they think there is a crime it'll be awhile.... months, years.. depending on case. 3) The couple of fatalities that I've investigated did not have bones sticking into the rig, but I doubt I'd want to jump it anyway. (Didn't you know we use that rib story to scare newbies.) If someone flew themselves into the ground, likely advanced life support would be applied and the last thing we (licensed MFR in MI) care about is the rig. If it isn't cut and it's a high speed impact, I'd worry about hidden damage. In the case of one fatality the rig had a two pin continuous loop reserve. The loop was routed between the gromments and not through the bag. The impact broke both reserve loops and moved the middle of the loop fast enough in 1/4 to 1/2 an inch to MELT the loop to the nylon reserve freebag. The loops were in place but melted to the bag by friction. You can imagine this kind of damage occuring in other parts of the rig or harness. At the very least each stitch in the harness would need to be inspected. But you've had a real bad day if you do loan your rig out and they bounce. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Actually, IMHO, this make the person in student climp over and reach around the one in the crotch. Usually the person in student has one hand outside the person in the crotch on the strut and one hand on the back of the door frame. I prefer to go out third into the crotch, sliding back from behind the pilots seat and out with out turning around. This requires keeping your rig clear but I've done it alot. But it doesn't matter to me. I'll climb in either order in either position. I'm usually doing this with newbies and do what they prefer. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

bill and driver, I must of been snoozing during those two incidents because I don't remember them at all. Recent or long long ago? Falling backwards seems weird to me. Even in a stall. Must have really been sitting back (forward) a long ways. Or Bill, was this the guy doing a bat hang and got his leg into the prop? I think that was during a stall. Anyway, it definately has its problems. But it's useful. Does require care and training. What do you guys think? Should DZO's/pilots ban it? After 40 years. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Skydivers have been doing this ever since we started trying to get four people out of a 182 together. Occasionally a main pin gets knocked loose and drops a bag in front of the strut. Additionally any reserve that fires in that location would probably go over the wing or more likely under the strut. I can't remember an incident with the reserve firing but it may have happened. Is this dangerous? Perhaps, but so is life. With everyone being so paranoid about rigs being freefly safe and the general improvement in rig design I would expect it to happen less in the future than in the past. This was never common. I remember a few reports in the 25 years I've been jumping. But if the "club" or owner of the plane doesn't want to add the risk, it's their decision. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I've seen more pullout's packed wrong, causing an impossible pull, and dislodged, causing a floating handle than pull problems with a throw out or premature deployments. Especially when the curved pin and spandex pouches were invented most of the problems with the throw out went away. New pullout designes have helped eliminate floating handles and either can be packed wrong. But, especially taking into account the limited number of pullout's around, I've seen a lot more problems with them. And resale of the gear is easier with a throw out. Either system can work reliably as long as it's maintained and used appropriately. But the key is training and understanding for whatever system you use. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Don't take this personnally but this is a very poor and dangerous reply. It DOES NOT automatically extract the reserve pin when the CUTAWAY is pulled. As I'm sure you know, it connects a main riser and the reserve ripcord. If you fall away from a cutaway MAIN, then it's designed to extract your reserve pin. I've known a number of newbies who have thought that the answer you gave was correct, and if they pulled their cutaway handle for a TOTAL malfunction the RSL would pull their reserve. I even had one guy do this in the air. He quickly realized that he needed to pull his reserve himself and it came out all right. Especially with more people deciding to cutaway from a PC in tow or a total malfunction, this can be a very dangerous mind set to get into. Sorry but I couldn't let this go by. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Here, here!! I've made lots of minor mistakes and automatically go into a PLF. Of course we had the incentive that if we wanted to walk away from those military rounds we HAD to PLF. When I learned, we use the roof of a pick up cab as the "high" tower, about 6'. And backwards. I used to tell students that they would be brused after their first jump, not from the jump but from the training! The DZO went down to about 4' when he built towers, and I think he limits it to 2' and only a couple now (plus ground practice). Hey, here's one advantage of being old and moldy. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Remember, it takes about 12 seconds to go that 1st thousand feet. If you do a five second delay you'll still be pulling above 3000'. Your canopy better not take 1500' to open. That's called a malfunction. Since I jumpmastered static line students for years I've probably got close to a 1000 jumps from 3500' or below. Lowest is about 1800'. (NO ENGINE CUT, DAMMIT!) Yeah you'll be nerverous, but spotting is a whole lot easier. Of course now I have you worried about spotting since you've probably never done it. Relax and don't rush it Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

You had to be there in person. But I can think of three or four similar public pronouncments over the years. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I've been jumping with 12 screws and two plates, one on my fibula and one on the tibia for 16 years. Well, actually 11 and a half screws. Somehow I broke one and they had to remove the head portion since it was removing itself. I have yet to hear of a doctor that said go jump. Hmmm, I think we have enough bionic people on our small DZ to do at least an all metalic 8 way, may 12 way. Skydiving is one of the least stressful things I do on my bad leg. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

This was testing for the airforce as part of the space program. No FAA allowed. Colonel Kittinger was the keynote speaker at the 2001 PIA symposium in San Diego. Got to meet and greet and I have his autograph on the cover of the Life magazine that used this photo as the cover. A cool part of parachuting history. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Shoot, half the harnesses out there are still TSO 23 B. (Ok maybe not half but a lot, hmmm may be more than half) One problem is matching reserve ratings and testing limits with harness ratings and testing limits. There are some mismatched components available now. Not in function, but in load rating. To me, no it doesn't make much difference what reserve, until you get to some older 1st and 2nd generation squares based on design and some of the rounds based on deployment method. Ravens aren't the only reserve with AWD's or service bulletins. A lot of the opinions out there are based on marketing. But, hey if the marketing makes you feel good, go for it. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Reasonable people can disagree on all most anything. There are many definately BAD things to do that people can agree on. (Leaving a temporary pin or pull up cord in.) But everyone has a different BEST way. When someone offers an opinion ask why the have that opinion. Many are based on regional or DZ biases, training biases, even personalality biases. Others may be more reasoned. I try to have reasoned opinions and offer the explination and both sides of the argument. But, there are some assholes that just don't deserve respect, in all phases of the sport; instructors, riggers, manufacturers, board members, etc. When you hear a manufacturer stand up in a public forum and say everyone rigs are "death rigs" except his and walk out, it's hard to have much respect. Long term PIA symposium attendees may recongize that incident. Listen to the reasons, not just the opinions, and when people you trust disagree do you best to understand the reasons and make your own decision. And keep learning. I know I am. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Shorter risers would still usually have the same length "pocket" for the end of the release cables. But if from a different manufacturer they may have been different. Probably appropriate to trim... but if you fixed them.... Did you cut them with the appropriate cutter so as not to crush the cable? Regular diagonal cutters aren't appropriate. Also did you melt the plastic to cover the sharp end of the cable? There are various ways to do this and is more of an issue going in than coming out but should be done. Also, did you properly stagger the length so that the RSL side is last to go? If you have an RSL the length of cable beyond the three ring loop should be longer on the RSL side by an inch or so, so the RSL riser goes last. (Although Sunpath's instructions vary somewhat from this. See their web site. http://www.sunpath.com/ Unclear from your post if you did it or had it done. I was busy writting while you answered the previous post. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Got back from a business trip to the Tirol region of Austria a couple of weeks ago. I was there over a weekend and decided to take my rig. I'd checked into DZ's and Skydive Tirol was about 2 km from the plant I was visiting. Managed to get out there and make a couple of jumps between the Alps. This was about 30 miles northeast of Innsbruk up (hmmm down based on the river) the valley. The valley floor was about 2 km wide with the first hills 1500 to 2500 ft high above the valley and the next set back up to 6000 ft high. Needless to say the jumpruns were along the valley. Pretty cool watching the panoram of the Alps change during freefall. The ground looked closer than my altimeter read. I've decided that was because I had "stuff" wrapping up around me before opening, namely mountains. Here, if I see things here in my peripheral vision its trees and I'm in trouble. Single turbo prop 206, and kind of a tandem factory (but it was high tourist season) but still friendly and fun. But Europe needs airconditioning. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Yeah, but it's fun being a dinosaur sometimes. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

One major source of damage is velcro toggles and velcro riser covers. If you have neither, or don't have any fuzziness from them, and you really see no other damage, don't worry about it. Other possible damage wear sites are the grommet (material pulling out from under the grommet), the locking loop damaged, damage to the webbing from french links usually cause during installation, wear from the harness ring, and the afore mentioned velcro fuzz. ANY nick in ANY of the threads of the webbing mean that they should be replaced. This includes on the inside of the link loops and the ring attachments. On the edge it can weaken the webbing by 50% or more. In the middle it can weaken by 20% or more. Significant velcro fuzz can weaken the webbing by 10 to 20%. Source of strength decreases - Presentation by Dan Wilcox formerly of Relative Workshop at either the 1991 or 93 PIA symposium. And my memory. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Theorictially it can be patched just like a reserve canopy. Some companies limit the number and size of patches, including on the PC. But, it will probably be a pain, especially near the cap. You may not find a rigger willing to do it. If not, call Sunpath and see if they'll patch it. I would have no concern jumping a properly patched reserve PC. But I'd probably buy a new one just cause it easier. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I think yours is as old as mine. Altimaster II, new in 1980. Original crystal, almost no scratches. I have a III on a wrist mount. I even wear it on high stress jumps. But I don't think I've ever remembered to look at it in freefall. Cann't get used to looking at my wrist. That's for time, not altitude! The II is on a chest pillow with my Jack the Ripper mounted handle down on the back. Puts the knife where I can get it with either hand, on my sternum which doesn't bend so the knifes not in the way, and knife holds the altimeter in place and the altimeter holds the knife in place. For the newbies, we wore altimeters on our chest partly so that the other people we were doing RW with could read them. You read the persons across from you. Of course they aircraft style altimeters started there next to the stopwatch mounted on top of your belly wart reserve. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

As I said, I pulled the reserve at 1700' after a cutaway and it totaled for 1400', finally deciding to come out of the container at 300'. I rolled over on my back to blow off what I thought was a PC hesitation and saw only blue sky. Observations by other jumpers and some supposition led me to conclude that the upper loop hung up, the cap rotated and the spring (a wimpy MA-1) extended down my back. I don't have a clue why it finally left when it didn't leave with me on my back. I was watching the ground waiting to bounce. There were several minor rigging errors, non of which should have caused the problem. But they added up to there not being a rigger I trusted in the area. So I became one. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

In the "old" days we taught throwing away the reserve handle just to avoid this. Of course ripcords were longer and had two pins. The time I had a reserve total, after I realized it wasn't leaving I looked at the reserve in my hand. I HAD pulled it but the end of the cable and with the last pin was still in the housing. I pulled it out, looked at to make sure both pins were still on it, and threw it away to make SURE I pulled it. I won't get into the two hands or one on each debate. I explain both and my preference for newbies and experienced jumpers and let them decide. Then reinforce the decision with further training and practice. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE