councilman24

You mean traditional freefall style, not freestyle. Half series would be a 360 turn in each direction and then a back loop. A full series you be a 360 turn each way, back loop, repeat. The link above shows you that the direction of the turns varies with round. I'm not sure what an "international" series is in your context. I expect that it's had several meanings of the years. It may very well be the sequence requried for a D. "during freefall, perform in sequence within 18 seconds-a backloop, front loop, left 360-degree turn, right 360-degree turn, right barrel roll and left barrel roll " And I am an oldtimer. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Hmmm, I guess we're geeks if we still wear Kroop's? The only problem I've ever had is them coming a little high on my forhead for a camera helmet. I've tried several others and never found anything else I liked. Of course I'm still juming a Protec (when I want a hard hat). Haven't found another helmet that fits and I like yet either. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I think you'd be better off with a padlocked or zip tied gear bag. You could still tamper with a rig through the mesh. The goal is tamper evidence, not theift deterence. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Besides low light the other time they're not good is when someone needs to see your eyes. I don't like doing RW or any training with someone wearing dark goggles. I wear sunglasses most of the time outside, but skydiving is the one place I don't. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I've got a source. The drawer in my lab. I'm an analytical chemist. PM or email me and maybe I can help figure out what you really need. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I often, even on solo jumps, track 90 degrees to the jump run. Especially in two ways with multiple groups I'll tell my partner to track one direction while I track the other, both 90 degrees to the wind line. It makes a difference on free flyers out first or last on the skill of the freeflyer. If they are immediately head down into the relative wind they'll get thrown forward more and should go out last. If they are newbies they may catch air, slow down their ground speed quickly and dift back. In jumping at the WFFC I've seen all sorts of variations on these scenarios. I don't believe there is one answer. It depends on the skill and exit of the freeflyers. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Another thread, I think in incidents, said that a properly routed chest strap came undone. I've never heard of that before, but I suppose if some one is hanging on it with little pressure it could work through. I don't think it's a problem but was offering a possible improvement. I doubt that stainless makes a lot of difference in this light weight friction adaptor. I suppose we'll see if it continues. I thought of an alternate handle also. Ten way speed star teams used to (still do) put extra handles all over, usually on leg straps or jumpsuits. Haven't thought of a good design that wouldn't be just as well performed by a more slip resistant chest strap. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I agree. It's easy. But I have caught myself once in 25 years in the airplane. Of course I'm getting senile. I wear a chest mount altimeter so my chest strap routine is more involved. I've caught probably between 5 and 10 on others over the years. Not counting student inspections where I've caught dozens. I don't know why some of these seem to be coming unthreaded in the air. I've done a lot of chest strap grip launches doing RW and never had a problem. But, IF it is a problem the "buckle" I suggest would probably be more secure. Again the webbing and the buckle would have to be matched. This would still be one piece of hardware also, not a snap and ring. And the ring or snap would have to be adjustable. A mix on the airplane would be an issue. On the current one if you cann't see hardware is isn't right. On the climbing one if you CAN see hardware (usually painted red) it isn't right. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

It has one more thread through motion than a regular friction adapter and is a tighter fit. Taking it off is easier than putting it on. If someone wanted a bomb proof chest strap to be used as a gripper/handle I think the trade off would be fine. Besides, that's what a hook knife is for. Seriously I think that it could be as fast and maybe easier than a chest strap that is folded back. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I think a better option would be hardware like para gear #H428. A buckle like used on rock climbing harness waist bands. Solid three bar slide adapter used with the webbing threaded through and folded back and through the first slot. Red paint visable indicates a misrouted strap. I trust my life to this connection every time I climb. This would still require appropriate use but with appropriate design would resist slipping. I have climbing/rescue harnesses with both 1" and 1 22/32 inch versions. No moving parts that need maintenance, not much more cost that the stamped friction adapters now used, and stronger. The harness designers would have to comment on whether it might be too slip resistant for a skydiving harness, where some minor slip on the leg straps is actually good in highly loaded conditions. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Your going to have to break some military habits. I think static line progression, which is only a minimum of 5 static line jumps may be easier for you to transition into. The idea of spreading your arms and legs wide and arching your back is going to be hard to accept. I've trained military static line jumpers in the past and it took a couple of jumps to get them to forget their old training. On the other hand getting as far away from static line as possible may make the break easier. If it's completely different from what you were doing, you may not fall back into previous, inappropriate for skydiving, training. I still tend to believe that the static line progression gives more well rounded graduates. With the new student program goals it may not make as much difference. But you'll like ram airs! Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

The fall PIA Business meeting will be in Colorado Springs Sept. 18-21. Visitors are always welcome to all meetings except about 30 minutes of the plenary sessions. The rigging, technical, and parachute cert. standards committees would be of particular interest to riggers and others. If your in the area feel free to come by. Go to pia.com for more information and a full list of committees. A committee schedule isn't posted yet and I haven't received it but it should be available before the meeting. Just so no one who knows of PIA only by the biannual symposium misunderstands, this is NOT a symposium. It is the regular business and committee meetings of the association. The next symposium is in Jacksonville FL in early 2005. Part of this meeting will be planning for the symposium. If you have ideas for changes or improvements feel free to forward them to the me or the symposium committee chair. Location for 2005 is set. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

The Vector hasn't been TSO'd since the wonderhog. Check the label. The Mirage when it came back out in 98 or 99 was manufacturered under the old early 80's TSO that was a two pin reserve. I haven't check the new ones. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Nope. Not available for retrofit to non Vectors. Last I knew not being retrofit (at least in the field) to old vectors. This change yet Bill? I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Anybody want one I know where there is a 9 cell (factory option) 252 (i think) parafoil, slider deployed with one jump, DOM early 90's. Stored all these years. Last I knew it was ridiculously cheap. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

A spinning malfunciton may be just the time you need a RSL. Low to the ground, getting lower fast and handles hard to find. One newbie had a docile partial mal function, put one hand on each handle (one option and personal choice) and cutaway. The mental "shock" as well as sensation of cutting away caused him to let go of the reserve ripcord. It took him several hundred feet, down to about 800 ft. to find and pull it. Remeber, reserves are designed to open in any body position. And I know you know better, but don't confuse an AAD with an RSL. They are back up systems that mainly function in two different realms. One is "hey open your something you dummy! before you break me." The other is "Well, you got rid of one, you going to open the other one or not?!" The times that RSL's are most valuable are low cutaways where speed is necessary. An AAD most likely isn't going to arm and fire in time. An AAD is going to open something when you haven't, either having too much fun to recognize the flowers getting closer or unable to. They are NOT interchangable. I get very upset when some jumper says "I don't need an RSL I have a cypres." I end up having to do a lot of education of newbies when they want the RSL taken off because the local skygod told them to with no explination. Hmmm, Sorry, rant mode off. Use SSK's value calulator to find an appropriately priced used AAD. My guess is there will be more on the market with people wanting to upgrade. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Were the three rings a mismatched pair of pre and post reenforcement or was it a manufacturing error? I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Do really think that both inserts "slipped" down there or that the owner or someone else put them there thinking that's where they belonged? Before any of the manufacturers decided on what to do about inserts I put some HDPE plastic ones on one of my rigs for testing. They've been there 6 years now and have never moved. The fold back on the tape at the mouth of the channel pretty much keeps them from coming out. I have trouble getting them out when I want to show someone. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I'm not concerned about Capewell or others withholding information, but rather the lack of a viable communication system to riggers. What I was lamenting was that I had to find out these details in Skydiving, and I consider myself fairly well in touch between these forums and my membership in PIA. The riggers forum on the PIA website is still combursome and little used. I'm going to discuss this at the next PIA meeting. What doesn't help is the FAA's reluctance to issue AD's these days. BTW, anybody know if both pins were either terminal or through cable pins, or were they one of each? I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

The break in the photo was on the shaft but at the swage end, not far from the taper. You might invision a swage putting stress into that portion of the metal, or not. This is one I haven't heard before in 25 years of jumping. I'm disappointed that more information hasn't been available sooner. Expecially other than here and in Skydiving. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Not only does it go up fast, but it comes down faster than skydivers. I've opened after getting out of it, watched it land, load, and be taxiing out before I landed. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Just got my issue of Skydiving. Hadn't realized that the second broken pin was on a Softie. If there is a rig that doesn't put stress on a pin its a Softie. Hadn't paid a lot of attention since I service only one Mirage occasionally. Anybody think of any reason NOT to test ripcord pins per Poynter's Manual during inspection and repack? From the information in the Skydiving article (not clear) this may not be able to be isolated to less than 60,000 plus pins from capewell. All of which should have been inspected at least once, probably twice, maybe three times. This could mean pretty much any ripcord in the last, ummm what, 2 or 3 years or more? Unless it's the swaging (ripcord manufacturing) process stressing the swage end of the pin is the problem. This is not something I've thought about doing lately. At one point I was considering testing routinely but that seemed overkill. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Fused vertibrae are nothing like a fused ankle. I know several jumpers with fused backs, including steel rods They don't arch quite as well but that's about it. I need a reality check on mobility. I landed on my butt for 2 years until I could run again but don't want to go back to that. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

After living with varying amounts of pain for the last 16 years I'm about ready to give up. Shattered the ankle end of my tibia and broke a chunk out of my fibula going into a tree while reserve was still inflating. The cartilidge in the ankle didn't survive. In 1988 Mayo clinic said no artificial ankles worth experimenting on, fuse it solid. In 2000 local ankle guy said artificial ankle only good for 10 years, your not old enough, when you want the pain to stop let me know and we'll fuse it solid. Well the pains getting worse. I can do a lot of things and it doesn't hurt during, but later that night and the next day or two it hurts worse than when I broke it. Getting quite a collection of canes. It doesn't affect my jumping except by hurting too bad to want to go out to the DZ. Jumping's about the easiest thing I do to it. It really doesn't like rock climbing. Anybody have a fused ankle and/or know those who do? Need to talk to some one to check just how limited I'd be. It doesn't bend a lot now but at least I have enough motion for balance. I hate to do this at 44 but it's really starting to affect a lot of days. Thanks, Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Jumpers in a star, on cue, swing one leg, then both to the middle. They lock legs together and lay back, usually droping wrist grips. So you end up with 3 to 8 jumpers with their feet interlocked kind of sitting / on their backs. They'd usually spin. Often we'd plan a four or six way dive with 3 or 4 points and say if we get through it we'd do a horny gorilla. That's why they often ended up low. Remember this was before freeflying. Some people were playing with freak flying ala Roger and Carl Nelson. This was more on your back (and usually barefoot) than sit flying. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE