councilman24

Pilot chutes can bunch up and be a no pull in spandex also. There is heavy elastic in the mouth of the pocket and if it can't stretch enough it won't come out. This is all dependent on PC packing. I just don't want you to think you don't have to worry about it because you might have a spandex pouch. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

It should be fine. I'd probably do a few pull tests on it. But more for show than expecting to find anything. Best test? Go jump it. You've got a reserve. Your question reminded me that I know where there is a Maverick reserve about 10 years old still in the bag on a guy's shelf. Hmmmm, may have to give him a call. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

One of the classics: We're all setting on the ground, wind whistling through the hanger, trees whipping in the gusts, deciding if we're stupid enough to jump. What's someone say everytime. "Let's do a cross country!" And for those of you who think its a good idea; You're not sure you want to land at the DZ after a regular jump. But you want to land who knows where after screwing up a cross country spot? Of course, I don't think I've said it, but I have DONE it! I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

While color shouldn't matter, contrast certainly does and there's no good reason to have them the same color. Harnesses shift, adreneline pumps, and when you can't find it you want to see it. And be able to identify it by sight. In about 1981 the then furture owner of Paraphernalia got a Northern lite with a pillow reserve handle (early not so good design). He had both handles identical down to accent strips. This was in the days of "Bounce and Blend" colors and both were tan against a brown harness and earthtone jumpsuit of some kind. I didn't like the idea then and don't much care for it now. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I thought that a RSL was standard on the Reflex. I have one of the early ones. Look under the left riser cover on top of your shoulder. If the reserve ripcord housing has a gap in it, ends and starts again, then a factory type RSL can easily be installed. Add riser velcro if not there, a lanyard and a riser ring if not there. This is where the ripcord goes through the lanyard ring. If it's a one piece housing it can probably still be done but would require replacing the one housing with two. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

It's the government, the Federal Aviation Administration, not the USPA that governs the inspection requirements. Violation can include $1000 fine per occurance for the pilot and skydiver and suspension or the pilots license. (Very rare but you are causing the pilot to break the law if you jump with an out of date reserve.) Here is the text of the part on foreign parachutists using UNAPPROVED foreign gear. I'd have to default to FAA regs of 120 days for a foreign national using an approved rig packed by a FAA rigger. "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." The easiest place to read all the regs are at http://uspa.org/ under Safety and Training - Skydiver Information Manual. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Make yourself known in a low key way. Your jumping friends may be looking for more convenient service or faster turn around. Act professional. This includes charging for your work. Don't undercut the current local rate to gain customers. This might seem like free market but eventually you'll want to make as much as the other riggers. Don't promise what you can't deliver. Your going to have questions. As Lisa said, try get to know a rigger you can talk to. Maybe your old rigger. You still have a lot to learn, just like all of us, including old timers like me. I've just been to my seventh rigger conference/PIA symposium and I learn new things every time. Don't be shy about calling the manufacturers to get advice. They're not going to think your stupid. They'll think your smart for asking. And, you probably won't get bored doing reserves for 10 or 15 years. Your first save, if you haven't had it already, will be exciting, and SCARY! It was someone's last chance to live and they trusted you! I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I sometimes say the same thing about my own 8 way jumps. And the freefly guys plans. You didn't really say it was a "freeflyer" but I always figured the reason freeflyers free flew was that no one could tell if they got it right or not. Slap my mouth ... did I say that! I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

What I think I remember is getting a new set of equipment without ANY links supplied, not just not on the links. I had to supply them. The customer may have misplaced them. I don't assemble very many new rigs and I only remember this happening once. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

LoPo reserves so they're not tempted to cutaway the round to land a square? I have a Crossbow reserve, essentially a lopo, on three ring risers in a bag that I let people put in their rig to jump. Gives them a new appreciation for "real" spotting. I have video from my helmet of my last round ride, a Phantom 24 reserve in 1986. Aaaaah, memories of carrying a full size VHS VCR on my chest. My busted up leg, NOT from the round, and my excess mass, have kept me from jumping one since. But I want to if I ever get skinny enough again. Still have my PC waiting. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I knew I was forgetting something. It didn't make sense as I wrote it. Hey, its early (before noon!) on a Monday. I've always got a kick out of this label. I read it in this case to only be stating a fact (and covering Bill). Not an interpretation of the TSO. But an Inspector could read it different. The FAA employee who gave my pratical in 1985 dismissed the ParaFlite square reserve rating requirement in their manuals as not enforcable by the FAA as a "manufacturer's instruction." One OLD guys opinion. But I didn't ask twice. I'm not coming up with the term I wan't, but I don't think most of the components don't have individual TSO's, like military equipment has individual mil spec numbers. I agree. Missed the your rig vs customers rig distinction in original post. You treat your rig differently too, like me? In these kind of discussions I usually don't bring up what I'd do to my rig. Hook This is one that's grey enough that I'd wait for someone to tell me it's ok, either the rig or reserve manufacturer. I'd want someone else to point the finger at. ??? Didn't one of the reserve manufacturer's ship canopies WITHOUT any links for awhile? Can't remember but it seems like I got a new set of gear several (many?) years ago to assemble without reserve links. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Hey Betsy, It's 10 degrees. What are you in a hurry for? Two months now in Illinois isn't giving up alot. Go ahead and wait. Your's was bad enough that you should give it the time to get more solid. Now this is the case of do as I say, not as I did. You didn't see me in my butt slide days. Look at it this way. How stupid is it to risk breaking it again, screwing up the whole year or the rest of your life, for March and April jumping in Illinois? The old conservative fuddy duddy has spoke. Later, Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I wouldn't go that far. One of the current compatibility problems is that toggles on risers without toggle hoods can be dislodged if there aren't hard links or bumpers to stop or slow down the slider. I assume this, along with alignment, may be the reason the one loft won't pack without bumpers. I haven't had to worry about it much since I don't have any customers with soft links on their reserves. I also think hook would get some disagreement from many of the manufacturers about mixing and matching components. Much of the FAR's are left over from military equipment with mil spec part numbers. Bridles, PC, kicker plates, links, etc. all had separate individual part numbers. And if you look in Poynter's manual you can see a list for each military container of which part number components are allowed. But, compatibility wasn't such an issue. I'm sure Sandy at Rigging Innovations and others would say that NO PC other than theirs is compatibile with their container. I'm not willing, as a rigger, to disagree with the manufacturer on something this basic. Especially in this country. Any many of these components ARE TSO'd as one assembly. The PIA Certification Standards committee is working on ADDING certification of individual components, and the required labeling. Also, being included in the draft standard is a requirement for the manufacturers to provide a method of determining compatility of canopies and h/c's. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

But again, even with the RI data, limited sample size (number of canopies tested) and the variability of the volume between identical models still make the data limited in utility. If at the limits, any individual set may or may not fit together. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

For those of you who didn't pick up your certificates in Florida and either turned in your log form in Jacksonville or sent it to PIA shortly afterwards, your certificates are in the mail. They all were sent, including non - US this week. Any addtitional log sheets from people who signed up for continuing ed. when registering in Florida can be sent to PIA or directly to me. Also, if you presented at the Symosium and didn't pick up your evaluation sheets I have them. If you email me your presentation number (from the schedule) and mailing address they will be sent to you. When I receive the speaker mailing address list they will all go out. If you have suggestions for speakers for Symposium 2005 or would like to present yourself send me a note. I'll be coordinating the speaker schedule. This is not the formal request but suggestions will be saved for later use. Thanks, Terry Urban 1828 Haverhill Ave. Portage, MI 49024 269-323-8160 I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Of course some of us consider Sabre openings REAL parachute openings, not streamers that clear after 700'. But I'm an inch shorter than I used to be. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

From the top of the table. "Caution: ALBATROS-SKYWORLD has no control over these statistics. For general comparison only. This volume chart has been put together from many sources using various methods of measurements. These statistics should be considered only to be approximate volumes." These aren't any better than any other similar data table. Remember that individual canopies my differ in volume by up to 10%. That means that a big version of a particular canopy may pack bigger than a small version of the next size up. Each canopy/container combination is unique. If you push the limits of published container sizes (i.e. pick the absolute biggest resere that anybody tells you might fit in a particular size rig) you risk having problems. And making your rigger mad. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

And again, one option is to ship it there and ship it home. Especially there. Or better yet. I believe in redundant systems. Have two, ship one, fly with one. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Fear of heights is really fear of falling. Skydiving you INTEND on falling. So there's no fear of heights. "Altitude is your friend!" But, the fear of the parachute not opening, it blowing up, forgeting to pull, etc. etc. more than makes up for the lack of fear of heights.

Yes, you can hook it up backwards. It's not idiot proof. Some manufacturers label the risers with an R and an L and the RSL ring will also indicate the appropriate side. But you should learn how to tell by checking the line continuity. Also if you really mean can you use the right riser on the left side and the left riser on the right side and hook up the canopy right, yes. Only the RSL attachment and sometimes the velcro for storing the line are different from side to side. Many risers without RSL rings are identical left and right. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I've seen steel called "anodized", but they really just mean colored, usually by some other process and usually black. I've also seen descriptions of anodizing steel, but by plating it with aluminum first. Here's a pretty good explination.http://www.docsmachine.com/tech/anod.html Anodized hardware HAS been available. The chrysalis release used by ParaPhernalia on the Northern Lite was available, at least to a limited extent, anodized. There's a couple of those rigs around here in closets somewhere. Of couse the metal parts were aluminum. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Ok, nobody else beat me up. But there are rec.skydiving.uk and uk.rec.skydiving. Not quite sure but don't think they're the same thing. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Let me ask around. Our DZO used a version of R-3s on his student rigs until he went piggy back. He still uses those harnesses for training. They certainly wouldn't be new. I know at one point I had a tool for setting the rivet holding the pivot. I should still have that around and should have at least one set of rivets to go with it. But, stick with the shot and a halfs. Gutter gear lives.! Remember that there were more than one type of capewell hardware. Not all are compatible. Make sure any R-3's you find will work with your hardware. See Poynters manual for pictures. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Personally I like soft links. They are stronger than rapide links, have lower pack volume, don't damage he slider grommets, and generally don't fail. The only case I have heard of was a sharp grommet cutting through a soft link. The grommet edge should have been caught during an inspection prior to installing the soft links. But your risers need to be set up for soft links. The slider can/may/will come down over the links. If the risers don't have toggle nose hoods the slider gromments can, and has, struck the end of the toggle and released the one brake during opening. You must consider all of the equipment and its compatibility. I know I'm not telling Hooknswoop anything new. Terry I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

It's the dirt! Go pack it in a coal bin.