councilman24

Few people on here would recommend a 150 for your first canopy. A 1:1 wing loading at 150 lbs requires more skill than a 1:1 wing loading at 200lbs. One explanation that isn't the total story is that for the same energy a pendulum with a shorter length has a shorter period (swings faster). Think of a canopy as a pendulum and at 150 or so the lines are getting short enough that it becomes 'twitchier', the same energy input produces a faster swing. In the old days we say a 150 was a 'high' performance canopy no matter the load. The use of the word high may not make much since these days, higher performance than a bigger similar canopy maybe at similar load. Lots of people your size have successfully started with a 150 but many more have not a good experience. IF you meet all of the downsizing guidelines in some of the articles on here with rental 170's maybe150. Depends on your skill level. Talk to your conservative instructors. Since your getting used anyway starting with a 170 and moving to a 150 with the same rig would be doable. No I wouldn't consider new. That's my advice to all new jumpers. You size isn't so unusual and you should be able to find a rig. Easier than the 5'3" woman or 250lb guy. About the leg straps. What's keeping you from getting the leg straps tight is that the leg strap PADS are too long for your thighs. The stitching that holds them to the leg strap limits how tight they can get. Leg pads are easily modified or replaced with shorter pads by your local rigger. Get a good used rig with an appropriately sized reserve, freefly friendly if you must , and a used 170 zp canopy. You can move to a 150 in a couple hundred or more jumps. Don't worry about gadgets and gizmos. Most of them are selling features, not function features. An RSL, BOC, freefly riser covers is about all you need to worry about. And if you so desire or it's required where you are add an AAD. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I hope as DSE said some people are calling baseball slides butt landings. For others, butt landing - equal stains on both cheeks, baseball slide - stains on one cheek and thigh. But (Butt?) I had a reason to do them. After I busted up my tibia and fibula I couldn't take a running step. Ankle just didn't do it. So if I had any forward speed I needed to slide. And I got real good at it. I'd pop right up at the end just like a baseball slide. After about two years one of the screws in my ankle was broken and started backing itself out under the skin. After it was taken out I could run. Not well but at least my ankle would do it. But I had gotten so used to flaring for my right cheek that I would consistently flare low when planning on landing on my feet. Flaring low lasted,,, Hmmm kind of until now 24 years later. Not really but it did last for several years. The first ever tandem I saw was at our DZ by Dick Higley in the real early pre-drogue years. When I saw him come in with a flat on his butt landing I cringed. Right square on his spine. He said that's what he had to do most of the time. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

A few corrections to several posts. The Airtec manual already includes a chapter that says you parachute should be open 1000' above the activation altitude. "Always plan your main container opening altitude and skydive to have your main canopy functionally open (fully open, flying, controllable, even landable) a minimum of 1000 ft. above your CYPRES activa - tion altitude. For example, if your CYPRES activa - tion altitude is 750 ft above ground level then your minimum functionally open altitude is 1,750 ft. above ground level; if your CYPRES activation altitude is 850 ft. above ground level then your minimum func - tionally open altitude is 1,850 ft. above ground level, etc. Take into consideration your altitude loss during main canopy deployment (opening characteristics of main canopy, main container opening characteristics, type of skydive, reaction time, etc.)" For many newer design canopies that take 700-1000' to open this already as the effect of "putting it in the manual". 700+750+1000=2450' I thought A.A.D. had a similar statement but I couldn't find it so I may be wrong. With older gear that opened in 200-300' the calculation was 300+750+1000= 2050'. All makes sense to me. Airtec changed the opening altitudes available to the user on Jan 1 2013, well before this action. PIA actually asked for this at the March USPA board meeting. Some of us supported changing pack opening to functionally open and staying with 2000'. This was frankly seen as too confusing for USPA to discuss and asking for a simple number change easier. I don't think any PIA reps, as PIA reps were at this meeting but I may be wrong about that. Airtec's resistance to raising the opening altitude has been that their device still works as always. The cause of impact before opening happening with proper AAD activation must be the fault of the other equipment. Why should they change their product? The reality is that containers have changed since 1991, canopies have changed since 1991, jumpers expectations and demands for their gear have changed in aesthetics and in size combinations, tolerance of gear to rigger variation with smaller rigs may have decreased, etc, etc. PIA Risk Management committee agreed that other things had changed but they weren't likely to change back. With that an increase of the AAD activation altitudes were appropriate. ALSO that with all of these issues as well as smaller canopies making malfunctions much more violent that an increase in the BSR pack opening altitudes was appropriate. We lobbied for both. I wasn't at the PIA meeting completed today so I don't know the reaction to this USPA change. Airtec's first answer was to make it changeable at service to 850 or 950. Their ultimate answer in Jan was to make it user settable up to 1650' (actually 750 + 900 meters.) I'm perfectly happy to get out at 2000' with my sabre or triathlon. Not with the Spectre I demoed that took 700' to open even on a hop and pop whether a hop and pop or terminal deployment. So, at least one aad manuf. raised altitudes before action and had it in the manual. And if aad's opening altitudes are no longer appropriate for today's gear, then raising them, along with the minimum pack opening (or minimally functionally open main) altitudes makes sense to me. Along with the waver available for old farts willing to get out at 2000', like me. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I've never seen that animation before but it is a two point release rather than a single handle for both sides. I use something very similar on an intentional cutaway system only the handle is on the riser. I believe this is just a simplified animation to make it obvious to non skydivers. I wouldn't but a hole in my main lift web, I wouldn't have two handles instead of one. This is just an functional illustration, not a design. We used to have T handles for reserves, they were called blast handles. http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/blast-handle-ripcord-parachute-packs-w-ejection Best image I can find. Long ago determined to not be the best idea for skydiving. Get a little more experience and knowledge before you start designing you rig. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

The problem with opening the reserve container but not packing it is now who is responsible for whose work? I'm not going to do what you described, close it, seal it with my seal. Even if I noted what I did I couldn't prove it. Remember our court system that requires us to cover our butts. Same rigger no issue but mandating a second visit to the same rigger would be difficult and perhaps illegal. I believe a required external exam would do most/all of what we/you want. You can tell if it's been stabbed and probably if something has been spilled on it. Otherwise about all that can happen is sand and weeds/seeds/ get in it. These aren't likely to do much. It's the rest of the rig that is visible on the out side that I want to look at. Yes there are thinks that could be bad like leaking batteries. But then you pick either 6 months or 1 yr (or longer) for opening, repacking and live with it. Pulling it out of the bag and then trying to put it back is beyond what I believe any rigger should do. May riggers 'fold' the canopy in to the bag. Pulling it out as a lump and putting it back wouldn't be in their skill set and by that time it needs to be repacked. Yes, yes, no TSO, no regs, no seals ... but within our current regulations I don't see opening the container working. Just like I won't open someone else's to reinstall an AAD or shorten a loop but will do my own. All of the sticky bags I've dealt with were Javelin coated bags. They've been an issue for 20 plus years. I tried to suggest they should change 10 plus years ago but they (sunpath management) weren't willing to change. (Some at sunpath agreed they should change) The coating transfers to the canopy. This coating can be felt. I routinely pull test this fabric that feels abnormal. On one ram air canopy this fabric, where the transfer occurred, failed at 2-4lbs pressure. Other parts of canopy were normal. I reported this to sunpath. I also had one customer who worked construction and then went to the DZ to jumpmaster almost every weekday. Kept his rig in the trunk. It came in at about 5 months near the end of the summer. With the locking stows out of the safety stows and the flap open it took 35lbs to pull the bag off the canopy stack. Measure with scale. This would most likely have delayed a cutaway deployment. Terminal may not have been affected much. Sunpath coated bag also. I THINK Sunpath has changed but frankly haven't seen a new Sunpath freebag in several years. Hmm maybe I did see one that was still coated recently. Anybody have the answer? There's not much a rigger can do when the factory insists on using a coated bag. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

How long I'd go isn't relevant. I know how my rig has been treated and stored and I know that I pay attention to wear. I also know who the last rigger was and what he might have done wrong. It's the average, or maybe the 90 percentile Worst jumper, that we have to schedule for. Because they don't look out for themselves. Best example I have. A rig came in on time with the main attached and open. I detached the main risers, did my job and put the main back on. And noticed the main closing pin was held on by 2 very loose stitches in the tape. I fully expect that the next jump it would have separated from the bridle and cause a main container lock. This was before paid packers were widely available and certainly didn't exist where this guy jumped. So he handled this pin every time he packed his main, for every jump. And didn't notice/know/think this was an issue. IF you believe that the FAA should mandate an inspection cycle for a TSO'd component (harness and reserve and all associated parts) then what is appropriate? I believe 6 months is a good compromise on wear to the canopy versus inspection of the system. This interval also becomes the interval that we find something done wrong by the last rigger. How long do you want to go before someone opens that pack job done at midnight at the boogie so you could keep jumping. Others believe that parachutes shouldn't be TSO'd (hmmm lift rafts are) and then no federal regulation. I don't agree. So when we (PIA) rigging committee talked about this we had several items Will is work at 6 months or a year or longer if treated well? Sure Does packing damage the canopy? Sure so less is better Do we find other things wrong that may not affect the function of the parachute? Sure all the time. Do we find minor and major mistakes by previous riggers? Yes, and a few potentially fatal. Should tandems be different? We also discussed at one point a year cycle on the reserve pack with an external rigger inspection mandatory at 6 months. Deemed unworkable. BTW I've also found a ram air reserve that had fabric as weak as the 'acid mesh' affected rounds. Tore at 2-4 lbs. How long to you want that in your rig? It certainly didn't start that way. So given the culture of jumpers in the U.S. what is a happy balance between these? Many thought 4 months, many thought 6 months, many not sure. We didn't think the FAA would change without data, hence the request for an exemption with reporting requirements to gather data. They went ahead. PIA never requested 180 days rule change, in spite of what some folks will tell you. BTW last I looked a tandem MAIN has to have been packed within the last 120 days to use. They missed it. Would I have a lot of grief at a year? For pilot rigs no. For sport rigs with the variation in care and storage and environment of use, 6 months seems about right. If it was a year I'd wonder what was going to go an extra 6 months without being found. So should I answer your question? Because of it being my rig, under my control, packed by me and with how little jumping I do I'd go about a year. I've too much change in rigs within a year, and since it's free for me no need to go longer. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

PIA members were split on 180 days. PIA rigging committee with USPA's support requested an exemption to study 180 days and the FAA decided to go ahead and change it. PIA actually never asked for it. Many didn't support 180 day or hadn't made up their minds. The issue isn't whether the reserve, if well treated and stored, will work. The issue is what else with the rig needs attention. Harness wear, line wear, BOC's, PC's etc, plus external damage. Many jumpers these days don't pack their own rigs routinely, don't know much about how wear effects them, and don't routinely examine their rigs closely. Getting it in a riggers hands who hopefully inspects the harness as required and perhaps the main lets these issues be addressed. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

No, nobody agrees with you. And number of jumps for a camera is in the SIM. And until you have a license you are still a student. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

That's not called sleep, that's called passing out. I used to routinely use my PC, my Strato Cloud and my Cirrus Cloud for jumpmastering until I busted up my leg in 1987. Always wanted to jump another round. Finally found a Phantom 28 cheap enough, put it in my regular rig in a bag and jumped it. After 18 years from my last round jump, from 5000' and a spot 1/2 mile out I hit the peas. And damned glad I did because a 250 exit weight I was coming down like a rock. Our pit was about 30'x35' and deep enough you never found the bottom. Often safest place in the landing zone was the pea pit. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Resurrecting 8 year old threads with posts from dead friends plays too much with my mind. Might I suggest starting and new thread and linking back if need be. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I don't understand your description. "Finger nail loose" wouldn't be a problem if screw essentially fully seated and l bars seated. "Bent" link? I can't for the life of me see how an L bar would bend. If assembled it should be more than strong enough. If not assembled I'd assume it would separate before bending. I guess at a rating of 3000lbs Ts (12,000 breaking) it could if loaded singly at terminal but in 33 years I've never heard of a bent L bar. "It had less than 1 mm of the barrel in the whole. Extremely unlikely to have survived even a non terminal opening IMO. Finger tight screws. " This doesn't make sense. Not sure what your calling the barrel. If you mean the long end of the l bar in the round hole the screws couldn't be finger tight for it to be only 1 mm in the 'whole' (sic). Just to start the screws there is about 2mm of what I call the tenon in the hole. If the screws were about to fall out lock tite wouldn't have helped. This is a rigger error. They do not come loose like that in service. As above they may loosen a 1/4 turn or a little more but any more was packed that way. Since it was bent I assume you replaced. Can you post a photo? To you original question, if assembled corrected they do often loosen slightly but doesn't compromise the strength. Loc tite not needed. If screws nearly fully out a rigging error (screws should be checked every pack job) and loc tite wouldn't help. They just don't back out that far in use. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Most experienced riggers had grief with the FAA handbook when it came out. Some were obviously wrong. (said a rigger candidate only needed one 8610-2 not two). Some were obsolete. It references all the mil specs for the materials but they were all cancelled in 1998 and replaced by pia specs. Mil specs are still the 'language' of the industry and hence still referenced in places like D J Associates website but everything new sold is PIA spec labeled. Other things are a matter of opinion. MEL has one, Sandy has one, I have one, Bauer has one, DeWolf has one as well as every other rigger. I haven't met two experienced riggers that agree on everything yet. MEL's list of errors isn't going to be my list or errors. One problem is that the FAA HAS looked at their handbook and said 'this is the only way'. What I feared when it came out without more than one method or opinion on things that can and do vary. BTW I was working on the rewrite for a short time (a year and a half ago, hmm or was it 2 and 1/2?) but the support and communication from the company with the contract wasn't acceptable to me. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

What's your definition of loose? 1/4 turn, 1/2 turn, 2 turns? The screws don't take the load, unlike a french link. They hold the halves of the l bars in place and the tenon in the hole takes the load. (The tapered nature of the tenons probably does transfer some load to the screws but nowhere near the whole load.) Unless they were at least a full turn, maybe two loose I wouldn't consider it unusual. I usually can take a 1/4 turn or so in most I open. Including ones I tightened last time. Both screws would have to be substantially out for an issue to develop. Have you ever TRIED to take one apart? with screws out it takes a hammer or link separator. Not that I'd want the screws out but little risk if the screws are essentially in. With the nature of the taper of the tenon and hole 'tight' will depend on temperature. If something less than one turn, don't worry about it. They're not going anywhere. You should ensure they are the right screws but I'm not even going to try to explain that here. Medium loctite would probably be okay but why do something the MANUFACTURER doesn't recommend? Pulling the reserve off for maintenance or repair should not require extra effort. This is a problem only in your imagination. But good to ask. BTW it being a 182 operation probably means they have MORE time to do maintenance and certainly doesn't imply the Rigger is any less diligent. Lose your prejudice. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Put it in a ripstop sleeve like the Strong Aerosport. Apparently didn't burn it. BTW I have an RW PC if you need measurements from it. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

The short version is it's 3 secs, 4 in certain circumstances. If you can't make that because the airspeed is too slow, i.e. cutaway, then you can use 300'. I've pointed this out several times when folks quote 300'. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Some jumpmasters would just let go of the static line and let the airplane pull the main container open. Other like me controlled the static line with in their hand and pulled the main container open with their hand. If the student was doing something stupid, like a back loop off the step, rolling on their side, etc. you could 'short line' them by pulling the main container open before the static line got to it's full length. Out of several hundred if not more static line students I've thrown I could probably count the ones I didn't pull (and the airplane pulled) on both hands. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

It may take as long to buy one that doesn't need service as to get one serviced. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

What Mark said is normal but with fix needed and backlog in March is was about 4 weeks. Haven't checked lately and I would have expected them to be closer to normal by now but with owner's death I'd call and ask if it matters. It is what it is and can't change. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

A laser reserve is the only Ram air reserve I've had fail a pull test. And it failed at about three pounds. Totally toast just like the rounds that failed during the acid mesh era. This was a reserve that had not been mistreated. Do a search and you'll find that they were made by two different sequential companies and owners. I can't tell you which is better but it's not worth the risk. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

And when your hanging from the tail of the airplane on your NEXT jump by your RESERVE you can chew the lines apart. You can have the tool and not use it if you don't want to or don't know what to do. But there are situations where not having the knife can kill you. No one I've every known wore a hook knife to be cool. If anything people have not wore one thinking they were too cool to every need one. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

And when your hanging from the tail of the airplane on your NEXT jump by your RESERVE you can chew the lines apart. You can have the tool and not use it if you don't want to or don't know what to do. But there are situations where not having the knife can kill you. No one I've every known wore a hook knife to be cool. If anything people have not wore one thinking they were too cool to every need one. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I doubt anyone besides PD could give you any answer because I doubt if anyone in the field as ever done it. And PD may not know either. Is it really lined to different specs or is it just out of spec due to wear? I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Contact Gary Peek (peek username on here) He's your conference director, lives in the area and is a Master Rigger. If he's not available I'm sure he can recommend someone. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Don't roll them, slide them inside the pad. And extra rubber band on can also help. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

That takes real skill. I'm not sure I could do it if I tried. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE