councilman24

Check with TSE and your regulatory/rigging community to see if they are allowed in your Tear Drop. Last I knew no US manufacturer had approved them for use in their rigs in their manuals. US riggers have to follow the manufacturers manuals and so if they say only approved (by the manufacturer) AAD's can be used that's what we have to follow. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

TS-112 is attempting to give manufacturers a test plan for seeing if an AAD or a particular installation (cutter top versus bottom etc) has any effect on PC launch in their container under a number of conditions. It's still under review and development. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

NEVER do ANY sewing or rigging on a closed parachute! People have died doing that! There is a REASON we don't want people, especially newbies, 'messing' with their reserve. A sky tie could be added during a repack, if the rigger choose to do so. Leave the rigging advice to the riggers please. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

You mean like this? http://navyaviation.tpub.com/14014/css/14014_302.htm I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Of course we didn't realize it was a SOAP OPERA. But one with Vampires. Wonder if it's available. Probably look a lot like cheesy Halloween now. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Yep, reserve pulled before cutaway. Wondered how he pulled it that fast until I saw that. As best as I can tell he was hanging from one riser. I don't know whether he would have had cross connectors or the other side just stayed open. I've seen cutaway rounds stay inflated to the ground. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I didn't have it in front of me when I replied earlier. I do now. I don't know any other way to read the sentence. "Breakaway Drop Tests: Eight drips shall be made by a person weighing not more than the maximum operating weight by breaking away from an open and normally functioning main parachute canopy with a vertical velocity of less than 20 FPS (6.1 m/s) at the time of the breakaway and actuating the reserve pack within 2 s of the breakaway. If a reserve static line is part of the assembly, no less than 4 of the breakaway drops shall be made with the reserve static loin actuating the reserve pack. The parachute canopy must be functionally open withing the time +2 s, or altitude, obtained in 4.3.6 from the time of breakaway." emphasis added Sure looks like it gives both the jumper and the RSL 2 seconds to open the reserve pack and then the 3 seconds for the normal opening requirement. Since no standard is given for the first case the last sentence must apply to both manual and RSL. "...time +2 s.." sure looks additive to me. And yes this would effectively allow a reserve to take 5 secs to open using an RSL because pack opening is fractions of a second after breakaway. I agree this is not what we want to measure and hence the changes in TS-135 to measure both from the pack opening and apply 3 sec. But we've hijacked the thread and its time to go pick up the kids. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Another senior moment Jerry? Look at the document numbers in your post. Two completely different documents with different purposes written a decade apart. Ts 120 is suggested self reporting by an AAD manuf. From TS 120: Objective The PIA AAD Design & Testing Report Format is regarded as fulfilled when the manufacturer releases the following test report about his product. The test report will be published by the PIA in the "Para NewsBrief", and on the PIA Internet Web Site so that the public has access to it. With the following report procedure, every manufacturer has their own choice to define the extent and kind of requirements concerning their particular unit. The requirement regarding quality of each product results from the self-defined test requirements. Each manufacturer is free to decide which of the actual tests and quality control parameters they want to use in the published test report. The self-chosen quality requirements should be documented. TS112 is a work in progress to guide H/c manufacturers on really determining some level of compatibility with real world rigging. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

If that's true John the language was not written to reflect that position. It is changed in the new one. It's three seconds from pack opening, rsl or not. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

TS-120 was written as a suggested format for AAD manufacturers to use to report to the industry and their customers their product. It was written by Airtec staff at the time, with input and support from PIA committee members. I don't believe any other AAD manufacturer has used that particular format. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Hey Adam, Thanks. I used to have some of these links but always seem to lose them over time. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

TOO MANY WORDS! I guess skydivers could read back then. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Is that manual available on line somewhere? I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

An old time jumper that was around for a few years after I started claimed to have 39 and stopped counting. I believe him. These were all on rags or PC's with his chest mount pop top and older reserves. A lot of these weren't traditional (now) cutaways but canopy transfers with the front reserve. He only ever had a few jumps on ramair piggy back gear. He's also the rigger who packed me a 1400' reserve total. He used to pack his PC in about 5 minutes, total. He'd stretch it out as he took it off and then pull the sleeve down, stow the lines and put in his conventional back container. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Hey Jerry, I was there too but don't remember that question. I do remember being impressed and my buddy and I looking at eachother when he said there were two processors, one to check the function of the first. I think price and the unwillingness by experienced jumpers to give up control and have a "student" device on there back slowed acceptance. I had a friend knocked unconscious and bounce exiting a DC 3 in 1985. Wearing a frap hat. Everyone said they were going to get a protect, some said a Fxc. As far as I know there wasn't a single helmet or Aod bought because of her death. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I've upsized canopy but only because I myself have been upsizing. Of course I never was into the little stuff. 1.5 about has high as I got. More pain in my bad leg last winter had be sitting on my ass too much. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

From AirTec "User selectable activation altitude As soon as the new feature (see below) will be effective, there will be more information here on the CYPRES website. CYPRES 2 User-Selectable Activation Altitude CYPRES 2 now offers users the option of increasing the activation altitude up to 9 steps of approximately 100 feet (30 meters) each. The activation altitude setting increase (1-9) remains until changed, and is noted on the CYPRES display to avoid confusion about the activation altitude selected. See for further details. The decision to increase the activation altitude, and by how much, has to be taken by the user, preferably in consultation with the reserve & main canopy and harness / container manufacturers. Warning: The higher the activation altitude, the more likely is a two canopy out scenario on low main openings. Because of the variables involved, it is the user who bears all responsibility and consequences of his activation altitude setting. Airtec GmbH & Co. KG, the manufacturer of the CYPRES device, does not take any responsibilities thereof." Here is the answer about display. Landing offset will function just as it does. Firing altitude will just be what you set it, whether offset or not. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

Airtec/SSk actually let the folks at the last PIA business meeting in Feb in Daytona Beach know about this. PIA had been ready to petition the AAD manufacturers to raise their activation altitude in response to changes in gear since Cypres and so a lesser extent Vigil were introduced. Reserves are being designed to open slower, still within TSO but nearer the upper limit, gear is tighter, people are going faster, etc. Over the last decade or so there have been several reserves activated by AADs AND by ripcords that should have had time to open but haven't. Many in PIA and other believe the activation altitude should be high. By Airtec making it user adjustable an owner can now set it higher if they desire. You can ignore it if you want. For those of us willing to get out at 2000' we can leave it at 750'. For those who are opening at 3000 or 3500' you may want to give your reserve more time to open. And yourself more time to land it. Reserves for the most part are supposed to open in three seconds. But three seconds from 750' at belly terminal is under 200', depending on your math. Its ment to be a last chance but if you've stuffed your reserve fuller than it's supposed to be, or your main, you may want to move it up. This way Airtec doesn't have the responsibility of choosing what is right for you. You get to choose. But you will need to do the math to back you pack opening altitude up starting with the activation altitude, buffer altitude usually quoted at 1000', canopy opening distance (200 to 1000 feet depending on make/model). I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

You need to read you manual. Setting an offset for a landing elevation different from the take off/turn on altitude changes the reference that ALL the function that depend on pressure altitude use. A Cypres turns off at 130', won't work until your above 1500', may activate if you fly below the offset altitude after being above it. All of this applies to the offset altitude. It will also rest after 1.5 hours to original reference altitude when turned on. NONE of this happens with changing the activation altitude. This remains until changed. Doesn't change the 130', the 1500'. For example if you use the offset to add 1000' to the activation altitude it will now also turn off at 1130'. Not something you want. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

It's based on personal discussion over 20 plus years with airtec and ssk. Usually they quote 1000' when not in the burble. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

And I thought I had an answer when I saw the email notification. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

What fabric is the T-11 made from? I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

The first one wasn't me but was like the beer. The team had gotten sponsored 7-up and burger king canopies. One guy was so cheap he didn't have his own main. Didn't jump much and just used the burger king canopy all the time. Yearly demo into the local university football stadium. Tight stadium with roads, hills and buildings all around it. But they got in fine.(I wasn't on this one. ) With the burger king canopy. Into the game Sponsored by Wendy's! With "Wendy" on the field. We never did the demo again, to this day, 20 plus years later. I was on a demo into the Battle Creek International Balloon Championship at the airport. It's an Air Guard base with something like a 10,000 foot runway. This was a big local event with carnival, airshow, etc. Flight line was probably 1/3 mile long, starting 500' from the road. Eight way was to spread out along flight line for landing. We let the wrong guy spot. And we all knew he couldn't figure out which side of the airport he was on. But he spotted anyway. We all missed the entire airport. Landed across the road in a residential neighborhood. We ALMOST jumped into the wrong high school one night. Night jump, scouted from the ground but no ground to air communication. 100 miles from DZ/home and pre GPS. We took off, flew over there and looked down. TWO high school football games were being played about a mile and half apart! We did NOT know which was ours. Luckily we were early, landed nearby and called the school for clarification. Another, Winter demo in MI in 1987. Packed up my main and seemed a little tight. Took off from DZ 6 miles from local ski resort. Ceiling scraping 2000' agl. Got there looked at altimeters, looked at each other and called for jump run. I was last out of 4 in the 182. Pilot gave a good cut so figure we were losing some altitude and the other idiot, uh team members took their time. I stumbled hurrying to get out of the door so took a couple of seconds to make sure I was stable and thew out. PC in tow. Pulled my reserve (my chosen procedure). Main came out but I was too busy watching the trees to see what was happening. Went into the trees faster than with an open canopy but slower than freefall. Just like we tell all first jump students NOT to do I was looking down. Managed to stick my leg out and hit a crotch in the tree. Ended up suspended from both my main and reserve in the tree, 40' up, half way up the ski hill with a shattered ankle. Local fire didn't have a clue how to get me down. But being an instructor at a cessna DZ surrounded by trees using T-10 mains I was well versed at getting down. So ran the rescue using the main canopy has high point. Since it was the winter festival a newspaper reporter and photographer were on the scene. Was front page of the local paper two days in a row and it went out on the AP wire service, "Tree snagged unopened parachute and saves skydiver". A few weeks later I was most of Page 3 int he Weekly World News. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

I'm on my phone. But go look at breakaway testing. It keeps 300' but adds +2 second to the 4.3.6 requirements since its subterminal. 4.3.6.2 last sentence. It's in the car. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE

And people are bitching about DZ's requiring an AAD. When I read title I thought ankle, knee, hip, elbow. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE