Hooknswoop

Why would it submerge faster? What causes a submarine to submerge? Would it submerge faster if it was doing 30 knots through calm water or 0 knots into a 30 knot current? Derek

Does snow fall slower if the wind is blowing? Does a submarine rise faster if there is a current or not? (all other things being equal) Can a bird descend or climb faster if there is wind? (no up-drafts/downdratfs) Does an aircraft descend or climb faster if there is wind? A raft anagoly doesn't work well because it isn't completely submerged in the medium, it is partially in one medium and partially in another. If you swim underwater at a 90-degree abngle across a stream, it takes the same amount of time to reach the other side regardless if there is a current or not. If there is a current, you just end up on the other side of the stream down stream instead of directly across from where you started. The current accounts for the added distance covered over the stream bed. If you point a Pilatus Porter straight down, 90-degrees to the ground in zero wind and a steady 30 mph wind, it will have the exact same descent rate. The difference will be it's ground track. In a straight down dive in zero wind, the Porter will have a ground track across the ground in the direction of the top of the wing. If there is wind, and the top of the wing is on the up-wind side, the wind will cancel out the aircraft's ground track, but the descent will be the same. If it rolls 180- degrees, it's ground track will be whatever it would be in no wind plus 30 mph. The ground has zero effect on aerodynamics once you are out of ground effect. Wind is measureed in refernce to speed the air moves over the ground. Air speed is measured in reference to the air mass the vehicle is flying through. The key is reference points. Wind "hitting the top of the wing" (a canopy diving with the top skin into the wind is not being hit by the wind) does not cancel out it's lift, only it's groundspeed that that lift would produce. I have witnessed a Piper Cub flying backwards across the ground. It still had airspeed, but the wind was more than it's airspeed making it's ground speed negative. Derek

I just wanted to reiterate that my offer is time limited, as my I/E ratings will expire at the end of the month. Derek

I have landed several reserves loaded at 1.7+:1. I highly recommend against it. Derek

Are you competent to make a judgement about their abilities and yours? Then I trust you. I am trying to help and you refuse to let me. Derek

No, but in 10 days I will no longer be able to teach students. Am I suddenly unqualified? No, if I remeber correctly,they had to demonstrate air skills to become an instructor if they were only a S/L JM or IAD JM. I have offered a solution, the ball is in your court. You don't have to pay me or USPA any money and you, your friend that has been working with newbies forever and Windsor can all work with pre-A license students. Do you want the solution or do you want to complain? Derek

There are 2 maximum weights, recommended maximum and TSO'd or certified maximum. PD's reserves are F-111 (not really, but that is the common name in use) Derek

I forgot to add, I'll sign off on waivering the Coach requirement for you too, John. Derek

I didn't mean to imply that I thought it was a Mirage because the loop was frayed, oops. The #6 on the flap and the label just above the grommet gave it away. Derek

I have done that to closing loops. I have a couple of tricks to prevent it from happening. (weight bag under the reserve closing loop plate and finger trapping a short peice of pull up cord material into the center of the pull up cord in increase it's diameter) It is usually caused by the pull up cords breaking strands of the closing loop. That is one of the things I check after closing the last flap. If it is frayed, I open it back up and replace the loop. Have the loop replaced. That is a Mirage, yes? Derek

The AFFI rating was an analogy. There is now a standard for what some have done successfully in the past and some have not. Should everyone that has worked with pre-A license students be grand fathered and made a Coach? Not grand fathering some people has the result of some qualified people no longer being able to work with pre-A license jumpers. It also prevents unqualified people from being able to work with pre-A license jumpers. Which is the lesser of the two evils? How would you have implemented the Coach Rating? Again, if they are qualified, they can get wavered, problem solved. If the paperwork can get to me before the end of the month, and you give me some background information on the individual, I’ll waiver him. Again, problem solved. I’ll extend this offer to Windsor too. I have offered two solutions to this specific problem. This is the most I can do. Derek

If you want to join the military, join the Air Force. Simply visit any Army Base, then visit any Air Force base, you'll see what I mean. Derek

I don't doubt either of you have the skills to teach work with students cleared to self J/M. You could both probably pass the AFFCC if you wanted to. Does this mean you should be handed AFFI ratings? If you should handed Coach ratings, what about the guy w/ 100 less jumps than you? 200? 300? 1000? At what point should someone have to go through the course to get the rating? Are 20,000 hour pilots automatically given CFI ratings? I have seen someone with 2,500 jumps fail the AFFCC. Twice. At the AFFCC I went through, 7 of 15 people passed. Of the 8 that didn’t, none had less than 1000 jumps. Working with students is a completely different mindset. They’ll miss things you take for granted and pick up on stuff you didn’t even notice. The course is not a big deal. I bet you would learn something. It is also a chance for the staff at the DZ to brief you what they teach, what they don’t teach, how they teach something, etc. If you are dead set against attending a Coach Course, talk to your S &TA. Get them to waiver you. Derek

This happens with a lots of rigs. I think it is caused by the jumper moving in the harness and the harness trying to flex where the metal of the reserve handle is. It forces the bottom of the handle out of the pocket. It doesn't seem to happen to cutaway handles because they flex with the harness. Contact Mirage and get their advice. One possible solution, that has a drawback, is sewing a line at the bottom of the handle through the harness at an upwards angle. It holds the handle in the pocket better, which is also the downside, it holds the handle in the pocket better. Derek

I understand that details will be forthcoming shortly from someone that was there. Derek

Irvin-GQ bail out rigs. Manuals I only discovered it after someone wanting me to pack a 25 year old Security 350. I did the research and discovered it shouldn't have been packed for the last 10 years. Derek

Definitely ask your Instructors for clarification.

I know of at least one reserve with a life limit (15 years from DOM), a round that goes in pilot bail-out rigs. The vast majority do not. I think this will change as gear ages. Derek

I can't read it very well, but I'll take your word for it. Looks like it is option "2", they messed up. I would think if they are shown this, they would do whatever it takes to fix their error. I would think they should ship your order, UPS RED NEXT DAY, without charging your CC and refund the original $15.00 shipping charge. Oh ya, ditch the Molar strap. Derek

I just checked the 2 e-mails I received from my recent Para-Gear order (I received the order today). Neither indicates how I requested the order be shipped. Para-Gear’s drop down menu for shipment has these options: UPS GROUND UPS ORANGE 3-DAY UPS BLUE 2-DAY UPS RED NEXT DAY AIR MAIL Clicking on the down arrow to view the options, then selecting an option causes the selected option to be highlighted. If you scroll with your mouse, trying to scroll down the page, it instead scrolls through the shipping options. Since AIR MAIL is the last option, it is possible that you scrolled down to AIR MAIL, attempting to scroll the page down. Then clicked on the side bar to scroll down the page and inadvertently selected AIR MAIL. I’m not saying this is what happened, only one possibility. Another possibility is you selected UPS GROUND and they accidentally shipped it AIR MAIL. Derek

There are tapered canopies and, with the new Anglefire, elliptical canopies. We don't use F-111 anymore, but the term is universially understood and it works. Planform is definately a factor in performance. True, which is why planform is only a factor of a canopy's performance, and not the only factor. Atair has suggested that the terms should not be used, but has not suggested an alternative. They even continue to use the term "Elliptical" to describe the Cobalt on their web page. Planform factor is a formula to oplace a numeric value on the amount of taper a canopy has and is much more descriptive of a canopy's planform. Until it is in common use, it won't be useful. I have a formula that takes into account type of line, wing loading, type of PC, and even if the slide is collapsed. It isn't very useful unless a large number of people use it and it becomes a basis of comparison, similar to wingloading now. Especially when they aren't harmful and were started and continued to be used by the manufacturers. Derek

No, but limiting risk is a good idea. That is when it is used, to keeop the slider down at the 3-rings. It wouldn't work if the slider wasn't pulled down past the links. Derek

A Master Rigger with access to a (very expensive) harness machine can replace it. You can also send it back to the manufacturer, whichever is cheaper & easier. Derek

Thank you for clearing that up. Derek

Makes sense. I think 2.0-2.3 for distance. Any higher and you start sacrificing distance for speed (excpet when the wind is blowing). Derek