Hooknswoop

I noticed that too. Derek

And their directions must be wrong, they don't take you to TN, they take you somewhere near Atlanta, GA.......... Derek

I agree. Similar to an A & P has to pack the drogue chutes on Lear jets, not a rigger. Of course it makes sense to have a rigger pack it and an A & P supervise and sign it off. Derek

I guess it depends on your definition of 'fun'.. With larger canopies, it is easily recoverable, simply slowly let the toggles back up and the canopy will re-inflate and fly again. Letting the toggles up too quickly can result in slack lines, line twists, etc. There is no real need to completely fold-up your canopy, but knowing where the stall point of your canopy is is useful information. Slowly flare the canopy until you feel it begin to sink, almost straight down. Definately discuss finding the stall point of your canopy with your Instructor prior to attempting it. Derek

Pulling down both toggles far enough and long enough causes the canopy to stall, fold up and fall backwards (lots of fun at altitude). Pulling one toggle far enough and long enough causes one side of the canopy to stall, allowing the non-stalled side to fly around the stalled side, resulting in line twists. Releasing/removing the input to the toggle will stop the spin IF the canopy pulls the steering line back up through the line twists. If it doesn't, then the canopy will continue to fly around itself, making the situation worse with a cutaway and reserve deployment the only option. Derek

Weather or not the container and/or reserve is suitable to your experience level is part of what makes this harness/container/reserve a good deal or not. A XRS/PD-113R for $200 is a great deal for Hookitt, but a poor deal for someone without 500+ jumps on something a little bigger. The temptation to jump a rig you have promised yourself will sit in the closet 'until you are ready' is too much for most people. It is a slippery road that is all too easy to go down. Pass this deal up. There will be a better deal very soon. Derek

Want to have fun in skydiving? Want to avoid politics? Don't get an Instructional rating of any kind. Don't even get paid to shoot video. Derek

Amy, of course.

There are 4 risers, 2 front and 2 rear. The left and right riser groups are one assembly. Right, the cutaway cables are routed through the harness/container, through housings. After going through the white locking loop on the 3-ring, the cutaway cables go into channels on the back of each rear riser. If the line twists include the risers, they can also include the excess cutaway cables in the rear risers, causing a hard or impossible cutaway. Housings, similar to, but smaller in diameter than cutaway cable housings (some are plastic), can be put in the channels on the rear risers to protect the excess cutaway cables from binding together. Cutaway cables and risers must be maintained, along with inserts installed, to keep cutaway forces low. Derek

Housings similar to cutaway cable housings, except smaller, that go into the channel on the back of the rear riser for the excess cutaway cable to go into. The prevent hard pulls by keeping the cables from gripping each other if the risers are twisted and from the channel gripping the cables. Standard 3-ring risers are more efficent, lowering cutaway froces. Not all, but a lot of older risers are not up to current specs, which can increase cutaway forces. Derek

Depending on the set-up, it may only involve moving where the seat belts attach in the 'tracks' on the floor. Seat belts have to be certified, and have a TSO tag on them, so a rigger couldn't legally manufacture them. This is the only one I've seen. I ran across it a long time ago, then again recently. Derek

A few questions: Do you have riser inserts? What type of risers, mini or standard? When was the last time the 3-rings were 'massaged' to prevent them from taking a 'set'? When was tha last time the cutaway cables had been cleaned? What was used to clean the cutaway cables? Do the cutaway cables have any 'kinks' or sharp bends in them? How old are the risers and are they manufactured to current specs? Derek

This Seat Belt Report makes for good reading. Derek

You'll need type IIa, which is type II with the core cords removed. Paragear sells a 100-yard roll for $22.50. They also sell the fids to fingertrap the closing loops. You can also make your own tool out of 0.20 or 0.32 safety wire. I have switched to Type IV, removing the inner cords, for closing loops. Derek

Yes Yes and it comes in either 200 or 220 sq. ft. Derek

On my VX, I set the toggles at 3" below the factory mark for the first jump. then lowered them another 3.5", which is where they are now. They have a ton of slack in them so that at top speed in a dive on the double fronts, the tail isn't pulled down. Derek

I disagree. The steering lines should have enough slack to allow the pilot to pull down on the front risers w/o pulling down the tail. if you are pulling down the tail with the front risers, you are increasing the front riser pressure, shortening the recovery arc , and slowing the canopy (brakes). Of course the pilot needs to be able to flare still. If the risers are too short or the pilot's arms too short, then this may be an issue, but that is rare. Even if full flare is at your waist, it is still full flare and any more is un-necessary. Derek

Left winglet is missing, compare the left wingtip to the right. Derek

I went 2.5 miles from 13,500, crosswind, in a RW suit. Derek

Terrific post. How many injuries each year would be prevented with a good PLF? I'm guessing lots. As a side note, I switched to calling it/teaching it a PLR, (Parachute Landing Roll), when the APF switched. Derek

Glock 17 with a spring guide laser Derek

You are correct. The reserve Fury only comes in a 220 sq. ft. version. In that case, I have no clue what the difference is, sorry. Send them an e-mail and see what they say, they have great customer service. Derek

The Fury is 220 sq. ft. Must be listed wrong. Derek

I think you'll find that the riggers may disagree on some issues, but they probably don't think that the other way is bad, just their way is 'better'. Not everyone agrees with all of my "Derek's Gear Tips", which is OK. I wouldn't except everyone to agree. Different environments experiences, gear, techniques, styles, etc all affect opinions. Some riggers finger-trap the excess steering line on reserves, some don't. The advantage is it is cleaner, the disadvantage is that it shortens the lower control line a little. Is one way better than the other. If it is, not by much. So even if two very experienced riggers do it differently, it doesn't really matter. Lastly, riggers will tend to argue points like finger trapping the excess steering line on reserves..........for hours.. Riggers tend to be perfectionist, which is good, but can result in almost meaningless debates and minor differences of opinion, which is super-boring to anyone but riggers. I wouldn't worry too much if two riggers disagree, I would take advantage of it. Listen to their opinions and reasoning for those opinions. That arms you with the knowledge to make an educated decision of what is best for you. Derek

Now that everyone is all warm and fuzzy, can we get back to: ? Derek