Hooknswoop

Just my theory, but they have fluctuations in orders. When they are slow, they can get them out fast, when they are busy, they get backed up. If they hire more staff when they are busy, then they will either be paying people to do nothing when they are slow, have to fire the extra staff, or increase the cost of their rigs (a lot) to pay people to do nothing when it is slow. Same way at a DZ, they could have enough full-time staff that there is zero waiting on their busiest day, but then there isn't enough work for the staff the other 364 days. I would just accept the delivery time and wait. Derek

LOL! Got me

Imitation is the sincerest from of flattery.......... Derek

I have seen pull-up cord dive loops fail, in the middle of a hook turn. There was another incident where a jumper couldn't get their finger(s) out of a home made dive loop and were lucky to live but did get busted up pretty good. Buy new risers with dive loops on them from the factory. Derek

Just like skydiving, currency in rigging is important. I think a lot of people get their rigger ticket with the intention of only working on their and maybe a couple of friend's gear. Then it gets around they are a rigger and are swamped with rigs. Derek

The FAA only publishes the questions, not the answers. The only place I have seent hat offers a study guide, with the answers and explainations is Para-Publishing. I don't know if they have updated their study guide since the test was updated. Derek

Pulling at 4,000 ft and a hard deck of 2,000 ft is fine for now. Any changes to those altitudes should be well thought out and discussed w/ an Instructor. Derek

A seam ripper, large needle, that sort of thing makes cleaning it easier. Derek

It is awefully high. Derek

After a 2-year layoff I wouldn't recommend downsizing at all, especially if you downsize and go to a fully elliptical. Start out on the Sabre 230 or similar and demo other canopies. I would suggest, in no particular order, the Sabre2, Safire2, Hornet, and Spectre. Derek

Good job Pablo! Now get to work. Derek

Right, and I have done it too, but it is for training purposes only, not for normal tandem jumps with a paying passenger. Derek

!!!!!????? Wow. What happens if the TI can't get he drogue out? Tandem terminal reserve deployment. EP's for tandems include getting either the drogue or reserve out before reaching tandem terminal. Current USPA BSR's prohibit intentional back to earth or vertical orientations that exceed normal drogue falls speeds. Current USPA BSR's state the minimum pull altitude for tandems is 4,500 feet AGL. Pulling at 4,000 feet AGL doesn't leave a lot of room to beat the Cypres in the event of a high speed malfunction or time to fix a problem with the main before having to cutaway and deploy the reserve in time to beat the Cypres. Not that USPA would actually do anything, but out of curiosity, is this DZ an USPA GM DZ? Not safe practices. Definitely not smart to compromise safety for $$$ Derek

Another way of looking at separation is the time between the base exits a DC-3 and when the last diver exits. 8+ seconds is normal and the last diver catches the base. In the 8+ seconds, the aircraft is covering ground (how much depends on the uppers), but for the last diver, the distance to make up is vertical, not so much horizontal. Derek

Hard Deck- Your hard deck altitude is the lowest altitude you can still continue to attempt to deploy your main canopy or fix a problem with your main canopy. Once reaching that hard deck altitude, you must either give up trying to deploy the main and pull the reserve or give up trying to fix a deployed, but not fully functional main and cutaway and deploy the reserve. Going to the reserve can be done higher than the hard deck, the hard deck is the absolute minimum altitude. To determine this altitude, work backwards. Start with the lowest altitude you feel safe getting a fully deployed reserve. Add the altitude it takes for a reserve to deploy, 200-400 feet. Now add in some altitude as a safety margin for any unforeseen problems, reaction time, etc. The total is your hard deck. Higher is better. Your main deployment altitude should be calculated in a similar manner, starting with your hard deck, add in enough altitude to identify and react to a high speed malfunction. Next add in how much altitude your canopy takes to open on a slow opening. Now add in a safety margin for any unforeseen circumstances. The total is your minimum deployment altitude. If you are in free-fall and unable to deploy your main canopy, no later than, and preferably before your hard deck, deploy your reserve. If you have deployed your main, but it has a problem and you are attempting to fix the problem, maintain altitude awareness, and no lower than your hard deck, cutaway and pull your reserve if you haven't fixed the problem with your main. Do not attempt to fix one more line twist, getting a line over off one last cell, etc. If you do not have a fully functional main canopy by your hard deck, cutaway and pull your reserve, no exceptions. Once you are below your hard deck, you have committed yourself to landing your main canopy. That one last line twist you kick out of below your hard deck is no big deal, right? You then release the brakes and only one releases, now you are below your hard deck, with a malfunctioning main. If you have a broken line or lines, step through, tension knots, pilot chute over the nose, etc, you must decide before your hard deck if the canopy is land-able with a controllability check. You must be able to turn the canopy and flare it in order to land it safely. This must be determined prior to reaching your hard deck in order to have enough altitude to cutaway, deploy your reserve, and land safely. If you are jumping at an unfamiliar DZ and will probably require more time to find and access a safe landing area, increase your hard deck altitude. If you are jumping at an unfamiliar DZ that has few outs, increase your hard deck altitude. If you are jumping a new or unfamiliar main or harness/container, increase your hard deck altitude. Any circumstances that that can affect how much altitude it will take you to cutaway and pull your reserve and land your reserve safely, require you to increase your hard deck. This is a continual process. Learn to recognize when you are increasing your risk level and increase your hard deck accordingly. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A FULLY FUNCTIONAL MAIN CANOPY BY YOUR HARD DECK ALTITUDE, CUTAWAY AND PULL YOUR RESERVE. Derek

Some other manufacturers. I don't belive this other company still make retractable closing pin PC's. Derek

I've only seen a few and it didn't take long before the pin would poke out the side of the bridle, between the stitches, before it got to the hole it was supposed to stick out. Derek

I have seen them before and it is a neat idea. The problem I saw was that it didn't take long for the pin to work it's way through the bridle before where is is supposed to when 'cocking' it. Derek

I and a lot of other people have Vector III's and I am very interested to hear the details of these total malfunctions you described. I have had two reserve deployments on my Micron and they were quick, clean deployments. Derek

Got this in a PM: For some reason, when I try to view a full profile, it asks me to logon and that my session is expired. This happens even after I log on again. Have you seen this? Do you know of a fix? Derek

Ya, that was too general. There are DZ's that do a great job of keeping WL under control. Being backed up by the DZO makes all the difference. Derek

25-ish for a sport rig, 55-ish for a tandem rig. Derek

Because none of those have happened to me. Derek

Yes. They are there for appearances. "See Mr. FAA, we are self-regulating, no need for you to regulate skydiving…………" Right. Now look up what a RD can do a jumper. Can they ground them? Nope. The DZO can say, hop on the airplane and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Derek

Hasn't happened yet and there doesn't seem to be any indication that it will happen anytime soon. They lose a few jumpers a year to injuries and they come back eventually, usually. They implement WL restrictions and the DZ down the road doesn't, a whole bunch move down the road. As for USPA, they won't do anything unless DZO's tell them to. The problem is getting worse with no solution in sight. The perceived reduction in freedom, possibly leading to further reductions in freedom, perception that there isn't a problem, and everyone believing they are the exception prevents any solution from being implemented. Look at the poll on the homepage about a Wing loading BSR. Sounds so simple, doesn't it? Read the Wingloading BSR threads. We have been down this road before. The opposition to the 500/1.5 restriction was/is huge. They don't want it and will fight against it. Derek