Hooknswoop

Right, keeping the front risers pulled down extends the natural recovery arc of the canopy, but only so far. Eventually, the canopy will be in the same flight state as if the pilot simply pulled down on the front risers from normal, "steady state" flight. The higher the front riser pressure of the canopy, the less the natural recovery arc can be 'artificially' extended or increased by pulling down on the front risers Hook.

Any canopy will do that. A canopy with a long recovery arc can be held in a dive with the front risers longer than a canopy with a short recovery can be held, all other things being equal. Some canopies have higher front riser pressure and a short recovery arc, making it difficult to get a long dive out of the canopy. Some canopies have light front riser pressure with a short recovery arc, making it possible to get a long dive out of it, but it recovers quickly when the front risers are relased. Hook

Recovery arc = altitude when the pilot removes all input into the canopy (harness, toggle, and riser) minus altitude canopy recovers at (it's normal glide speed and angle or less). The more altitude lost after input is removed, the longer a canopy's recovery arc is said to be. Some canopies will, after a hard turn, recover to a shallower glide angle than "steady state", or normal, and lower airspeed, then pitch over and accelerate back to it's "steady state", or normal glide speed and angle. Some canopies, after a hard turn will return to it's "steady state", or normal glide speed and angle without the glide angle becoming shallower or the bleeding off airspeed. A canopy can even climb, without input, after a hard turn, slow to just above stall speed before pitching over and diving to return to it's "steady state" glide speed and angle. A canopy that planes out parallel to the ground after a hard turn is considered to have a "positive" recovery arc. A canopy that does not plane out parallel to the ground after a hard turn is considered to have a "negative" recovery arc. Wing loading and canopy design determine a canopy's recovery arc. Hook

Good chance he will remember what type of lines. Most PDR's I have packed had Micro-lines. It depends on how many he has packed sine that one. If he doesn't remember, call PD w/ the S/N, like Aggiedave suggested. Hook

PD sends a reserve manual with their reserves. In it there should be a loose sheet w/ the S/N, LINE TYPE, Link type, Grommet type, and Customer's PO# written on it. I checked three sources, all three listed the same specs for the Spectra lined PD-193R, and the one that listed pack volume for a Dacron PD-193R actually listed a smaller pack volume, which can't be true. PD-193R DOM: 10/92 Pack volume: 471 Type Lines: Spectra PD-193R DOM: 12/90 Pack Volume: 470 Type Lines: Dacron The larger the reserve, the longer the lines, the more of an impact on pack volume Dacron will have over micro-line. Hook

This is an unusual situation and unusual problems generally require unusual solutions. I would sit down with him and find out what his motivations are. Try to let him do all the talking. Make sure you do not interrupt, even if he is going off-topic. Some people jump to tell their friends they are a skydiver, some jump because they have never quit at anything and don't want to start now, even if they don't enjoy skydiving. It is possible, as strange as this may sound, that he jumped, found out what it took to get a license, made that his goal, intending to stop once he got his license, but discovered he really enjoys skydiving and doesn't want to stop. But he may feel he has promised himself, or someone else, he would stop once he got his license. Buying gear would "commit" him to jumping, right now he can quit anytime without gear to sell, etc. He may not even consciously realize how strange his situation is or that he is intentionally not committing to jumping by getting a license or buying gear. I know people that hid every piece of skydiving gear whenever their parents visited. Reminds me of a bumper sticker, "Don't tell my parents I'm a pilot, they think I play a piano in a whorehouse". Bottom line, talk to him, and get him to talk. Hook

Or don't want to hit other canopies, or hit an aircraft, or don't want to exit too far out to sea to make a dry landing, or exit too far over a lake to make it to shore, or have your main land on/near the DZ in the event of a cutaway, etc. There is also that "legally" skydivers must maintain VFR cloud clearances. Spotting is important. Hook

My second rig has a Safire 189 in it. I load it at 1:1 and don't have to run out the landings. I really like the canopy. Hook

Sorry, I thought you meant the slider grommets. Hook

I see your point, but would the submarine turn as it is subjected to the decreassing current? An under-water "gust" wouldn't push the tail of a sub around, it would tilt the sub over a bit, then it would right it's self, but still be pointed in the same direction. If it does turn, the that would mean a lull after a gust (for a canopy) from the side would turn the canopy back to it's original heading. With tandems, where I spend some time not controlling the canopy, making the stuednt comfortable, etc, I haven't seen any tendancies to turn any particular direction. This is usually through the altitudes of the greatest change in wind speed, 3,000-5,000 ft-ish. If it is flying straight, regardlesss of direction, it wil continue to fly straight, if we are turning, me or the student un-even in the harness, line trim, etc, it continues to turn. Hook

Right, it is anchored, which makes for a bad example, except for the "gust from the side turns the canopy downwind" point. If a "side gust" pushed the nose of the canopy downwind, then a para-foil kite would turn 180 and fly into the ground as it was hit by "side gusts". We are in total agreem ent that canopies do not have downwind, upwind, or any other "wind" turning "tendancies". Hook

I had packed the 120, packing it according to AR's specs (I had the video), with the small rubber bands, AR D-bag and PC, etc. Rubber bands shouldn't make a difference on how hard the canopy opens. Hookit recently did some test jumps w/ loose stows, no hard openings. Some canopies are prone to hard openings. Every now and then pressurization and bottom skin inflation over-powers the slider. Canopy design has ore to do w/ opening force than anything. My Safire Option can tame a hard opening Safire simply by changing the upper control lines. The new rubber-band-less D-bags prove that tight stows aren't necessary for soft openings. I have deployed a PD-170 and a Stiletto 97 out of free-bags with soft openings. A friend of mine demo's a PD reserve, packed into a D-bag w/ tight stows and got hammered. Hook

Have your rigger put a pocket on the slider. Also, check the line trim. Second hardest opening I've ever had was on a Triatholon 120. They can open very hard. Hook

I wonder if anything can be gleaned for this discussion from how a "Parafoil" kite flys? It is basically a ram-air parachute, yet it "weather-vanes" into the wind. Thoughts? Hook

I guess the question comes down to the lesser of two evils. If we do nothing, we risk further attacks, if we level Baghdad, either with nuclear weapons or massive conventional bombing campaign, we risk the tremendous political repercussions. So what is worse, the risk of further WMD attacks, or the political consequences of retaliation? Hook

Placing your knees on the slider grommets can damage the slider (and your knees). Instead, place your knees just above the grommets, pinning the slider material in place, which holds the grommets against the stops. Hook

I'm not sure we should use nuclear weapons if the use chemical/biological weapons on us. We are after the Iraqi goverment and vaporizing million of Iraqi citizens doesn't help us towards that goal. But if we don't, are we inviting more chemical/biological attacks from others that have been detered by that policy? If WMD are used against us, we are in a double fix, first we got gassed, or whatever, and then we have to decide to enforce our policy, possibly with horrific results, and huge political fall-out (no pun intended), or take the hit and possibly invite further WMD attackes. I'm glad I am not making this decision, and I hope we are not put in the position of having to make that decision. Hook

http://www.washtimes.com/world/20030131-27320419.htm I hope you are right, but i am till a bit concerned. We don't have to be convinced that conventional weapons are sufficient, our potential WMD equipped enemies have to be convinced. Hook

I understand the USA'a policy towards anyone using Nuclear, Chemical, or Biological weapons against our troops or civilians is to respond with Nuclear weapons. This policy is the same concept as not negotiating with hijackers. It is a deterent. If we give in to the demands of hijackers once, then other groups will use hijackings as a means to get what they want. So, if Iraq uses WMD and we do not nuke them, that deterent is gone. Our policy has worked as a deterent, but is also backs us into a corner. This is my biggest fear about the current war and it's far-reaching consequences. Hook

Who knows? It may fly fine together, they may entangle right away, they may fly ok, then entangle. There are no guarantees, especially with smaller canopies. I plan on doing more 2-out test jump w/ smaller canopies. I believe it has a lot to do line length, trim, brake settings, etc. Hook

I didn't specifically address it, but the same analogy applies, as the submarine descends, it encounters eddies, changing currents, etc. These changes (turbulence) can change the direction the submarine (canopy) is pointed, but not in a predictable manner. It will still impact in a random direction. Here is my belief as to why some people believe an uncontrolled canopy will land facing downwind.: 1) When is the only time, usually, we are concerned with keeping the canopy pointed directly into the wind? A: Downwind spot and landing/final approach. 2) Where is the most turbulence found? A: Near the ground 3) If the canopy is pointed into the wind and flys through turbulence that causes it to turn, which direction does it turn? A: Downwind. So our perceptions is that when we try to point the canopy into the wind, it keeps trying to turn downwind, hence some people believe canopies have "Down wind turning Tendencies". I believe that if we landed downwind some people would believe that canopies "Naturally weather-vane into the wind". Because any turbulence we encountered on final approach that caused the canopy to turn would turn the canopy into the wind (any turn from downwind is into the wind). Hook

Heading, Altitude, Jumpmaster, the COA As you and your student are going through the dirt dives, they enthusiastically call out "heading", "altitude", glance at their wrist where there altimeter would be (or is), "Jumpmaster", and look at you for the thumbs up. Seems like they've got it, so up you go. Great skydive, everything went as planned. As part of the de-brief you ask, in passing, "What direction were we facing in freefall". They scrunch up their brow, thinking back to the skydive, and haven't a clue which direction they were facing, even though they checked their heading several times. They can even remember saying "Heading" in their mind, looking at their altimeter and it reading 9,400 feet, and the grin on your face as you gave them a big thumbs up, but they have no idea which way they were facing. How can they remember 9,400 feet and a bunch of other details, but not remember which way they were facing? They didn't train to actually look at the horizon, they merely said "Horizon" as a pre-cursor to checking altitude. Back to the dirt dives. Your student calls out, "Heading", you interrupt them to ask them what they are looking at.. "Umm……the Coke machine", they reply a little hesitantly. "Good", you reply, "continue". Now they are actually looking for a reference to go with the word, "Heading". They now associate an action with the word. In freefall, they will look for a reference after queuing themselves with, "Horizon". Have you ever had a student look at their altimeter, look at you, go to call out the altitude, look back at their altimeter, look back at you, and then call out the altitude? Forcing them to actually READ the altimeter and not just glance at it is, of course, the objective off having them call out the altitude. I do think that calling out the altitude to both Instructors is a waste of time, as is having the student check with both Instructors during a circle of awareness. If they check with the first Instructor and get a thumbs up, why check with the other Instructor? Why not go straight to the PHT's? Hook

Imagine a submarine in the ocean, submerged. It is turning it's screw (propeller) enough to produce a forward speed of about 5 knots. It is slightly negatively buoyant. There is a 5-knot current. It is facing perpendicular to the current. What direction will it be facing when it hits bottom? Hook

Hopefully the USPA Member's insurance would cover that. If your reserve handle went through a windshield, it woud cover it...... Bill- any thoughts on putting a Tyvek label for 2-3 names/addresses/phone #'s, on reserve bridles? Hook

I have landed a bi-plane and a side-by-side intentionally. Curisoity mainly. Having played w/ 2 out situations, it helps me to teach others how to deal w/ 2 canopies out. For example, if there is a good wind, say 12 mph (which is within the USPA 14 mph max for students) with 2 canopies out, a student will probably be backing up. That is a lot of fabric making for a very low wing loading. Hook