Hooknswoop

1) Don't roll the nose, if your Sabre opens hard, have a rigger put a pocket on the slider. 2) Use your knee to keep from pulling the steering lines around in front of the nose. Make 3-4 folds of the tail, just enough to cocoon it. 3) Sounds like you are doing fine. When you cocoon the canopy, make it at least 2 inches (more is better) wider than the D-bag. This will fill the corners of the D-bag and it will fit in the container easier. Also, try to put the bag around the canopy, instead of trying to stuff the canopy into the bag. Get the losking stows done, then get the rest of the canopy in the bag. Make sure you place and keep the slider against the stops. Be careful of your toes getting on the lines when you are getting the air out and S-folding it. If you have a Kill-Line PC, cock the PC after you lay the canopy down and before you put it in the bag. Take the twists out of your steering lines evry pack job. If you have velcro toggles, after you land, put the toggles back on the velcro to keep the steering lines from getting torn up. Set you brakes with the steering line to the insides and the excess to the outsides. When you lay the risers in the container, that will put the excess at the bottom of the riser channel, keeping the excess steering line from sticking out from under the riser covers. Inspect as you pack. Hook

Yes, actually it would . It is getting done, a bit at a time. Hook

Third

As much as I would like to say "go for it", I wouldn't recommend it. The risk to the manufacturer, DZ, Instructor, and USPA is too high. Hook

No, you didn't miss anything, I did. When I wrote that, I didn't actually go look at a Vector tandem rig, I only pictured it my mind. The rig is actually sitting in the living room, waiting for the Cypres to get back from Airtec. It is an Eclispe, not a Vector tandem rig( i pictured the wrong rig), my mistake. Sorry Bill. Hook

The adhesive on F-111 Rip-stop tape is acidic to nylon fabric. Over time it will deterorate down to the strength of tissue paper. I never use it. Poynters does say that if it used (on non-approved canopies), use it as a temporary fix and sew it. For the permanant fix, remove the entire area that had the adhesive on it, and patch it. Hook

Some Vectors and Eclispes have a third drogue release ripcord that goes through the cutaway handle, releasing the drogue in the event of a cutaway. So that isn't particular to Strongs. Hook

The card in the Slinks package says: "TSO'd for use with PD reserves" or something close to that. It is a gray area, the FAR's say that it is up to the assembling rigger to determine compatabality of approved components, and they also say a Rigger has to go by the manufacturer's instructions. So it is left up to each rigger to interpret the FAR's and decide if the will assemble a non-PD reserve w/ Slinks. Personally, I don't have a problem using Slinks on any reserve. I cannot come up with a single reason why they wouldn't work with another reserve. Edit: Vector II's say "TSO based on compatability with the Safety Flyer Reserve" or something close to that. Obviously you can out a PD reserve in a Vector II, legally. Same situation, I think. Hook

I agree, you arch with your hips, not your chest. I tend to wear my chest strap fairly loose though. Hook

Modern rigs w/ maintained riser covers, this won't happen. The main risers will be held in place and won't get anywhere near the deploying reserve. Try it when you get your new Vector, on the ground, pull the cutaway handle and see how much force is required to get the risers out from under the covers. They would stay put in freefall. Hook

Don't worry, that is normal. Sit down with an instructor and review your emergency procedures. That should give you a bit of confidence to ease the anxiety. Also, jumping w/ an Instructor or Coach should help too, knowing that someone will be watching over your shoulder to make sure everything goes smoothly should ease your anxiety. Trust yourself. Your Instructor(s) wouldn't have cleared you to self-jumpmaster if they didn't feel you were ready. Finally, remember that that anxiety is one of the things that got you hooked on the sport, the feeling of accomplishment for overcoming your fears. Hook

Obviously, the reason I ask, was being able to pull a cutaway pillow, that 90%+ of skydivers today are equipped with, is as important as being able to pull the reserve handle, in a partial malfunction situation. My feelings on reserve pillows are if they are so bad, why do they work so well for cutaway handles? In a partial malfunction, the cutaway pillow will probably be more difficult to pull that the reserve ripcord (pull forces). The Pillow vs. D-rings/loops decision is one of choosing your risk for your type of flying. A lower profile/harder to grab handle reduces the risk of it accidentally being pulled by someone else or snagged, but also makes it harder for the owner to pull it. The opposite situation for D-rings/loops, easier for the owner to pull it, but easier for someone else to accidentally pull it or to snag it. The type of skydives someone does should influence their decision on the type of cutaway and reserve pillow they have. One type of handle isn't "bad", each has advantages and disadvantages. You have made an informed choice for the type of handles on your rig, based (I'm sure) on the type of skydives you make, and being comfortable with the type of handles you have. I am inclined to think you have made a good decision. Nine of my 13 cutaway was with a 2-pillow handle rig. Of the other 4, 2 were tandems (pillow and loop), and 2 were sport rigs with a pillow and D-ring. (I also have 43 intentional cutaways). I prefer pillow handles. I have to defend against the thought process that my decision, although maybe a good decision for me, may not be a good decision for someone else. I would definitely not recommend them for student rigs or for some other jumpers. Hook

My perspective, if I may: Chris discovered some things that raised a red flag, based on his experience in aviation. In the past, aviation companies have curtailed maintenance in order to get through tough financial times. Not all or probably not even most companies have done this, but it has happened. Therefore, it is prudent to keep an eye on an aviation company, be it United, Northwest, CSS, whatever, that is experiencing financial problems. Drop zones in particular have a history of weak, shoddy, or lack of maintenance. Someone recently asked, "Why would someone not perform the maintenance on his or her million dollar aircraft?" If spending the money on maintenance means they won't have the money to pay the note on that aircraft and lose the aircraft, they may be compelled to risk it. It is a red flag, no more, no less. I understand that you compelled to defend CSS, and that is OK, especially if you jump there. Please continue to monitor the maintenance at CSS, for any change should be obvious. I think that is all Chris is saying, (Chris please correct me if I am wrong). I have jumped CSS aircraft before and have never had an issue with the maintenance of the aircraft. I have had issues with maintenance of a different DZ's aircraft, which was a factor in my leaving that DZ permanently. Hook

Do you have a pillow for a cutaway handle? Hook

LOL- no not a round, hope that with two mains, my reserve, and hopefully the other jumper's reserve, that there is enough fabric out that we both walk away from the landing. The round vs. square debate has been done. Hook

Right, and CRew jumpers, crazy as they are, don't tend to attempt to dock below 2,000 ft. If I was in a wrap, and decided to cutaway, I wouldn't want an RSL in the event I dropped far enough to activate the reserve, but didn't fall clear. 500 ft in a wrap, I doubt I would cut away, probably deploy the reserve and hope. Hook

*** If you are unconscious, your parachute will naturally land down-wind. does not "naturally turn downwind" any more than an aircraft. If that were true, it wouldn't be necessary to steer a canopy on a cross country jump, it would automatically fly downwind. It doesn't. A canopy flys EXACTLY the same in wind, as it does in no wind. Hook

I fly a highly loaded VX also. To prevent the possibility of a hard cutaway, I take certain precautions. 1) Every 30 days I clean my cutaway cables w/ "Ace Pure Silicone Lubricant" 2) Every 30 days I flex my 3-rings. 3) I replace my risers before 500 jumps. 4) Capped, tacked, metal inserts for the excess cutaway cable in the rear risers. I have 7 or 8 cutaways on highly loaded FX's and two on the VX, always a one-handed, easy pull. Hook

The Skyhook is an addition to the RSL. I thought CReW jumpers don't jump RSL's because of the possibility of canopy wraps? Hook

What size are your risers? Longer risers move the steering line guide ring farther away from you, allowing the steering lines to be lengthened without moving the stall point. For example, going from 18 to 20 inch risers and lengthening your steering lines 2 inches will give them more slack for front risering, but the flare point will be the same, i.e. at your hips. Hook

My standard steering line length spiel: (Are you able to completely flare your canopy?-having the full flare point where your hands completely down is OK, as long as you are getting a full flare out of the canopy) The length of the steering lines can drastically affect how a canopy flies. High performance canopies are affected much more than lower performance canopies. All canopies should have some slack or a slight bow in the steering lines. If the steering lines are too short and pull down the tail of the canopy during full flight, even slightly, the canopy is flying in brakes. If the canopy is flying in brakes, it will not have as much speed to trade for lift during the landing flare. Over time the steering lines shrink as a result of friction from the slider during opening, as much as 6 inches in extreme cases. New canopies or line sets adjusted to have no slack in the steering lines will begin to fly in brakes as the control lines shrink. To maximize the performance of your canopy it is necessary to understand the construction of the steering lines. The steering lines on a canopy are made of several parts. The upper control lines, usually four or five lines cascade or split at the top of the central control line and attach to the tail. The central control line attaches the upper control lines to the lower control line. The lower control line attaches from the finger-trapped loop (for setting the brakes) at the bottom of the central control line to the toggle. The lower control line is where your rigger can make adjustments. If you do not use your front risers, adjusting steering line length is a fairly simple process. To check your control lines, pull one toggle down an inch or two while watching the tail of the canopy in flight. The tail should not move and the canopy should not turn. If it does, your lower steering lines need to be lengthened. Make small adjustments, no more than an inch at a time. This may require several adjustments. It is better to be an inch too long than an inch too short. Once you find the correct length, have your rigger finger-trap and bar-tack the lower steering line to eliminate the knot next to the toggle which can hang up on the guide ring. Periodically check the steering lines to see if they have shrunk and need to be lengthened again. Micro-line can shrink 4 to 6 inches or more over its life span. Vectran tends not to shrink with wear but is not as durable as Micro-line. If you use your front risers, adjusting steering line length is more complicated. Having enough slack in the lower steering lines on a high performance canopy is more critical to how the canopy will fly. In a front riser turn you are pulling the toggle down a little with the riser and there has to be some slack to prevent pulling down the tail. If the tail of a high performance canopy is pulled down even a little when front risering, the riser pressure will be much higher and the recovery arc (the amount of altitude required to get back under the canopy) will be shortened. To check if the steering line is long enough, clear your airspace, do a full 360 degree front riser turn (keeping the toggles in your hands), and watch the tail of the canopy. As the speed increases, the drag on the control line increases and if there isn’t enough slack, the tail will be pulled down. You need enough slack so that the tail won’t be pulled down while pulling the toggle and the riser down at the maximum speed of the canopy. Another easy method of checking your steering line length is to compare the front riser pressure from the front riser 360 with the toggles in your hands to a front riser 360 without the toggles in your hands. It is important to have plenty of altitude and clear airspace before letting go of the toggles and front risering. Again, make small adjustments no more than an inch at a time and have your rigger finger-trap and bar-tack the lower control line once you have them adjusted correctly. Make sure that you don't lengthen your steering lines too much, beyond where you can get a full flare out of the canopy. With the steering lines correctly set, your canopy will dive longer and faster, have lower front riser pressure, and you can get the most out of your canopy. Hook

Cool, seems most are kept up to date. Of the DZ's I know, most have accurate listings. I like the "last updated on....." idea. Thanks, Hook

I am curious as to the accuracy of the DZ listings here on DZ.com. How accurate are the listings for DZ's you frequent? Are the aircraft listed really there? Are the prices correct?, etc. Hook

On the back pad their should be a warning label with a fold-out pocket in it for the card. Hook

Right, if you are travelling exactly crosswind then turn 180 degrees, again travelling exactly crosswind, your groundspeed would be higher than your airspeed and exactly the same in both directions. Quade was working with a Kesrtal 4000, I believe, and getting some accurate measurements. Hook