Hooknswoop

Why is a man-hole cover round? This was actually an interview question I had once. Hook

9 minutes 22.5 seconds Hook

chicken across fox across chicken back across grain across chicken across Hook

I don't think the AAD's pose any threat. I could be wrong, but I think they don't want that stuff to walk away and show up on Ebay in 6 months. Hook

Not 50mph, because the return trip takes longer at 40 mph than 60 mph, so your average speed will be 48 mph, regardless of distance. Hook

48 mph. Hook

It was designed and built after the Challenger disaster. It wouldn't have helped them or the Columbia. The concept is to blow the hatch, extend a curved pole, hook in and jump. They always trained for a water water landing. In reality, the system wouldn't work. There is only a small window of where you can actually get out. Columbia had 2 ejection seats installed for the first flight, then they were removed. You rie it up, you ride it down, like a helicopter, your not geting out. Hook

Whatever it is, it is internal and the ones I got to see up close didn't have the parachute, AAD, O2 bottles, etc installed becvause we dropped them into the water. Here is a pic. I don't remember seeing any rip cord or rip cord pocket. Hook

But will the small metal handle be on your chest? Will the small metal handle deploy a round reserve (assumption here, a safe one though). I am not saying you should get a pillow handle. Gear comfort is important and metal "D" rings work well. But for the same reason you don't still jump a chest mount reaserve is the same reason you shouldn't not consider a pillow. Again nothing wrong with your decision to use mteal handles, I disagree with the concept of, it worked once, I will go with that method/technique/equipment, etc forever. Someone else said Round reserves worked too, are square reserves a marketing gag? Internal riser covers? Cypres's?, Velcro-less toggles? Mai and reserve pin protection that works? The list goes on and on. This is just too close to "we have always done it that way", a line sure to put my blood pressure through the roof. I don't believe everyone should have pillow reserve handles. For some people they are better than metal handles. I think that is what makes it such a contraversial subject, like RSL's, it depends on the jumper and their gear and the type of jumping they do if it makes sense to have one or not. Just because you have good reasons to have or not have it does make the handle right or wrong for everyone. Not ment to be a lecture, as I know I can learn a lot from Rob. Hook

Cool, I was waiting to see if they would anounce that, and I hadn't seen it in the news. Thanks, Hook

They have a Doppler radar track for each piece of shuttle debris and a satellite picture of the debris field. Why not overlay a grid on the photo and match it up to the Doppler images? That would give NASA a GPS grid coordinate for each piece. They could then give each team an over-head picture and grid coordinates for them to go get the pieces. They take their GPS's and go collect the pieces. Hook

The different feel argument has merit. Which type of handles to have is a personal decision and should be based on but not limited to: comfort with the choice, type of gear you jump, type of skydives you make, experience(s) with malfunctions and cutaways, and uniformity between rigs. I do think that is grip is a concern, then the cutaway handle should be the metal "D" ring and the reserve handle should be the pillow. By the FAR's the reserve handle shouldn't be harder to pull than 28 lbs. (22 lbs. pull force max + 6 lbs. seal thread max). The cutaway handle can be significantly higher than that. The "D" ring allows for a solid, two-handed grip, and the pillow does not. The malfunction where the jumper's reserve pillow was tucked under his arm (Rick Horn, I think, someone correct me if I am wrong), could have happened with a metal reserve handle, and would probably been easy to find once he had cutaway and the harness wasn't under a load anymore. This is pure speculation on my part and can easily be completely wrong. Whatever decision you do make, soft/metal, base it on hard evidence and arguments that make sense. Be comfortable with that decision. This is the true value of these forums, you can read differing opinions, listen to the explanations as to why people feel the way they do, then make a more informed decision for yourself. I use pillows for both handles on both my rigs, all of them are black. Not the best safety move on my part, but I've never looked at my handles in 13 cutaways. Not recommending that either Hook

And I have taught using Sabre main as student canopies. 3 learning/working tandems first, then lightly loaded Sabres. I agree w/ the AFP program and using Z-P mains after tandems. I don't agree with using Stilettos/Cobalts/Crossfires, etc as student canopies. Hook

OK, I thought it was only semi. Good to know, thanks. Hook

Who have you spoken to? Having worked at the NBL for a year, I can tell the atmosphere at NASA is safety above all else. Every incident had to be investigated and a documented fix had to be reported. This ranged from insulation in the ceiling falling due to a leak in the roof and rain water seeping in to cutting your finger on a cotter pin and getting a band-aid. Try and write a report describing how, in the future, what actions the facility is taking to prevent a diver from cutting their finger on a cotter pin ever again. How about making gloves available to al the divers (almost made them mandatory), requiring all cotter pins installed on mock-ups to be inspected prior to being placed in the water, and inspections on mock-ups in the water for sharp cotter pins. All that for a small cut on a finger. A common phrase from the supervisors, was "You are paid by the hour, take the time to do it safely and correctly. If you ever don't feel safe doing something, stop". Part of the Johnson Engineering Safety and Health pledge (worn with their badge by everyone) states: "My continued employment depends on working safely and watching out for others" Certain areas mandated safety goggles and/or ear plugs. regardless if work was actually taking place or not. It was a serious offense to even walk through these areas without them, again, even if everyone was at lunch. No exceptions. I believe NASA has a true commitment to safety and does everything within their power to minimize the huge risks invovled in human spaceflight. Considering how much risk is involded, they have done an incredible job, even as their budget shrinks. The astronauts are national heros, everyone one them. The hours they work, the commitment they make, the risk they willingly accept is amazing. And they do it all with a smile, humble, even grateful to be "allowed" to do what they do. To have that attidue about something that a lot of people can't or wouldn't do only increases my respect for those men and women. The engineers that reviewed the video of the launch, could only use educated guesses as to the damage caused by the piece of insulation, for they couldn't actually see the damage. They made the best call they could with very limited information. The orbiter may not have been equipped to offer any way of anaylizing and then reparing the damage. An un-rehearsed spacewalk is not a trivial thing. A well trained for spacewalk is dangerous enough. There is no such thing a small problem with a spacesuit. They are literally working without a net. I hope NASA conducts a speedy investigation, determines what happened, engineers a fix, and gets back on track in short order. Sorry, enough rambling. Hook

Generally riggers won't pack anything over 20 to 25 years old. There are exceptions, but not many. Hook

The risers came with a rig that was purchased recently. The new owner was having it assembled. I found a pull up cord in the container (in a pocket) that was used for a RD's campaign this year, so the rig must have been jumped recently with those risers. There wasn't a data card with the container, so I had no way of finding the previous owner until I talk with the new owner this weekend. On list list of things to do. Hook

I've always considered the Safire to be semi-elliptical. I don't think the leading edge is tapered. Also, SDC use working tandems first and larger Safires (now Sabre2's, I think). The largest Cobalt I've heard of is a 170. Picture a class of AFF level 1's on Cobalt 170's. Hook

I have recently witnessed their excellent customer service. Nice job. Great customer service goes a long way with me. Hook

As an Instructor, I would not put a student on an elliptical canopy. I think it is irresponsible for Atair to recommend putting students under a "high performance" elliptical canopy. Where? What DZ? I would like to contact the DZ and find the results of using fully elliptical canopies as student canopies. I am surprised that I haven't already heard about elliptical canopies being used for students. People freak out every time the rumor mill goes around that SDC is using Stilettos for students. What wing loading is used for students? I did, you have a "recommended wing loading" chart, same as every other manufacturer. I asked if you have . Does Atair have one? You said it is better to view "a chart of a canopy's perfromance vs wing loading". But Atair doesn't have one on the web page. Why? If it the best way to go? So will Atair be offering charts using data from "our new inertial nav. unit. data is recorded to flash cards 360' yaw, pitch, roll, acceleration and velocity in all axis, angular rates up to 1200' / sec, plus 3dimensional gps accurate to 2m, barometric altitude, 4 riser links, + desired aditional sensors. " for Colbalts? That doesn't make sense to me. Please explain. Great, we finally agree. And we were so close. Hook

That would mean removing 9 of 28 ribs, leaving the top and bottom skin intact of a x-braced tri-cell would lower the pack volume by 1/3. The math doesn't add up, the 9 ribs are not 1/3 of the fabric, even accounting for the seams. Icarus says that the VX packs about 25% larger than a conventional 9 cell. That means that the extra ribs and x-bracing account for the 25%. If removing the 9 ribs reduced the pack volume by 33%, then it would pack 8% smaller than a conventional 9 cell, even with the cross bracing still installed. A cross braced canopy packing smaller than a non-crossbraced canopy.............. Hook

Yep, 100 lbs. each, the live or dummy rounds. Can't make them too heavy or the 64 couldn't carry 16 of them + 1200 rnds of 30mm + 375 gallons of fuel. Hook

They weigh 100 lbs. each. We used to put one on each shoulder and walk down the flight line to our aircraft to load them up. Didn't do that w/ the live ones though Hook

Close to 200 views and only 3 responses? What's wrong: 1) The white locking loop is too short and is frawed from the a sharp edge on the grommet. 2) The material for the small ring is 1 inch type III (525 lbs), it is supposed to be 5/8 inch square weave type IV (625 lbs). 3) The small ring is set to far away from the medium ring. 4) There isn't any confluence wrap 5) There isn't any re-inforcement tape (type III) between the type XVII riser webbing They are inefficent and weak. The riser is one of the first early mini-risers built. It is hard to see all of this from the pics. Hook

How many problems with this old 3-ring can you find? Hook