Hooknswoop

Comfort is subjective. Where the reserve risers lay in the reserve tray, type of reserve links, harness size and rings, the size of container and canopies can all affect how comfortable a container is to someone. Get 5 different containers and five different people to try them on and vote for the most comfortable. Chances are it would not be unanimous. Appearance is subjective. What may be an attractive container to one may be ugly to another. What is not subjective is main and reserve pin protection, riser protection, ease of reserve packing, low maintenance designs (lack of velcro to be constantly replaced), and ease of main packing. Often what drives a container purchase is what brand the DZ is a dealer of and what container the buyers friends jump. If no one on the DZ jumps a particular container, it is not likely that a new jumper will purchase an "unkown". Most up-jumpers will recommend whatever container is on their back as being the "best". No one wants to say their gear isn't the best available. I have owned a Talon2, 2 Javelins and a Micron, for my money, the Mirage is the top of the heap, and I don't even own one…….yet. Hook

I tested the possibilitly of cutting a line over on a main canopy. Sounds good in theory, doesn't work very well in practice. I packed a line over on a PD-170 and did a H & P. (I had on 3 parachutes). I knew the line over was coming and I knew which line it was. I was loaded at just over 1:1 (probably at 1.1 or 1.2:1) on an F-111 9 cell. I was un-able to cut the line or even identify the line causing the line-over. The spin was very violent and losing alititude rapidly. Even had I cut the correct line, it would require quite a bit of altitude to accomplish and then I would have been under a canopy w/ one brake set and one brake line cut. So spinning in the other direct now, I would have to release the other brake, more than likely kick out of line twists, then use the rear risers to steer and land with. The cost to repair the main canopy wouldn't be much less than the cost to get a reserve re-pack. I think it would take less time and altitude to simply cutaway a line over malfunction than to spend time and altitude attempting to fix it. And if un-succesful at cutting the line, now you are still under a malfunction requiring a cutaway, now at a much lower altitude and you'll probably lose the hook knife during the cutaway and reserve pull. I would never attempt to cut a line over on a main canopy as long as I had a reserve on my back. Hook

I was a professional safety diver for a year. Max depth was 40 ft, for a maximum of 3 1/2 hours on 46% NITROX. I was concerned about flying after diving. I searched the web, contacted Navy and civilian research centers, and talked to one the the cool doctors at the NBL. I learned 4 things about flying after diving. 1) Even after all the research, they really don't have difinitive answers. 2) No one will give you a diffinitive answer for the minimum dive-to-fly time. 3) The best informormation I could find was high altitude diving tables. Diving at altitude is almost exactly the same thing ass flying after diving. 4) Pre-breathe pure O2 w/ a full face mask, like fighter pilots, wear for 30 minutes after diving and you are good to go to fly. I did a little experimentation on my own. Going from 0 MSL to 14,000 MSL within 1 hour of a dive profile of a 2hr dive w/ a 2 hr surface interval, then another 2 hr dive w/ a max depth of 40ft and breathing 46% NITROX reveiled no effects of DCS. If I were to fly after diving these days, I would use high altitude diving tables. Hook

I have video, several actually, of a Sabre drilling a student on opening and there was nothing wrong with their body position. One was a 50 ft-ish opening and the another one was a 75 ft-ish opening. Hook

If anyone has pictures or video of line dump, would you post them? By line dump I mean the canopy has come out of the deployment bag with the line still slack. Closest I've seen to this is a rubber band breaking (twice) on a tandem, but it wasn't a locking stow and din't impact the opening. I didn't even know it had happened until watching the video. Hook

1. Yep, it's true. I've installed a pocket onto the lsider of a number of Sabre's to tame the openings. 2. It is possible. I think there are two "biggies" that cause hard openings, not keeping the slider upp against the slider stops, and pulling w/ a high fall rate. 3. Doesn't sound like it. Your new audible, was it a pro-track? If it was, what was your "2nd half" fall rate? Get a rigger to put a pocket on the slider and you won't have hard openings anymore. Hook

I have sliders get shredded beyond repair. I believe it is from friction w/ the lines. If the canopy is packed w/ a step-through (not saying this is what happened) the lines can destroy a slider. It doesn't take much for a line to burn through material. Hook

the mark either indicates where the temp knot should be or the bend to make the loop for the toggle. Contact the manufacturer for specifics. Hook

It sounded as though, to me anyway, that you were saying they would build one any size smaller than 229. Just wanted to clarify, no dis-respect intended. Hook

They will build them as large as you want. Hook

Sure. There should be a mark on the lines for the factorie's recommended starting point to set the toggles. Tie them on for now, making sure you use a knot that won't accidently come un-done. If unsure- have your rigger check them or even tie them for you. When you get the toggles adjusted to wherre you want them, have your rigger finger-trap and sew them. Make sure you routed the steering lines though the slider and guide rings on the risers. Double check that your 3-rings are correctly assembled. Look the canopy over for missing stiches on the line set, or missing stitches on the canopy. Check and make sure all the X-ports are in the ribs. Have fun w/ the new toy! Hook

kicking w/ very un-even risers won't do any good. Harness shift so that the risers (the links make a good reference) are even. The spinning will stop, then it is easy to kick out. Hook

If you look at the video, frame by frame, you can see the risers are very un-even. Looks like the right risers (links) are 6 inches + below the left. Uneven links on a loaded elliptical = spinning line twists. Make sure your legstaps hardware isn't slipping or that your leg straps aren't moving. If it isn't your legstraps, I would focus on body postition and loading the harness evenly through deployment. Cool video. Hook

I read a guy has a pumkin launcher that can throw a pumkin 5 miles. He pulled out of the $ competetion to give everyone else a chance. Hook

Cool, thanks. Hook

Already got Trident, near the bottom. Hook

Right, but compared to a canopy, an aircraft's wing is rigid. I know they flex and bend and I understand Vno, but that doesn't apply to canopies. A canopy isn't going to break from turbulance. you don't want to canopy to stall and don't have to worry about structrual damage to a canopy. My point ws you don't hear of aircraft wings folding under in turbulence because they are made of metal (or wood or composites) and much more rigid that the pressurized fabric of canopies. Hook

No it itsn't probably fair, but I was going for two different extremes. I can feel a difference between a tandem and my Safire 189. I have had two types of canopies have the end cells fold in on me, a sabre 230 in heavy turbulence and a whole bunch of tandems. It hit turbulance so hard one day under an FX-70 that it was like hitting a speed bump in a car at 40 mph. No collapsing though. I really think the higher internal pressures from higher wingloading and ZP fabric and more lift from the higher speeds makes it difficult for smaller high performance canopies to collaspe. Passing through turbulence faster just makes it "sharper". When under a tandem inturbulence I can feel the canopy "walffing", breathing, bending and sometimes, the end cells folding under. I stay out of braked approaches when doing tandems in turbulence. Hook

Strong Enterprises: http://www.strongparachutes.com/Pages/Manuals.html National Parachute Industries, Inc.: http://www.nationalparachute.com/National%20Owners%20Manual.PDF Sun Path: http://www.sunpath.com/ Relative Workshop Tandem Vector II: http://www.relativeworkshop.com/pdf_files/taninfo_V2TanMan.pdf Performance Designs: http://www.performancedesigns.com/education.asp Icarus Canopies: http://www.icaruscanopies.com/order_forms/ownersmanua.pdf Flight Concepts International: http://www.flightconcepts.com/manual_index.html http://www.flightconcepts.com/pdf/reserve2002.pdf Rigging Innovations: http://www.rigginginnovations.com/pdf/OwnersManual/pk_mls.htm Mirage Systems: http://www.miragesys.com/product_info/on-line_manual.html Para-Phernalia, inc.: http://www.softieparachutes.com/PDF/softie%20owners%20manual%20rev%201.5.pdf Free Flight Enterprises: http://www.freeflightent.com/PV_Pack_Inst.pdf Sunrise Rigging: http://www.skydivewings.com/docs/rigging/Wings_Owners_Manual_2.pdf Trident Harness and Container, Inc.: http://www.tridenthc.com/VProducts.htm Jump Shack: http://www.jumpshack.com/download/RacerOwnersManualMarch2001.PDF Velocity Sports: http://www.skydivenet.com/vse/manual.htm If you have one not on here, please add it. Trident was interesting, but most of it isn't working. PD is updating their manuals. Jump Shack includes the Firebolt in their canopy manual. Several manufacturers didn't have manuals on their web pages. Hook

I have an AL hook knife from square one. It uses a snap to hold it in place. I keep it on my left legstrap. No problems. Careful putting a hook knife in the Mirage pocket, Skycat lost hers out of that pocket. If you need a pouch, I can build one complete w/ snap closure. Hook

By the same token you could assume that canopy manufacturers are correct and para-glider manufacturers are not. I think they are both correct for their respective products. I think the difference is paragliders are trimmed much flatter and have much higher aspect ratios than skydiving canopies and brakes is used more for recovery. Paragliders are much more prone to collapsing that skydiving canopies. With skydiving canopies we try to avoid the collapse in the first place, with speed, pressurization, and lift.. If it were to collapse, brakes is the best route to get it re-inflated. I know from experience that the higher speeds and higher wing loadings of smaller canopies handle turbulence better than large, lightly loaded canopies. I can fly a tandem canopy and have end cells folding in and getting bounced around, then fly my VX-60 and barely feel a bump, and it sure doesn't fold up on me. Why don't airplane wings fold in turbulence?, Rigidity. The higher the difference between the internal pressure of a canopy and the surrounding air pressure, the less prone to collapsing a canopy is. Hook

A paraglider is not the same as a skydiving canopy. You can't fly them the same way and they they don't react the same. Hook

Cypres ready means the pouches for the cypres box and control head are installed and the routing for the cables and the elastic for the cutter are installed. Most, if not all containers come cypres ready from the manufacturer now. Hook

Try to not steer through the opening. Look at the horizon and keeps you hips level. You are pulling the canopy back on heading just by keeping your hips level. If you were to sit in a swing set and turned your self 90 degrees, then took your feet off the ground, you would swing back to your original "heading". Hook

I haven't heard from Mile-Hi in quite a while now. As a full time instructor, in winter, it is hard to justify paying for fun jumps, especially out of a Cessna....in winter. Hook