Hooknswoop

The manager is our neighbor. Derek

How does Strong require the harness to be adjusted? Derek

When it was experimental, then the manufacturers could require anything they wanted too, and they required a FAA medical. In 2001, the FAR's changed. Once you have been trained and certified by the manufacturer or USPA, there are no FAA currency requirements. My tandem jump earlier this year was 100% legal, even the USPA BOD's came to that conclusion. They also realized that there should be some sort of FAR mandated currency requirements. Derek

Anotherr common misconception. There is no FAR requiring a Parachutist in Command to hold a current medical certificate. § 105.45 Use of tandem parachute systems. (a) No person may conduct a parachute operation using a tandem parachute system, and no pilot in command of an aircraft may allow any person to conduct a parachute operation from that aircraft using a tandem parachute system, unless— (1) One of the parachutists using the tandem parachute system is the parachutist in command, and meets the following requirements: (i) Has a minimum of 3 years of experience in parachuting, and must provide documentation that the parachutist— (ii) Has completed a minimum of 500 freefall parachute jumps using a ram-air parachute, and (iii) Holds a master parachute license issued by an organization recognized by the FAA, and (iv) Has successfully completed a tandem instructor course given by the manufacturer of the tandem parachute system used in the parachute operation or a course acceptable to the Administrator. (v) Has been certified by the appropriate parachute manufacturer or tandem course provider as being properly trained on the use of the specific tandem parachute system to be used. (2) The person acting as parachutist in command: (i) Has briefed the passenger parachutist before boarding the aircraft. The briefing must include the procedures to be used in case of an emergency with the aircraft or after exiting the aircraft, while preparing to exit and exiting the aircraft, freefall, operating the parachute after freefall, landing approach, and landing. (ii) Uses the harness position prescribed by the manufacturer of the tandem parachute equipment. (b) No person may make a parachute jump with a tandem parachute system unless— (1) The main parachute has been packed by a certificated parachute rigger, the parachutist in command making the next jump with that parachute, or a person under the direct supervision of a certificated parachute rigger. (2) The reserve parachute has been packed by a certificated parachute rigger in accordance with §105.43(b) of this part. (3) The tandem parachute system contains an operational automatic activation device for the reserve parachute, approved by the manufacturer of that tandem parachute system. The device must— (i) Have been maintained in accordance with manufacturer instructions, and (ii) Be armed during each tandem parachute operation. (4) The passenger parachutist is provided with a manual main parachute activation device and instructed on the use of that device, if required by the owner/operator. (5) The main parachute is equipped with a single-point release system. (6) The reserve parachute meets Technical Standard Order C23 specifications. Derek

Cool, I don't like it when a manufacturer oversteps their authority, like calling a SB mandatory, or saying you can only use certain canopies in their containers, etc. There are many misconceptions about what is required by the FAR's and what isn't. A recent example is Tandem Instructor currency requirments, or the lack thereof. Derek

Right, but you also said: Which means you suscribe to the same belief. Derek

Show me an FAR that says exceeding the recommended or TSO'd max exit weight is not legal. Derek

Max weight., so for a 99, that would be 220 pounds suspended weight. It doesn't account for any harness turns, which may or may not happen. I brought it up since it is a major factor in whether or not you get hurt, how fast you would be going under the reserve. 24 FPS is 16.364 mph 36 FPS is 24.545 mph If you are under the max TSO wweight (as I read AS8015b, someone correct e if I am wrong), and not inducing any harness turns, you should be below these numbers. Altitude, harness turns, etc will increase your speed though. I am not trying to answer the question, just make it easier to answer. Derek

TSO C23D requires that a reserve canopy not exceed 24 FPS decent rate and the total velocity not exceed 36 FPS at maximum operating weight in the post-deployment configuration brakes set). How hard of a landing is that? Derek

Looks like the skyhook had problems releasing when the reserve was deployed after total malfunction. Mike: If there is a Skyhook II, what are the changes? If there is a problem with the skyhook I's that results in the damage in the pic, how does the skyhook II fix this? Will there be a recall on the skyhook I's to change them to II's? Derek

Right, but then you took it a step further and said that abovee 200fps is lethal and below 200 fps is not lethal. You tried to say that I said a gun is lethal and if it isn't lethal, it isn't a gun. I never said that. OK, i was reaching and you got m there Just because guns weerre orginally designed to kill does not mean all guns are designed to kill. There arre classifications of guns just as there are classifications of chairs, airplanes, etc. Regardless of the original purpose of something, that does not mean that it will forever be meant for that purpose, even if it still could be. Derek

I disagree. Some firearms are designed for targets shooting and make for poor killing tools. The bullet is too small at too low a muzzle velocity to be an effective killing tool. By using 200 fps at the definition for a killing tool, paintball markers would be considered lethal. Clearly they are not. Knives were originally designed to kill, right? Does that mean that all knives are lethal killing tools? Derek

Yep, I'd agree. Derek

I never said that. If you think 200 fps can't be lethal, then you must also think all chairs are designed to kill. I notice you keep avoiding that one. Derek

Then by your logic, all chairs are designed to kill. Speed is relative. I need a context before I can answer if it is a high velocity. For a bullet, no it isn't very fast, for a car, it is fast. So, again, it depends on context. You seemed to have missed the majority of my post/point. Derek

Like I said, I have done it, only 2 stows, on a normal d-bag, the rest just coiled in the bottom of the pack tray. Normal deployment. Not a neck breaker. Derek

I've done it. Worked fine. Opens normally. Just coil up the lines in the bottom of the container. Only down side is the risk of lines wrapping around a flap or entangling with each other since it makes for a less organized deployment.. Some people would have you believe that doing so would cause a hard opening. Not true. Bet you didn't see that coming. Derek

You put a qualifier before 'chairs' (electric), but not 'firearms'. Just as there are many types of chairs, there are many types of firearms. Just as not all chairs are designed to kill, not all firearms are designed to kill. I will grant you the percentage of firearms designed to kill is much higher than the percentage of chairs designed to kill. Of course you can kill with a firearm that wasn't designed to kill, just as you can kill with a chair that wasn't dsigned to kill. To say all firearms are designed to kill is no different than to say all chairs are designed to kill. Neither statement is true, they just contain an element of truth. Not all airplanes are designed to kill. Not all knives are designed to kill. Not all chairs are designed to kill. Not all firearms are designed to kill. Now if you want to start comparing specific classifications, ya, fighter aircraft are designed to kill, electric chairs are dsigned to kill, bayonets are designed to kill, and assault rifles are designed to kill. It isn't a valid comparision to say that all airplanes are designed to kill, just like all electric chairs are designed to kill. That argument doesn't hold water and is obviously false, even though there is an element of truth to it (some airplanes are designed to kill). Not all firearms are designed to kill. Derek

Right, so doea that mean that alll chairs are designed to kill? Of course not. An electric chair was designed speficially to execute. That does not mean all chairs are designed to kill. gun Pronunciation (gn) n. 1. A weapon consisting of a metal tube from which a projectile is fired at high velocity into a relatively flat trajectory. 2. A cannon with a long barrel and a relatively low angle of fire. 3. A portable firearm, such as a rifle or revolver. 4. A device resembling a firearm or cannon, as in its ability to project something, such as grease, under pressure or at great speed. I don't see anything in the definition that says less than 200 fps is not a gun and more than 200 fps is a gun. I think that as long as it fires a projectile at high velocity, it is a gun. Sure it does. Isn't killing bad? Isn't an instrument of death bad? Weren't knive originally designed to kill? Does that mean all knives are designed to kill? Derek

Same canopy, with rubber band stows and without. SAME opening. That demonstrated that tight stows are not required for a good opening. Derek

I am aware of that. But if RWS says it can bag lock with the larger bands and I had one that I was able to prove on the ground was caused by double wrapping with smaller bands, it can and does happen. People blame line dump for hard openings. Line dump doesn't hurt openings unless the lines wrap around each other. Bag strip does make for hard openings, but I have yet to ever see it or see video of it. So they make their stows super tight to prevent line dump, which doesn't prevent or fix anything. Again, if you are getting hard openings, use the correct size rubber bands/tube stows, make them snug for an orderly deployment, and slow down before deploying. If that doesn't fix it, PC's, Sliders, Pockets, New Line Sets, etc should fix it. Treat the problem. Derek

I put a Stiletto 97 in a normal d-bag and a free-bag. It deployed the same with either system. Not apples and oranges, a Stiletto and a Stiletto. If the lines needed to be tight in rubber bands to get a good opening, why did it open the same with only 2 locking stows? I don't have the document, I was quoting another poster. My point is if a drogue has enough drag to deploy a tandem main can have a bag lock from double wrapping, a sport main can. And I recommend that. I know people succesfully double wrap rubber bands all the time. I also know it can cause line twists and bag locks. Derek

Guns are designed to launch small projectiles at speed. They are not designed to kill anymore than knives are all designed to kill. Knives are designed to cut. I don't think it is fair to villianize guns by saying they are designed to kill. Derek

I understand that and he bands don't always break, like what happened to me on that tandem. Again: RWS says: "Double-stowing in the sport world with 54' drogues will most likely yield a bag-lock." Derek