fcajump

But who is this "DeWolf" guy really... (only the one who has taught 2/3 of the riggers in the US... ) GREAT class, highly recommend. Besides, you won't find a more handsome instructor anywhere JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

My decision was made at ~500' flying down wind into a baseball diamond under my first reserve ride (square), a round would have left me hanging in the middle of the woods. At the time, the order form was in my gear bag (not filled out) and I was trying to decide round or square... JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

To what?.... The what...? Now its all we can do to get them to look out the door before exit. I mean... if they're looking out the door, how will they know when to exit... the Green Light is on the INSIDE. JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Hey... is that Phantom 28 a lopo (3-5)? I've been using an SE 26lp for intentional cutaways, but the decent is too fast (for me) to land. JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Always good to check your sources. In this case its a good source, but that is not always the case. Very reasonable to ask when you're not sure. JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Strongly recommend talking about this with your rigger before, during, and afterwards. They may be able to save you time, agrivation and money in the disassemble, wash and reassemble/pack. They may even do it for you, though likely for a bit of $green$. JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Recommendation: Gear familiarization on the ground and in the air as previously suggested. My experience: Hard Pull on jump #23 (rented gear) Found myself pulling higher than "required" for years until I felt that I could react quicker. (This was in the day that pulling higher than USPA minimums for your experience was seen as an indicator that this was a jumper who needs to be watched... fortunately times have changed. This does NOT seem to be the case anymore.) Fly to your comfort. Learn your gear to increase your comfort. Have fun! Jim Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Bill, I agree with most of what has been said here... The wind board is forcast and actuals from some time past. Keep aware of changes. Stand down when questionable. Each of us has found ourselves in conditions more than expected, therefore... 1. collapse (ONE toggle until holding canopy, then gather under you until all in). 2. cut-away if necessary, but rare. 2b. if time/situation permits, disconnect RSL before cutaway, but even rarer. 3. under canopy, watch others for indications of increased/changing conditions. Adjust. AVOID down wind of anything that will make the air turbulant. BTW - early on someone pointed out the best indicator of weather conditions... I was gearing up for a windy load. He took me asside and asked who else was jumping... All those gearing up had A,B or C license... He asked where the D's were. I pointed them out as the folks NOT jumping... He then asked the question "why do you think those with the MOST experience are NOT jumping in these winds?" I learned alot from that question... while sitting on the ground watching "my load" backin up under canopy... Question, learn, live... You've done #1. Good luck on #'s 2 and 3. Jim Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

While I don't know the performance on that canopy, I just wanted to make sure you are clear on one item... A 1:1 is your exit weight vs square footage. For an "F111" material canopy, this is the generally accepted wing loading for a safe landing speed/performance. The TSO 254lb max load is based on their testing for structural damage at openning. NOT on the survivability of landing the thing. Just because is won't blow up or have any structural issues, don't mean the landing will be... comfortable.... (If I've underestimated you knowledge, sorry... If on the other hand this is new information, talk to you instructor and/or rigger.) JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Actually I DID get it... and its sitting on the shelf ... A Lazer-8. Going to take it to the DZ and ask their packers if they would mind packing for me... PRO pack a canopy with TWO sets of lines to the center rib... should be fun to watch. Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

I used to pack a rig with one in it. This one seemed OK, but understand that the mfg history is a different story... In my inquiry's I heard tell of canopies being shipped w/ out lines and/or bar tacks. The company also changed hands before it died(?). I have heard NO problems with the canopy that a good rigger would not find. Several of us have copies of the manual if you get the rig and your rigger does not have one. Jim Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Somewhere in Poynter's it mentions that a test has indicated that repacking increases the porosity of reserves. On some of the test canopies, after 12 repacks, porosity increased to the point that the canopies no longer met spec as reserves. -Blind Okay... but... where exactly in Poynter's does it say that. If you can dig it back out, I'd appreciate it... Volume, Chapter, Page... of course, finding something in that book can be like trying to locate Amelia Erhardt... Anyway, the reason I ask is I'd like to see if there's any "context" to that statement... as in, are they talking about F111, Ripstop, Tafida... ????? I remember this coming up in a discussion on why PD went to their policy, but have yet to find it in Poynters... JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Not necessarily... I agree, get the reserve you will want over your head after getting knocked silly, breaking an arm and/or opening low over a tight neighborhood with no outs. Get the main that is appropriate to your skill level and type of flight you do (swoop v/s demo etc...) Get an AAD! (hey, its my opinion here... not necessarily yours ) Get a container appropriate to the reserve and main selected and a harness that FITS YOUR BOD and is appropriate to your type of jumping (freefly, sit, etc). Review the studies concerning double deployments and use the knowledge to choose the most compatible canopies within the sizes you picked (above). And re-read them to prepare yourself for "what-if" based on the actual canopies you have on your back. Just my $.02 JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

From the Sunpath Jav/Od manual: BTW - most of the "what I was taught" that I've read here concerned the philosophy behind the "why"... Even those who have stated that they deviate from the mfg instructions go on to state that they don't advise anyone to follow their example. For the reader, I would suggest that if you deviate from the mfg instructions, you ARE a test jumper and subject to your own folly. Further, if you have less than 200 jumps and packjobs on the gear, you have NO business being a test jumper. But thats just my $.02 JW (there are no mispellings in my posts, only differences in opinion between me an the publishers of English dictionary's... who world-wide can't make up their minds anyway... ) Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Jumpers, Riggers (SR and MR) learn where there seems to be knowledge. I like to believe I am a very competent rigger, but hardly know everything about all sport gear... That's why we ask questions. And POP's folks sometimes remember more than we will know for a long time (and sometimes they can't remember what canopy they're flying at the time ) JW (not POPs... yet...) Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Interesting... different from what I was told (oh so long ago...) My understanding was that by having the bridle exit the container next to the reserve, in the case of a TIGHT container the bridle tension would "break" the shape of the rig (think of a profile view of the Strong tandem w/ drogue deployed) and enlarge the effective openning. This allowing the main bag to pull free. Interesting the different stories we are told. Always done it that way, and somehow it keeps on working. JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Implemented differently, but the concept is used by Butler in their higher speed PEP pilot chute bridles... really cool concept. JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Coated - the way they came (Fury reserve 1991) It does increase the pack volume, but how that translates into sizing... I would refer that to the container mfg. As to changing my lines on my main, the advantage I have is that my container was originally bought for a 9-cell 260 w/ Dacron. The current canopy is a 7-cell 230, so the increase should not be a problem for me. If considering it for your own gear, this is an evaluation I would recommend you discuss in depth with the rigger who knows your particular gear combination and volumes. BTW - Coated lines is not ALWAYS a good thing. While I prefer them, a recent one-on-one discussion with a mfg that uses uncoated lines on their reserve informed me of environmental conditions in which coated lines might cause issues (usually extreme temps). This is NOT a one-size-fits-all industry. Keep learning, keep asking questions. Jim Jim Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Ah... but any implementation in this direction would violate one of B.Booths fundimental laws... (paraphrased "Skydivers will always choose smaller/faster/lighter over safety.") For myself, the coated dacron lines on my reserve have yet to show any fuzz, wear or dirt... and they don't tend to snag on the freebag velcro.

That's what I did with a 2-out. Worked just fine and I would recommend doing it. Jerry Unfortunately the one chance I had to do this was only made known to me by the sound of the freebag coming off the canopy... at a demo... over powerlines... down wind of the field... JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Well sh!t... if your going to do that, tie the reserve PC to the main riser and have a cheap-man's version of a skyhook. Balls man... big brass ones For me, I think I would have tucked it between my legs and GENTLY landed the main. JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Can't say what I would do now, but facing a hard pull on jump 23, I went straight to silver. One of my concerns is that during all this packing of mains, where we argue over the obvious things like "who is responsible for stowing the brakes?"... who is checking the overall condition of the main? I see a lot of people that use only packers, (almost can't pack for themselves) don't know their own gear, and don't specifically know whether their rigger is checking their main. KNOW YOUR GEAR! When the SH!T hits the fan, your packer/rigger/instructor won't be there. Its just you and a count-down clock... how are you going to handle this? JW Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

Yes, I know its been discussed in years past because... Yes, I read past threads on the forum about Spectres. Thought that more people might have more experience/ information gained over the last few years. So around it goes again... Currently jumping a Spectre 230 loaded ~1.1 in a Vector 2 container. Not serious enough (yet) to even think about a dedicated CReW canopy/rig, but would like to try it out, maybe go to a beginner camp. But also don't want to be dumb about this... The question: My canopy is coming up for a reline and was thinking of going Dacron. Should I get CReW lines? Is it only the center lines that are non-cascade? Is this a safe enough canopy for casual/beginning CReW to even bother? If so, I might be looking for a good coach/class in the Spring...

On the other hand, when I got a rig in for repack with a freebag/bridle that was marked with a name that didn't match the "owner" I called the number on the bridle. Turns out it was ligitimate, the person whose name was on the bridle had sold the rig, but thanked me for calling to see if it had been stolen. Some of this generation's riggers do actually check things like that... Jim Rigger CReW-dog wanna-be... Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...