pchapman

There's a whole Photography and Video forum, in which such questions are appropriate. Vegas is popular and you may find some tips if searching in that forum. Of course its usefulness at a dz will depend on what procedures and software a DZ already uses.

Black & rainbow, very nice! Looks like it is being sold by the widow of "Strange Dave" -- there's an obit for him in the "In Memory of" Forum this past August. She's got a few other canopies and rigs for sale too. Asking prices are high though. Edit: Strange was "strange" on dz.com, but only posted a handful of times over the years. He was still looking for parts for vintage gear as of last year. Too bad he didn't contribute more here after many years of rigging & jumping at the Gulch etc. There must have been a few stories.

Wasn't the upgrade install just for Vista etc? I'm not current on this stuff. Didn't XP computers have to start from scratch, or was that only if the XP wasn't itself installed from scratch? I've got an XP PC I've never installed an OS from scratch since starting with Win 3.11. The problem for me wouldn't be simply reinstalling Office or whatever, but installing dozens and dozens of little freeware and shareware apps collected over the years -- that would be a pain to do from scratch. Plus there's the whole 32 vs 64 bit software issue. One almost wants to set up dual booting or have a 2nd computer running the old OS so that one isn't stuck without a desired program after installing W7.

Whoah, let's not get ahead of ourselves -- Just listen to your instructors for now, get a couple hundred jumps and a C license first, then we might tell you. Remember, this site isn't about learning, it's a place to one-up each other and belittle newbies.

And for posterity, one can find Proof in 3 parts on YouTube. (search something like 'Proof Kevin Reynolds') There is a Fandago movie fan web site out there too.

Which leads to the question, how would skydiving hot fuelling be any different if it were under those more restrictive systems -- would there be anything different when it comes to what is done for safety? (I'm not talking about paperwork and training differences.)

While hot fueling is common, does the pilot ever leave the plane with nobody at the controls, as may be implied here? I'm not sure about air regs in the US or UK. It tends to be frowned on to leave an aircraft running with nobody at the controls, especially if the aircraft isn't securely restrained - setting the throttle idle and parking brake isn't considered sufficient to be truly safe. Charges have been laid if the aircraft isn't under sufficient control. There's always someone who hand props a small aircraft with nobody inside and then has the plane get away from them. I don't know if etiquette is different for a turbine aircraft where one might set the prop pitch to zero thrust.

I had a closer look: The cutaway to reserve timing seems too long to be a normal RSL activation. It's hard to see but there's something in his hand after reserve opening for a few frames on screen, a pud maybe, but it seems like a very tenuous grip. And at the very end one can also see a metal ripcord cable in shot when he's on the ground. So, nothing all that unusual going on as far as I see. I'm more curious about how it felt to be smacked at high speed with a solidly inflated canopy & thin lines....

If this thread is indeed about a StratoStars with 2 extra cells added: Gary Peek is correct about the Added Attraction name. I remembered there was a thread about it: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1435737; (I had totally forgotten that I had started the thread, asking about the mod...)

Nice timing. I recently saw pics of another even older style Switlik quick attachable Back parachute -- one of the oval shaped containers. Someone is selling one on a military collectibles site, for only $200. Search for "Switlik" on this page http://oldguns.net/catusmil.htm for the description. Built '43, last packed '54. I've attached their photo in case the link disappears. It looks like the snap on hooks are on webbing that goes from the sides of the back container, wrap around the sides of the pilot, and connect to rings on the pilot's chest. Not quite sure how it all works and whether the risers would tend to scrape past one's arms if one had to deploy. The Switlik advertising in the photo says that they made quick attachable Seat, Back, and Chest parachutes. It sound like it was one of their selling points, to be able to leave the container in the aircraft and just wear the harness before getting in the plane.

I tried a little searching to be able to contribute here: supposed photo of the hand http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=71450; in the thread "The Petrified Hand" http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2443457; Now, if someone only had a photo of the birdbath made from a bounce indentation... BSBD Edit: I've seen at least 3 different origins claimed for The Hand in different threads...

Is that a factory color scheme for StratoClouds? Not the prettiest but it stands out. I've got a StratoCloud Delta (240 ft sq) in alternating green and yellow with a black center cell. As for jumpability, hey, I lent mine to Minna (gimpboogie on dz), a paralyzed jumper with ALS. She jumped it a few times last year although I think only when there was snow on the ground to cushion the butt landings.

Sorry, I was digging into Andrew's flickr albums for more pics of the Omega rig. The cutaway system starts about here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintageparachutegear/6406829103/in/set-72157628163262517

Sorry, Twardo is right. You are misremembering things, putting together different types of mals. No big deal, it was way way back in time.

Hey John, I found PIA TS-104 from '87 online, which has a description of the procedure although not the equipment and environment. It seems a good attempt at determining volume, and I certainly wish the numbers would come out consistently, but some in the industry seem to think it doesn't. That's all I can say.

Volume measurement isn't exactly scientific. ParaGear volume lists are old; I don't know that the PIA is doing any updated volume charts any more; and PD doesn't publish volumes for their newer canopies. PD even have a document explaining why they don't believe in those tests, and only show a comparison chart comparing how their canopies relate in pack volumes on a relative basis to each other. Paratec does publish pack volumes for the Speed but I didn't see anything saying whether it was done according to the PIA standard, nor have I yet seen a description of how their measure their canopies, by the PD or the PIA methods. Still, to throw some easily disputed numbers around: PD says their Optimum 143 (just to pick one) packs up something like a PD 126R. The 126 is quoted as 296 cu in on old PIA documents, or 286 on a Jump Shack measurement. The Optimum 143 is a 151 by PIA measurement standards. In comparison, the Speed 150 claims a 266 cu in pack volume. So the Speed certainly claims slightly smaller pack volume. But I'm not in Europe so don't get to see pack jobs compared.

[Edit: Sacex has a point:] Assuming it was a Husky as mentioned in this thread: The Husky isn't exactly an easy aircraft for a whuffo to maneuver out of, and if the passenger were in back, as would be more common (for a plain passenger and not say a student under instruction), it would be quite difficult to get them out of the small doorway if the pilot were still strapped in, running the engine. Huskys and the like are a bit like 4-passenger 2-door cars when it comes to getting out of the back seat. Letting the passenger out with the engine running might indeed be rather odd with that aircraft. Maybe it is possible that the pilot shut down to deplane the passenger, and then started up again. I am probably giving the pilot more benefit of the doubt than the passenger, but it is hard to clear things up without more facts & info.

Yeah I'm being harsh. Pilots do have the responsibility for a proper briefing of their passengers on safety, and to be quite clear about where the life threatening hazards are. Beyond that... well, that's where the debate really is. Over the years one always hears of over-enthusiastic passengers running out of an airplane and into a prop, completely forgetting where they are. Edited to add: One news story said that "Lauren's parents Cheryl and Jeff Scruggs said that they believe the 23-year-old walked back toward Richmond's plane at the private airport north of Dallas to say a final thank you, perhaps as he was preparing to take off again." Still, who knows what the actual situation was, whether Lauren had fully deplaned safely before turning back, and whether the pilot was about to taxi the aircraft elsewhere.

What does one do if walking towards a plane with 3 or 4 static line students? That's where I found the rules were illogical at a local DZ of mine. With a tandem student you have to hang on to them, but you can wander to the plane with a bunch of FJCs without hanging onto them -- although one has always had to be careful to "herd" them lest they wander. I feel sorry for the pilot who may need an expensive engine teardown because of the propstrike.

I wonder what the technical reason is for the round to go 'out of bounds'. I can't recall quite what was said on video, but I thought the round went through a wall on the property and then deflected off a berm that I guess was the safety backstop. I don't know much about ballistics, but I wonder if they got fooled because of the type of round. A more pointed high velocity modern round might have sunk itself into the berm without deflection. Or if they were doing demolitions, chunks of stuff flying out wouldn't have the energy or low drag to end up off property. Those could be is the normal circumstance the site owners planned for. Perhaps the Mythbusters projectile, being a spherical cannonball at a lesser, subsonic speed ended up deflecting off the berm.... giving it the range to end up in the neighbourhood. Somebody on this site must know about shootin' stuff up and have more informed opinions... I'm reminded of classic photos from the Crimean war of cannon balls lying around on the ground after a battle. (Although there is controversy over particular photos whether balls were moved around before photos were taken.)

Could you repeat that RIGGER - was there a typo? Did you mean 8 & 4 initially, rather than switching to a 13' bridle for 8 & 5?

I find that once anyone socializes a bit at their local dz, and finds their local dz on facebook... pretty soon a huge proportion of one's facebook friends are skydivers -- whether one knows them well or they just happen to jump at the same place. In recent years FB has been the most common way for skydivers at my local DZ's to keep in touch about skydiving when they're not at the DZ. Maybe you're a bit in the boonies or travelling around, so it can be tougher. (Not sure from your profile if you are near Edmonton or Saskatoon. Not many DZ's in Saskatchewan, and while I don't know the current politics, they haven't traditionally all been that friendly towards each other.)

I'm sure there has been a thread or two on dz about the incident, even if they are hard to find. I do recall reading about it on dz some prior time. Edit: Mind you, I can't find much more than what stratostar has already posted -- he seems to be the one guy around here keeping the memory alive.

From a pure scientific / physics standpoint, the answer depends on the frame of reference. Okaaaay.... Nothing wrong with pointing this out but for the guy with a failed reserve, the pending planetary impact is of more concern than the ability to draw physics diagrams properly.

That's actually another thing about F-111 style canopies (both the fabric and typical design style). Beyond a certain wing loading they rapidly become much more difficult to land softly. For zero-p, one can keep on downsizing a lot and still land softly, IF one has the appropriate skills. So that's how a Falcon 210 may have been OK still but the 170, especially if it has more jumps on it, wasn't comfortable to land.