KellyF

That has aways been the key to make a system like this work. I had that pointed out to me when I was 12 playing with toy parachutes, I thought it made perfect sense to static line the reserve from the main until my uncle pointed out that you would be screwed in the event of a total. From what I understood, you had this part of the system worked out 10 years ago (so did I). Do all of your current (since the intro of the CL) sport rigs equipped with RSL's also have a Collins Lanyard? Because I don't understand why it is so critical for one and not the other. If a Skyhook RSL fires a reserve into a spinning mess, I think a standard one will do the same (as it has in the past). You don't think that if you would have introduced this system 10 years ago you would have saved most of those jumpers (if not all) if their rigs were so equipped? I think that if a system is so critcal to the speed and safety of a reseve deployment, it should be able to be visually checked before jumping, just like your reserve pin and AAD. For some applications I think it is revolutionary, but I don't see why it couldn't have been brought to market a decade ago. RSL's were still availabe that wouldn't release the opposite riser in the event of a premature riser release, I don't see how this would have been any different. I think it's pretty neat too, that's why I've been so interested in these kinds of systems for so long

Yep, that was me. Did I get some stickers from you? I don't know about the Mr. Bill and 69, but he and I did one under a Velocity 79 once......... I tried to upload a picture of him under the 21 , but it was 90K VSE on Facebook

Yeah, he really did jump it

Bill, I don't know exactly when you started on this system, but Mark had already jumped his system at Z-Hills several months (at least) BEFORE he and Marta were employed at RWS in 1990 (you can check your employee records). The only difference I can see between this system and the one you "abandoned" about 10 years ago (I never got a close look at it) is the addition of the Collins Lanyard. It is a notable improvement, but I don't see a rash of solo jumpers with broken risers. So that begs the question, why is it such a breakthrough now? I think it does have merit for use on Tandems and some very specialized applications, but I don't see it as a "save all" for every jumper. One other question- how do you pin check the system? I don't think there is any way to make sure the system is hooked up properly after it is packed. FWIW, I have a lot of respect for Bill and his accomplishments, but this isn't as revolutionary as everyone thinks it is.

Well, no more R/C jumper- Andy just jumped it at around 5:00 today. It was ballistically fast and VERY sensitive to toggle input. It landed a wee bit faster than his 88- he slid in on his feet for about 150 yards before breaking out into a full-on Carl Lewis type sprint! It took an honest 200 yards to get this thing shut down once Andy was on the ground! It's a good thing the grass was wet, so his shoes didn't heat up too much and suddenly gain traction. Oh yeah, I made up the part about him landing it

Hi Joel! As a rule of thumb when taking body measurements, take a "loose" measurement (don't suck it in or put tension on the tape). When taking the back measurement, you can follow the contour of your body by simply holding the tape to your body at your waist line. The difference between a "contour" measurement and a straight line measurement will probably be 1/2-3/4". Looking forward to building your rig!

I don't even make that drive in 2 hours or less! More like 2 1/2-3. VSE on Facebook

Flyer299, it looks asthough you are not using your riser covers that are built into the reserve side flaps. VSE on Facebook

Thanks everyone! This is the best thread EVER! BadDog, give me a call and we'll get your legstraps taken care of. Matt, glad your rig is working out for you- and everyone else, of course! Happy New Year! VSE on Facebook

The major difference between the two styles is the amount of pin, riser, and bridle protection the newer one offers, and the cosmetics. The last "old style" Infinity was shipped in Dec. of '98. The easiest way to tell if it is a newer style or an older style is the serial number. Anything over 6000 is a newer style. Thanks for the compliments guys!

If you already have a Javelin, and are looking to get a second rig to hold the same size canopies, get another Javelin. That way, you can get ONE spare freebag, PC and set of handles and be prepared for a reserve ride on either rig. As for an "aerodynamic" rig- why would you want a rig the will make you fall faster? Since "more aerodynamic" = "less drag". VSE on Facebook

Not to confuse the issue more, but some manufacturers (RWS for one) measure the MLW length to the BOTTOM of the legstrap hardware extension. In this case, your harness looks like it is a 15 1/2" MLW. VSE on Facebook

Jump Shack (the manufacturer of our ripcords and many other companies'- don't know about Mirage) issued a recall on reserve pins manufactured by Capewell Components last year after we sent a pin back to them that appeared to have cracks in it that was discovered in our own inspection/testing process. VSE on Facebook

Those have been known to slip also. Even on brand new gear. VSE on Facebook

Any indication as to what caused the hard (impossible?) pull? VSE on Facebook

Test jumps

PD reqires the reserve to be tested after 40 packs or 25 jumps. I've put 65 jumps on a 113R, and the last ten or fifteen jumps, it started to open noticably (not a whole lot) slower, and land a bit faster. VSE on Facebook

Don't pump the brakes to inflate the end cells. Just pull the brakes down 50-80% and hold them until the cells inflate, then smoothly let them back up. VSE on Facebook

Not all "traditional" main pin cover flap are created equal. They can be made to be secure with varying sizes of canopies, it is a combination of closing loop location, and center flap design/geometry. There is actually a picture of one of the other rigs you mentioned in the '02 USPA calendar (April) with the pin cover flapping in the breeze. Just goes to show that nothing is perfect. VSE on Facebook

Chuck, your right, it depends on the dimensions of the container/bag combo. Generally, it will be the smaller rigs that can go either way, but as a manufacturer, it is better to recommend rotating the bag on all sizes across the board, rather than "for sizes A-E rotate the bag, but for F-J don't rotate the bag." People already get confused between different brands, so we try to at least stay consistent within our own product. VSE on Facebook

Johnny, rotating the bag is not a really safety issue if the container closes completely and cleanly. If flaps are bulging and have gaps in them, then some people might consider it a safety issue. Rob, you were doing pretty good until you called it a clone! That's OK though, I know how things appear in the industry. The Infinity will continue to evolve, just like the Talon has evolved so much over the years (but it won't turn into a Talon clone!

You SHOULD rotate the bag. Some of our smaller sizes have a more "square" profile where it will be less obvious than on another size where the profile is more "rectangular". I hope that clears things up! VSE on Facebook

Shark, Team Infinity uses the older style Infinity, with very few modifications. CReW jumpers have a lot of original ideas as to what they need, and it seems none of the teams completely agree. The main thing that comes to mind is riser covers. Team Infinity would just leave theirs open in order to eliminate the possibility of one hanging up and causing an off heading opening, but when I videoed them one season with my Vector III/Stiletto 97 combo with the riser covers closed (risers UNDER the pocket), I had about the same ratio (on heading to off) as the base-pin jumpers. Moral: packing and body position are key! I'm sure there are some features that we could add to make a more CRW-specific rig, but I'd have to give it some thought, since I tried to make the new Infinity a total package that would work well for all disciplines. VSE on Facebook

The packing style will definately affect how a container looks. In this case the first thing I would do is change the main bag back to the one that came with the rig. Many people think that the bag is made for the parachute, but the fact is, the bag is made to fit the container, and the container is made to fit the parachute. The reason for this is the container has a fixed set of dimensions, and needs a bag that is designed to fit those dimensions- i.e. a 12x6x4 container has a volume of 288 CI, a bag that is 6x6x8 has a volume of 288 CI also, but is nowhere near the same shape. You would probably be able to put the bag into the container, but it would be bulging in some palces and wrinkling in others, with some places just plain empty. Something else that needs to be done when packing most rigs in order to get them to look their best, is to rotate the bag into the container, so that the grommet in the top of the bag is against the reserve container. If the bag isn't rotated, the corners will be higher than the reserve container and the main side flaps won't be able to push them down to where they need to be without some "assistance" (read: fist pounding) So that is the long of it, and the short is: change the bag bag to the original, pack it evenly, and rotate the bag into the container.

Hi PhreeZone, Are the Infinity's you are referring to the new (VSE) style, or the older Northern Lite Infinity? I ask because if they are the newer style (serial number over 6000), I'm confident that there is something not right with either the packing, or the main bag (maybe from another rig?). More than once, we have had a rig sent back to us because "it was cut wrong", and when we got it, we repacked it and everything fit perfect. Oh, and Scott, Infinity's are the best damn rig on the market! But don't take my word for it- I'm biased! VSE on Facebook