KellyF

Bill, with all due respect, I know you've asked me to discuss things with you in private in the past, but I don't think private is the best place to discuss public comments, and since you like to paint with a broad brush, I'm going to comment in public also

Sort of. They aren't going to reclose themselves into the most secure configuration that (if packed properly in the first place) they already came open from, so they may end up opening and closing numerous times per jump. Agreed, which is why I said that there IS a benefit to the magnets, but it's more a benefit for potential maintenance issues than anything else. Then there's the issue of that requirement in the license agreement that we can't comply with. Maybe Bill can afford to defend himself, or afford to comply with it with all those skyhook sales

Any chance you're going to put in magnetic riser covers any time soon? Nope Magnets are "neato" and everything, but I believe the best reason to use them is that we wouldn't have to replace the occasional broken tuck tab (for free

Just make sure you have a hook kinfe on your rig at all times (standard on all Infinity's, not sure about others) [/shamelssplug] The video posted in the link earlier shows that if the jumper had a hook knife, they could have cut the snagged line, then released the main cleanly and gotten a good reserve out. There's nothing like having the right tool for the job when you need it.

Thanks Bart! While we're not PERFECT, we certainly try to make everyone happy and succeed the vast majority of the time!

There are maximum velocities specified in TSO C23D and the upcoming -E. To keep things simple, get a 23D reserve and stay within the weight limitations

The Porsche is just a VW Bug since Bugs were produced first! And show me a 4 door Porsche with a rear engine..... VSE on Facebook

Perception isn't the same as reality, as we know

Sounds like you made a good choice. I just skimmed the posts so maybe I missed it, but I'm surprised that no one noticed that the risers lack the 1" Ty-3 reinforcement below the confluence wrap. That should have been decision maker, IMO

I don't think integrity risers should be used on ANY rig that you might actually NEED to cutaway with. Even if the rings are placed higher on the wearer's shoulders, there are situations like a bag lock or a two out where the rings can (most likely will) be pressed against the shoulder or reserve risers, not allowing them to flip through and release. Not to mention the issues raised in the previous post. VSE on Facebook

I'm not placing blame, I'm trying to EDUCATE someone about their gear and the fact that it isn't always "business as usual" when you opt for some new feature. You're right- altitude awareness and EP's can prevent that type of scenario, but if everyone were perfect, we wouldn't need RSL's/Skyhooks at all, and 90+% of Airtec's cutter sales wouldn't be from low pulls. People need to know what THEY need to do with THEIR gear when they find themselves in odd situations. Let's keep people safe

I haven't seen the Mirage DRX yet but I have a Skyhook and know that it doesn't require any modification of EPs. There's no race. You should read this: http://www.unitedparachutetechnologies.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=160. In particular this part: So basically, if you found yourself open low enough to scare your AAD, you now have roughly 30 seconds (depending on wing loading and canopy, etc.) to reach behind you, reel in and control your reserve PC, get in control of your main, and find a place to land. The Skyhook is the only device that I know of (at this time) that makes this scenario possible. A standard RSL will not affect the deployment of the reserve in a low pull/AAD fire scenario, and you will have a two out situation which is generally stable (http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/dualsq.pdf). I know a few people that have cut their main away from this situation and simply landed their reserve. Whether the reserve comes out of the bag or not, you're paying for a new cutter and a repack

Jerry, your old geezer muscles have atrophied beyond the point of usefulness As far as our reserve container sizing, I think we have it down pretty good- in fact, I think they have a little bit of room left in them. If you find our sizing to be too tight consistenly, I suggest brushing up on your technique since knowing how to pack small will make your life easier everytime you pack a reserve

It looks like I'm a little late to the group hug, but I'd like to say welcome back Dom

They look like a set of our risers, withthe exception of the middle leg. In regards to the Para-Flite Evolution, the middle risers was sewn to the front risers about 1/2 way down.

If this doesn't provide enough bulk, simply increase the number of folds to increase the bulk. My 79 doesn't have much excess brake line, and folding it in thirds works OK for me.

Along with Hand Deploy Pilot chutes, BOC pouches, Riser Covers, "piggy back" containers, the Sky Hook, and the Colin's Lanyard, to name a few Bill Booth inventions. It was awefuly nice of Bill to name HIS invention after Kyle Collins, wasn't it? And I know at least one former rig maker that claims to have invented riser covers. I am glad Bill invented the airplane to give us all something to jump out of though VSE on Facebook

Well, if that's all they've got.... It uses a loop, grommet, and a pin, but they FUNCTION differently. If the person sending the emails doesn't see that, their OPINION doesn't mean much, if you ask me. But what about Eric Fradet's opinion? Here's what he has to say about it (posted with his permission, from an email from last year): VSE on Facebook

In this scenario, tested or not, I think the bottom is that it's going to be a crap shoot. There are simply too many variables in the real world. Does the canopy make it out of the bag? Is the drag on just the suspension lines going to create enough force to open the riser covers and release the risers consistently? Will they just pull the risers under the riser covers? Will they have enough force to pull the reserve pin and initiate a MARD deployment? Will the jumper pull the reserve pin before the RSL? What's the jumper's body position going to be, and how will that affect the variables above? Keep in mind that main bridles are a pretty standard length, but suspension lines are not. I'd like to see a test or five done, but I don't know if they would be very meaningful in the real world.

Ok Let me re-ask this one. A jumper pulls his main and it opens. But it was low so the AAD fires at about the time full opening on the main occurs. The reserve PC shoots off and falls downward because on too little airspeed. The reserve bag then gets pulled from the pack tray. Under this scenario, will your system cutaway the RSL riser? But your later answer of "No, to cutaway the jumper would have to pull the 3-ring release handle." kind of says it won't cut it away. Let me take a stab at this one. The simple answer is that the reserve would deploy just like any other reserve in the situation. The bridle will release from the RAX with no additional drag on the bridle (at 1:00 in the video, you can see a dark spot on the bridle- that is the connection to the RAX). If either the bag OR the pilot chute pulls on the RAX while the RSL and RAX are stowed, the RAX will release. There is NO provision that will allow any part of the reserve deployment process to cutaway a main riser. The biggest functional difference between the RAX and any other MARD device that I'm aware of, is the RAX is a purely mechanical device, and not subject to abnormal airflows that can cause premature releases of the system. Right spin, left spin, forwards, backwards, the RAX doesn't care.

Until the jumper, unaware that their AAD fired, releases their brakes and/or turns, THEN initiates the deployment of their reserve at a lower altitude. I agree that it is not necessary to cut your main away in this type of situation, but it IS necessary for the jumper to assess the situation and know what the best course of action is going to be- "should I cutaway? Will my reserve come out of the bag if the pilot chute continues deployment?" Not really a situation I would like to be in at ~750 feet). I disagree on the notion of the reserve bag flipping through the lines too. I just don't see it happening when the lines are creating drag on one side of the bag as it's falling- it's like saying a tandem pair can get wrapped up in their drogue after it's deployed. It's even more unlikely to happen if there is a pilot chute pullling on the other end of the bag. However, if the pilot chute or any part of the bridle are coming from the same spot on the jumper as the lines, a bag/line entanglement is much more likely if the bag turns as it is falling or if it stops before it releases the safety stow. I agree that you should respect your AAD, but I also know several people that have had theirs fire during main deployment (one person had it happen twice in 24 hours). I also agree with Eric that it comes down to "what is the more likely 'malfunction'?". In your canopy collision example above, the jumper with the skyhook also cutaway at an altitude high enough for a standard RSL to work (although I'm sure he/she will never jump without a skyhook again

The lowest pull I've ever seen in my life was caused in part by a blown jumpsuit zipper. The jumper's jumpsuit blew open in freefall, then upon deployment, one of the main risers let go for unknown reasons. The jumper cutaway without having his hand on the reserve handle, took a very healthy delay trying to find and pull his reserve handle (covered by the jumpsuit) and disappeared behind trees with canopy stretch (round reserve) and line stretch. He walked away unhurt. Sometimes you may have to modify your emergency procedures

I've semi-jokingly said for years that the low pull wingsuit guys need to have belly mounted srping loaded pilot chutes activated with a thumb switch of some sort. They would get a clean launch and never have to collapse the wings

Yeah, but you still have more posts than jumps

I have thought about it- actually 8-9 years ago I called Bill and asked him about licensing the Collin's Lanyard, and the answer was basically "no". I forget what his reasoning was at the time. So as of today, the Collin's Lanyard is only available as packaged with the skyhook. To some extent, I agree with you, but if you take the "anythying we can do to save people" to it's logical end, no body is going to be jumping out of airplanes, let alone flying in them I guess when I read that a feature is a "must have", I have visions of a lawyer building up a case against a DZ that had an accident with someone wearing one of their student rigs. They come here doing research, see someone with your credentials saying that something is a "must have", and then discovering that that DZ's student rigs don't have it, and building a case that the DZ has "dangerous and outdated" equipment. Agreed, except for the Collin's Lanyard making it "far better". The difference in safety on sport rigs between having a Collin's Lanyard and not, all else being equal, is fractions of a percent. I think everyone will agree that the the least safe part of a harness/container system is the jumper wearing it, and that because something new comes along that is "safer" doesn't make everything before it "dangerous". I know that's not your intention, I just want people to think about what they're buying, instead of "buying into the hype" and then thinking that they just need to pull their cutaway handle if they have to get out of the plane at 1000'