amy

Be aware that the more unstowed line you leave in the bottom of the container, the greater the chance that some of that line will wrap itself around something and cause a problem. We recently had a jumper at Perris whose container was ripped off of his harness when a loop of unstowed line wrapped around one of the main flaps and caught on the stiffener as the main was deploying. It was still entangled when he cut away and deployed his reserve, and he was lucky to land without injury. This is one of those Goldilocks issues - leave too much, and your increasing your chances of an entanglement. Leave too little, and your chance of line twists increases. How much is just right? It'll depend on your rig and canopy, and the length of your risers relative to the container size. Ask a rigger or experienced jumper at your DZ to take a look at what you're doing; they may have some suggestions for you. Amy

Why yes I am! And I have the password for the dungeon. If I could only get past the rectal scanner. . .

Deuce occasionally shifted in his seat on the climb to altitude, but the shifiting seemed seemd to be related to noxious odors more often than gear checks. . . Amy

I agree that the decision whether or not to cut away from this kind of problem is a personal decision. It's also a good idea to think about what your options are before you're presented with the situation. Dave's suggestion of the wrap/riser landing is one option. Another option to consider is giving enough input with the opposite toggle to keep the canopy flying straight, then either flare from that position (pulling on each toggle enough to keep the canopy flying straight, which means that you'll finish the flare with one hand all the way down and the other about halfway), or to simply land in half brakes. I've done both due to toggle hang-ups - the latter option seemed preferable when I was concerned the toggle might suddenly free itself halfway through my flare and turn me into the ground. Which option you choose (and whether you decide to cut away) is going to depend at least partly on what canopy you're flying, and how heavily it's loaded. Some canopies can be landed in half-brakes without flaring, as long as you can do a good PLF. Landing a heavily loaded elliptical that way might be a little hairier. Whether you decide to land with rear risers or toggles will depend on how comfortable you are with those types of approaches - but keep in mind that either way you'll be approaching in half-brakes, and the landing will be different than one from full flight. Amy

I prefer to use SSK's online service form. I like to think that if they're expecting the unit, maybe they'll notice if it doesn't make it for some reason. It also ensures that they'll have a name and address on file for the unit, increasing the chances it'll make it back to me if there's a mix-up somehwere. I've attached the information sheet that I give to my customers who want to ship their own AADs. Amy

Do you believe that your doctor _doesn't_ know better than you when it comes to health concerns? Because if you do, there's no reason to go see him. A good physician will give you his best estimation of the risk you're taking, based on his medical knowledge and on his understanding of the physical stresses of the activity concerned. The decision whether or not to take that risk is yours. Amy

Just curious - Do you use ripstop tape for repairs? If so, do you consider it a permanent "fix"? I've always considered it to be a temporary fix. At best, a way to keep the canopy in the air until a real patch can be done. However, I recently found a ripstop tape repair in a place that was clearly intended to be permanent, and now I'm curious how other riggers are using it. Anyone? Amy

Not to sound pedantic, but the reason they're tested that way is because that's how the standard was written, and if we don't all follow the standard then the numbers we come up with are pretty meaningless. Although you have a good point about testing what the jumper will actually "see" in the air, if a rig is sealed properly it shouldn't add more to the pull force than the breaking strength of the seal thread (which is usually 4-6 lbs, and most manufacturers specify "not more than 6 pounds"). I'd like to think that they had this in mind when they came up with the standard of 5-22 pounds. The Poynter manual has only one sentence on why it was done this way: "Oddly enough, the TSO tests are run without the safety thread so the 22 lb maximum pull is easier to meet." I suppose that neither one of those is a very satisfying answer. Amy

While this is true, it's worth noting that pull testing is done with the seal thread removed (or at least it should be). Amy

Most dropzones have a first aid bag that includes a set of heavy trauma shears, which would cut through an Oxygn-style visor pretty easily. The only exception I can think of (at least, among the helmets that I see commonly used) is the Z1, which is easy to get open without cutting it or moving the head. I suppose the other exception is the Bonehead Havoc. I haven't played with one, but looks like it opens easily. . . the release mechanism is on the back of the helmet, however, which would present its own challenges. I don't think the visors on most full-face helmets pose much issue with first aid; it's the chin protection that could be problem, because it would make it tough to get to someone's mouth (and in some cases, their nose as well). Amy

There are concerns beyond your ability to grip handles with a cast on. . . If he's operating on your finger, there's a good chance there'll be hardware in your hand after surgery. If you dislodge or damage the hardware before the bones are healed, your looking at redoing the surgery at the very least. At the worst, you'll do further damage to the bone when the hardware rips out, dislodges, or breaks. The resulting surgery will be much more difficult, will involve a longer recovery, and will have a much higher risk of complications. It's your choice. You can wait three weeks now, or jump and take the chance that you'll be out for 8-10 weeks later if you have a problem. Amy

Jump #32, with a container that is too big for the main I've got in it (no one had discussed the importance of a tight main closing loop with me, and it was rental gear). Our two-way backloop exit caused some loose bridle to flap around, enough to dislodge the main pin. The guy I'm in a 2-way with gets a horrified look on his face, then I feel the bag lift off my back. Having just made the transition to a throw out, and having never been introduced to the idea of a horseshoe on a throw-out, I pulled the cutaway handle without even trying to get the PC out of its pocket first. Fortunately, the PC was stowed on the belly band and it cleared when the main went away. Might not have been so lucky with an ROL. Shouldn't have rushed that transition jump, but that's another story. Amy

Perhaps. The waiver does say, however, that you won't sue them even if they're negligent. Did the people in the airplane know that it was unsafe? If they did, then suing the DZO seems a little silly. I think that part of what has changed in the last 10 years or so is the illusion of safety. Let's face it, if you went to a little Cessna DZ a decade ago, it was probably populated by grizzled guys who smelled of cigarettes and god-knows-what-else, sitting on couches so ragged that no self-respecting fraternity would allow them in its basement. You put on your sun-faded rig, and your jumpmaster turned on the AAD that he had told you was almost as likely to fire at the wrong time as it was at the right. Then you climbed into a cramped little plane that had been gutted before the holes and sharp metal were covered in duct tape, and everyone leaned forward on takeoff to keep the CG far enough forward that it could struggle into the air. If you saw all of this and thought that what you were doing was safe, you had to be crazy (no, I'm not saying all DZs were like this, but an awful lot were). But you also had to be crazy to think that someone would take care of you, and that meant that everyone made the decision to take responsibility for themselves before they jumped. It's hard to claim that the DZO should be held responsible when you knew what you the risks you were taking, and jumped anyway. It happens. A lawyer sued Perris after he flew his reserve into power lines, and this after some very heads-up AFF JMs saved his life. Lawsuits like that come from people who believe that someone should (and will) protect them from themselves, even after they've jumped out of an airplane. You can do everything right in this sport and still die. It says so in the waiver, it says so on the orange label, and any skydiver who's being honest with himself will tell you that. The DZO, rigger, and gear manufacturer can all do everything right, and you can still die. But I think we've been over this in another thread. Amy

Keith M. (a dz.commer whose login is "keith") also makes them and sells them in San Diego. Not sure how competitive his pricing is, but he'll make them custom and would probably ship you one. Amy

As have I. In the last 6 months, I've ordered a number of parts and a canopy from Aerodyne. All arrived ahead of schedule, and they've been very responsive to telephone and email inquiries. Amy

That seems odd. The DPRE who did my exam didn't have a block of symbols, but called the FAA 5 minutes after I passed my exam and got the symbol. It was about a 10-minute conversation, as I recall, and I left with my temporary certificate in hand, with the seal symbol noted on the certificate. Strange. Amy

You are absolutely right that money from your rig purchase is paying for these sponsorships, Judy. What JP said is also true - manufacturers lookat that as part of their advertising budget. I think that if it bothers you to pay for these sponsored teams, you should buy gear from a manufacturer that doesn't sponsor anyone (they are out there), or who has a sponsorship policy that you agree with (AFAIK, there are some who don't give gear away, but offer a deep discount to their teams). In a capitalist system, voting with your wallet is the most effective way to voice your opinion. Just my $.02 Amy

Was it a red and yellow Reflex? There was a guy at the holiday boogie with a red and yellow Reflex that was modified for CReW, with two extra tabs (that look like the corner of a reserve flap, but without the grommet) over the top and bottom edges of the pop top. The theory behind these is that they decrease the chances of a line snagging on the pop top. The guys who bought the Reflex TSO (and there are surely people on this board who know more about this than I) have also made a modification so that the new rig (called the Viper) can be packed witht the top and bottom flaps over the pop top, something like a Javelin. I don't think they're in general production yet, but there are a few around. There are pictures of both of these mods on the Trident web site. http://www.tridenthc.com/VProducts.htm. Is one of these what you were seeing? I don't think most people mind if you ask questions about their gear, especially if you're asking out of genuine concern for their welfare (and especially if you're a rigger). As a lot of people have already said though, you have to be careful how you say it. Most people don't like to hear that you think they're an idiot, but saying "hey, can I take a closer look at that? It looks kind of strange." is usually pretty well received. Amy

Yeah, I tried that too. From the look of it, they won't give out contact info anyway. For the record (and since I've already gotten a dozen PMs asking), this isn't a major safety issue. Just want to talk with the guy. Amy

I'm looking for the rigger with seal symbol TFY. Does anyone here know him, or is he on this board? Thanks, Amy

Heck, I'll give you a kiss even if you don't want it. . . Amy

You guys should have some kind of worldwide phone tree. Find someone with an October 4 anniversary. He calls Bill on his anniversary, Bill calls you, you call the October 30 guy. . . Think of the lives you could save! Amy

Andy, you don't know how funny that is. . . As for the rest of you (Dominic), I'm actually not very tall at all. It's just that no one in Bill's family is over 5 feet! Amy

Well seeing as someone else mentioned me, I guess I can post here and not be accused of tooting my own horn I also have a Cypres 2 that I rent to folks who are down for 4- and 8- year maintenance. Then when your Cypres comes back, I'll reinstall it for free. Drop me a PM if you're interested. Amy Edited to say: thanks for the recommendation, Derek.

Sandy Reid's school, the US Academy of Parachute Rigging, has courses in February, March, and April. And it's in Eloy, surely a nice place to be in winter. http://www.usapr.com/ Amy