riggermick

I've only seen a normal belly band that sits about bellybutton level - I just can't picture how that's going to keep me in my rig. If the belly band is structurly tied to the lateral straps and is cinched sugly around your waist it will hold you in the harness long enough to be pulled upright instead of falling through the yoke, even if the shoulder webbing is over your bicep instead of your clavacal (sp?). Dont get me wrong it's not going to be a comfortable opening by any stretch of the imagination in fact it may damage you for a while, but it sure beats the hell out of being in FF with out a rig! Call them and MAKE them install one it's not a major job for the factory, in fact you don't even have to have the reserve out but it is easier if you do. Good luck.

Ask them if they can fit a structural belly band tied into the laterals and running inside the main lift webs. If you suffer a premature opening of either canopy while in a head down position you WILL come out of your harness without a belly band. Either that or don't do head down with this rig. Not trying to frighten you just make you safer. you probably don't know me or my history in the sport, ask someone who does, I used to design and build sport rigs. It can be done quite easily. Mick Cottle. Reflex designer/ manufacturer, master rigger AFF I, etc.

Orange county Sewing machines, orange county, CA. They will ship them to you, good guys to deal with. Mick.

Welcome to the "dark arts" of manufacturing/ rigging. Bwahhahahahahahaahaaaaaaaah! Mick.

Don't double stow locking stows. Although some people have never had a problem, most bag lock malfunctions I've heard about involve doing this. My bet is that no manufacturer recommends double stowing locking stows. Where the hell did you come up with this "theory"? There is no known mode that I have ever heard of to catorgorize how bag locks happen. There are a myriad of causes for bag locks most involving line or bridle looping around the main line group either before deployment or during. Pray tell? Mick.

That wasn't the Safety Star we tore up in Ron Horsecrofts' loft was it? That was fun!! Mick.

The mesh in question was treated with a fire retardent for use in nylon tents. Unfortunatly over a period of time with continous contact to the adjacent ripstop nylon panels it started to chemicaly change the panels and made them much weaker, ok for your average tent but not so good for a terminal opening! Mick.

Touche sir. Mick.

You're excused! Sound like we are arguing with the choir. Would that be Preaching to the choir? MEL In Canada The're all godless heathons, so they don't "preach" to one another they "argue". Fricken Communists!!

Yeah but he was taller, least that's how I always told you two apart! Mick.

Thanks for all the input over the years Don. You will be missed!! Thanks for running the AFF cert course in 89 in Coolidge that gave me and woodie our ratings. I remember swooping on you on the last eval dive and your eyes big as dinner plates as I got closer, now that was a moment!! BSBD Don.

Cross controll is basicly the opposite input of the toggles in order to affect a turn. When operating a canopy in deep brakes (50% or more) it is actually safer to make a turn by raising the oppoite toggle slightly rather than pulling the desired toggle even further towards the stall point. Example: You are in 75% brakes and wish to make a right hand turn, instead of pulling the right toggle down closer to the stall point (risking a collapse) you would raise the left toggle allowing the canopy to drive to the right. Get it? This is a much safer way to manouver in deep brakes @ a low altitude, think back yard landings, demos into tight arenas etc. Make sense? It's an old school survival skill much like PLF's. Mick.

I have only done it once, that was when I became acquainted with the term "Pain is an excellent teacher". And you are right about being stuck. That’s why I suggested carrying the pliers in your pocket. I was able to stretch out with one leg/foot and knock the rigging snips off another machine. Finally was able to scoot them close enough to pick up and use as a screwdriver to take the needle out. And no, I didn’t feel stupid, why do you ask? Sparky After many needle strikes on my digits over the years I learned to (most of the time) keep em out of the way..................However, one day when I was re-timimg a twin machine, I was rotating a hook into posisition when I accdentaly leaned on the "go" pedal and took a hook a hook in the left thumb (three stitches later). The harder it hurt the harder I pressed down on the pedal, which drove it further into my thumb, till I finally jumped off the machine and left a piece of me with the machine. Lesson turn the fuckin thing off when re-timing!!! Mick.

I don't remember if the Phantom 27 reserve was one of their squares or not, are you sure you don't mean a Phantom 26'? If it is a Phantom 26' don't use it as a reserve!!!!!!! Buy a newer canopy and jump the PH 26' as a main for cut away practice. Acid mesh, diapers and Kevlar reinforcing bands come to mind. Good luck with your new found toy. Mick.

Wow, missed that, need more coffee or learn to read slower. Just woke up, late night last night, sorry Mick.

Yea, but I know it now. Sparky If you think about it, when the riser is insalled on the base ring that will be the finished length of the riser, so measuring the ring is kinda pointless, least that's the way I did it @ Fliteline. Mick.

Reading is a wonderful tool. Sparky Sucked all the fun out of this thread didn't he? Mick.

Just curious, without his weight how did you come up with these numbers? Maybe he's very skinny and only loads his canopys @ 1:1, or maybe you are right about the Canada/ gravity thing. Mick.

Without wanting to seem rude, hasn't this question been answered @ least once? Maybe it's time to retire this question!! Mick.

Couldn't have said it better Rob! Mick.

I am hoping that if my old harness fails at the levels the theory says. It will finally be enough to silence those critics who didn't buy the theory. Why do you care? Trying to educate the people who wan't to educated, who love to subscribe to their own theories of how things are is nearly always futile. Let it go! Trust the science and the engineering, it's worked for decades and no amount "classic skydiver ignorance/know it all" will change these facts. Tell them to pick up Poynters and read it, you never know they may actually learn something! Mick.

Right on Bonnie!! Mick.

You are a master of the ironic Nick so how's this? Belly bands, tight belly bands, Structuraly secured to the lumbar (lateral) belly bands!! Really fuckin uncomfortable during an opening belly bands!!! Despite how bad your harness fits, belly bands will keep you close enough to your rig to ride out ANY and I do mean ANY unusual opening. AHhhhh!!! The distant past comes back to taunt us doesn't it? The more things change the more they stay the same, ironic huh? Mick.

After a couple of hundred jumps the pilot chute mesh was usually pretty shreded by the #8 grommet. Piot chute replacement was the biggest factor in it falling out of favor. Mick.

Paper weight! Mick.