PIA Symposium 2015: what's new?

[skydiverek 63]

Can someone describe what is new gear-wise, as presented at PIA 2015?

[Remster 30]

There's a Curv 2.0 from RI.https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.933511823347504.1073741830.389764191055606&type=1

Remster

[skytribe 17]

From the responses here - obviously very little.

I did see Cookie has a few different colors and a new budget helmet that will be released later in the year.

[Remster 30]

Cookie also launched a new open face.

I saw some posts form an alti maker (LB or Alti2.. cant recall now) with something new too.

The Parasim stuff looks much more robust

Remster

[councilman24 37]

Wings tandem, I assume replacing Plexus in the market. Didn't look very close. Standard Precision reserve.

RI Curve replaces main side flap and bottom reserve flap grommets with U shaped wire loops sticking out from binding tape. Less bulk and flaps themselves don't stack on each other. Looks pretty good if durable.

Museum is now Skydiving Museum and Hall of Fame. Property in Lynchberg for sale. Going to Orlando in conjunction with a wind tunnel.

Consew has new line of sewing machines. Premier, based on Juki models with some changes.


Minor fixes on Javelin.

Highlight was presentation by Alan Eustace on high 135,000' plus skydive. Humble regular guy. Suit on display and unseen video of really bad early jump landings shown. Took photos with anyone who wanted. Class act.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[parachutist 2]

Like Terry said, the Alan Eustace presentation was fantastic. We got to see some B-roll footage in high def on big screens, and hear about how they overcame spinning issues.

Kirk Smith of Para Concepts presented a new seminar: Making Sewing Guides with 3D Printers. Kirk's ideas for overcoming issues using home-designed guides got me thinking of what I could do back home. There were some other good rigging-related seminars, but to me this one stood out as new and innovative.

[dpreguy 14]

Quite a bit, in my opinion. What I am saying here are my statements of what I think was told to me. Not a company position or anything.

. At the Mirage booth, the "TRAP" system was displayed. the Spectra loop trapping a thick (folded over portion) of the bridle. Works like any MARD and looked just fine on the booth table. Check w/Mirage for avail. I think it is avail now.

Most mfg's were displaying or at least talking about one of the three MARD ideas=(Trap, Skyhook and Boost) SunPath has the UPT Skyhook on license, and came up with a really nifty and uncomplicated lanyard/rig arrangement that is on the front of the right shoulder, as distinguished from behind. Eliminates the "double" lanyard /yellow add on that came out these last several months. Lanyard is nice and hides neatly. I was told it will be standard on new student rigs and I think it is avail on new Odysseys. There are other rig mfg's that offer the licensed Skyhook too.
. Wings Tandem is the successor of the Plexus and I was told there were many reserve and main canopies already approved for use by them. He gave me a list of the most popular already approved. And he said they "have the door open" for a quick turnaround testing for any other main or reserve canopies you want to propose to them emphasizing they are a system mfg, not a canopy mfg. "BOOST" MARD system as before. No changes in how it looked in the Parachutist magazine pictures.
. RI had a (my term) "rubber grip" rectangular addition on it's display of the main cutaway handle. It is a industrial textured grip surface which makes the main cutaway pillow nice and "grippy".
. Kiss helmets had a big display and has two (my term again) lever arms to clamp it on your head. When I put it on the view was nice.
. Cookie is now in Utah and had an even bigger display and some new helmets for students and they had their whole line for the attendees to put on and size up.
. Both UPT and SunPath techs (gotta be carful here) said they were "looking at or considering" doing something about the exposed hook Velcro on the reserve freebags. I hope they do. Not expressing company positions, just dangling the possibility they will figure out something to keep the reserve lines from being grabbed by the hook Velcro.
. New to me: Louie, UPT packing demo finger trapped (looked like the blue 1000 lb) his Spectra closing loop so when he packed only one line went thru the grommets. When he was done, he "finger picked" the finger trap loose, and only had a couple of inches of closing loop to extract from the closed loop with the closing pin in.

. UPT di say use of the staging bungee/loop was at the discretion of the user and rigger.

That's all I can remember now.

[normiss 801]

Alti-2 has a new wristband mount for the N3, they gave me one!
SWEET!
The N3 has been redesigned as well. New case style that just looks and feels better and the buttons have been redesigned and are now raised, in a lowered cut-out type area so the buttons are not raised above the top surface. They now work perfectly.

[lyosha 50]

pics?

[strife 0]

http://www.alti-2.com/content.php?296-ANNOUNCING-*ATLAS*

[skymama 37]

Sangiro posted some photos on the dz.com Facebook page. Check them out here.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[councilman24 37]

Oh, and as of now annual pull testing of PD reserves is no longer required. Per Rusty Vest at his seminar on canopy recert.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[mxk 1]

At BPA 2015, Mark Procos from UPT mentioned that they were doing reserve deployment testing with different containers to check for AAD or any other compatibility issues:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1khn7DY9OPk#t=2112

The report was supposed to be published at the end of March in time for the symposium. Is there any more information about this?

[councilman24 37]

Way behind schedule. Weather, rigging, etc. We saw one raw load cell graph and some video in tech committee during the business meeting. Next business meeting is in Sacramento in August, then Southwest (Phoenix ?) early 2016.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[KRBKV 0]

Great review! Thank you!

Have you had the chance to look at Sky Systems's booth?

[dan43 0]

councilman24

Oh, and as of now annual pull testing of PD reserves is no longer required. Per Rusty Vest at his seminar on canopy recert.

Did they indicate when they'll release a service bulletin to support this? And, what did PD say as the reason for no longer requiring the check?

[councilman24 37]

Rusty said it was effective immediately. And that manual would be revised. Don't know if there will be a service bulletin.

Because they've never had one fail tensile testing. 40 pack/25 ride recert is still in effect.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[dan43 0]

Thanks for sharing the information, i'll check out PD's website later when I have a chance and keep an eye on the manual.

[gowlerk 2,198]

It never was required. Just recommended in a weasel word sort of way. It's about time they cleared that up.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[skytribe 17]

As I wasn't at symposium this year perhaps someone can enlighten us on PD's position of with regard to the 40/25 rules and recertification.

Are they trying (as some people believe) to get information to justify life'ing equipment for age ? or sell more canopies due to grounding old equipment.

Has the recertification program revealed much data in terms of how the equipment is standing up to real world use and how many canopies do not receive recertification that get sent back.

[riggerrob 643]

councilman24

Rusty said it was effective immediately. And that manual would be revised. Don't know if there will be a service bulletin.

Because they've never had one fail tensile testing. 40 pack/25 ride recert is still in effect.

.......................................................................................

So Performance Designs has finally come around to agreeing with the policy that the Canadian Sports Parachuting Association has held for the last 15 years.
Circa 2000, Barry McAuley (dear departed chair of CSPA's Technical Committee) whispered to me that I did not have to pull-test PD reserves in Canada. He did not want to waste time teaching young riggers pull-testing because of the risk that they would damage airworthy reserves during the learning process.

I have only sewn a patch on one PD reserve that was accidentally damaged by a new FAA Senior Rigger. I pull-tested the fabric in a half-dozen places and concluded that there was nothing else wrong with that PD reserve.

That left us with two possible explanations: first, his technique may have been less than perfect. Secondly, he may have pull-tested on top of an earlier test, because the first rigger was too lazy to mark where he tested.
Pull-testing always results in minor weave separation and a minor reduction in tensile strength. If you repeatedly pull-test the same piece of fabric, you will eventually pull a hole in it.

[councilman24 37]

PD's test required no marking.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE