smoke

[jake69 0]

Has any one jumped with smoke? I can't find brackets or anything for sale. Can you just duct tape it on the bottom of your shoe, or will it burn? Also, does anyone know where you can buy smoke besides paragear?

[PhreeZone 20]

You can order a case from the manufactor for about half the price Paragear wants and it will be fresh instead of the old stuff that has been on their shelf forever.
I've only jumped custom foot mounted foot brackets that use pipe clamps to hold the smoke in place. And make sure that its on the side and not bottom of your foot. Landing is a bitch otherwise......
I want to touch the sky, I want to fly so high ~ Sonique

[tlshealy 0]

Jake,
remember if you make some kind of bracket you should have a quick release on it. The ones we used on the army team were aluminum with hose clamps on inside and outside of the foot. The bracket had webbing under the food and fastened across the top of your foot with a quick ejector snap, then some webbing hooked on to the top of the brkt wrapped around you ankle with velcro. A piece of 750lb braided line was attached to the end of the webbing with the velcro and the other end was fingertrapped to the release on the quick ejector snap, so you could grab the line and pull and the whole thing would come right off if you had a problem. Be careful because the canisters get hot, and at least the military stuff, gets smoke, slag, and little burn holes in your gear. But there's nothing like popping a little smoke for the folks.
Good luck and blue skies
Tad

[jake69 0]

Thanks for the info! Do you know how to get in contact with the manufacturer?

[weid14 0]

like others said, you will need a bracket, the canisters get very hot, and will melt nylon, so be careful even after landing. Also, if you habitually cross your legs under canopy, be very careful not to do that -- I turned a pair of sneakers green doing that.

[skybytch 273]

Try the Gear Store at Elsinore. Besides owning a skydiving school and a gear store, Jim Wallace does loads of demos, runs an occasional demo school and always seems to have smoke and brackets available.
I've jumped smoke once and all I can say is keep your foot far from your rig... Took forever to get the stains out of my jumpsuit; glad I managed to keep it off the rig I was jumping. I'm on the right in the attached pic; check out the guy to my right...
pull and flare,
lisa
--
"Where's my beer?" - Al Stephens "Oh, was this yours? - Lisa

[billvon 2,990]

Smoke hints:
1. Get a bracket for your foot that's made of metal, not plastic or nylon. Definitely not duct tape. Make sure you can release it quickly, without burning your hands, if it gets too hot or you get entangled with it.
2. Do not light it off in the plane or in the door! (sort of obvious.) You can dangle a leg out the door and light it off, but this removes the possibility of getting back in if the spot's bad or there's traffic.
3. If you use it in freefall, it will get in your canopy when you open. White Para-gear smoke seems the worst - it will burn little holes in it.
4. If you use it under canopy, make sure you time its use so you don't land with half the canister to go. It's annoying, it gets hot, and it makes it hard for other people to land.
5. Keep in mind that if you are doing a jump over people, you cannot release anything that could hurt them, and that includes smoke canisters. Make at least a few practice jumps so you know what to expect.
-bill von

[prost 0]

Thanks Bill,
sounds like some good advice. I am thinking about getting my pro rating. But first I should buy something more than 100 sq. ft.
William

[billvon 2,990]

>I am thinking about getting my pro rating. But first I should buy something more than 100 sq. ft.
Yes!!! I once made the mistake of taking a ZP into a stadium. It was, I thought, huge, docile, and sinkable (a Triathalon 190.) I set up, made the final turn incredibly low, and almost ran into the outfield wall at about 20mph. I surfed a good half the field.
There are a lot of good accuracy canopies out there. I actually have come to like the Manta, because it has decent glide but can be shut down hard if you need it to stop. I find it's a good choice for high BASE sites too, when off-heading openings aren't too much of an issue.
-bill von

[prost 0]

I wouldn't really even think about using my FX. I was just trying to be funny. But I was thinking of using exactly what you mentioned, a Triathalon 190. I have had good luck sinking Tris. Anything you would recommend smaller than a Manta? I don't want something so big that the only time I would consider putting the rig on is for a demo.
William

[PhreeZone 20]

I've heard good things about SharpChuters in thier demo use.
I want to touch the sky, I want to fly so high ~ Sonique

[riggerrob 643]

The white "Superior Skydiver Smoke" sold by Paragear is tame compared with the NASTY Paines Wessex smoke I jumped with the Canadian Army Team back in 1981.
Most smoke cannisters are so hot, dangerous and leave such nasty stains that I only used smoke with aluminum boot brakets and army boots. Since few skydivers are willing to stain their jumpsuits, they are better off trailing the smoke on a chain after opening.
Skybytch is right about calling Jim Wallace to order smoke brakets.
The May/June 1985 issue of CANPARA Magazine carried my article entitled: "Wowing the Crowd" about rigging smoke and flags. SKYDIVING Magazine reprinted my article a few months later.
Jumping with smoke or flags is dangerous. Buy the right brackets and do several practice jumps under the supervision of someone who has done it before (hint: call Jim Wallace).

[billvon 2,990]

>I wouldn't really even think about using my FX. I was just trying to be funny. But I was thinking of using exactly what you mentioned, a Triathalon 190.
Well, that's what I used to use as well, but they have some drawbacks - good flare being the main one. You don't want something that will plane out _at_all_, unless you're planning on doing only open-field demos (beaches, parking lots, fairs.) This generally means an F111 something, like a Cruislite, PDXXX, or Raven. You can find them in good shape for pretty cheap nowadays, since most people raised on ZP don't like them (or can even land them well, for that matter.)
On the plus side, if you do get something like a Tri-190, you may be more likely to jump it as a backup canopy than a Manta - and like anything else in skydiving, currency on the canopy is critical.
I tend to use a Manta for tight demos now, and a Silhouette 170 for open demos.
-bill von

[scottbre 0]

Well there's an unusual first. This is the first thread that I have seen that was started by someone from my tiny DZ. "Can't keep my mind from the circling sky. Tongue-tied & twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I."

[alan 1]

6. Wear a heat resistant/fire retardent legging over your jumpsuit on the leg with the smoke. It will protect you and your jumpsuit.
alan

[freeflir29 0]

"Wear a heat resistant/fire retardent legging"
You could probably make one rather easily out of an old Military Flight suit. I saw some for sale recently for $25-30 on "Sportsmansguide.com"
"I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay

[nacmacfeegle 0]

Or buy a cheap domestic fire blanket for about 25 bucks, prolly more work to adapt, but better shielding.....

[scottbre 0]

Just jump a firefighter's uniform. That includes the helmet. "Can't keep my mind from the circling sky. Tongue-tied & twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I."

[nacmacfeegle 0]

He he he, I'm spending most of today writing specs for fire fighter's uniforms. I just had a cool visualisation.....
ROFLM (lardy) AO, and the boss is giving me a strange look......
Thanks man, ya cheered me up.

[kevin922 0]

OKay I have some questions as well. I am interested in jumping smoke but haven't seen any recommendations as for jump requirements, etc. Saw it is required to get your PRO rating which is what i'm shooting for. I also want to jump smoke with my birdman suit to get some video of distance covered and whatnot. The burns/stains kinda concern me. Has anyone who has jumped smoke figured out a way to not get the stains / burns ?

And more specifically has anyone jumped smoke with a suit with booties? (such as a wingsuit)

Kevin

[riggerrob 643]

2 points:
First, on one demo, a friend wrapped a welder's spat around his ankle. The welder's spat is made of fireproof material and is designed to prevent sparks from falling inside their boots. Spats also protect a foot or 18 inches of your lower leg.

There are two ways to avoid stains and burns. The first is to use a tame type of smoke, like the Superior Skydivers Smoke sold by Para-Gear. The second method is to trail the smoke cannister on a chain after you open.

[kevin922 0]

Quote

2 points:
First, on one demo, a friend wrapped a welder's spat around his ankle. The welder's spat is made of fireproof material and is designed to prevent sparks from falling inside their boots. Spats also protect a foot or 18 inches of your lower leg.

There are two ways to avoid stains and burns. The first is to use a tame type of smoke, like the Superior Skydivers Smoke sold by Para-Gear. The second method is to trail the smoke cannister on a chain after you open.

So the stains in question occur after opening not during the freefall?

[TheMonkey 0]

Quote

I'm on the right in the attached pic; check out the guy to my right...

attachement???

---------------------
Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience!

[PhreeZone 20]

She changed pics a while back. Basically a demo over an ocean. Lucky Bytch...

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[Ron 10]

I have around....Oh 400 jumps with smoke.

you need to have a bracket...The smoke canister will burn you.

Get a piece of thin steel, and make it into a U shape.
Drill holes in the back that will allow you to fasten 2 hose clamps per smoke....you want one smoke have 2 clamps...2 smokes 4....Redundency is good here.

You would put your heel into the back of the U, with the 2 "arms" running along your foot on the sides. Make sure that the smokes run Left to right not up and down.

Use webbing to create a harness for your foot that wraps around your foot, and around your ankle.

Or talk to a guy that has one, and try to buy one...Much easier.

The smoke will burn almost anything it comes into contact with...thats why there is the steel U. It will also burn your canopy if it is still burning during opening. It will stain your jumpsuit, and the damn stuff gets everywhere. I will not jump smoke on my pretty new gear.

DON'T JUMP MILITARY WHITE SMOKE!!!! It will burn you even with the steel bracket!!!!

Get some damn instruction!!!!!
A smoke jump has several new and cool ways to kill yourself or someone else....

You can drop it....very bad.

It can entangle with your parachute...Can't cut away...very bad....

You can burn the living piss out of your buddy that happens to run into it, or even just gets hit with the smoke if he is close enough...Not death, but lots of pain.

Ron

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334