AdamF

At the risk of being hooked by a troller here. I'll state that not only is that common practice but it is also just common sense. In fact, it is written into our owner's manual as a recommendation. There are two reasons: Parachutes get assembled inspected and placed into plastic bags for delivery. It really doesn't matter how good a quality system it was manufactured under, until it opens for the first time, it is nothing more than a bundle of fabric and string. Why make that first jump a single parachute jump? Secondly, why not get a realistic amount of canopy time under your new parachute before being forced to operate it in the unforgiving environment of a BASE jump? A single skydive is equivalent to a least 10 BASE jumps worth of flight time. Besides planning and judgment, canopy skills are what BASE is is all about. Sure, back in the day, we all did many things that weren't so well thought through. I'd like to think that in thirty years of taking risks we figured out the ones that were unnecessary. Adam Filippino Consolidated Rigging crmojo.com

Bump... FYI, one week remains before Consolidated Rigging will be passing on our recently increased canopy production cost. New prices will be published at that time. However, until July 21st you can still order a new Ace or Black Jack at current pricing. Additionally, we have over a dozen stock parachutes in production that can be purchased at current prices as long as they are available. For a complete listing of models and colors, please visit our web page. Adam Filippino BASE 205 crmojo.com

Yes, this is accurate. On Friday June 23rd we recieved verbal notice from Performance Designs that the price they charge us to manufacture the Ace and BlackJack has increased. Until we have written confirmation of this we cannot publish an updated price list. However, we have decided to maintain our current pricing for one month, regardless. In addition we have lowered the deposit requirement for custom canopies for this time period. If you have been considering an Ace or Black Jack. now is definitely the time to act. For the full text of our press release including all the details and new pricing, when published, please vist crmojo.com

They are still available..........

As the designer of the Mojo, I’ll take the liberty of answering the question… The Mojo used an airfoil similar to, but not the same as, the Pegasus. It is based on the Clark –Y. A tried and true airfoil that is older than most people alive today. Most other design elements of the Mojo were the product of either empirical knowledge or current standards of the time. The Mojo has no direct relation to either the Fury or Sharpchuter other than both of those are “derivatives” of the Pegasus. Adam Filippino CR, Inc. www.crmojo.com

Hello Arnie, Consolidated Rigging is alive and well. We organized in April 2004, and we function as the direct source for the Ace and Black Jack canopies. You can click on the flashing banner at the top of this page to be directed to our web page. You can read more about our reorganization at www.crmojo.com/pressrelease_0404.htm Thanks, Nancy Filippino

Looking for Hunter Bellenger. Anyone with current contact info please email CR or pm me. Thanks Adam Filippino Consolidated Rigging, Inc. www.crmojo.com.

Here s a news link to an article on the "overzealous behaviour of the Yosemite law enforcment community". The link requires a subscrption. http://www.latimes.com/search/dispatcher.front?Query=yosemite&target=article&x=19&y=4 Same old story...jail for jay walking, four-figure fines for things like public consumption of alcohol. This time it's grandmothers and tourists, not BASE jumpers. Gardner/ABP board members---here is some ammo! I read the article in my local paper (not the LA Times). If someone can source an all-access copy online, please post the link. If not, I'll scan it and post it later in the WE. Happy Holidays Adam Filippino Consolidated Rigging

I would suggest verifying line trim. For several reasons canopies tend to get "flatter" with age. From there I would experiment with shallower settings to see if this makes the problem go away. I would expect that just a small change (3-6cm) in combination with a properly trimed canopy would stop it from happening with out generating excessive forward speed. Have you checked w/ BR? Adam Filippino Consoidated Rigging, Inc.

Gus, We found the scenario I mentioned was more likely to occur on slider jumps, which is not surprising given what a slider does to a canopy during deployment. I believe it can happen regardless of canopy but if for example a different canopy has a steeper trim or different airfoil than the Ace, those things may mitigate it so it won't be very likely to occur. BR's Vtec canopies had this rocking thing going on and I was told they attributed it to air coming in from the lower surface vents then out the nose. This could be. I think they went with shallow brakes to solve the issue. Which is really the heart of the issue. If the canpoy moves forward on deployment it will not tend to rock back. Adam Filippino Consoidated Rigging, Inc.

It could be a deployment stall. Deployment stalls will often occur sporadically if the deplyment brake setting is just a little too deep. Things like airspeed , winds etc will be the deciding factor as to whether or not the canopy actually experiences a stall or not. However, something we experiencd in testing on the Ace and Black Jacks could also be occuring. I didn't look at your movie. Do you have a canopy with 5 upper control lines per side? What you are desrcibing (if it is not a stall) is a common by-product of the 5 upper control line configuration. When controling 2.5 cells of the tail per side, the canopy's trailing edge is almost completely tensioned. It is almost like the skirt of a round parachute. What can, and has happened, is that the high-pressure mass of air under your canopy actually vents to the front at line stretch. This causes the canopy to pitch backwards. Aerodynamically, is not stalled but geometrically it has a positive angle of attack. It will then pitch forward and fly off as if nothing happened. Originally, we brought this under control with the Ace and Black Jack by simply using shallower brake settings. However in recent months we have gone one step further. These canopies still use a 5-line setup but, now only controlling 2 cells per side. This configuration has softened openings, and improved heading performance-especially with a slider. By retaining 5-control lines, turn and flare response is largely unchanged but openings are better in every way. If you have an older Ace or BJ, we have a free retrofit kit that you can request. Regardless of what brand canopy you have, I would first determine if it is a true aerodynamic stall or not and then examine your options. In the short term, I would suggest using the shallowest of the available brake settings Thanks Adam Filippino Consolidated Rigging

Hello Everyone. Consolidated Rigging has new contact information effective immediately. Consolidated Rigging, Inc. 2945 Bell Road, #151 Auburn, CA 95603 tel: +530 889-1917 fax: +530 889-1871 Email (support@crmojo.com) remains unchanged and is also the best way to reach us. Thanks

After 15 years of design, manufacture and sales of BASE equipment, Adam Filippino the owner and founder of Consolidated Rigging, Inc. has decided to pursue new career opportunities and will no longer be involved on a day to day basis with the BASE industry. The bulk of Consolidated Rigging assets have been sold to long-time employee Martin Tilley who has formed Asylum Designs. Martin Tilley has been with CR for 5 years during which time he was responsible for the manufacture of the Perigee Harness Container System and many aspects of the business. He is an FAA Master Rigger and has been BASE jumping for 15 years. He has worked in parachute rigging and BASE equipment manufacture for that entire time. Many BASE jumpers own, or are familiar with, equipment Martin has built. Asylum Designs is a new company dedicated to the manufacture, sales and support of BASE equipment and training. Asylum Designs will continue to manufacture sell and support the Perigee series of Harness Container Systems, all accessories and the Ace and Black Jack canopies. Adam will actively consult with Asylum Designs and Martin to ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible. All the outstanding products and services you have come to expect from CR will be available from Asylum Designs. Until the end of April, orders and inquiries may be placed through existing channels. During this time the changes will be largely transparent to the customer. Consolidated Rigging’s web page, email and phone numbers will remain active. crmojo.com will be the best source for updated information on the changes. Commencing May 1st, 2004 Asylum Designs will be the primary contact point for pending or new orders. Customers wishing to purchase a Complete System or a Perigee Harness and Container System should contact Asylum Designs. Asylums’ contact information and web page address will be made public prior to the end of April. Consolidated Rigging will remain in operation indefinitely. However, activities will be limited to managing the business transition, parachute design and sales. Adam intends continue work on a variety of parachute design projects, some of which are specifically for BASE jumping. In the future, customers desiring just a new parachute are encouraged to contact CR directly. All other equipment needs can be filled by Asylum Designs. For those of you that know me: Be excited for the new horizons that I have found. Thank you all for all the years of support and loyalty and I hope to see you at the exit point someday. For those of you who know CR: Be excited that this change represents not a loss but a rebirth. Look for exciting developments in the future from Asylum Designs. Adam Filippino Martin Tilley

Oscillating PCs are a major concern for BASE jumpers. They have proven to cause off-heading openings and in the BASE environment that's a BIG deal. We designed a solution to this problem by developing a pilot chute that uses a formed parabolic profile and an apex vent. Appropriately named, the AV Series they are available in 4 standard sizes plus custom. Since their release in '01 they have been immensly popular. Most BASE jumpers now use vented pilot chutes. Last year we sponsored the US Crew Team with 34" versions of these pilot chutes and they had rave reviews. Chris Gay commented that they were especially effective in the shorter delay slots where cross-stream deployments wreaked havoc with standard style PCs. Check them out here . If you would like more info about how and why these pilot chutes work so well feel free to contact us. support@crmojo.com Thanks Adam Filippino Consolidated Rigging, Inc.

Going stowed is a relatively new thing to BASE. It has become the norm and for the most part that's OK. Although many aspects of the isssue are being discussed in this thread, I'd like to draw your attention to an article written and presented over 6 years ago when going stowed was more novel. Check out the document entitled: stowed in our library. Hopefully, it will add a bit of context to the dicussion. In skydiving and in BASE (until recently) pilot chute reliability has been chronicaly overestimated. It's good to see constructive dialouge on the subject. Thanks Adam Filippino Consolidated Rigging

Jim, Although this thread is beginning to diverge into different subjects and other message boards. I'd like to keep on the theme of my original post which had to do with the subject of copying. On the BASE Board, Dwain points out that everything is a copy of everything, and it's quite true that creativity does not grow in a vacuum. However, our industry is rife with outright duplication followed by inflated claims of creation. Marketing claims are like a resume: By all rights they should be colored in your favor, but when they cross the line into fiction they lose all credibility. Our vents/valves, like our vented pilot chutes, were not pulled from thin air but the idea was inspired, examined, prototyped tested and refined rather than simply adding a "clone" to our product line. I'm pretty sure I was the first to vent and valve a BASE canopy. Was I the first to explore or test the idea of vents or valves?- certainly not. Did I ever claim that?-never. The vented pilot chute is the extrapolation of very old technologies used in round parachutes. Did I claim to invent the idea-No. But we did a lot of research and tested numerous designs eventually releasing something that is not only vented but uses some other unique design features to enhance it's stability. Contrary to Dwain's assertation that Gravity Sports introduced the tuck flap on the shrivel, we were first to test and introduce the idea two years before GS or BR but even in our literature we do not attempt to lay claim to it because god knows someone probabaly did it 30 years ago on a pilot rig or a handbag:-) My point about "copying" vs "inventing" is probably best summized by an Ad I recently saw in Parachutist. The Jump Shack is selling a canopy with a new leading edge configuration. It's identical to a skydiving canopy I designed and tested almost 8 years ago. Did they copy me? No. Did they draw the same conclusions about how to improve the performance of a canopy? Yes. That is the whole point here. If one thinks about ways to improve the equipment and then invests the time, energy and money in researching and testing those ideas it's commendable and we all gain. If a new standard is set, the next generation of product will build on that. Thats how we got from bottle rockets to the Appllo missions. Conversly, putting a quick spin on someone elses idea and bringing it to market with inflated claims in an effort to earn a buck is...well, it's ethically wrong; but still extremely common. (BTW this is why I resopnded originally, because it was insinuated that our vents were just that.) So back to your vent/valve question. Why didn't we release auxiallary inlets in 1996 when we began with the idea? Two reasons: Our canopy at the time (the Mojo) had excellent low-speed inflation and pressurization characteristics and did not see a marked improvement with vents. This was evidenced years later when a customer (against our recommendation) put vents (no valves) into a Mojo and later decided it hurt performance more than it helped. He converted it back. The second reason was that in 1996 a Mojo was $895 and BASE mfgs competed less w/ one another but more with new and used skydiving gear that was avaialble for less. At over $1500 for vented /valved canopy we didn't feel the improvement warranted the cost nor did we think customers would be able to justify the price tag. With reference to your question about patents: Why would someone patent a life-saving device? Patents are not about exclusivity, they are about ownership of intelectual property. License agreements don't have to even come with a cost but patent infringement claims start at triple damages. Patents don't prevent the use of an design or idea, they preserve the origin. (Interestingly, included in their wording is credit for those that did prior work in the same area.) When a person or company invests the time and $ in an idea and then markets the concept, the patent keeps the competition from taking a shortcut to the same end. Hopefully, with the road block to plagiarism that a patent presents, it also encourages further innovation. Thanks Adam Filippino Conolidated Rigging, Inc.

Hi Jim, Well written article although it sounds like it belongs on the BR webpage rather than a discussion forum. However, I'm compelled to comment on the following statement: ...the success of Vent Technology has been so great that almost every other BASE canopy manufacturer has chosen to copy the Vtec without varying the size, location, or number of bottom skin vents; a tribute to the innovation and success of Basic Research. This would insinuate that CR copied the Vtec as there are only two other altenatives when it comes to vented canopies. For the record, CR develped both a lower surface vent and a valve in 1996. It was publicly jumped on many occasions including two Bridge Days. Prototypes of what we sell now had vent positions fore, aft, left and right of our current production design. Vent size and number were also varied. More relevant is the fact that the vents/valves on the Black Jack are different in both size and position (both are similar, but different by design) from anything we saw on previous canopies. To clarify: BR certainly popularized the concept of lower surface vents. When we decided to answer the market's desire for such a feature we did not copy anyone. We built on our own knowledge and then completed the concept with a (patent pending) valve. A vent with out a valve is like a seatbelt without a buckle. No offense intended. You are entitled to promote your product, but verify your claims first. Adam

Here is an excerpt from page 29 of the Ace Owner's Manual. As it states, the decision is not so critical. If you constantly switch from slider to non-slider type objects, possibly are not too organized or have little rigging experience: leave it on. If the opposite is true then take it off and your slider-off packjobs will be easier and lower bulk. FYI, the details of removal or securing it in place are on the following page. I encourage everyone to check out the manual on our web page . It is available for download or viewing in the Document Library. Personally, I feel a lot of it's content has applicability to all canopies. Enjoy Adam Filippino Consolidated Rigging, Inc. Tip: Slider-down or slider-off has long been a point of debate within the BASE community. The fact is that there is no right or wrong choice, but there are right and wrong ways to execute that choice. If you take it off, be sure of your rigging. If you leave it on, be sure to properly secure it. The following list of positives and negatives associated with each method should help you decide your preference. Slider-down: Pros: ¨ Easy reconfigurations between slider-up and slider-down configurations. ¨ Minimal chance for misrigging. ¨ Slider can function as a cross-connector in grossly unstable deployments . Cons: Adds bulk to pack job. ¨ Must be properly secured. Slider-Off: Pros: ¨ Less bulk and cleaner in the pack tray. ¨ Can allow canopy to spread further in flight, slightly improving glide. Cons: ¨ More complex reconfigurations between slider-up and slider-off. ¨ Greater chance for misrigging ¨ Must carry tools and slider to reconfigure.

Given our relationship with PD, offering slinks would be easy and convenient. However,we discussed this and thought it inappropriate for BASE. Disadvantages: As mentioned, a variety of rigging errors are clearly more likely. However, unlike a metal link that retains some strength, even unthreaded, an improperly assembled slink could experience a complete separation if misrigged. A hard slider-up opening could send the slider down and over or below the toggles compromising post-deployment control. Increased cost Incompatible w/ links. If you lose one you will need another-you can't substitute a readily available steel link. Advantages: Lower bulk Can't damage slider grommets. (with bumpers, neither will a hard link). No tools needed. In short, we felt that although they are stronger and work well in the skydiving arena, they offered no real advantage to the BASE jumper. Conversley, undesirable by-products of their use were all too easy to think of. One unique element of our sport is that untrained and non-gear savvy individuals routinely perform work on their equipment that is legally (and in some cases, practically) within the domain of a Master Rigger. Given this, the simpler - the better. KISS. Also, our current standard of a stainless steel , threaded link has proven more than strong enough, reliable and safe. Adam Filippino Consolidated Rigging, Inc. www.crmojo.com cr@crmojo.com