pms07

It's interesting to get some historical perspective I suppose. If you go back 25-30 years you would find much non-TSO's gear was being used. Of course there is no equivelant gear on the market today. Much of the home made gear was innovative and led to some of the standard stuff in use today; ask Bill Booth, John Sherman, or Sandy Reid about how they got started and you'll find it interesting I'm sure... I had a home made harness and container at one point I don't even know who made, used with a Pop Top reserve. We jumped a lot gear we either modified at home or that was made without any TSO process. The PPD and Sod Shit rigs were popular in the area where I was jumping. Some of the home made stuff was great gear and led to innovation...some if it had problems as well. TSO'd gear had more than it's share of problems as well however. You could get too far out in front of what was tested and worked well without much effort though. I remember one time I short lined a PC 72 inches, removed the stabilzers, and made a Piglet style diaper for it, all so I could get it to fit into a GS Express I had. I assumed it would land better than the 24 flat 4 line I was jumping as a main and pack small. Anyway, it either opened so hard you thought you had hit the ground or, simply, didn't open at all. Fortunately the Starlight, Paradactyl, Strato Star, and other canopies were avaiable to replace my lame-ass rigging and canopy design efforts... Of course main canopies don't need to be TSO'd but it's an example typical of what I saw. The TSO system is not perfect but it, and various FARs, preclude some of the early to mid 70s style "innovation". Some of that "innovation" led to fatalities. Without some QC and testing process we would probably have similar problems today... pms

I have never had a problem at drop zones in Germany, France, UK, Netherlands, Spain and Belgium; USPA was accepted generally, though you may have to pay a club membership type fee at some locations. Get your license and bring USPA card and logbook. Bring your own gear and make sure it's in date and squared away. Cypres is mandatory at some locations. Learn some of the language as well as it helps at most places...I managed to stumble my way through various adventure around the continent with very rudimentary language skills, at best, however... I always felt welcome wherever I jumped in Europe and was always assisted by a local wherever I was to ensure I knew the rules and how things operated. Great people and great skydivers. Let me know where you'll be more specifically by PM and I'll give you information I have for a DZ in that area if I've been there. pms

so i get a job and a flat in andover near netheravon, and... Sounds like England to me, not Australia or NZ. More information on Netheravon below. Recommend you visit and jump there if you get a chance. Great DZ! pms FYI:...The Army Parachute Association (APA) is based at Airfield Camp in Netheravon Wiltshire. It is probably the oldest parachute club in the world and is the centre where parachuting, as a sport, was born in the U.K. Not many clubs have a pedigree going back to the very early days of freefall parachuting. 1962 was the year that the APA was formed, and it has gone from strength to strength since that date to become the premier parachuting club in this country...

How long does a container last , is a container with 800 jumps an old one.? *** It really depends on how the system has been cared for, used, and or abused. A harness container that's been well maintained can last for thousands of jumps over many years. On the other hand, you'll see rigs being dragged across the ground or pavement while being packed, left out in the sun for hours and basic maintenance ignored. It always amazes me to see someone wait weeks or months for a fairly expensive custom color rig, then not take care of it. After 50-100 jumps the rig looks like shit...go figure. pms

I agree with you on a reserve, 1 or 2 years would not bother me, if I knew who packed it. But have you had any dealings with a ZP main that has been packed for an extended period of time. Some of the ones I have seen you could drive a nail with them and have seen the material tear when being separated. ZP seems to play by its own rules. Sparky *** Good point; No I really haven't dealt much with ZP that's been packed for extended time...all of it has been reserves, older gear or F-111 canopies. Might be worth getting more data on however if/when we consider extending the reserve repack cycle (even though there are not many ZP reserves). Personally, I'd like to see the reserve repack cycle go to 12 months. Works for me... pms

A canopy packed for a year or two really isn't that big of a deal, assuming the system hasn't been exposed to an extreme environment or damaging materiels. I've jumped a canopy that was packed for over 5 years, and several that were packed between 12-24 months...both mains and reserves. I have zero concern about jumping a reserve (or main) that's been packed for a year and support extending the mandatory reserve repack cycle to 6 months or longer... pms

I remember that load...my 4-way team was seated in the back by the door. Our FF, BK Jones, was the only one sent to the hospital to my knowledge. He was back in the air a few days later though. I wrote a few observations on the incident in my logbook that night at the BombShelter but it's mostly illegible. Probably because we decided to forego an early start at training the next day in favor of Jose Cuervo... pms

It sounds as if you've got it correct. Think about how a kill line functions and it'll make more sense. As far as wear issues, this system will last for hundreds or thousands of jumps...with little to no maintenance. Regular inspection of all components and wear points is prudent however, as with all kill line systems. A more conclusive answer, perhaps, would be obtained by calling Sandy or Brenda at R.I. Free advice is often worth exactly what you paid... pms