gowlerk

Chris, part of the real point I'm trying to make is that skydiving is really just a cool recreational activity. There are really only two things that matter. The first is of course that you survive the jump. The second is that you enjoy your jumps. How fast you learn and how high your skill set gets is completely tertiary to these things. It's only skydiving, it matters naught in the big scheme of things. But I like it. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

I'm willing to go on record as being with Chuck on this. It's kind of sad to watch a true pioneer of the sport slowly turn himself into crotchety old man. Even if he is correct, his approach is wrong. Ken Gowler Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

The endless debate about which DZ uses the best progression method is quite comical. Pretty much everyone thinks that the method they are most familiar with is the best. And they are mostly all correct. That fact is that every DZ chooses the method that makes the most efficient use of A) the available aircraft and B) the available instructors. Only after that decision is made do they develop a rational for why their way is the "best". The best way to learn skydiving is to skydive. Find qualified instructors and then jump as much as you can. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

A quick incomplete history, bearing in mind that I am not Dan Poynter, and although I'm an old guy, I only started jumping in '92. When sliders were invented, ram air canopies became much more practical. Early sliders used various rings in the corners and many different configurations. Enough about that. For many years the combination of #8 brass grommets, risers made of type 7 webbing, and #5 rapide links where the norm. The grommets had a nasty habit of slamming into the links and becoming damaged, which would lead to line damage from rough edges. So slider bumpers were added to protect the grommets. Then, at roughly the same time things started evolving. Canopy makers introduced stainless steel grommets which are very hard to damage and create sharp edges. As well light spectra lines started to replace much thicker and less easily damaged Dacron lines. And canopies went faster. People wanted less drag and smaller type 17 risers along with skinny lines helped with this. Then with smaller size 3 and 3.5 links and thin risers you could pull the slider past all your controls and tuck it away behind your head. (Carefully) This stopped the annoying noise and parasitic drag of the ZP slider flapping in the breezed caused be the speed of the new rocket ship canopies. Then came popular new soft links. No more grommet damage. And now people who did not want to deal with stowing the slider had the problem of having the slider come down and interfering with the toggles. This problem is solved with slink hats, which are essentially slider bumpers all over again, but for a different purpose. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Probably because it works well and is cost effective for tooling. Canopy makers intend for the slider to stay at the links like most people want. Those of us who pull it down are not following the recommended procedure. If they used larger ones they would come down past the links when it is not wanted. Making brake toggles fly off and inducing other problems that I haven't thought of yet. Even if you do want to pull it down, you will want to be able to decide when. You don't want the quickly descending slider to continue past the links until you are ready for it. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

They don't. At least not commonly on modern canopies. I'm sure there are exceptions for RDS systems and such, but almost all sliders come with size #8 grommets. The newer stainless ones have a slightly smaller inside diameter, but they are basically the same as the brass ones for size. Different types of risers can be easier or more difficult to get past grommets. Some are not possible. A lot of people don't want their slider to ever go below the links. Which is the safest way to go. When you pull your slider down you are creating possibilities for several different problems. More than I am aware of probably. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

I'm not sure why you would do that. Except possibly if you want to get 7 cell practice in preparation for learning BASE. A Raven 1 (181 sq ft) would likely fit. It would fit better if you had one with spectra lines, but they are well known for hard openings so if you are planning to take it to terminal velocity you may be better off with a Dacron lined one. Also be aware that if you load a Raven at more than about 1:1.2 max you will suffer from ankle stinging landings. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

I sold it this afternoon. Gone, never to be seen again I hope. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

New jumpers get to be emotional about their home DZ. A DZ is partly a familiar family where you develop strong feelings for the people involved. But at the end of the day they are all businesses as well. If another DZ can meet your needs better, go there. You will not lose your home, you will find a second one. And it doesn't sound at all silly. Those kind of feelings are common and normal. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

You are a wise person. That reserve will soon be listed in the classifieds for cheap. I have a PD 176 I can use instead. After fighting with it for 4 hours I never want to see one of these again. I got it in the bag on the second try, but now it needs to go into a Wings W13 and I can't get the bulk right because it holds so much air. It probably would work a lot better in a container that is more forgiving. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Great. Now all I need is to find a correct way of neatly packing a partly ZP canopy. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Hi Rob, Herringbone weave double bar tacked attachment tape. I think that's what the b means. I checked the SB right away. I remember that from your class. I hope to sell it to a girl that weighs 140lbs. I was thinking I may go as high as 1:1.1 loading depending on the victim, I mean customer. It's a 181. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

I bought a used rig with a Raven -mzb. It has been a closet queen. Packed only once, in 2001 when it was new. I suppose that a ZP topskin reserve made sense to someone at the time, but I can't see why. It certainly needed a repack. The coated fabric was pretty much stuck together after 12 years. I'm tempted to fashion an attachment point to it and use it as a main. But I'm going to just repack it and sell the rig. Anyone got any helpful packing tips for me? Where is Riggerrob when I need him? Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

If you are seriously considering matching up a 190 main with a 143 reserve you need to do more research into what is considered safe. And yes, price is important, I agree with that. But this is a road too far. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

What do you know? A customer of mine just handed me a Mirage M6 and a Pulse 210 to go with it! I've never packed a Pulse before. It's got an Optimum 193 as well. Both these canopies are at the "soft" end for the container. He did his research all by himself and chose this combination for comfort and safety. It will be easy for him to pack...and me too. Very smart man, engineer type. I think I'm going to buy him a beer. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

I think you should make up your mind about whether money or fashion is your first priority. It's obvious that safety is third. Personally I'd advise you to opt for the purple rig. I've been hanging out here for a while and Wendy is never wrong. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

It's a main. You can do it yourself! You could even make your own line set. Just order some line, get some e thread, and a zigzag sewing machine. Correct bartacks are nice, but not necessary. Let us know how it turns out. I'm only half kidding. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

They shipped me two just yesterday. I'm picking them up tomorrow. I can hardly wait! Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Look on ebay, shock cord 1/8 inch, any color you like Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

The Argus has never been either approved or had approval withdrawn for Eclipse. There is no manufacturer in business any longer to make this decision. This is the grayest of gray areas. It is totally up to your rigger to make this call as far as I can tell. I'm sure other opinions will pop up here shortly. I can tell you that I repacked one for a customer. I did it reluctantly and only after I assured myself that he understood all of the issues involved. He is an AME and very knowledgeable about technical matters. My advice to you is not to try to do this. The Eclipse is a copy of a Vector II. The Argus is not allowed in an Vector. You probably will not be able to find a rigger willing to pack it. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Not a "paperclip" It's probably incorrectly installed safety wire. It's supposed to keep the stabilizer fastener nut from vibrating loose. Check for an SB about it. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Ok then, they aren't slider stops. They are lock washers to keep the nuts from getting loose and falling off. You wouldn't want to have a stabilizer fall off and hurt someone would you? Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

Most of the people I know who are jumping Sabre 190s are using PD 176s for reserves. It will fit in the same space as a Raven 1, and will land significantly better. They can sometimes be found used, but the demand is greater than the supply. You should figure around 750 or so for a fairly late model one. Price often depends on the number of repacks and rides that are on them. Of course this is a compromise and if you want to be more conservative an Optimum 193 will probably also fit. But it will only be available new, and therefore will cost twice as much. The classifieds here are the best source of used gear, unless you have someone locally. Other people will shortly jump in with advice on new gear dealers. Most of them are good, and the market is competitive. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

If you weigh 220 you are nearly 250 out the door. If you have to land your Raven 1 you won't like it very much. Reserves of this design generally will not land well very much beyond 1:1. But yes, you can still probably use it. You are older and more financially secure now as well as more frail. Welcome back. Open the wallet and spring for a modern reserve. At the same size a PDR, or a Smart or a R-max or Angelfire or other current design will give you a much better chance of not breaking an ankle. You are worth it. Ken Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

A CYPRES 2 DOM 10/12 brand new and still in the box is now available on Ebay. Item# 161004827409. This should show us what the free market thinks about the SB. Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.