Fledgling

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Everything posted by Fledgling

  1. Fledgling
    I doubt PD would recommend putting dacron anywhere near a velocity :-) Dacron will not be as dimensionally stable as vectran or HMA for one thing. I prefer to use Vectran for my brake lines. Thicker and longer lasting than HMA and shows wear better but still just as stable as the HMA.
  2. Fledgling
    It appears to me that those lines fit squarely into the should replace category. It is not about them being low strength as they are not low strength lines! You have to start thinking about it as % of wear. If the lines were vectran they would have probably been fine. But as HMA lines are already so thin to start with, that amount of wear as a percentage of the line thickness is much greater and therefore more critical.
  3. Fledgling
    Check out PD's website. There is a great article pertaining exactly to this and is at least one way to learn what is too worn. I have always been creeped out by using HMA brake lines so I always switch mine to 1000lb vectran. But that is just to make feel good. I believe this to be far too many jumps on a HMA brake line. After all it is suggested to change the entire line set at 500 jumps. So I swap mine out at 250 jumps. For $20 you can't go wrong. I would almost bet that this would be directly related to the pilots flying style. Depending on how deep in brakes he usually flies would dictate where the guide ring would wear on the line the most. I call BS on that. For HMA lines they look terrible. That much wear may be acceptable on thicker lines but not on HMA. Again, check out the article regarding HMA lines on PD's website.
  4. Fledgling
    Dirty low hookers are my favorite... What do you mean low? It's never too low for a hook turn.
  5. Fledgling
    Typically no. Every one already knows toggle hooks are a much safer way of turning.
  6. Fledgling
    I heard that the mod was only recommended, not mandatory/compulsory. Has this changed at all? I will not be modifying my Sigma until it is a mandatory mod.
  7. Fledgling
    The zoom switch is busted. On the 105s it is expensive to fix due to the photo switch being on the same panel. Don't know where in NZ you are but Sony in CC will charge about $280 for the repair. Likely to be a separate service centre for the north island. Seems to be common with older 105s.
  8. Fledgling
    No, handcams are not dangerous. Idiots are dangerous.
  9. Fledgling
    Before is still before.
  10. Fledgling
    Any good rigger will have a roll of waxed thread for you to use.
  11. Fledgling
    Over the years I have had the opportunity to observe many course directors and instructor examiners in several different countries and have to say that Kip Lohmiller is by far the best I have ever seen. He will get my recomendation every time, I have even gone as far as convincing people to travel to the USA just to take his courses.
  12. Fledgling
    I don't totally agree with the wide open DZ either. I have found HOPs to be terrible with thermals as well, which we all know can happen in wide open areas. I have seen HOPs fold in half on finals under 50ft on light wind days.
  13. Fledgling
    As I have experienced this myself several times before I have subscribed to the belief that, "A messily folded bridal placed too close to the skirt of the drogue will increase your chances of the half hitch mal".
  14. Fledgling
    Maimed is another.
  15. Fledgling
    I thought this was a GEAR and RIGGING forum. I would also think that there are many highly experienced riggers on this forum who could add there input on the GEAR and RIGGING, many who might never bother to even look on a dedicated BASE forum as they are actually interested in GEAR and RIGGING.
  16. Fledgling
    I totally understand your point but I wouldn't go so far as to say that using an RSL is a bad idea. They have done exactly what they were designed to do and served the sport very well in the past. Yes RSL's do have their flaws and every body here already knows this, hence the new age of Skyhook RSLs. I believe the change you seek is already on it's way.
  17. Fledgling
    I have had that happen to mine as well. I had to take the battery out to get it to stop. I don't know what caused it but I went on holidays for a month and now it works fine again.
  18. Fledgling
    I used to use this mod and liked the way that it felt. But I went back to using the original guide ring due to the fact that if you let go of your toggles when using the higher guide ring then there is a much greater chance of them getting tangled with the lines at the top of your risers.
  19. Fledgling
    There was an Aussie in the early 80's by the name of Mike who skydived onto the top of Center Point Tower in Sydney. He then cut away his main and BASE jumped his reserve off of it. They have the footage of it on one of the ABA videos.
  20. Fledgling
    That's gotta be a nugget
  21. Fledgling
    I always understood it that the reason to pack the tail that way (on free packed canopies) was to keep the tail and the bulk of the pack job moving as one unit until it reached line stretch. I believed packing in this fashion would stop the tail from separating from the bulk on the way to line stretch and prevent the tail from catching air out of sequence therefore preventing line overs. Yes I understand that it also promotes nose first inflation but that is already achieved by every other BASE pack out there and in this case becomes secondary to the act of maintaining control over the tail of a free packed canopy. So the way I understand it the true benefit of your pack job is on its way to line stretch not during its inflation. If this is so it seems pointless to pack a reserve in this way as the canopy is controlled by the free bag up until line stretch. Just my thoughts.
  22. Fledgling
    Kris, You must have paid for just about every suit on the market and you found reasons for all of those to not work for you as well.
  23. Fledgling

    ATMONAUTI

    Fledgling replied to mciocca's topic in Instructors

    90mph still doesn't sound that impressive. Good trackers can easily achieve that as well.
  24. Fledgling
    Sorry mate, I never meant to question their abilities. Funnily enough I was actually trying to avoid getting flamed for telling some one I don't know to jump a smaller canopy for the sake of shortening their closing loop. However I still stand by my statement that they should switch their containers for ones that will correctly fit what ever canopy they are jumping at the time. Whether the pin is tight or not doesn't really matter as the rig is simply not closed properly. And if they are as experienced as you say then they should have already done something about that.
  25. Fledgling

    ATMONAUTI

    Fledgling replied to mciocca's topic in Instructors

    I find this very difficult to believe. Do you have proof that you can sustain a fall rate of 75mph over the course of an entire jump?