skydiverek

Yeah, like could both the main and reserve be cutaway? Was it technically possible to cutaway the last canopy (which would NOT be beneficial ;-) )? If not, how was that prevented? When was the drogue automatically released (reserve AAD fire?, etc).

Did he land under a reserve? I can see no drogue attached to the flying canopy (and it WAS visible in some other canopy flight footage, probably taken from other jumps). Also, the reserve container looks open/empty during the landing phase.

Hi, Quick question without suggesting an answer ;-): if the container manual says the reserve closing loop should be 4 inches long, where is the start and end point for this measurement? In other words: from where to where ?

I first heard about it in 2008. For sure NOT in 2000. There was no Pilot canopy of any kind in 2000.

No Dacron, no canopy for me. Safire2 does not offer Dacron, hence it is out of question. To bad for them! ;)

Here is the list, from 80s till approx year 2005: http://www.unitedparachutetechnologies.com/index.php/ti/category/worldwide-tandem-parachuting-fatalities

Also, can it "change its mind" in the process? That is: initiate a deployment by TRAP, but still be able to release, if the reserve PC 'wins the race'. Or, once TRAP is initiated and tight around the bridle, there is no way to revert it (?). Also, is it really crucial for it to be able to "change its mind" when needed (when?), or not? Probably no Collins Lanyard either on Mirage TRAP, meaning that if the RSL riser (only) releases, than the freebag will be pulled wight INTO the mess. Same scenario of course exists in 99% of RSL equiped rigs, but there only the reserve PC would be pulled INTO the mess, not the freebag right away.

"We are proud to announce the OFFICIAL release of the brand new Mirage MARD. Team member Curt Bartholomew was the lead test jumper on the project. Get it while its hot!": VIDEO: http://vimeo.com/108117364

From Bill Booth, talking about the bridle pockets and Para-Flite testing as well: "Let me clear up one myth right now. The free bag system WILL NOT pull your reserve bag out of its container in the event of a horse shoe malfunction. A horse shoed 16 foot long, 2 inch wide, free bag bridle generates only about 2 pounds of force on the bag at terminal velocity. Most reserve canopies weigh over 5 pounds, not counting force required to extract them from the reserve container, especially if the main container is still closed. What the long wide bridle will do, however, is stabilize the bag, (if you reach back and throw it out of the container) so that it won't tumble through its own lines as it deploys. So, if you ever experience a horseshoe malfunction of your reserve, don't just lie there and wait to hit the ground, sit up until you feel the reserve bridle hit you in the back of the head, reach back and pull on it until the free bag is out of the container, and then let go. The drag of the bag itself, helped out by the bridle, will then carry it to line stretch. I put out a film about this about 15 years ago, but a lot of people seem to have forgotten." and "The pull generated by a 2" reserve pilot chute bridle in a horseshoe configuration is about 2 pounds. I published a video recording that fact about 20 years ago. Reserves weigh at least 5 pounds. Plus, all modern reserve containers add a "containment" force to keep the reserve bag in the container during pilot chute hesitations, to prevent out-of-sequence deployments (which, by the way, have killed several jumpers using older containers without this safety feature). So, it usually takes at least 10 pounds of force to remove a reserve bag from its container. Therefore, a horse-shoed reserve bridle does not generate nearly enough force to pull your reserve bag out of its container. This is a good thing, because it prevents out of sequence deployments due to pilot chute hesitations. The basic problem with two reserve pilot chute systems like my Vortex (which I developed years before the Catapult, but did not market) or the Catapult itself, is that they cannot tell the difference between a pilot chute hesitation (very common) and a reserve horse shoe malfunction (very rare). So, the second pilot chute on these systems can easily pull the reserve free bag above a hesitating primary (spring loaded) pilot chute, allowing that pilot chute to get into the lines below the free bag, thus totaling your reserve. So, the Catapult system actually encourages out of sequence reserve deployments, which as I said above, is a very bad thing. I tried to solve this problem with the Vortex, but was unable to do so. The Catapult does not solve it either." and "The freebag system only "Works" if the bag is first "ejected" from the container by some force OTHER than the horse shoed bridle. On the Paraflite dummy drops, this force was supplied by the tumbling dummy. Once the bag is out of the container (at terminal) it will blown upward by its own drag. A horse shoed 2" bridle only supplies about 1 pound of drag. Most reserves weigh at least 5 pounds, and it takes at least 10-15 pounds to pull the bag out of most modern containers. This is a good thing because of the likelihood of reserve pilot chute hesitation. If your bag falls out of the container while your pilot chute is hesitating, and gets above that pilot chute, you could be in a lot of trouble." and "In my tests, a horse shoed freebag bridle pulls only about one pound at the freebag end. Pockets on the bridle don't pull much more, and certainly not enough to pull a freebag out of a modern container. This is good, because the last thing you want during a pilot chute hesitation (common on internal spring-loaded pilot chute systems) is for your bridle to pull your bag out of the container and above the hesitating pilot chute. Reserve totals are rarely fun." and "With your main container (and riser covers) closed, it can easily take over 15 lbs. of pull to remove your reserve bag from the container. It takes a pilot chute of about 13" finished diameter to do that. Pockets on the bridle won't generate nearly that much drag. But the most important thing to consider, is that the second pilot chute can't "tell" the difference between a reserve horse shoe (which is very rare) and a reserve pilot chute hesitation (which is very common). Ask yourself this simple question: "Do you really want your reserve bag pulled out of the container by the secondary pilot chute while your main pilot chute is hesitating right above?" Sounds like a recipe for an entanglement between the heavy, spring loaded primary pilot chute, and your reserve lines to me." and "Question: So why do we have 2" bridles in the first place? Answer: Para-flite started it over 20 years ago. When they came out with the first square reserve, the Safety Flyer, they decided to "tinker" with a lot of other things too. The "free-bag" with its bungee "safety stows" and 2" wide "anti-horseshoe" bridle was the result. The Safety-Flyer was marketed with the Swift container system which had no pocketed corners. As a result, when you pulled the ripcord, the bag would simple fall out of the container. When they drop tested this combined system with a built-in "horseshoe" malfunction and a tumbling (unstable) dummy, the bag would simply be ejected from the container because of centifugal force (angular acceleration) and be pulled to line stretch by the force of the relative wind on the bag. The super long bridle allowed the lines to unstow, and the freebag allowed the canopy to open. The 2" width merely provided stabilization so that the bag did not tumble through the lines as they unstowed. The anti-horseshoe system worked in those test conditions. However, as stated earlier in this thread, it will not work with a stable jumper using a modern piggyback system. The long, wide bridle has persisted out of inertia. i.e. No one wanted to go against an existing, "proven" system. Even though, I suspect, the wide bridle helps create and lengthen pilot chute hesitations, because of the drag it creates in the burble right above a stable jumpers back on initial pilot chute launch. I have made one change recently, however. I had to shorted the bridle a bit to make the Skyhook work correctly. I kept the 2" width because of the stabilizing effect I noted above."

I know that some helmet manufacturers recommend using ONLY water on their visors. They say that doing otherwise will wipe off the anti-fog layer that was 'installed' at the factory. Maybe that happened to your visor.

Call your credit card company and do a 'chargeback'.

Bad link.

I jump Spectre 190 now, with Dacron lines and an oversized slider. Amazing, slooooooow openings . I want to move to a smaller 9-cell, and still have such openings. Hence my original question

What canopy is that?

I plan on buying either Pilot 168 or Sabre2 170, either one with Dacron lines. Softest/slowest possible openings are my priority number 1. The slower/softer, the better for me (even if it lasts 10 seconds). So, can you share your comparison, if you have experience with both canopies (preferably in these sizes)? Which one provides softer/slower openings?

Does Sabre2 open hard more often that other modern canopies? Comparing to let's say Pilot, Spectre, Safire2? I know Sabre2 usually opens soft, but does it have an inherited every-so-often hard opening?

And what were the openings on Speed 2000 ?

Speed 150 is different from Speed 2000 150. Just a note. You would want Speed 2000 150.

From a rigger who packed over 40 'Speed 2000' reserves: "Speed 2000 150 is nearly packing as low as a 99 Smart Reserve, with a difference of 4 cu. in." Please see this POST: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4613007#4613007 And this whole THREAD: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4610754#4610754

Speed 2000. It is TSO'ed, and you can put size 190 into freebag for size 143. http://www.paratec.de/en/products-parachutes/57-2/

And, you get that tracking chip, correct? What about the "detector"?

I am sure they do have "Master Riggers" in Norway

I hear you, but was rather thinking about numerous videos showing Skyhook disconnect when cutting away from a normal lineover or spinning mal... It should not disconnect then (or you would not want it to).

They are longer then main Slinks. I had to install them, since I have wide Type 8 risers, thick Dacron lines, and Slink Hats. All of that volume required longer slinks.

I am thinking my: "my Skyhook and the spinning Pilot 168 are gonna pull that thing out in no time" Yes i am am aware that my pilot may have never left the container on some emergency situations and i know it would be faster if it would not stick to anything. I am just saying... Skyhook disconnects in approx 15% mals (mals where it should NOT disconnect), so I would not count on this...