Airviking

Yeah, I bet your parents were relieved. A bad day of skydivings a helluva lot safer than a good day on The Widowmaker! I'm selling my Suzuki GSF1200 to get back in. No regrets. I believe you have my stapler.

Meet: JOEY! This is the model I'm gonna run some flow analysis on tomorrow. (I can't fuckin' help it...I'm a nerd, and I carry it around wherever I go.) I believe you have my stapler.

Did ya? Yeah, so my expert on all things fluid had this take. All else being equal, it doesn't matter that it takes 60s (or whatever) to reach terminal rather that the usual 10-12. If there's air to put you in a spin, you should be able to use it to counter. He says that, even though the air pressure against your belly is the same at terminal at any altitude, ("terminal" will obviously be higher at lower pressures) the shape of the pressure wave you push in front of you and around around you is going to be very different at different pressures. At regular skydiving altitudes, we push a pretty steep pressure gradient in front of us. That gives us a nice rigid pressure front to work with. Like lying on a firm bed. But at lower pressures, that gradient flattens, the pressure front gets thicker, and feels softer, so your controls get vague. Like lying on a waterbed. Both beds will support you, but one is easy to move around on, and one is difficult. So, both scenarios have the same potential to force you into a spin, but you have less control to counter the spin at lower pressures. I'll see if I can get him to run a FlowWorks simulation for us. I believe you have my stapler.

That alone doesn't add up in my book. The reduction in air density is compensated for with an increase in terminal velocity. At terminal, the presuure that the air excerts on your belly is constant regardless of air density. Also, it's the air that induces the spin as well as provides you the means to control yourself out of it. I don't know the answer here, but it probably lies at the molecular level. Certainly a control surface in a given air density will behave differently than at half the density and twice the speed. I think I'm gonna walk over and chat with out fluidics PhD. I believe you have my stapler.

Yes, in my experience Beautiful = Messed up. The worst thing about devistatingly beautiful women, is how they hover over you, constantly fighting to give you their attention, and to please you in every way. ...and then you wake up. I believe you have my stapler.

I just got word the rig's gone. It was a Craig's List posting, and had no details. But the rig looked really nice, and CHEAP. That dual PC design sounds like a gimick. I wonder if there was a particular failure mode they were addressing with the 2nd PC. Or if it was just an easy way to increase the extraction force. I believe you have my stapler.

That's good information. (if it's true. And I only say that because of you disclaimer) At a glance, the rig looks like a Racer. Who woulda thought that there were 2 springloaded PCs in there. I believe you have my stapler.

Guilty as charged. But you think I'm bad? I belong to a Suzuki Bandit message board, and all we do is re-hash the same old topics: engine oil, and chain maintenance. If we didn't do that, there would be nothing to post about. I believe you have my stapler.

Someone is selling a "Prestige" rig in the classifieds. If it's so prestigious, why can't I find any info on it? I believe you have my stapler.

I'm looking at a cheap, nearly unused rig with a Flightline Systems Reflex harness/container. -It looks like Flightline folded, ehe? Any idea why? -Did anyone take over their product line? -Is the Reflex any good? Any issues? I believe you have my stapler.

I believe you have my stapler.

I've seen the opposite as well. Golden Knights RW seminar, Ridgley MD circa 1986. We managed to make those guys look so bad. We were all over the sky, and they looked just like us rif-raf. Just goes to show you what a little chaos can do. I believe you have my stapler.

The rig's going back to the seller. Just too many thing that aren't quite right. I believe you have my stapler.

That's too funny seeing Kevin's facial expression when he realizes what's happening! I believe you have my stapler.

Oh, that was YOUR handle? Your story reminds me of one I heard years back about a guy who would zero in on any newbie who looked real nervous in the plane. Before the guy exited he would lean into the newb and say "YOUR GONNA FUCKIN' DIE OUT THERE!" And then he'd laugh insanely, and then he was gone. Nice, ehe? I believe you have my stapler.

I realized that the topic is maybe a little too broad, in that it first requires that we agree on the definition of fun, and then look at how different aspects of skydiving fits that definition. I think that for most people, fun is a subset of enjoyment. (Except for those who don't enjoy fun. Fuckem!) Dinner at a fancy restaurant can be enjoyable without being "fun". I look back at my most fun dives as being the ones where I landed with a shit-eating grin on my face, and then cracked up as soon as we started the debrief. At the time, the more challenging dives seemed more rewarding, but looking back, it's really the fun dives that stick in my mind. I believe you have my stapler.

If a 190ZP fits, then a 210 lopo should be damn close. Someone PM'd me showing me the error of my ways. I'm starting to think the biggest problem here is I gotta calm the fuck down. I believe you have my stapler.

Tried flat pack, first time in 22 years. But after Z-folding, the stack just looked way too tall to fit (even partly) into the the bag. And sure enough, it all got away from me. I figured it was so much taller than I remembered due to this being a 9-cell versus my old 7-cell Pegasus This should add about 30% more layers of fabric to the stack. Being that both Pro Pack and Psycho Pack are new to me, I chose Psycho, because it just looked so much easier and better controlled, especially considering the size problems I have. I believe you have my stapler.

The container volume is 475. But the question isn't whether the canopy is too large for the container. That is obvious. (Even with a rock-hard psycho pack, i.e. no air whatsoever, a third of the canopy is ouside the D-bag.) The issue is whether or not I can make this work. -Cheers! I believe you have my stapler.

Thanks Dave, Yeah, I'll check it out later today. Cheers! I believe you have my stapler.

Thanks V-B, Just to clarify: Being that the rig has the closing loop attached at the bottom of the main container, it's already well over 3" long. With some serious wrestling, I can get it through the first flap by maybe 1" if I'm lucky. But at that point, I'm already distorting the rig, and the stiffener in that first flap is being bent to shit. So, I'd say that I need another inch right there. Additionally, I need to allow the left-right flaps to separate by maybe an inch. Same for top-bottom. That's why I'm throwing out +3" for discussion. The math may not be accurate. I believe you have my stapler.

See, now THAT's helpful info. Yeah, this main container is much less structured than what I'm used to. I don't think it is overstuffed to the point of shit sticking out the corners if and when I finally get it closed. No, the mod you mentioned where the closing loop is attached to the first flap rather than inside the container has not been done, but it looked to me like it would make sense considering this particular fit issue. The psycho pack produced a rock-hard pack job, pretty much the proportions of the main container, albeit larger in all directions. According to the seller, the combo was OK'd by a rigger. And considering the unstructured (no corners) design of the Racer, I don't see a safety issue. So, the options are: a) see if I can make this work b) negotiate with the seller for a refund (This may be difficult for a variety of reasons) c) look for a main that will fit, (170-190 ZP) for cheap and put the PD210 that's in there up for sale. I believe you have my stapler.

"Good luck with that" meaning what? It can't be done? I believe you have my stapler.

I bought a Racer Elite which came stuffed with an over-sized main. Managed to psycho-pack the canopy somewhat back into the D-bag, but there is no friggin way I'll get the container shut, and if I do, there's no way I'm gonna fight that much on each pack job. So I'm thinking of having the closing loop extended. And I'm not talking 1/2" here, more like 3". Other than looking like shit, is there any problem with this? I believe you have my stapler.

I hear ya loud and clear. I'd LOVE to try the sky-ball thing. That just looks awesome! I've never done a hoop dive but would love to try that as well. I believe you have my stapler.