Basejumper.com - archive

 

i think i heard they are tested in water!

I am assuming you mean actually jump testing them. Stane Krajnc the owner of Atair who is the designer and maker of the Troll BASE canopy is a very current and avid BASE jumper. He and Robert Pecnik of PF are great friends and jump together often.

http://www.baserigs.com/docs/products/canopies/

Can you elaborate on what you mean?

Veter, I would like to announce that from this day forward.
Anyone who buys a New BASE Canopy can have the Manufacture mail it directly to me.
Plus return Postage.
I will put several Test Jumps on your New Canopy.
Then Will put my OFFICIAL OK (safety approval stamp) on the canopy.

Nothing to me is more important than your Safety and You Feeling Confident that your BASE Canopy
was given a Full Flight Check............
.

Yes, I meant, are new canopies actually test jumped before shipping to the customer.

Helmut, Ray Losli: thanks, I'll keep that in mind

Ooooohhhh, you mean every single new canopy test jumped not just the first of a new design! My guess is no that would be a lot of jumping. Although I'm sure there'd be plenty of people willing to have that job.

Hello,
No.
Consider yourself a test jumper.
Avery

Avery
"Consider yourself a test jumper".
......

Avery Is Right about that and Also:
95% of the people cutting out and sewing your Canopy's have never been in the Air under a Canopy.
.
.

No. And since you don't have a reserve, I recommend you or a knowledgeable person perform a complete check on a new canopy. Then you can pack it into a student-skydive-rig and jump it from a plane. That will also give you time to figure out your custom brake-settings.

Not to mention the fact that 95% of the people who build your pilot chutes dont have either a senior or master rigging license, arent under direct supervision during pc construction, and 10 minutes earlier couldnt even sew a button back on....

A good percentage of jumpers don't know shit about their gear anyway, so I don't think it matters.

What might matter more is that after the cutting and sewing comes the quality control inspection. I've only ever known one inspector who wasn't a senior rigger, and she's a special case.

That being said, what I would add to Avery's comment is that anyone who doesn't fully embrace the concept of "test jumper" should seriously consider selling his/her gear.

rl

To expand on that, I know of more than one case in which a manufacturer shipped gear with a material defect or manufacturing error.

Airplane test jumps are always recommended. If you're in a place that allows it, I'd also recommend jumping the harness and container out of an airplane, with some kind of tertiary (secondary, in this case, actually) reserve system.

And on the subject of pilotchutes, this post by Bill Booth explains some things you can inspect your pilotchute for when you receive a new one.

When you receive a new canopy, crawl into each cell and see if shit is right. Worst case scenario, you'll learn something about your crossports, vents and valves. Best case, you'll find a defect. Check every line attachment point, and the bridle-attachment point. Also check your canopy for symmetry by folding the left and right parts between each line-attachments on top of each other, stretching the fabric and comparing their length.

Then check the bridle. Measure it and make sure it's 9 feet. Make sure the loops at the end are secure. Make sure that the pin attachment points are sewn on, and not just glued on.

I know of at least one instance in skydiving where somebody received a bridle that had the pin attachment points only glued on, without stitching. On a base jump, that can really ruin your day.

There's a lot more to inspecting your gear, but these are a few simple things that even non-riggers can do. The rest can easily be tested by hucking yourself out of a plane.

Cheers,

Jaap Suter

Do you offer the same service for new girlfriends?

I don't know how it is with girlfriends, but with boyfriends, the testing period is the only time they're on good behavior. Who wants to forego that?

rl

 

You spelled...

<deflates> ...oh wait...you're not $kin.

Dictionary

It's kind of like a marriage, Abbie. You can only spellcheck one person at a time.

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PMS: Just before their periods, women behave the way men do all the time. Robert A. Heinlein