From: dbriggs@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Daniel Briggs)
Subject: Stuff
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 92 17:31:44 GMT

In article <1992Sep29.014302.1565@mercury.cair.du.edu>
  tjreynol@zephyr.cair.du.edu (The Jumpin Dude) writes:
>In article <1992Sep28.083430.15210@zia.aoc.nrao.edu> dbriggs@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Daniel Briggs) writes:
>>
>>[If a rigger dumps in the woods, does anyone hear the splat?, and other
>> armchair philosophy.]

>(are you a wee bit paranoid about riggers? twice so far i thought
>a smiley to be appropriate)

Nah, I was just in a lighthearted mood when I wrote that, and didn't want to
spoil the delicate humor with the sledgehammer of a smiley.  But no, I don't
honestly think that riggers will start introducing deliberate 'functions
into a reserve just to get the booze!  And the (similarly lighthearted)
"You owe me booze.  No I don't!" conversation back at the DZ left me in a
mood to tweak a rigger's nose or several.  [Hi Eric!]

>[Jan wanted to know how far Belen is from Denver.  Sorry guy, but your
>article expired here before I got a chance to respond.]

It's about a 7.5 - 9 hour drive, depending on what your cruising speed is.
(Hmmm, thinking about some skydivers I know, maybe that should be 6.5-9.
But only if you're a lunatic!)  It's about the same as from here to Eloy.
With a much smaller DZ on the far end, of course.  But if you're bored, and
want a road trip some weekend, there are plenty of couches on this end,
mine included.  Better think sooner than later, though.  At some point,
the weather is going to start turning nasty.  We jump through the winter,
weather permitting, but go to a Sunday only schedule when that happens.
Right now, the weather is wonderful, and we jump Sat and Sun.

>[No previous thread, but I wanta talk about Ravens.]

As has been discussed here before, Ravens have a reputation for somewhat
snivelly openings.  Well, I can't speak for the stock variety, but if
they've been modified with a fast slider, this is horseshit.  My main
actually has a mesh slider on it.  I'd never seen one before I got it.
It's the size of a standard slider, but where you'd expect to see F-111,
it's got 1/4" fabric mesh.  Now this beast has openings that range from
firm to downright brutal.  (It also makes the slider wonderfully quiet,
too.  No flapping behind your head!)  My openings seems to take about 200
feet.  Maybe 300 on an especially long one.  I've actually dumped a few
times while staring at the altimeter, and I mean this literally.  It's
never snivelled on me in the 80 some jumps I've had it.  (It's got a total
of about 300-350 jumps, so it's not a new canopy.)  I've been tweaking my
pack job lately, and just went to a symmetric rolled nose, instead of
rolled to one side.  The first time I tried it, a buddy was helping me and
showing me how it's done.  I've never had such a perfect opening.  Same old
200 feet, but it was *smooth*.  Firm, but no bouncing around or anything.
I want more of those!  Well, it's a little clumsy to do that symmetric roll
while holding up the pro pack in the other hand.  (I don't normally use the
over-the-shoulder method, but maybe I'll have to switch.)  I don't think I
did nearly as well doing it by myself.  Not as tight, not as many rolls.
Well, let's just say that I'm still in significant pain from that opening
today, and I'm looking for a chiropractor.  Ouch!  I wasn't expecting to be
nailed, so I wasn't trying as hard as I might have to ride a hard one out.
But by any measure, it was a nasty opening.  So, while I've had good and
bad times with my Raven, sniveling hasn't been the problem.  (And the times
that I've been nailed by it have all been traceable to my own pack
problems.)  On the whole, it hasn't been a bad first canopy at all.

Blue Skies, all.

-- 
| Daniel Briggs  (dbriggs@nrao.edu)                      |        USPA B-14993
| New Mexico Tech / National Radio Astronomy Observatory |            DoD #387
| P.O. Box O / Socorro, NM 87801   (505) 835-7391        |
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