No fear, the end is here, of the winter hiatus of the Rigger Rant and Rave.
Welcome to Chutingstar’s redesigned web site with one heck of a cool new logo. I am forever indebted to Atlanta jumper David Aitken who introduced me to Bill and Kay Allen of Grade A Certified. Bill and Kay are responsible for arguably the most cool and professional parachute rigging loft site ever. The new Chuting Star logo is being printed on black T-shirts as you read this article and will be available in the loft at Atlanta Skydiving Center within a week. Be the first kid on the drop zone to own one!
Be sure to browse the new site and let us know what you think. We are especially excited about the archive and comment section of the Rigger Rant and Rave. Click on the “Archives” at the bottom of this page and you can lookup/read any past Rant and Rave. Many thanks go out to Kay for backlogging the articles all the way back to the inaugural edition on October 8, 2001. I hope this will become a valuable resource tool for riggers, skydivers and aerobatic pilots. Also, note the “Make a Comment” link where you can immediately give us feedback on any Rant and Rave article.
It has been a busy 2004 for Chuting Star Rigging Loft, and summer hasn’t even arrived yet. This is definitely a good problem to have.
Recent notable news at Chuting Star includes:
• Mike Gruwell earning his Master Rigger rating. • Kenny Pugh earning his Senior Rigger rating. • Chuck Owen recovering from his injuries. He’s back on staff at CSRL. • Senior Rigger Jon Frederickson hired to work the summer at CSRL. • Chuting Star adds satellite operation just outside of Philadelphia, Pa. • Senior Rigger Aaron Teel hired to work at Philadelphia location. • New web site unveiled. • Chuting Star assists Vigil in identifying misfire problem. • Atlanta Skydiving Center weekly news published through CSRL. • 12 saves by CSRL riggers since Jan. 1, 2004; 134 saves overall. • New walking foot sewing machine added to loft in Cedartown, Ga. • Assisting in production of “Alti-Mount,” a mud flap altimeter bracket. • A complete reorganization of the loft operations.
As you can see, much has happened over the past four months and I will be catching you up on the latest in skydiving and rigging news as soon as possible. Besides what is listed above, some of the upcoming topics will include:
• A review of the master rigger course at the United States Academy of Parachute Rigging taught by Sandy Reid. • More Vigil news and service bulletins. • Hazards of incorrect stowage of excess brake lines. • Review of the Talon FS and Voodoo container systems. • Latest Mirage news and manual updates. • Tips on closing Mirage containers. • Personal favorite way of packing main pilot chute.
So start checking back on a weekly basis for the latest Rigger Rant and Rave. I’m back…back in the saddle again.
