ChutingStar did start out as the Rigger Rant & Rave...so true to form...it's time for some ranting...and then some raving.
To all you complainers out there who have been living under a boulder or in some weird bubble, we're living in the middle of a freaking pandemic. COVID-related deaths, disruptions and shutdowns are real. Be happy you're even alive to read this.
Some skydiving gear manufacturers, stores and drop zones have gone out of business, some are having staffing issues and others just can't get the materials needed to complete manufacturing. Some are communicating well to dealers and customers, and some are a complete overwhelmed mess of misinformation.
Anything skydiving-related not currently in stock at ChutingStar, and still available to order from manufacturers, is on the way to us, being manufactured or on some sort of backorder awaiting the manufacturer to manufacture. We are in touch with the manufacturers about delays and backorders on a daily basis so we can communicate to you expected ship dates. But even then, those get pushed back due to more manufacturing or shipping delays.
Airtec offers a trade-in credit on your expired CYPRES unit when you purchase a new unit. ChutingStar participates in this trade-in program for any skydivers who purchase a new CYPRES from us.
Assembling, inspecting, packing and repairing skydiving gear is our bread and butter, per se. ChutingStar Skydiving Gear SuperStore actually started out as ChutingStar Rigging Loft focused solely on parachute rigging. We now service, sell and support everything related to skydiving.
Since 1999, we've had local skydivers and pilots dropping off gear for reserve repacks, main relines and gear inspections, as well as helping manufacturers with service bulletin work. Skydiving rigs and emergency pilot parachutes are shipped to us from all over the United States every week (and right back out when finished).
FAA Master Rigger Steve Haseman leads ChutingStar Rigging Loft, and is available Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at our Marietta shop. You can also catch him on the weekends at Skydive Monroe.
Gear can be dropped off at ChutingStar, shipped to us or handed to Steve at Skydive Monroe.
A list of the more requested services are on our current ChutingStar Rigging Loft Gear Service Order Form (at this link), which also has our current prices.
Need an AAD during the time your unit is in for maintenance? Or just one to get you by until you can save for a new AAD, or find a great deal on a used one?
ChutingStar has several CYPRES 2 Changeable, Expert & Speed units available for rental at just over $2 a day!
Here's the scoop on how the rental CYPRES unit program works: Continue reading →
For the last 25+ years, impact-rated helmets have not been an available skydiving gear option. Helmets with impact ratings, such as from the motorcycle world, tended to be too big and bulky for sport skydiving.
But in the past two years, we have seen helmet manufacturers figuring out how to create skydiving helmets that are passing impact testing, and be comfortable and form-fitting for the heads of jumpers.
And in a recent ChutingStar survey, we found that nearly 75% of jumpers want or need an impact rating. So what are the options available? Continue reading →
Cookie's Fuel is the easiest "plug and play" option for a skydiving camera helmet available today.
The majority of the available options can easily be installed through the modular mounting system on the top and sides. Additional options for larger camera mounts are available that require drilling into the helmet or attachment via VHB tape.
Check out our video below that outlines many of the options for the Cookie Fuel, and then click through the links below to order the helmet and/or the additional options.
Packing parachutes while all of your friends are jumping out of airplanes all day or packing late into the night while they relax and party doesn't seem to make sense to most skydivers. But only riggers know the internal rewards of the mostly thankless profession of parachute rigging.
FAA Master Parachute Riggers Steve, Mike & Vitaly at ChutingStar Rigging Loft.Continue reading →
ChutingStar long carried and used the white Sport Smoke Skydiver Smoke Grenade (recently discontinued), which was a big part of demonstration jumps for decades.
Skydivers use one of our smoke mounts to attach the smoke to their shoe or ankle, and the smoke gives a definite "wow factor" for people on the ground whether it's used in freefall or under canopy. For several years, we've had requests for colored smoke but we could only find specialized manufacturers with complicated ignition systems and/or the smoke canisters needed larger brackets.
But we were recently turned on to a UK smoke grenade company, Enola Gaye, that now distributes in the United States. Skydivers, drop zones and demo teams had started trying two different "wire pull" smoke grenades from the company with great success.
The EG18 and EG18X smoke grenades not only come in several colors, but have a lower price than the Sport Smoke and can be used with all of our existing skydiver smoke grenade brackets. And then this year they added two larger "pro" smoke options in the CM75 The Cloud Maker and the SD75 The Fastest Cloud Maker giving skydivers the most options for smoke grenades every!
Here's a comparison of the 4 different smoke grenades we currently carry for skydiving:
(Latest update October 2020, with new youth sizing info!)
Cookie Helmets created quite the buzz in the skydiving world when they unveiled the G4 Full Face Skydiving Helmet on Feb. 4 at the 2019 Parachute Industry Association Symposium.
The G4 is the next step up in the full face helmet progression that started with the GAS back in 2007 as a solid, easy-to-use carbon fiber full face helmet with a visor that didn't flip-up. That soon progressed to Cookie's first flip-up visor full face helmet with the G2 in 2009, also made of carbon fiber.
But it really was the G3 in 2011 that radically changed the skydiving helmet scene as Cookie was able to produce the helmet on a larger scale, in more colors and with a consistent production standard due to a switch to the ABS material shell. The G3 has become the worldwide standard for not only experienced skydivers, but also new skydivers and wind tunnel flyers due the reliability of the opening mechanism, the quality of the construction and the availability of the helmets and parts all over the skydiving world.
Cookie hasn't rested on that success, and instead continued testing and developing new ideas for the next full face helmet, which has now been showcased with the G4.
With more than 40,000 canopies manufactured by Performance Designs in the Sabre line, the Sabre3 has some big shoes to fill.
The original Sabre was released in 1990 and more than 20,000 were manufactured until the Sabre2 came on the scene in 2001. By 2018, the Sabre2 reached 20,000 canopies sold like its predecessor. One of the biggest improvements skydivers talk about from the Sabre to the Sabre2 is a softer opening.
ChutingStar recently conducted a main canopy survey, and PD's Sabre/Sabre2 line topped every category as the most popular first canopy, your favorite main canopy and the canopy most recommended to others as their first main canopy. It also tops the list as to which canopy you're currently jumping.
Here are some of those comments from the survey when asked what canopy has been your favorite:
ChutingStar has several CYPRES 2 Changeable, Expert & Speed units available for rental at just over $2 a day!
Here's the scoop on how the rental CYPRES unit program works: Continue reading 
So what are the options available? Continue reading 
