Vigil II+ AAD

Skydivers today have the widest choice ever in which Automatic Activation Device (AAD) to have installed in their reserve container as a backup safety device.

An AAD cuts the reserve container closing loop if the skydiver is exceeding a set speed at a set altitude. For most sport skydivers, the activation speed is the same (78 mph or greater), but activation altitudes vary from 750 to 840 feet. Regardless of the unit, it's a "last chance" deployment for a skydiver who has become incapacitated to deploy or has lost altitude awareness. For U.S. skydivers, there are four AADs that are in the majority of sport rigs world-wide. This article will focus on the CYPRES2, m2 Multi and Vigil Cuatro.

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AAD, the manufacturer of Vigil II, has released a Product Service Bulletin that affects all Type 3 cutters manufactured in December 2007. This affects 199 Vigil cutters manufactured during that month, according to AAD.

The cutters are to be replaced during the next scheduled inspection/repack.

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To enter the Config menu, press the button after the self-test section immediately on startup when the menu item "Config" is displayed. In the Configuration menu, you can change the type of measurements, the character orientation on the display and the contrast of the display. Continue reading →

The unit will then display the following informational items in order: Software Version, LCD Version, Serial Number, DOM, total jumps, totall free fall time, last free fall time, saves, temperature and atmospheric pressure. Continue reading →

The Vigil Cuatro (and past units I, II & II+) is manufactured by Advanced Aersospace Designs out of Belgium. It has three parts: Main Box, Cutter and Control Unit. The Vigil II turns on with 4 button pushes. The first wakes it up, which is followed by a Hello and the Vigil II. As the red LED flashes on the side of the unit, press the button.

After the 4th button push, the unit will perform a series of self tests on the battery, cutter and control units. This is followed by three different menu items (Setup, Info and Config) that flash on the screen. The screen will then show Enjoy followed by the mode the unit is currently set in: Pro, Student or Tandem. If you press the button while the unit shows Enjoy, you can re-enter the menu items of Setup, Info and Config.

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