Open Riser Covers?

[TEric 0]

Hi all!
I've got an older Javelin ('91) that has a bit of a problem with the riser covers coming open. The good thing is that they only seem to open if I do cartwheels from sit - everything else seems OK. As annoying as it is getting slapped in the neck in freefall, I haven't heard of any incidents/injuries that have occured due to riser covers flipping open. Anyone have any stories to tell?
BTW - I would just stay away from cartwheels - but the CSPA 'C' CoP requires RT, LT, FL, BL, RCW, LCW from sit in <16s, and the cartwheels are slowing me down.
Blues

[AggieDave 6]

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I haven't heard of any incidents/injuries that have occured due to riser covers flipping open. Anyone have any stories to tell?

I got really lucky once FFing an old Jav. Both riser covers open, toggle in the wind, both pin covers open and main bridle flapping in the wind. I got lucky and it didn't open or have a serious mal (besides a loose toggle on opening).

E-mail/call up Sunpath, I bet they can replace the plastic to keep your covers stiff and working.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[PhreeZone 20]

You might want to talk to the rigger that packed the reserve. Too much bulk in the ears can lead to this issue.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[JohnRich 4]

Quote

I haven't heard of any incidents/injuries that have occured due to riser covers flipping open.

It's possible, but not common.

I have but one scare story in this regard.

I was doing a style dive, the old fashioned kind of "style", where you start with a head-down dive to build speed, then pull into a "tuck" position to whip out turns and backloops rapidly.

Unbeknownst to me, my riser cover had come open in my head down dive. And at that high speed, my brake line slack was pulled out of the velcro keeper by the wind blast. The drag on the brake line was then enough to extract the toggle from the velcro. So I had about two feet of line and toggle flapping behind me on one side.

When I came out of my dive, hands to my side, and transitioned to my tuck position, I swept my arms forward, snaring the trailing line. Somehow, it wrapped around my arm once. I felt something snug on my arm, but assumed it was just my jumpsuit twisting a bit and causing the pressure. I ignored the feeling and the urge to look at it, and concentrated on my series of maneuvers.

After finishing my style series, I was at about 2,500', ready to pull, so I glanced over to see what the pressure was on my arm. And then I just about peed on myself when I saw the line wrapped around my arm.

At this point the thought occurred to me that I didn't want to deploy the main canopy, because the opening could yank my arm out of its shoulder socket. So I fished around for the flopping toggle over my arm, managed to grab it, flipped it in the correct direction to unwrap it from my arm, and then threw it out of the way behind me.

Then I went ahead and deployed my main canopy, at about 2,000', and hoped for the best. I figured that I could still cutaway if it didn't work right. At worst, I'd be trading a high-speed problem for a low-speed problem. The parachute opened really odd, but fortunately it worked itself out and was okay within seconds. Phew!

All of that fright because of a simple riser cover problem. I had my rigger replace the velcro on it after that weekend to keep things more secure. And my newest rig has more secure tuck tabs, rather than just velcro, holding the riser covers closed.

So, the moral of my story is: The odds of a problem are slim. But you don't need problems like that at pull time. So get it fixed!

[billvon 3,114]

The big dangers:

1. Toggles can come unstowed and wrap around things; this can cause mals and mains-in-tow after a cutaway.

2. If you cut away before opening your reserve during a total or a PC in tow, the main riser may interfere with the PC launch.

To fix this, you can:

1. Get the reserve repacked with the bulk lower down

2. Get the stiffeners in the covers replaced (it does have stiffened tuck-tabs as opposed to velcro, right?)

3. Get the correct risers (if the current risers are too bulky)

[GravityGirl 0]

Quote

The big dangers:

1. Toggles can come unstowed and wrap around things; this can cause mals and mains-in-tow after a cutaway.

2. If you cut away before opening your reserve during a total or a PC in tow, the main riser may interfere with the PC launch.

To fix this, you can:

1. Get the reserve repacked with the bulk lower down

2. Get the stiffeners in the covers replaced (it does have stiffened tuck-tabs as opposed to velcro, right?)

3. Get the correct risers (if the current risers are too bulky)

Or

4. Get a new rig that is more modern and suitable for Freeflying.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[PhreeZone 20]

Only things that I'm aware of that have changed between a '91 Jav and a '02 Jav:

Tuck for the reserve flap
Bridle protection flap
Minor templete tweaks
Hard housings
Soft handle option

Most those changes can be done post manufactor. The biggest is the bridle protection flap.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[GravityGirl 0]

I believe the trim on the riser covers has changed as well. Although, I admit, I'm not sure what year the changes have been made.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[sundevil777 102]

My old Northern Lite II had no riser covers except about 6 inches worth right at the shoulder. From there to the main tray was completely exposed. The difference - the toggles would be completely insidet the main tray - not exposed at all, never a problem, never could be a problem. The rig was quite wide and not very long, so maybe that is what allowed the toggles to not be exposed.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[f1freak 0]

Thats right, and you wouldn't believe all of the little changes that have been made, the Jav is always evolving as our sport does...

HAVE FUN...
...JUST DONT DIE

[GravityGirl 0]

Our newest one will be arriving soon. I can't wait to check it out.

Hope you are staying dry down there!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[ChrisClark 0]

Older Javelins required an extra stiffner plate fitted to the riser tuck flap pockets to make them more secure. My previous Javelin, made in 1993, had to have this mod done. The flaps never came loose after the mod. Contact Sunpath or your rigger for more information.

[PhreeZone 20]

Yep, revision k of templetes are in use now if I remember right. My 99 J1 still has the smaller tuck tabs, you have to get to the Oddessy models and templetes to have new wider ones. Thats post 2001.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[TEric 0]

Thanks for all the info everyone! I think I'll get new gear just to be safe. Not because of the riser covers, but shortly I'll want to put a 120 in my gear, and then I'm afraid it will be too loose to be safe (I think it was made for a 150, and I've crammed a 170 in it before) If I decide to keep it as a second rig I'll have a look at that tuck tab mod. My rigger did a bridle protection mod for me already, and nothing else seems to be a problem.