Gravel ban plugs

[JohnJ 0]

Hi there,

Last year I saw the gravel ban plugs in the para-gear catalogue.
Since I never heard of them before I've ordered a couple of them.

Now I've got them in hands though I've got some serious second thoughts in using them.
My opinion is that they might keep out some dirt, but more likely trap the dirt when it comes into the housing and with that, possibly block the cable.

I actually was thinking they would be soft and therefore seal the housing completely of around the cable.

Anyone ever used them ?
What experience do you have with them ?

Every opinion is welcome.

[tombuch 0]

My initial thought is that they are pretty much unnecessary, but I've never used them.

Back in the day we all had actual ripcords for both our mains and reserves, and both parachutes were round. At many drop zones packing involved placing a giant pin in the ground and stretching out the main parachute to flake and pack it, and along the way the container was often dragged over unimproved land, possibly drawing up dirt and gravel. As I recall there had been a few incidents of gravel getting inside the ripcord housing and jamming the cables. The plugs you are talking about were an answer to that problem. Remember, back in the day there were two ripcord cables, with four housing ends, and many of those housing ends were not protected by container flaps. Things have changed since then.

I don't think the plugs will hurt, but of course the threat of getting junk inside your housing has been reduced with modern gear and more upscale drop zones. My sense is that it probably makes more sense to pack your rig in clean places where gravel isn't a serious issue, and to do a complete pin check at the start of every day, including checking for free movement of the cable through the housing.
.

Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy

[Andy9o8 2]

Quote

As I recall there had been a few incidents of gravel getting inside the ripcord housing and jamming the cables.

You just described my first reserve ride - July 4, 1977. Hard-pull total on a 4-pin ripcord mil surplus rig carrying a 28' cheapo. Had to use my 24' belly-wart reserve at terminal (which hurt) & land it with the heavy main still in the container (which hurt). "Feet & knees together" were important that day.
Anyhow, when we inspected the rig, there was gravely dirt inside the cable housing. That was a wake-up call: pack in the hangar or use a packing mat. Yes, I suppose plugs might have helped.

To this day, my gear check, before every jump, includes carefully making sure the reserve cable moves freely.

[JohnJ 0]

The main reason I was thinking about these plugs is that our gear still has two ripcords (main and reserve) and has three cutaway cables, (third is a drogue release).

The DZ's/ packing areas aren't always that clean and well organized (military)

I agree that on most locations it's not necessary to have them, and yes after each packjob and before each jump the free movement of the cable is checked but with the amount of students and rigs I was thinking about completely eliminating the possibility of anything getting into the housing.

with these plugs I don't think that's possible.

So that's why I was looking for advise on using them or not.



Edit: forgot to mention that the main is a 2 pin so the hole in the plug has to be pretty big.

[darkwing 5]

As I recall from days even older than me, they were effectively banned because they CAUSED some bounces. Among other things, note that these plugs prevent the ripcord from completely clearing the housing, that is, the ripcord is now attached to the rig.

Recall the "Law of unintended consequences". Solving one problem can create others. There are, in my mind, better ways, such as checking the ripcord cable for free travel as part of the pre-flight. I do this on my gear.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[JohnJ 0]

Quote

note that these plugs prevent the ripcord from completely clearing the housing, that is, the ripcord is now attached to the rig.

Didn't think of that because I thought one would pull the plug out of the housing.
But if indeed it locks the ripcord inside the housing then usage of it isn't an option at all.

As mentioned, it's a standard procedure checking the free movement of the cable after packing.
As a matter of fact,
Before the first jump of the day a complete check of the rig by the person who's going to jump it is mandatory.
The jumper Inspects the complete rig after packing, then a rigger will double check the complete rig and the pre-flight check is performed by an instructor.

In all these checks the free movement of the cable will be verified.

Sounds pretty anal actually when you read it like this
But then again better safe then sorry.

Edit: Typo

[JerryBaumchen 1,468]

Hi Jeff,

Quote

they were effectively banned because they CAUSED some bounces.

For the most part, I think that is a late barroom story. I never actually heard of this occuring.

They were used on the reserve ripcord housing and only if you did not have an RSL, ala the one on the original X-BO.

It was possible to pull the ripcord all of the way out but it did take some 'extra' effort when the pin hit the plug.

They were needed more 'back in the day' because of all the downwind pea gravel landings. This is where the gravel would come from. This I do know about first-hand.

However, unless you are using a military surplus type of ripcord housing (or they are making the gravel ban plug smaller) they will not fit the modern ripcord housing which are of a much smaller diameter than a mil surplus housing.

Hope this helps,

Jerry

[mjosparky 4]

The only times I saw anything like that used it was called a “ripcord stop”. They were usually a lead fishing weight and only used on mains. They served 2 purposes.

First, they kept the ripcord form coming all the way out of the housing so the jumper did lose it trying to stuff it back in the housing or his jumpsuit.

Second, by having the ripcord in the housing on landing, in the pea pit of course, there was less chance of gravel sneaking into the housing if the ripcord was in there.

As Jerry said I have never heard of a bounce caused by one.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[riggermick 7]

Quote

Hi Jeff,

Quote

they were effectively banned because they CAUSED some bounces.

For the most part, I think that is a late barroom story. I never actually heard of this occuring.

They were used on the reserve ripcord housing and only if you did not have an RSL, ala the one on the original X-BO.

It was possible to pull the ripcord all of the way out but it did take some 'extra' effort when the pin hit the plug.

They were needed more 'back in the day' because of all the downwind pea gravel landings. This is where the gravel would come from. This I do know about first-hand.

However, unless you are using a military surplus type of ripcord housing (or they are making the gravel ban plug smaller) they will not fit the modern ripcord housing which are of a much smaller diameter than a mil surplus housing.

Hope this helps,

Jerry

The modern day housing has been supplied from Metal Flex Hosing of Philladelphia PA. For many years. It is TCA S/S (telephone cable armor, stainless steel) and is produced in two sizes for the skydiving industry .172" ID (inside diameter) (for cut away housings, the kind found on most pay phones, are there any still out there?) and the .260" ID Diameter most commonly found on ripcord housings. That being said the old Mill Spec housing plugs will definitely not fit. Unless someone is making a new "mouse trap" they are for all intents and purposes worthless for the gear used for the last twenty five years.


As an aside, when was the last time you heard of someone going in with a rock wedged between his/her cable and housing? I'll bet not in the last decade or so!!


Mick.

[JohnJ 0]

Hi Jerry,

Quote

It was possible to pull the ripcord all of the way out but it did take some 'extra' effort when the pin hit the plug.

I was thinking about equipping both main and reserve housing with it, but the main is a no go for as I understand now.
When a cutaway has to be executed we want the main ripcord to be gone completely and not dangling from the housing which might cause a entanglement (it's a pretty long ripcord).

Quote

However, unless you are using a military surplus type of ripcord housing (or they are making the gravel ban plug smaller) they will not fit the modern ripcord housing which are of a much smaller diameter than a mil surplus housing.

We are using French military rigs, the plugs fit their ripcord housings.

thanks for the information.

John.

[Andy9o8 2]

I remember from my "back in the day" days on rigs with main ripcords that Step #1 in the cutaway procedure (and also, come to think of it, the military-style non-cutaway "throw out the reserve" method) was "Throw away the main ripcord". The primary reason for that (aside from assuring that a student's hands were clear) was to keep the ripcord from dangling in the housing and creating a snag point (especially with a chest-mount reserve). Losing your main ripcord was an accepted (and, for students, mandatory) part of your EP's on a partial malfunction. (As a student, I was taught: if you had a reserve ride after a partial malfunction, you'd better not land with your main ripcord!) As I recall, that's why using lead sinkers as ripcord stops fell into disfavor when it caused a couple of fatalities.
So, on reflection, if a plug in a main-ripcord housing might increase the chance of the ripcord dangling in the housing during EP's, I'd rather not have one.

[bob.dino 1]

Quote

As an aside, when was the last time you heard of someone going in with a rock wedged between his/her cable and housing? I'll bet not in the last decade or so!!

Not exactly the same, but didn't Aerodyne release a Technical Bulletin in 2005 related to sand getting in the cutaway housing causing hard pulls?

[mjosparky 4]

Sure did.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals