Rapid Transit System (1980s)

[kkeenan 14]

I've been looking at discussions about the RTS, built in the late '70s - early '80s. The rig had reversed the locations of the cutaway and the reserve handles. This led to some controversy and some accidents.

I don't recall that the throw-out pilot chute was made to pull from the left side. I'm sure this could be done as an option, but does anyone remember if this was a standard feature ?

Kevin K.

_____________________________________
Dude, you are so awesome...
Can I be on your ash jump ?

[riggerrob 643]

There was a bewildering array of experimentation during the 1970s.
Back around 1980, we had not standardized on cutaway right and open reserve with left handles.
Eventually we standardized on the current: right hand open main, right hand cutaway and left hand open reserve. I simplify this for students by telling them to work along a diagonal line: starting at thier right hip, then diagonally up to their left shoulder.
The Australian Parachute Federation has a tradition of starting every accident report with: "The deceased was wearing borrowed gear."
Standardizing handles has reduced the number or car accidents, motorcycle accidents, airplane accidents, parachute accidents, computer accidents, etc.

I have only sewn a handful of left-handed BOCs and they were all for guys who never regained full-mobility after injuring their right shoulders. The first customer's right arm got shot up in Viet Nam.

[stratostar 5]

I have one dom is 80s I don't recall it having reversed handles on it. Have to dig out and confirm now that you asked about it.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[councilman24 37]

In 82 I ordered a Northern Lite with a left hand cutaway and a right hand reserve. I wanted to pull the reserve with my dominant hand. I wanted a right hand through out. That way I would be alternating hands. Main right, cutaway left, reserve right. They built a complete left hand reversed rig with left hand throw out. I jumped it for several years along with my other two rigs, a conventional (as now made) layout Norther lite and a right and ripcord main, left hand ripcord reserve, Sportlife well two point release. Jumped the rigs interchangeably throwing students. Never reached the wrong way once.

One guy had a RTS. It had a foot long lanyard on the pull out (I think it was pull out but if throw out the PC was in the back somewhere) with the handle mounted on the hip where you see it. The thing caused two consecutive jump reserve rides by knotting up around the PC.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[RiggerLee 61]

You're just a non conformist.

I've seen a couple of RTS built backwards like that. I was told that it dated back to when they were still using rip cords mounted on the main lift web. The idea was to avoid having some one pull their cutaway when reaching for their main ripcord that was in close proximity to it. The idea was that if you grabbed the wrong handle by mistake you would still get a canopy rather then cut away a good main still packed in the tray.

I guess he couldn't convence the whole industry to change to his backward system and finly gave up and got with the flow of every one else. Later rigs were all normal.

Lee

Lee
lee@velocitysportswear.com
www.velocitysportswear.com

[JerryBaumchen 1,450]

Hi Kevin,

Quote

The rig had reversed the locations of the cutaway and the reserve handles. This led to some controversy and some accidents.

Silly Serisoli (sp ????? ) believed, as I do, that the proper location for a reserve ripcord, for a right-handed person, belongs on the right MLW with inboard pull. I know it was controversial but I have never heard of any accident.

All of my personal rigs that I built were built this way.

I have always said that if the throw-out pilot chute had been around in early 1964, the Crossbow rig would have had the reserve ripcord on the right side, inboard pull; and everyone else would have followed that design.

Jerry Baumchen

PS) The very first two Crossbow rigs in this area were built as mirror-images of the standard design. They had the main ripcord on the left MLW with an inboard pull and the lollipop reserve ripcord was located on the right MLW. These two jumpers had been using a main ripcord mounted on the left MLW with inboard pull. Many jumpers kept the handle on the left side MLW because surplus military gear was built this way & because of the difficulty in relocating the main ripcord handle. Back in 1964 there was a great sequence of photos of Ken Rounds pulling/deploying with a left-hand inboard handle. The photos appeared in SKYDIVER magazine and were taken by the late Ralph White over Lancaster, Calif.

[stratostar 5]

Nope my 1981 is standard pulls. Chop right, deploy left. Anyone got a RTS manual from 1981 floating around?

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo