Response to RSL Myths

[Hooknswoop 19]

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You should get stable before you open your reserve, and so you should disconnect your RSL.

First off, you should _not_ be stable face-to-earth when you open your reserve. The Racer manual spells this out explicitly - you should be head-high if possible to ensure a cleaner reserve deployment. Fortunately, you are head high the instant you cut away from your main, and that is the point at which an RSL will open your reserve.

Secondly, there are two universal truths in skydiving - you won't do it if you don't practice it, and you _will_ do what you trained to do. If you practice "cutting away and getting stable" you _will_ do that in the air, even if you someday cut away at 500 feet. If you do that, the only thing that will save your life will be your RSL.

Finally, before you decide that it's a good idea to cut away and then get stable, I'd recommend you do an intentional cutaway from a rapidly spinning canopy and see how long it takes. (Hint - it does not take just a second or two.)

“head-high” is not unstable. Spinning on your back is-unstable. Spinning on your back can, and has resulted in a reserve entanglement and fatality. If you cutaway at 500 feet, you have already made the fatal sin of losing altitude awareness. If you are that low, you can disregard the option of getting stable before pulling your reserve. You can always pull your reserve as you pull your main, launching your reserve PC as quickly or quicker than an RSL would. With an RSL, you do not have the option of falling clear after cutting away.

I have about 50 intentional cutaways and several cutaway from highly loaded, fast-spinning mains. It does only takes a couple of seconds with very little altitude lost to regain some semblance of stability and fire off the reserve. I did this w/ one hand on my reserve, looking at the ground to keep track of altitude.

If you do not have the altitude to cutaway, get face-to-earth/stable before pulling your reserve, you either pulled too low for your abilities or waited too long to cutaway.

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You only need an RSL if you're going to forget to pull your reserve.

Rick Horn, one of the three people in the US who trains all AFF-JM's, once needed his RSL due to rig distortion. He could not find his reserve handle. If you are more current at cutaways than a man who teaches them every month, and have more jumps than him (6000?) that might be a valid point, but I think few people are.

If the rig was twisted the other direction, he would have been un-able to locate his cutaway handle, and the RSL wouldn’t have done him any good.

He could have handled the situation without the RSL by immediately cutaway, releasing the twisting forces on his harness and then he would have had no trouble finding the reserve handle.

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If you cut away on the ground on a windy day and you have an RSL, your reserve will inflate.

Simply not true. Try it next time you need a repack - go outside in the wind and pull your reserve handle. The PC will come out, the freebag may fall on the ground - and that's it. Unless you have decided to jump in a hurricane, even 25kts of wind (way more than most people will jump in) won't inflate a reserve.

Of course, you can disconnect your RSL once under canopy to prevent the reserve from opening at all if you have to cut away on the ground. That's a convenience issue, not a safety one.

I agree with this one except that an RSL adds a step under canopy (disconnecting it) that needs to be remembered and distracts the pilot from flying the canopy and looking for traffic.

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You can practice cutting away on the ground, so how hard can it be?

RSL's are not for normal cutaways. They are for madly spinning mals where you can barely see one of your handles. They are for mals while wearing a wingsuit, where you have fabric flying in your face and you can barely see. They are for cutaways at 600 feet when someone sets up a hook right into your canopy and destroys it. These are the situations where RSL's save lives.

If you will never be in such a situation, great. But I have discovered that those situations find you, rather than the other way around.

I agree that RSL’s can save lives. But they can also take them. If your main riser breaks w/ and RSL attached, it can kill you. If you main riser snags the RSL, it can, and has, kill you. If you have a canopy collision and cutaway before disconnecting the RSL (good luck first remembering to disconnect it, then finding the little tab while maintaining altitude awareness and attempting to communicate to the other jumper all the while using up valuable altitude) it can kill you. In a canopy collision, a RSL complicates an already complicated and extreme situation. It can make the situation worse. The 2 reserve ripcord/RSL guide rings on a Javelin were ripped off the reserve flap after a cutaway and the reserve pin managed to position itself exactly between these 2 rings. If the rings had not ripped off, the jumper was risking a main/reserve entanglement. They are other rigs that this situation can happen with. I have seen a cutaway cable get stripped out of it’s housing. The jumper didn’t realize it and deployed normally. Fortunately it was the non-RSL riser and they cutaway safely. A tandem pair was killed when the RSL equipped riser broke, firing the reserve into a spinning main. A Navy SEAL was killed when his RSL activated the reserve as the main deployed.

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You have to "fall away" from your main to guarantee you won't entangle with it.

Simply untrue. I've watched an awful lot of rig testing, and the physics just doesn't let that happen. Even in a malfunctioning canopy, the forces work to separate the main and the jumper/reserve.

And if you postulate a bizarre scenario where the reserve PC can somehow entangle with the main? The reserve will simply open faster.

I agree with this one.

RSL’s have Pro’s and Con’s. A lot of it depends on the type of gear you jump, the type of jumps you do, and your experience level. RSL’s can make a difference if 1) you are low, 2) you have your main out, 3) you would have failed to pull the reserve handle (either from physical inability or loss of altitude awareness) after cutting away in time for your reserve to deploy, and 4) you cutaway and do not entangle yourself in your RSL activated reserve. You must make several mistakes to put yourself into a situation where an RSL will make a difference. But make no mistake, a RSL can kill you. The RSL activates the reserve very quickly after cutting away from a partial malfunction, but removes the option of falling free from a malfunctioning main and gaining stability or separation from a canopy wrap.

How many jumpers would think to disconnect their RSL after getting slammed by a pre-mature opening that then malfunction at high altitude?

How many jumpers would remember to disconnect their RSL in a 2-out situation? How much valuable time would that take?

How many jumpers have their AAD save their life or die because they rehearse their malfunction procedures like this;

“OK I have a malfunction, cutaway, my RSL will activate my reserve, but I will follow through and pull it anyway”

Then they have a PC in tow, cutaway and when nothing happens, they think their reserve is malfunctioning, or after cutting away a partial malfunction and the RSL doesn’t activate the reserve, never pull the reserve handle because the sequence of events they have pictures is not happening?

Derek

[billvon 3,107]

>If you are that low, you can disregard the option of getting stable
>before pulling your reserve.

Agreed. But unless you train under accurate conditions (i.e. hanging harness, spinning, practicing BOTH getting stable and not getting stable depending on what your altimeter says) you'll do what you plan to do no matter what your altitude. And if you are spinning on your back at 500 feet, and you cut away, you will try to get stable before deploying your reserve - especially since you won't see the ground. We do what we train to do.

An RSL may cause a fatality if you cut away from a spinning mal at 500 feet. A delay is a lot more likely to cause your death.

>you either pulled to low for abilities or waited too long to cutaway.

No question there. But then again, no one should ever need either an RSL or a cypres. They save lives because people screw up.

>How many jumpers would think to disconnect their RSL after getting
> slammed by a pre-mature opening that then malfunction at high altitude?

Few. Fortunately, that is not fatal.

>How many jumpers would remember to disconnect their RSL in a 2
>out situation? How much valuable time would that take?

Most, I believe. A two-out is a low speed problem and most people are not even aware of the issue until the reserve bumps into their main. Once under a good canopy, most skydivers are not going to reflexively cut away when they see their reserve. They are going to think about it and make a decision, giving them time to decide to disconnect the RSL or not.

>How many jumpers have their AAD save their life or die because they
>rehearse their malfunction procedures like this;

>“OK I have a malfunction, cutaway, my RSL will activate my reserve,
>but I will follow through and pull it anyway”

Very few; about as few as think "OK, I have a total, my cypres will activate my reserve, but I will pull it anyway" then fail to pull it when their cypres doesn't fire.

When we train malfunctions, we do mostly standing ones and a few hanging-harness ones. The standing ones essentially simulate a total or PC in tow; when you pull the cutaway handle nothing happens. The hanging harness ones simulate a partial; you pull the handle and you drop. In both cases, they 'fail' the practice if they do not immediately follow through with the reserve. I don't know where they would get the idea to not pull the reserve, nor can I see how the presence or absence of an RSL would affect their procedure.

Of course, they might just plain brainlock. In such a case, their RSL and/or cypres may save their lives - which is what both of those devices are for.

>He could have handled the situation without the RSL by immediately
>cutaway, releasing the twisting forces on his harness and then he
>would have had no trouble finding the reserve handle.

Perhaps. Most people have never touched their handles in freefall, and have certainly never tried to find their handles after an opening torques their harness into a slightly new position (which it seems to on the intentional cutaways I've done.) Finding a handle you have never touched in freefall before, in a place that it's not in normally, is _probably_ not too much of a problem. If it is a problem? That's what the RSL is for.

>I agree with this one except that an RSL adds a step under canopy
> (disconnecting it) that needs to be remembered and distracts the
> pilot from flying the canopy and looking for traffic.

You do not need to disconnect it, though, for safety reasons. You can disconnect it for convenience reasons, but since it's for convenience only a jumper can decide that he is too busy and doesn't want to.

>I agree that RSL’s can save lives. But they can also take them.

I agree, and that's literally true. But it's like saying that large canopies can save your life, but also cause your death. And that's also literally true - a big canopy might allow you to back up into a power line where a smaller canopy might land you safely. That is a very poor reason for someone with 50 jumps to jump a 2:1 loaded canopy, but might be a good reason for someone with 2000 jumps to choose a smaller canopy on a windy day.

Same thing with an RSL. It can cause problems, but most of those problems happen under extremely odd situations (riser breakage, for example, is very rare nowadays.) Once someone has a few cutaways, starts jumping 2:1 loaded canopies that are more likely to spin up, and start doing big-ways with more odds of a canopy collision - they can make a better decision on whether or not to use an RSL.

But I will continue to recommend RSL's for anyone who has not had a few cutaways. The demonstrated good they do far outweighs the risks.

[FrogNog 1]

If there are pros and cons of using a safety device, quantification of the issues would seem appropriate for making a rational choice. (Making an irrational choice can be accomplished without this.)

I liken this to the airbag issue of a decade or two ago: they saved lives, but then people noticed they were killing people who would otherwise have lived, too! The result was to address some of the new dangers from the safety device (like baby seats and undersized people sitting in the front seat), then to basically force people to use them anyway because they killed fewer people than they saved.

Now, that's cold comfort for a specific person who dies one way or the other, but if we're still alive and thinking about overall likelihood of dying from using (or not using) a safety device, identifying numeric likelihoods and taking steps to address the new, different dangers of the device are appropriate.

I bring up as a quick example the broken risers: if you use an RSL, you don't want your RSL-side riser to break or release if the other side does not. So RSL users should do something about that.

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[sundevil777 102]

I don't think I would ever think of delaying my reserve pull after cutaway, unless I was VERY high, it is just too much of an instinct to "punch - punch".

What I would not want to have to remember is that you should disconnect the RSL under some malfunction scenarios.

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

[fred 0]

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Frognog wrote:
If there are pros and cons of using a safety device, quantification of the issues would seem appropriate for making a rational choice. (Making an irrational choice can be accomplished without this.)

Unfortunately, it's difficult to quantify. You can measure the times when having an RSL contributed somebody's death (e.g. broken riser), and you can measure the times when not having one contributed to somebody's death (e.g. low cutaway). But it's much harder to measure when a life was saved. The best we can do is logically think through the options and possibilities, both good and bad, and make a decision. Lacking quantitative evidence does not make such a choice irrational.

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Sundevil wrote:
What I would not want to have to remember is that you should disconnect the RSL under some malfunction scenarios.

Two out? I've always been taught to disconnect my RSL if time and altitude permit in a two-out situation. I'm sure somebody can explain why (and I'd appreciate it if they would).

[faulknerwn 38]

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>
Agreed. But unless you train under accurate conditions (i.e. hanging harness, spinning, practicing BOTH getting stable and not getting stable depending on what your altimeter says) you'll do what you plan to do no matter what your altitude. And if you are spinning on your back at 500 feet, and you cut away, you will try to get stable before deploying your reserve - especially since you won't see the ground. We do what we train to do.

If you're a beginner and have never chopped I'd agree with you. I also recommend RSls to novices as a general rule except when doing CRW.

But most people who've had 1 or 2 cutaways are cursing more than anything during a mal. I know I am ;-) I've always had a rule that I get stable if I have altitude. If I don't, or I'm not sure, dump unstable. I dumped on my back after a spinning mal on a sunset jump last fall. I know I didn't know my altitude and it was getting dark enough I didn't trust visual cues. Other times I've known I had time and I took a second or two to get stable.

Heck, after CRW cutaways, I normally track for a couple of thousand feet, give a good wave off and check very carefully for traffic before I pull. Don't know how many other of those crazy fools are coming after me :-)

Generally the overwhelming excitement and such goes away after your first or second cutaway and you find it fairly easy to think sensibly.

W

[bch7773 0]

ok I'll tackle this one

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If you cut away on the ground on a windy day and you have an RSL, your reserve will inflate.

Of course, you can disconnect your RSL once under canopy to prevent the reserve from opening at all if you have to cut away on the ground. That's a convenience issue, not a safety one.

I agree with this one except that an RSL adds a step under canopy (disconnecting it) that needs to be remembered and distracts the pilot from flying the canopy and looking for traffic.

ok, realistically, how much time does disconnecting the RSL under canopy take? maybe 2 seconds?

how long does collapsing your slider, or popping up your fullface visor take? about 2 seconds too...
gee maybe we should all go back to uncollapsable sliders since we are missing out on 2 seconds of checking for traffic.

I think that RSLs are generally good things, and I agree with most of billvon's rebuttal.

MB 3528, RB 1182

[billvon 3,107]

>If you're a beginner and have never chopped I'd agree with you. I
> also recommend RSls to novices as a general rule except when >doing CRW.

Yeah, I thought I made that clear in the post. I strongly recommend RSL's until jumpers have a few cutaways, at which point they are in a better position (both in terms of skills and experience to make judgements) to decide on their own whether they want it.

>Generally the overwhelming excitement and such goes away after >your first or second cutaway and you find it fairly easy to think >sensibly.

While I agree, that's not the same as being able to do what you want (without training for it that is.) I've found myself unable to stop my right hand from opening my main even when I was so low I knew I should dump my reserve; the habit was too strong. Had I trained not to open my main when I get too low, I would have been in better shape. Of course there are drawbacks to training yourself not to pull when you're low as well. Point is that you need either training or experience before you can say with any confidence what you will do; hence my recommendation for a few real (or intentional) cutaways first. It's too easy for previous training to take over otherwise.

[falxori 0]

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Yeah, I thought I made that clear in the post. I strongly recommend RSL's until jumpers have a few cutaways

would your recommendation change if the jumper is flying camera?
i'm going to start soon (no cutaways yet).
i know the pro's and con's but i'm not sure which are more significant...

btw, why is it so important to disconnect the RSL in a 2 out? i think i'm missing something here.

thanks
O

"Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero."

[masher 1]

re RSL disconnection and a two-out...

AFAIK, if you disconnect your RSL, you're removing a potential snag hazard if you are forced to cutaway.

That extra 12" (or so) of webbing may entangle with your reserve and ruin your whole day.


That's my (non-instructor) feed on the idea anyway...

--
Arching is overrated - Marlies

[Ron 10]

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ok, realistically, how much time does disconnecting the RSL under canopy take? maybe 2 seconds?

And how many times have you done it? I bet not many. And it is not natural. It will be the last thing you think about in a high stress situation.

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how long does collapsing your slider, or popping up your fullface visor take? about 2 seconds too...
gee maybe we should all go back to uncollapsable sliders since we are missing out on 2 seconds of checking for traffic.

And how many people have you seen not collapse their slider cause they forgot when they first started jumping them? Many. In a high stress situation I really doubt that a person will have the presence of mind to think "Hey, I have two out...I'd better disconnect that RSL!"

It will be more like..."OH SHIT!!!! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!!!!"

It is for this very reason that pilots have checklists for emergencies...It has been shown time and time again that in a high stress situation that we focus on the serious issue, and glaze over the tiny steps...

You don't have a checklist.

People scew up the normal cutaway...Do you really think that you will remember to disconnect something that you never dissconnect under canopy, when in a very rare malfunction, while being super stressed....

I'm not sure I would remember, in fact I doubt I would.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[riggerrob 643]

I think that RSLs are generally good things, and I agree with most of billvon's rebuttal.

[Hooknswoop 19]

I think RWS's position on the RSL hits the nail on the head (thanks Rob):

"Facts about the "Reserve Staticline Lanyard"
Posted Thursday, October 15, 1998
By Relative Workshop

Facts about the "Reserve Staticline Lanyard"Lately there has been a big push towards the use of the reserve staticline lanyard (RSL) for experienced jumpers.

Most proponents of the RSL have only been dwelling on the positive aspects of the RSL without considering the negative consequences.

The Relative Workshop wants to educate each jumper regarding the pros and cons of the RSL system so you will be able to make an informed decision about this popular, yet controversial modification.

For those of you unfamiliar with the RSL system, a short description is in order. The RSL is a simple lanyard connecting one or both of the main canopy risers to the reserve ripcord. In the event of a main canopy malfunction, and following a successful breakaway, the reserve ripcord is pulled as the main risers depart with the released main canopy.

In essence, the RSL indirectly connects the breakaway handle to the reserve ripcord handle. Unfortunately, this simple lanyard can easily complicate a routine emergency for those who are more than capable of handling the problem manually.

The RSL has gained much of its notoriety through its use on student equipment. The RSL is ideal for students because the probability is high that a student might breakaway from a malfunction lower than the recommended altitude, and delay longer than necessary before deploying the reserve. Having the reserve deploy in a unstable body position, while far from ideal, is preferential to not having the reserve deploy at all. Waiting for the AAD to fire if the breakaway is extremely low is a chancy situation at best. For these reasons, the RSL is quite compatible for student gear and most instructors would probably agree!

RSL's work great on tandem systems as well. The tandem instructor really has his hands filled during a malfunction so the speedy deployment of the reserve is a big advantage. Stability after a breakaway is generally not a problem as the tandem pair have inherent stability qualities due to the positioning of the passenger and tandem master. If the tandem master has properly prepared the passenger's body position, a tandem breakaway has a greater potential for instant stability than a solo breakaway.

Both student and tandem jumps are carried out at higher altitudes and rarely involve other jumpers in the same airspace, minimizing the chance of canopy entanglements which can complicate matters severely.

RSL's and the experienced jumper - Pros vs. Cons
Remember, the RSL does one thing and one thing only: It will activate (providing it does not physically fail) the reserve container following a main canopy breakaway. That's it! Now lets talk about the disadvantages of the RSL.

1) Most jumpers don't realize that utilizing a RSL correctly requires changing their emergency procedures. Why? The reason is simple: Most RSL systems offer the ability to disconnect it from the riser. If it's disconnectable, then there will be situations that may require a disconnection before proceeding with the breakaway. An obvious one that comes to mind is a canopy entanglement with another jumper. If one or both jumpers have an RSL and they mindlessly breakaway without considering the consequences, they might very well find themselves entangled again, possibly for the last time! Canopy entanglements are happening more frequently now than ever before due to several reasons:

A) More inexperienced jumpers engaging in larger RW formations. B) The recent popularity of ultra-fast zero porosity canopies. The result is: Skies crowded with more inexperienced jumpers flying faster canopies.

Emergency procedures for systems fitted with RSLs would change in the following manner: Before the breakaway, you must ask yourself (considering your present malfunction) if an immediate reserve deployment will be in your own best interest. If not, the RSL must be released before proceeding with the breakaway.

NOTE: Anytime the RSL remains active during a breakaway, the jumper should automatically plan on pulling the reserve handle anyway just in case the RSL connection fails to activate the reserve container for whatever reason. This lack of awareness regarding the need to back up the reserve pull manually is an increasing and disturbing trend among some of today's jumpers.

2) The average jumper will take more than several seconds to analyze and determine if the RSL disconnection is necessary. This can obviously consume valuable time. No doubt the average jumper would be better off handling the emergency manually by pulling both handles, which is not a difficult task.

3) Lets examine the cause of malfunctions in the first place. The biggest culprits are improper packing and rigging, or bad body position during deployment. (Bad body position can be defined as shoulders not perpendicular to the relative wind.)

s almost impossible to be stable within the first second and a half following a breakaway from a malfunctioning high performance main canopy. Therefore, the typical RSL user is most likely unstable during the reserve deployment.

Instability causes malfunctions and allowing the RSL to open the reserve container for you will increase the chance that the reserve canopy will malfunction as well. One might argue that this would be a rare occurrence, but why would an experienced jumper take the chance? Some would consider this an unacceptable risk!

4) CRW enthusiasts, for the obvious reasons mentioned in point 1, do not want or need a RSL. For those that have one, it should be disconnected prior to boarding the aircraft on a planned CRW jump.

Freefall videographers should never jump with an active RSL systemThe last thing a camera-person needs is the reserve deploying while they're unstable. Just recently in France a fatality occurred when a RSL-activated reserve canopy entangled with the jumpers helmet-mounted camera equipment.

6) The RSL will not work during a total malfunction of the main container, and do not assume that it can take the place of a functioning, properly calibrated automatic activation device. An RSL is not an AAD.

Summation
The RSL system was developed over 25 years ago and found its proper place on student equipment. Due to the fact the skydiving community encounters several deaths each year attributed to the "no-reserve-pull-following-a-breakaway scenario," we have many individuals who feel the RSL is the answer for the experienced jumper. Our belief is quite simple: If every jumper had a RSL, then the amount of RSL related deaths each year would be many more than we now encounter with no-pull situations.

Naturally we have tremendous concern whenever someone wants to take a simple, 3-handle system and turn it into some complicated apparatus in an attempt to make up for the inadequacies of the poorly trained or ill-prepared jumper. We believe if you stick to the basics, constantly rehearse your emergency procedures, and assume you'll have a malfunction on every jump - you'll be much better off.

Remember: The RSL is not a safety device for experienced jumpers because it takes more time to operate it correctly than to pull the breakaway and reserve handles manually. Now that you have been presented with the all the facts, we hope you'll make the right decision for yourself regarding the RSL.

If you would like to have a consultation on your personal skydiving equipment needs, please call Relative Workshop at anytime during the hours of 8am - 6pm EST. We have a highly experienced staff of riggers and instructors who are anxiously awaiting to assist you. If we don't have the answers to your questions, we probably know who does! Remember, we're here to help you make the right decisions concerning your skydiving equipment and its proper use."

Derek

[billvon 3,107]

>would your recommendation change if the jumper is flying camera?

Sort of. I would recommend not using it if you are using anything more than a really basic (i.e. small) and streamlined camera setup. But I'd also recommend doing an intentional cutaway or two. It's a good training tool in any case, and is even more important if you decide to forego the RSL and take intentional delays after cutaways.

[ph8068 0]

I am personally against using an RSL, but I can very much see that in the case of a low level canopy collision, they could be extremely useful.

So, the idea of disconnecting your RSL once your main has deployed correctly seems a little crazy! Now you've used an RSL where you don't one and disconnected it when you do want one!

Anyone ever considered connecting their RSL under canopy!!!! This would actually seem quite logical.

As for getting dragged on the ground, learn to collapse your canopy then cutting away is not necessary. Pull one brake line in until you get fabric through the slider grommit, whilst running around the canopy to the downwind side.

Paul.

[Hooknswoop 19]

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Agreed. But unless you train under accurate conditions (i.e. hanging harness, spinning, practicing BOTH getting stable and not getting stable depending on what your altimeter says) you'll do what you plan to do no matter what your altitude. And if you are spinning on your back at 500 feet, and you cut away, you will try to get stable before deploying your reserve - especially since you won't see the ground. We do what we train to do.

That is how EP's should be trained, for experienced jumpers. I always trained to cutaway, get stable if altitude permits, then pull the reserve. There is no attitude, either under a malfunctioning canopy or in free-fall, where I cannot see the ground and use it for altitude reference.

Derek

[billbooth 10]

Please note that the above letter about RSL's from the Relative Workshop was prior to the introduction of the Skyhook RSL. The Skyhook was designed to remove most, if not all of the "problems" associated with conventional RSL's. The Relative Workshop now recommends Skyhook RSL's to all customers, regardless of experience level. Jumpers who do a lot of CReW might be the only exception. However, no device is perfect, and everyone's best course of action is not to get so low that you need an RSL in the first place. Just remember...an RSL is sort of like a gun. If you really need it, but don't have it, you'll never need it again.

[falxori 0]

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But I'd also recommend doing an intentional cutaway or two.

actually i thought of doing that but i doubt i'll have access to a 3 chute rig here in israel anytime soon.
too bad, i should have tried it when i was in CA last month, oh well.
anyway, thanks Bill

O

"Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero."

[Hooknswoop 19]

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Please note that the above letter about RSL's from the Relative Workshop was prior to the introduction of the Skyhook RSL. The Skyhook was designed to remove most, if not all of the "problems" associated with conventional RSL's. The Relative Workshop now recommends Skyhook RSL's to all customers, regardless of experience level. Jumpers who do a lot of CReW might be the only exception. However, no device is perfect, and everyone's best course of action is not to get so low that you need an RSL in the first place. Just remember...an RSL is sort of like a gun. If you really need it, but don't have it, you'll never need it again.

I agree that the Skyhook fixes almost all the problems associated with the RSL. I wouldn't have a problem jumping a Skyhook-equipped rig, but probably wouldn't just because I enjoy taking a delay after cuting away. I would want a Skyhook on a tandem rig though.

Derek

[fundgh 0]

How would I arrange to do intentional cutaways?

It seems that there is a grey line between an experienced jumper and one who has had a couple cutaways. I have seen many jumpers with hundreds and thousands of jumps without a cutaway. Should they use the RSL?

...FUN FOR ALL!

[billvon 3,107]

>How would I arrange to do intentional cutaways?

Relative Workshop has an excellent system they take to large boogies; if you ever get the chance I highly recommend it. I have a cutaway system originally designed by none other than Hooknswoop himself that I use on occasion, but as it's not the same 'action' as a regular rig (i.e. I don't cut away with the cutaway handle) it's not quite as good as the RW rig.

>It seems that there is a grey line between an experienced jumper
> and one who has had a couple cutaways. I have seen many jumpers
> with hundreds and thousands of jumps without a cutaway. Should
> they use the RSL?

As always it's up to them. Even highly experienced jumpers have had no-pull fatalities from cutting away and not pulling the reserve, so an RSL may still be useful to them.

[obelixtim 150]

Whats the idea of doing a long delay after cutting away???.....silly idea I think.....horsing around in the middle of an emergency doesn't strike me as a good idea......plus giving your reserve, and yourself a terminal opening when you don't need to doesn't make sense at all.......shouldn't you save your life asap??.......

I reckon if you had a round reserve you'd only do it once....the opening shock would make your eyes water.....and your toes curl!!!......

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[billvon 3,107]

>I always trained to cutaway, get stable if altitude permits, then pull the reserve.

I think there are some serious minuses concerning training to NOT immediately open the reserve. I wouldn't do that until someone had a lot of experience, and could be relied upon to never lose altitude awareness, not revert to old training under pressure etc.

[councilman24 37]

Now I know your Crazy. Intentional terminal reserve openings????

No, I really know you need to clear the other fools, errr, CRW dogs, that might be following you.

Hmmm, do pack the reserve with the nose rolled??

Just KIDDING all you newbies.

And to the thread in general...

And I'm more worried about the 600 foot canopy collision, cutaway, and impact at line stretch as a good reason for an RSL than a 2500 foot partial. As well as the newbies that cann't figure out how to use their eyes to find the silver handle.

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

[Hooknswoop 19]

Quote

Whats the idea of doing a long delay after cutting away???.....silly idea I think.....horsing around in the middle of an emergency doesn't strike me as a good idea......plus giving your reserve, and yourself a terminal opening when you don't need to doesn't make sense at all.......shouldn't you save your life asap??.......

"long delay", "horsing around"? No, no long delays, no horsing around. I never said that, nor did I say terminal reserve opening. Cutaway, get stable, fire the reserve. Right, saving your life is the important part. Wrapping the reserve PC bridle around you is not going to save your life.

Derek