sangiro 26 #1 February 24, 2003 Heya, I jump a Safire 149 loaded at 1.35. Two weeks ago at Eloy I opened at the end of an uneventful skydive and a normal track and wave-off. Safires are known for their great openings and mine is no exception. On this occasion the opening was brisk (not hard) but more weird than anything else. I opened with half a line twist and one brake line loose. Very off-heading. The twist came out quickly and I released the other brake to get myself out of the turn. The canopy flew normally. When I got to the ground and collected up my chute I realized that my pilot chute and D-bag was missing! Not much I could do about it except to see if I could find the missing gear. Fortunately someone had been watching my opening from the ground. (Gordo - thanks man!) According to him the opening looked like a real slammer from the ground. It did not feel like that to me at all. The short of the story is that the metal connector link (French Rapide Link) that connects my D-Bag and pilot chute to the top of my canopy had bent open. (See the attachment) I spoke with Bryan Burke and he mentioned that there are a few scenarios that can lead to this: 1) The link was not fastened or came loose 2) It was tightened too much and the nut cracked 3) It was tightened to much and the screw stripped In my case it was #1 Lessons learned: Check you connector links regularly. You may have 3 of these on your system. D-bag connection and on your risers (unless you have slinks). Plastic covers will help prevent them from coming undone. Use nail polish or something similar to seal the joint, this can give you an early warning if they start turning. If you use a packer (like I was that day) remind him/her to check these from time to time. That's all folks. Safe swoops Sangiro Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ltdiver 3 #2 February 24, 2003 Yep! A couple of years ago, a very experienced skydiver friend walked back from the landing area quite shaken. He showed us his gear, which had a riser connector link bent open (like your picture shows). He flys a high performance canopy. What if it had slipped off the riser just as he started his flare? Thanks for the reminder, HH. Check your links! ltdiver Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerm 0 #3 February 24, 2003 had the exact same thing happen at zhills right after christmas..... my 3rd jump with a freebag on the main Landing without injury is not necessarily evidence that you didn't fuck up... it just means you got away with it this time Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kris 0 #4 February 24, 2003 That's why the only link on my D-bag is the one inside the bag to keep the bag from sliding down the PC. To attach my PC to the canopy I just use the loop built into the PC and do a larkshead knot. I put the loop through the canopy attachment loop and I pull the hacky, PC, and D-bag through to make the knot. KrisSky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymick 0 #5 February 24, 2003 Actually this w/e ajumper at my DZ lost his D-bag/PC because the loop which goes around the connector ring on the canopy snapped! Luckily someone saw it float down. The jumper didnt even know he had lost it until we realised that it wasnt a freebag that was floating down (as everyone orginally thought) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,107 #6 February 24, 2003 Also, some D-bag/PC combos (like the Reflex system) do not use connector links; the entire assembly is connected to the main via a lark's-head, which won't come off unless the bridle fails. Another advantage is that a lark's-head won't pinch canopy fabric and cause tiny holes in the topskin. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Staso 0 #7 February 24, 2003 QuoteHeya, I jump a Safire 149 loaded at 1.35. ... Safires are known for their great openings and mine is no exception. do you jump safire 1 or 2 ? i jump safire 2 149 with a wing load just a fraction higher then yours. i have very very slow snively openings all the time. i had my slider replaced with the one from safire 129 and it still snivels a lot. i know couple of guys who had sliders replaced too. i should probably mention that i open it at higher speeds most of the times and i think it could contribute to that opening as well. stan. -- it's not about defying gravity; it's how hard you can abuse it. speed skydiving it is ... Speed Skydiving Forum Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sangiro 26 #8 February 25, 2003 I have a Safire 1. Standard set-up. The only thing I've changed is I had my steering lines shortened a bit to help with my landings... thats' it. I love the openings. The openings are soft and the snivels are not too long. Safe swoops Sangiro Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #9 February 25, 2003 Gee. That never happened to me last Memorial Day weekend at Eloy. This is something to watch for when you're demoing canopies. If your bridle attaches to the main with a connector link, be very sure it's tight enough when you put it on the demo (and back on your own main later). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bbarnhouse 0 #10 February 25, 2003 Quote The only thing I've changed is I had my steering lines shortened a bit to help with my landings.. Oh well that explains itThat link looked as though it had been through a garbage disposal. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #11 February 25, 2003 A fine collection of bent (er, straightened) and rusty Maillon Rapide links hangs above the door to my sewing room. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nacmacfeegle 0 #12 February 25, 2003 Rotten silly little "French" links, I'll betcha "coalition" links wouldn't be so slack!Following applies to kill line PCs... Okay, my rigger recommended larks footing (?) a bungee on the canopy attachment ring, when your PC is cocked, s-fold the security line and retain it with the bungee. This means you actually have to look at the attachment ring (and the french link) every time you pack, and the security line wont 'grab' a bunch of canopy topskin during deployment. And hey, its a free mod you can do yourself, so it gets a thumbs up from me.My kill line and security line don't look like they would be able to larks foot onto the ring as described above..... -------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ernokaikkonen 0 #13 February 25, 2003 QuoteMy kill line and security line don't look like they would be able to larks foot onto the ring as described above..... Same here. But I had an idea: What if you would have your rigger make a loop(~15cm long) out #4 webbing(? the stuff that non kill-line bridles are made). Then you could larkshead the loop on the kill-line and the security line, and then larkshead the other end of the loop on the canopy? Any riggers' opinions on this kind of mod? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyhi 24 #14 February 25, 2003 QuoteThe short of the story is that the metal connector link (French Rapide Link) that connects my D-Bag and pilot chute to the top of my canopy had bent open. Probably a question for a rigger, but has anyone ever thought of using a slink for this vice a metal connector link? Supposedly they are stronger and not sure, but it would seem possible that the metal link could cause damage while moving around, being packed, and situations like that. Probably not a big factor, but would be slightly lighter and smaller.Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nicknitro71 0 #15 February 25, 2003 Same here. I use a piece of briddle to connect the canopy to the bag.Memento Audere Semper 903 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JeffGordon 0 #16 February 25, 2003 It looks like the connector is stripped. It seems more likely that this would occur when tighting rather than by being snatched when opening. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hooknswoop 19 #17 February 25, 2003 A bridle loop to larks head onto the PC then onto the canopy would work fine. That is similar to a bridle extension some people use for phsyco packing. A Slink instead of a Rapide link works well too. Down side is they only sell them in packages of 4, so find 3 other people that want the same thing and split a bag. Of course you can just be careful when attaching the PC and check the links every now and then. Rapide links popping when used for attaching the main happens rather frequently. They must be checked, I recommend every thirty days, easy to do in conjunction with your 3-ring maintenance. You are doing your 30-day 3-ring maintenance, right?Hook Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JayhawkJumper 0 #18 February 25, 2003 A guy at our DZ had a connector link on his riser come open on him. He said he didn't want to risk landing it so he flew over the hangers, and chopped at a grand. A little lower than I'd probably cut away but he definately found all of his stuff. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
