Did Perry Stevens invent the RSL?

[377 22]

Was the Stevens Lanyard (Perry Stevens, Stevens Paraloft, Oakland CA late 1960s) the first RSL? Just curious about gear history.

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[skr 1]

I'm not sure whose idea it was.

The Crossbow piggyback also had the possibility
of an RSL. I never used it, and don't remember how
it was set up, but the reserve ripcord housing was
attached to the reserve container with four snaps,
so maybe the static line somehow went from a riser
to the housing.

And maybe Perry was working for Security at the
time so it was all his idea anyway. I don't know.

Also I remember Tiny Broadwick talking about doing
multiple cutaways, and had the impression that the
cutaway canopy static lined the next one, kind of like
some of today's base rigs do.

I don't remember her specifically saying that, it wasn't
part of the jump story, but at the time I thought that was
what she was saying.

Skr

[stratostar 5]

The Crossbow piggyback , We have one in the loft that is jumpable, I rebuilt alot of it even the "jesus string" you are right about the snaps on the reserve container, I would have to look at it to remember correct, but I think the housing has a "rsl" hooked to it and the rear for cut away and it takes the whole housing with it (snaps), but the whole housing can be pulled as well if you have a total on your main followed by a cone lock on your reserve.
Isn't old shit fun.
~

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

[hottamaly 1]

  Quote

I'm not sure whose idea it was.

The Crossbow piggyback also had the possibility
of an RSL. I never used it, and don't remember how
it was set up, but the reserve ripcord housing was
attached to the reserve container with four snaps,
so maybe the static line somehow went from a riser
to the housing.

And maybe Perry was working for Security at the
time so it was all his idea anyway. I don't know.

Also I remember Tiny Broadwick talking about doing
multiple cutaways, and had the impression that the
cutaway canopy static lined the next one, kind of like
some of today's base rigs do.

I don't remember her specifically saying that, it wasn't
part of the jump story, but at the time I thought that was
what she was saying.

Skr

Yea Tiny. she rocked.

Skydiving gave me a reason to live
I'm not afraid of what I'll miss when I die...I'm afraid of what I'll miss as I live

[Hammitt 0]

When I first started jumping back in 73 at Yolo, the RSL was referred to as the Steven's system or Steven's Lanyard. So it was pretty well established at that time as being Perry's idea.

Hey, Scratch, I don't know you remember me or not. I used to jump with you and Clarice at Pope in the late 70's. If was certainly one of the most innovative times in my skydiving career. I used to hang out with Sparky Gregory.

[nitecap 0]

Perry designed this system mainly for students. At that time all student gear was equiped with a front mount reserve with no pilot chute. The reserve had to be hand deployed in event of a partial malfunction.
The Stevens system allowed a pilot chute in the reserve and a cut away from a partially open main.The lanyard was routed from the reserve handle to a riser.When the main was cut away the lanyard opened the reserve container.

At the time the Stevens system came out I was jumping a Security piggyback that came with a static line I do not beleive Perry had any conection to Security at that time. I also had the dreaded one shot capewells which I eventually changed for shot and a halfs.
I made some jumps at Perrys DZ at Livermore.
Great bunch of jumpers and good beer.

[skr 1]

>I don't know you remember me or not.

Yes, I remember you. I didn't recognize the name
Hammitt, but when I looked at your profile and saw
Dean I knew who you were.


>If was certainly one of the most innovative times in my skydiving career.

Yeah, me too. Those 70s years starting at the Gulch
and then moving to Pope Valley were a real high
point in my life.


It's pretty neat how we're all running into each other
again here.

Skr

[slug 1]

Hi SS

For a sweet young Thang you must be having a "Senior movement" We're not "old shit" we're Retro.

Retro is , old shit .

Of course I remember everyone here. You were the young skinny guy/gal.

R.I.P.

[flyboy62000 0]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but do any of you remember Roy Irwin who used to jump out at Pope Valley in the 70's - early 80's? He's my uncle, was telling me some stories when I first started jumping.

Blue Skies,
Adam
I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things . . . — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

[skypuppy 1]

Also I remember Tiny Broadwick talking about doing
multiple cutaways, and had the impression that the
cutaway canopy static lined the next one, kind of like
some of today's base rigs do.

I don't remember her specifically saying that, it wasn't
part of the jump story, but at the time I thought that was
what she was saying.
__________________________________________________

Tiny was using parachutes from balloons, mostly, and probably without a reserve, as such. Most balloon jumps of the day (make that ALL) were static-line - although Leo Stevens had a ripcord on his early rigs, they were attached to the aircraft by a staticline, so they were not for freefall. So if Tiny was doing multiple jumps, they were all mains.

Since they were static-lined to the balloon, usually they would have the parachutes in separate bags above them, cutting away (most) of the first chute would cause it to deploy a second, and cutting away it would deploy the third.

Lindbergh did a cutaway on his first jump - as a barnstormer he decided to do a parachute jump and as I said he used cutaway rig.

Many of the parachutes in use until the early thirties probably wouldn't have taken freefall openings. Most were 'balloon' chutes designed to s/l from a balloon at 0 mph. Jumping one out of a plane at 40 miles an hour, let alone freefall, could cause it to disintegrate.

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[JerryBaumchen 1,451]

Yes, in a way. Perry worked for Security in those days ('63-'64). He, Dan Abbott and Ludlow Clements created the Crossbow piggyback that came out in the Spring of '64. The RSL attached to the ripcord housing near the ripcord end and the other end was attached to the container with four snaps, as someone has mentioned. When you activated the One-shots the lanyard pulled the ripcord end away which pulls the pin. Everything departed with the main canopy.
The elevated it in their facility in San Leandro and tested the system 100 times straight with only a reserve canopy in it to see how it would work. It worked as designed all 100 times. They then felt that it was ready for release.

[stratostar 5]

You said it way better then me.
We have a real clean one (like new) and two others
in very good shape, all were jumped last season.
They were fun to rebuild and fix up and jump.
It's a hoot to see the new kids eyes when you start to tell them about the "jesus rope", they think your kidding, at first.
Good rig, easy to see where your going, but I love my hog MK-1 set up!

~

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

[skybill 22]

Hi Scratch,
The way the Security pig rig (RSL) worked was there was a lanyard from the L/S Riser to the end of the reserve R/C housing by the Ripcord. Upon cutaway, the riser left and pulled the Reserve R/C housing out of its socket leaving the Ripcord in place. This would tighten up the system and extract the R/C pins from their cones. Now the only thing left was for the riser thru its lanyard, attachments and R/C housing to do was unsnap the 4 snaps and the reserve is on its merry way. I saw Charlie LeBlanc and Leon Riche put extra D-rings on the front of their Security Pigs and do intentional cut-aways circa 1964-65. Those were the days.

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[Hammitt 0]

I don't remember the name right off hand. I knew most everyone there from the mid to late 70's. I didn't jump there much the last two years it was open though.

It really was one of the coolest place to jump or just hang out. I remember my first introduction to Pope Valley. I had about 30 jumps. It was windy at YOLO so we decided to fly over to Pope and jump in. So the first time I saw Pope Valley was from seven five in freefall. That was neat.

[jbrasher 1]

skr,

Take a look at Gypsy moths for a multiple canopy (actually a least a couple different ways) deployment sequence.

Red, White and Blue Skies,

John T. Brasher D-5166

[JerryBaumchen 1,451]

Hey, Stratostar,
I tried to reply to your email but I got something about a spam-blocker and then the link didn't get me anywhere. Call me on my cell 503-481-4714 and not before 10:00 AM West Coast Time.
I can give you more info on the 'Eddie Brown Rig.'

[26ftconical 1]

Gentlemen:
Perry Stevens was working at Security Parachute Company at the time the Crossbow piggy back was invented and designed in 1963. It was being designed and developed for the 1964 U.S.Parachute Team.
The Automatic Reserve lanyard was one of it features. Perry did not design the lanyard system, It was concieved by Dan Abbott. Pery tyook the principles of the design and modified the design for use on a chest reserve parachute.
Blue skies,
26ft canopy

[26ftconical 1]

Jerry Baumchen:
Neither Perry Stevens and Ludlow Clements had anything to do with the design of the Crossbow. The design was done by Dan Abbott with the exceptions of the One Shot riser release, that was concieived by Jon Maggi the owner of Security Parachute Company.
26ftcanopy

[wartload 0]

Hmmm ... I'll bet that I can guess who posted these last messages! I still need to look for that serial number in the sunlight!

[26ftconical 1]

Wartload:
If you look hard enough, you'll find 004!
blue skies,
26ft canopy

[stratostar 5]

Ok Will do jerry, Thanks.

~

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

[billbooth 10]

I once asked Tiny how many malfunctions she had on her 32' silk flat circular canopy. She answered, "27". I then asked her what she used for a reserve. To which she answered, "What's a reserve?"

[26ftconical 1]

Gentlemen:
I can remember one time when Bill Booth got by the Maitre-de (required a tie) and he could not tell.
Blue skies,
26ftconical

[26ftconical 1]

Gentlemen:
A story about Ludlow Clements. He was the best Test Jumper Security ever hired. Security was working on a Triangle design and Security had most of the jumper at Livermore Dropzone jump the rig to get there observation about it handling. After the jump they had to complete a form that asked a series of questions that had multiple choice answers. and a page for their comments. All the jumpers filled out these questionaires and a paragraph or two on the comments page. When Ludlow got his turn he turned in the questionaire plus three pages of comments. Dan Abbott who was monitoring these tests hired Ludlow on the spot. Lodlow was a breed apart from the rest, he became an important part of Secuity and worked in Engineering with Dan abbott
Blue skies,
Dan-San

[wartload 0]

  Quote

I once asked Tiny how many malfunctions she had on her 32' silk flat circular canopy. She answered, "27". I then asked her what she used for a reserve. To which she answered, "What's a reserve?"

I believe that her standard line, when asked if she used a reserve, was, "Oh, yes! I always had a reserve parachute on the ground in case the one that I was using got wet or torn!"

As a bonus, I recently was in WalMart and they had a bunch of DVDs for a buck each. One of them was a collection of clips from from Groucho's "You Bet Your Life" television show. Imagine what a great buy that DVD turned out to be when one of the guests was Tiny!