Tandem Reserve Ride Over 500 lbs?

[skydived19006 4]

I was reading the thread regarding heavy TIs, and it occurred to me to ask how many of you who load up to the 500 lb range have had a reserve ride at that weight.

I weigh 210-220, and will take up to 240 lb student (220+240+50=510 lbs), and have 1600 plus tandems with zero reserve rides (knocking wood as I type). The one thing (well, not the only thing) that worries me is a reserve ride at that heavy loading.

FYI, I own and jump Eclipse rigs, all with Precision TR375 reserves. Always thinking, I figure that if I'm scared by the flair, I'll put it down in one of the ponds on the airport (as long as it's not dead of winter and frozen over). Thinking that a wet rig is better than a broken skydiver.

Martin

Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else.

AC DZ

[Andrewwhyte 1]

I had a ride on a Strong master 425R at pretty close to or maybe slightly over 500lbs. It was a hard landing but not anything serious. I am more afraid of a high speed opening at high weight than the landing. My opening was low-speed.

[skydived19006 4]

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I am more afraid of a high speed opening at high weight than the landing. My opening was low-speed.

Mark "Shoobie" Knutson did our TI training. More as conversation than anything else, he explained the certification process that they went through to get the Precision Tandem Reserve through. He said that it opened somewhat consistently "slow" regardless of speed/weight. He also related that after they'd passed certification, they were screwing around with "destruction testing" deploying the thing out of the back of a Casa at or over 200 kts, and upwards of 1000 lbs suspended. The thing never did disintegrate, but sure landed hard (no flair).

Martin

Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else.

AC DZ

[BIGUN 1,486]

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they were screwing around with "destruction testing" deploying the thing out of the back of a Casa at or over 200 kts, and upwards of 1000 lbs suspended.

I was just about to write you and say the same thing. The only exception to what you wrote and what I was told was 800 lbs.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[koppel 5]

I recently had a ride on a Precision TR375 after a Skyhook deployment (thanks for the T-shirt UPT) with a fella on the front that was in the 110-115KG range (240-250 lbs ) and Im about 90 Kgs (200 lbs) plus gear / clothes etc is getting close to the 500 mark give or take a breakfast and dinner.

The landing was firm onto sand and I got him to help me flare as the flare was very heavy. Other than being a slow bus however it landed reasonably well I thought.

I like my canopy...


...it lets me down.

[yarak 0]

all fine unless you have a terminal opening. even if the canopy does maintain its integrity, the hard opening shock could render you unable to flare. I had such an opening that broke the students sternum and damaged me as well. It really hurt to flare that parachute. If I had been with broken ribs or something I probably couldnt have handled that much toggle pressure. The student couldnt flare with a fractured sternum. So we would have been screwed. I think its dumb to push the recommended wieght limit. Not worth 30 bucks IMO

I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll burn your fucking packing tent down.

[skydived19006 4]

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they were screwing around with "destruction testing" deploying the thing out of the back of a Casa at or over 200 kts, and upwards of 1000 lbs suspended.

I was just about to write you and say the same thing. The only exception to what you wrote and what I was told was 800 lbs.

It's been a few years, it may have been 800 lbs.

Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else.

AC DZ

[skydived19006 4]

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all fine unless you have a terminal opening. even if the canopy does maintain its integrity, the hard opening shock could render you unable to flare. I had such an opening that broke the students sternum and damaged me as well. It really hurt to flare that parachute. If I had been with broken ribs or something I probably couldnt have handled that much toggle pressure. The student couldnt flare with a fractured sternum. So we would have been screwed. I think its dumb to push the recommended wieght limit. Not worth 30 bucks IMO

Good points!

I bought another "closet rig (A few years old, but with 3 jumps on it)" from Shoobie a year or so ago. He sent me a prototype main 350sf, also with very few jumps on it. This canopy was built before they went to the tapered plan-form, I jumped it once with a 160 lb skydiver in front of me, and I'm not at all sure I could have flared it without his help. I put it in the mail back to Ca.

I'd like to discuss how to have the student assist. Without the double toggles, it's a bit more of a challenge! You can let the student put his hands in the toggles, then grab above the toggle, but I see this configuration as typically ridding in breaks as the student can't reach high enough to put the canopy in full flight. The other option might be to have the student grab the TIs wrists, or maybe to grab the toggles as you flair? These options would most certainly require a few practice flairs, which you'd always want to do regardless. Trick I see is to balance practice, with wearing yourself out!

Thoughts?

Again, I have a water landing option on the airport. I just need enough ability to steer to it, and hopefully to a shallow spot.

Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else.

AC DZ

[BIGUN 1,486]

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It's been a few years, it may have been 800 lbs.

Really doesn't matter 800 or a 1,000. In either case, it was impressive and it's another of several reasons why I chose Eclipse at the time. The two primary reasons being that 1) it had an Icarus Main and components were not interchangeable under rthe exemption, and 2) I liked where the secondary (student) handle was placed for AFP traiing.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[riggerrob 643]

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I recently had a ride on a Precision TR375 after a Skyhook deployment (thanks for the T-shirt UPT) ...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Dang!
If I had a T-shirt for every time I used a Strong tandem reserve, I would only have to do laundry once a month!

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