first time assembly; main and container

[Slowfaller 0]

I'm a low time jumper (42 jumps) and my question is: where can i find step by step instruction on hooking my main to my risers and the bridle and pc to the top of my canopy? Is this something i can do or should i let a rigger do it? A guy i just called at a DZ said i should be able to do this right of student status. Am i just ignorant or was he being a dick?
CHris

[freeflir29 0]

"Am i just ignorant or was he being a dick?"
Well....if you're a student at that DZ and he is an instructor it is he who is ignorant. I would get someone with a little experience to help you out and look over your shoulder the first time you do it. It's pretty easy to make disastrous mistakes. I know the last pilot chute I bought came with instructions on hooking it up. Likewise if you have an owners manual for your canopy it should have the info you need in there. If you don't have these manuals go the manufacturers web site and they should be able to help. Or e-mail the manufacturer..."I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay

[MiataDRM 0]

Who ever told you that you should know how to do it off student status is smoking CRACK! I went through the new ISP and I have around 50 jumps and didn't know how. I just swaped out my main last weekend. Get one of the experienced jumpers at your DZ to give you a hand...then get a rigger to inspect the work to make sure the lines are straight/untangled and that the canopy is not on backwards (it can happen). That's what I did...all they asked for in return was a soda! To be honest, it's not hard once you see it a few times, but you have to be patient and do it step by step (line by line) and ALWAYS get a rigger to inspect your work. Hope this helps.
**I'm a Pschydiver!
Majdi

[Kelly 0]

I've taught a lot of students how to do this and some jumpers that were a little farther off student status..
youre best bet is to get a rigger, instructor, or even an experienced packer to show you how to do it. Learning how to hook up a main to a container (this is what youre asking right? not how to hook up a canopy to risers..?) and connecting the PC is a good lesson. Just make sure that whoever teaches you teaches you how to do a continuality check. For future purposes, and if youre even going to use a demo canopy, the risers are generally rubber banned together with the right riser on top. But dont assume that correct.
get somebody to teach you, make sure they do a line check. IF they dont, find somebody who will run each outside line, and the steering lines up thru the slider to the canopy to make sure that it runs continuallly. You should have somebody supervise you the first few times, until youre comfortable. You'll walk away with a better understanding of your gear.
http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html

[Slowfaller 0]

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(this is what youre asking right? not how to hook up a canopy to risers..?)

You got me. the risers are already on my container so i would be hooking up my main to my risers.
thanks for the replies and i did email PISA and Sunrise Rigging for some help. That guy i talked to really struck a chord w/ me, i did not learn how to skydive there but he didnt know that, i called that DZ because mine is closed and i've jumped there once before and thought it was nice. What kept me from going back is that they never had a rig i could rent.
CHris

[tigra 0]

Chris,
I have to agree that the guy was being a dick. Sure, maybe we all "should" know how to hook up a main to our container, but how many of us do? (or did when we were fresh off student status and getting our first set of gear?) Who knows? Maybe that dz makes a point of teaching their students more about packing and assembling their gear, which is not a bad idea. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I couldn't even pack when I got off student status, and did not really learn til quite a while after I had my own rig. (Yes, I spent a day packing and jumped my own pack job in order to get signed off, but that really isn't the same, and I didn't pack again til after I was jumping my own gear.) Needless to say, if my first rig came to me completely unassembled, I would have been clueless, and I know I am not alone.
Attaching the main to the risers is a little bit trickier than than hooking up a main that is already on risers. You have to deal with the lines and brake length, among other things. Personally, I'd have a rigger do it. If he's nice and not too busy, he'll do it WITH you or let you watch while he shows you, and I doubt he'd charge more than $10.00 for the service. I know mine wouldn't. Plus, this time of year, you might have a hard time just showing up at the hangar and finding new "friends" to help you out. We're talking winter in Chicago- burrrrrr! If you do end up doing this yourself, please find a rigger to check your work before you jump it!
Is your reserve already packed? If not, bring everything to the rigger and have him set it all up at the same time. It shouldn't take that long.
Good luck! I know you want to jump your new system as soon as the skies are blue enough to get a load up, but I think you would be better off having a rigger take care of it for you this time.
maura

[skymonkey 0]

If you have never done this before, take it to a qualified riger.
The few bucks you will spend to get it assembled and to make sure it will function correctly and safe aren't worth your life at the least a reserve ride.

[BadDog 0]

You should learn how to do this. That doesn't mean that you should know how to do this if you've never been taught. It means it is a good thing to learn. Even then, if you don't do it all the time, it wouldn't hurt to get someone to watch or check your work. I get asked to do that all the time, and don't mind it one bit. And I don't charge for it either. After all, these are my buddies and I want to keep them around so we can "make the load".
CorporateLawyerDave aka BadDog

[Watcher 0]

If its attached to the links already its very easy to attach a canopy to risers, just get all the twist out of the lines then attach the links. Make sure the lines are connected in order ie from most outboard to inner. If you have a cascaded lineset its pretty easy cause you only have 4-5 lines on each link, With a non cascaded continous lineset, your looking at about 8-10 lines coming into your links, at which point i attached by out board to inner, then within that B line before the A, had to do this when my Nitron came and the lines were placed on the links wrong, but it was easy to figure out, i just laid the canopy out in the dorm with nose furthest away from me and started to run up lines and make sure the connections were right. Then set my brake lines to factory spects, course then i had to change them to an inch off factory spects, and now 3 inches off factory spect cause they were deflecting the tail on front riser turns.
Jonathan

[Aviatrr 0]

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Then set my brake lines to factory spects, course then i had to change them to an inch off factory spects, and now 3 inches off factory spect cause they were deflecting the tail on front riser turns.

Same here - but I had to set mine about 5" past factory specs for it to not deflect the tail during aggressive front riser maneuvers.. The factory setting would have been fine had I not used front risers.....but since I do, it was too tight..
Mike

[PhillyKev 0]

If you're talking about attaching a main, which is on risers, to your container, then you should definitely know how to do this. In fact, it's a requirement for your A license. And it should definitely be covered during your student training. I'm not saying you should just go off and hook it up yourself the first time, but someone should have at least instructed you how to do that. If they didn't, make them, and use the guy on the phone's comment to convince them they missed part of your training and need to show you.
cielos azules y cerveza fría
-Kevin