HELP!!!!

[freeflir29 0]

My canopy has started opening like shit all of a sudden. Within the last ten jumps it has started this crazy surging after it inflates. The canopy almost stops right after it inflates and then surges forward. I can control it by pulling on the rear risers to keep it from diving forward. This is pretty annoying though and I want my sweet nice PD openings back! I haven't changed anything about the way I pack in the last 50-70 jumps. I flat pack it, split and stuff the nose in the center cells, and then roll it about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to the B lines. Then a normal flat pack from there. It's a PD 190 with Spectra lines and has 150 jumps or less since new. It's loaded about 1.3. I haven't gotten out a trim chart yet but I did check the brake lines and they haven't moved much. My rigger says that canopy shouldn't be very sensitive to line length and he says they would have to shrink at least 4-6 inches to cause something like that. That seems to make sense to me and I don't think there's any way they could have shrunk that much in 150 jumps. It seems to fly just fine otherwise and doesn't seem to have any "built in turns" after opening so I'm kinda lost. Some canopy god help me out!
"I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay

[billvon 3,110]

Some possibilities:
1. The center cell, near the bridle attach, is starting to let go. I had this problem on an old PD190. To check it, examine the _inside_ of the center cell near the bridle attach and make sure the stitching is intact.
2. The lines are getting out of trim. Compare the outside A/B and C/D line length against the inside lines - there shouldn't be more than an inch difference. Also, make sure that, in full flight, your brake lines are just a little bowed. (I know, that's a flight, not deployment, setting, but if they're too short the problem may show up in both places.) Also check your brake lines for twists.
3. Examine your slider. If the inside of the grommets are rough or dented at all, they may be really abrading the lines, and that may cause them to shrink more quickly.
>I flat pack it, split and stuff the nose in the center cells . . .
I usually don't recommend doing this, and neither does PD. It's sort of hard on the nose, and I don't think it gives you much better openings than rolling and/or folding the nose towards the center.
-bill von

[freeflir29 0]

"The lines are getting out of trim"
Is that possible in 150 jumps? It's been packed indoors all except for 3 or 4 times and the sun was hardly out that weekend.
"I usually don't recommend doing this, and neither does PD"
Hmm...maybe I should break down and learn to Pro Pack..LOL. I'll try that and see what happens.
"make sure that, in full flight, your brake lines are just a little bowed"
That I know...There's no way I could hook turn without porpoiseing if the brakes had shrunk that much.
I haven't checked the other lines yet but I will do that before I jump it again. It still just puzzles me as to what changed. Thanks for all the suggestions.
"I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay

[alan 1]

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"The lines are getting out of trim"
Is that possible in 150 jumps? It's been packed indoors all except for 3 or 4 times and the sun was hardly out that weekend

Spectra lines are sensitive to heat and it causes them to shrink. The heat generated by the friction from the slider grommets as the slider comes down causes the most shrinkage where there is the most contact, meaning the outboard "A" and "D" lines and the brakelines as Bill has suggested. It usually takes about 300 or so jumps before they shrink out of tolerance, and it usually happens slowly over time, so you don't notice it all at once, but as Bill suggested, check you slider grommets. If they are rough, they could cause a rapid change. The sun would have relatively little effect on them. Also, while you are checking the inside of the top of the ribs near the center, check to see if there are any tears in the ribs from crossport to crossport.
alan

[freeflir29 0]

Hmmmm....I suppose a lot of heat is generated. My slider SLAMS down. It usually goes right past the bumpers and onto my risers. What effect would larger grommets have? Is 1.3 a little too much loading for a stock PD canopy? A larger slider and grommets maybe?
Looks like I'll be doing some serious canopy inspection!
"I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay

[Kris 0]

You might also check to make sure that you haven't blown out a crossport.
Just a thought...
Kris

[riggerrob 643]

Yes, thoroughly inspect the top skin and all ribs for holes.
1.3 is over loading an F-111 canopy. This will cause it to age far faster than normal. Your hard openings are proof of that. The slider slamming down will create more friction, prematurely fraying and shrinking lines.
A larger slider will help soften openings, just ask PD for their advice. Larger slider grommets won't make much difference, but large connector links will prevent the slider grommets from coming down far enough to break your fingers. Just remember to wrap thick plastic slider bumpers around your connector links.
The quickest way to check for line shrinkage is to tie the front connector links and compare the lengths of the A lines. One inch difference across the A lines is considered normal wear on a canopy with 100 jumps. When the difference across the A lines exceeds 3 inchs, it is time to replace all the lines.

[Spectrejumper 0]

I noticed a similar problem on my Spectre if I didn't slow down enough and/or completely flare out of my track. I think line trim plays a part in it too, because it didn't start happening until I had a couple hundred jumps on the canopy.
Mike D-23312
"It's such a shame to spend your time away like this...existing." JMH

[Kirils 1]

F1-11 fabric deteriorates fast at your loading. Get a ZP if you want to load over 1.1.
Skydiving is not a static excercise with discrete predictability...

[freeflir29 0]

Update: I measured all the lines and none are more than a 1/2 inch difference in length. The outside A lines are identical and the D lines and steering lines aren't much differen't in length. I saw absolutely no signs of wear around any seams on the whole canopy. I'm going to try Pro Packing it tomorrow and see if that changes anything.
"Houston? That place is full of Crack heads and debutantes."- Hank Hill
Clay

[nacmacfeegle 0]

Have you checked your slider grommets? If the slider is slamming down, they may have deformed unevenly.
Just a thought.....
D

[freeflir29 0]

"Have you checked your slider grommets?"
They still look brand new!!! Sorry, forgot that one...
"Houston? That place is full of Crack heads and debutantes."- Hank Hill
Clay

[freeflir29 0]

AAAAAHHHHHH!!! HHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!
I jumped my first Pro Pack on Saturday and it sniveled like a champ. 2-3 seconds out of the bag!!! Opened on heading and wonderful. The second one started 90 deg off but came back to the front. The rest have all been pretty good! Hehehehehehehee...I know how to Pro Pack!! "Houston? That place is full of Crack heads and debutantes."- Hank Hill
Clay

[Jimbo 0]

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Hehehehehehehee...I know how to Pro Pack!!

Congratulations. Just wait until you have to PRO pack a brand new ZP main. That'll be a fun chance to invent new and exciting ways to string together 4 letter words.
-
Jim

[freeflir29 0]

"That'll be a fun chance to invent new and exciting ways to string together 4 letter words."
Nahh....you just need two words....Psycho Pack....."Houston? That place is full of Crack heads and debutantes."- Hank Hill
Clay

[AndyMan 7]

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Congratulations. Just wait until you have to PRO pack a brand new ZP main. That'll be a fun chance to invent new and exciting ways to string together 4 letter words.

I can't wait to do the first pack job on my new Stiletto.
_Am

[Aviatrr 0]

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Nahh....you just need two words....Psycho Pack.....

That's right.. I have not yet jumped a psycho pack that reacted poorly as some people suggest.. The only canopy I've owned that I never psycho packed was the Crossfire..
Mike