rigging65

That's absolutely true. It certainly is best to have the lines locked away (if the slider permits it). Besides the obvious problem with burns and catches though, the slider should open itself up during opening...at least to a point. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

This is a very easy way to speed up openings, but make sure whomever does the mod knows what they are doing. The vent needs to be reinforced so it doesn't tear out! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

At this point, you cannot install the Skyhook on anything but RWS mfg'd. gear. Maybe that will change at some point...we all hope so! As for getting it licensed. RWS has made it clear that the reason they are not making it particularly easy for people to get the Skyhook and install it is that they are worried the product will get a bad name. The reasoning goes like this: RWS sells the Skyhook to some Master rigger who (in this case) installs it on an RWS rig, but does it incorrectly (I'm not sure how you would do that, but it could be done I suppose). The jumper has a mal, the skyhook fails to perform and the public blames the skyhook without having all the knowledge that it was installed incorrectly. That just gets all the more complicated when you start trying to add it to other brand rigs. It seems to me that this is a CYA move by RWS to show the public that the Skyhook works as advertised. Eventually it will be released for field riggers to install it, but if they start to fail in field at that point RWS will be able to say "See, it works when installed correctly. It's not the Skyhook's fault". This is a business, folks, and while it pains me to say so (as a sport jumper), RWS has to look out for their best interests monetarily first. I've had this argument with them before, but it's the way they best believe they can protect their product...I can't say I completely blame them either. The unfortunate truth, as those who work deep in the industry know, there are plenty of very out-of-practice/nearly incompetent riggers out there, both Senior and Master. It's scary, but it's a fact of life...and RWS knows it. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Yeah, I wasn't too happy with the "naked" cut-in laterals when I tried them on when they first came out. I also had a friend (skinny guy) who actually cracked a rib because of them. There are some other designs that work better than the "naked" style, but for most people, IMO, the cut-ins don't do too much. Some people swear by them, so if they work for you, great! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Generally speaking, as long as the tabs aren't still engaged (in the "killed" position) as the canopy starts to spread, it's going to pull the slider nice and square. So, even if it's not totally perfect in the packjob, it should stretch nice and tight during opening...the trick is to get it in the airflow early (ie- pulling it out in front of the packjob and quartering the rest of it). ...now, if the slider isn't tucked up against the stops, you're looking at a totally different story. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Why don't you save you money and do another 300 skydives first? Camera work, especially with tandems, requires a lot of concentration, gear specialization and flying skill. You simply have to be able to fly without thinking...something most mortals generally can't do with 200 jumps. Learn first, be safe.... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

There's a quick and simple FAA approved riser addition that lets you use your own risers with a retrofit RSL (assuming the retrofit paperwork you have includes it, of course). It's actually also designed to help in the very unlikely event that you have a riser break as well... And it can be changed from one set of risers to another! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

We were discussing this in another thread, but if your RSL is set up correctly this shouldn't happen. You basically need to shorten your cutaway cable on the non-RSL side by about an inch (relative to the RSL side cable). By doing this, you ensure that the non-rsl side leaves first. Then the worst case is that the RSL side stays intact and you have a streamer, but then, at least, you have the option to try and screw with the remaining riser or put out your reserve. What are the huge benefits of a seat belt in a car? You very rarely need them, right? So why wear one...? "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Do you think any of the people who have gone in over the past many years as a result of cutaway/no-pull or cutaway/low-pull thought they would ever have a problem forgetting to put their reserve out? The RSL is a back up plan, that's it. If things don't go the way you "thought" they'd go, it's there to help you out. No one is perfect 100% of the time...and wouldn't it be a bitch to get caught during one of those times you're not perfect??? Regardless, just be informed when you make your decision. And yes, I do think the Skyhook is very promising! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Crossports aren't the only thing that lets a canopy open, they just help equalize and regularize (is that even a word???) the openings. Before crossports the nose did most all the work. And because of that, the leading edge on most canopies wasn't all the aerodynamic...at least not as compared with the shaped leading edges as found on some canopies today! This shaping is advantageous, as any pilot will tell you, because it's the first third of the wing that produces most of the lift...keeping it clean and smooth helps all that along. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Just tagging onto this for educational purposes: "Bigger" is a general term. When changing the square footage of a slider, it's very important that certain things are taken into consideration. Since most common folks won't build their own sliders, this is mostly left up to canopy mfgs., but, increasing the width or length of the slider just to get surface area can open up other problems on opening. It can expose more bottom skin, change the pressure the lines place upon the slider, etc...these things can actually make matters worse. I know a guy who had a new FX (or VX?) that was acting up and knocking his around on nearly every jump, so Icarus sent him a new slider. It was actually smaller in surface area, but controlled the hard openings because it was proportioned very differently from his last, larger slider. Shape is as important (if not more so) than square footage! Just some interesting things to think about when you can't sleep!... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

I'd say it certainly has great potential...it'll take a few years to see how it works out in the field. But until RWS opens up a bit with who can install the cute little thing we won't know. They have good reasons for not wanting just "anyone" to be able to do the work, but I do hope they help us out by making the education more readily available than it is now.... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

I'm not sure I agree with this analogy. First off, the canopy doesn't just "stop" you. There is a much more dynamic action involved here. It's not nearly so cut and dry, and making it out to be like that is grossly under-representing the complexities involved with a canopy deployment...and what makes it more or less enjoyable. As for "the only variable was that the rubber bands were beginning to look worn when I packed it"...that is a statistical impossibility. Every time you pack, it's slightly different. Something slips a bit more than usual, whatever. Those differences, in certain critical areas, can be the difference between a sweet opening and a trip to the chiropractor. I'm not saying that you should be jumping with worn out stow bands...all parts of your gear need to be kept in proper working order at all times...but I just don't buy that hard openings are caused by worn rubber bands. First off, if you have bag dump, you know it. The opening is basically instant. I've had one, I saw the video of it (which has now, unfortunately, been lost), and was very nearly knocked out by it. It wasn't a "hard" opening, it was...as Scott said...like anchoring myself to a tree and running full speed away from it. I broke two lines and knocked myself senseless. That opening was on a Stiletto that almost always opened like a dream. Shit happened. Secondly, there are many other things that can cause a hard opening. One is asymmetrical loading (having a shoulder low might do this). Another is slider rebound or possibly having the slider not all the way up against the stops. Yet another is not exposing the slider to the relative wind. One more is simply the design of the canopy (my personal opinion is that is has to do with trim angle more than anything else, but a canopy mfg. might be able to cast more light on that). There are still others.... I think the main difference here is to understand that a hard opening is not the same as an instant opening (as would be found, most likely, with bag dump). Hard openings are generally, IMO, a factor of packing the canopy itself. Personally, I think most hard openings are caused by poor slider presentation. Not to take anything away from Scott, as he's very knowledgeable, but you simply don't need stow bands to control your openings, regardless of canopy size. What you do need is to pack clean and smooth, and make sure your slider is positioned correctly. The guys out there jumping no-stow bags are a testament to that. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

No. The bag I made up was based off my existing D-bag size (for my Infinity, actually) with alterations made on top of the rough pattern. It's actually a pretty easy design. The problem, as I've stated before, is that the bag becomes very limited as to what canopies you can put in it. Since you loose the advantage of stretttttccchhhh that rubber bands have, the bag won't let you change canopy volumes nearly to the degree that a bag with normal stows will. I must be honest, I built my bag very specifically to fit my Xaos (as far as where I placed the locking tabs and such), and really haven't given much thought to building "stock size" bags. I have concerns about under or overstuffing the bag...I don't think the locking tabs would be nearly as effective if the bag were too loosely packed...which could easily result in bag dump...which we all know is bad juju. This, IMO, is a major problem with mass marketing a totally stowless bag design. I know the folks at PD and SunPath are smarter than I am, so maybe they've come up with a way to ensure the tabs stay locked regardless of pack volume. I hope they have, or people will get hurt using this system. I've said all along that I don't think this style bag is good for open-market use. I built it to prove a point about line stows and openings...I've built one or two other no-stow bags for friends, but I was always able to pack-and-fit-and-alter-and-pack-and-fit-and-alter as I was building it. I'm not sure I'm comfortable building them any other way.... If you have specific questions, PM me... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

A good way to help ensure proper separation when using an RSL is 1) be sure you have hard cutaway housings (which everyone should anyway) and 2) trim your non-RSL side riser's cutaway cable so that it's relative length is about an inch shorter than your RSL side riser's cable (having a rigger do this would probably be a good idea). To clarify this, you would hold your cutaway housings next to each other (such that the amp fittings line up) then compare cable lengths. By shortening the non-RSL side you, in effect, force that side to release 1-inch sooner than the RSL side...which also means that if a cable jams up, you won't get the RSL to activate unless the non-RSL side riser has released as well as the RSL riser. The worst you would get is the non-rsl side releasing and the rsl side jamming, putting you into a streamer situation...but at least you have control over what happens next (ie - try to get the other side to release or just fire the reserve). About the only 2-sided RSL I've ever seen that I actually might have considered jumping was on a PdF rig. 2 RSLs (one per side) each attached to their own pin and through their own loop (both going through one grommet). I repacked one once. It was a bitch, but that's mostly because I had never done it before. Also, 2 loops might not allow you to use a Cypres, at least not a single cutter system...I'm not sure how you would thread everything with a two cutter system...hmmm...interesting. Anyway, the other (read: Racer) two sided RSLs are just dangerous, IMO. They're linked together and could (pretty easily) result in your main choking off your reserve in certain situations. Well, there it is...for what it's worth...my $.02 "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Why do you want to stop it before it happens?? Closed end cells are almost always associated with soft openings...don't you like soft openings?!?!?! As a canopy is pulled through the air during inflation, a combination of events are occurring. First, air is being rammed in the nose. Second, as more air is rammed in there is a pressure increase. The excess pressure is shunted away to other cells via the crossports. As the pressure inflates the more outboard cells, the bottom skin gathers air and spreads itself out (also aiding in topskin inflation). This spreading causes pressure on the slider, trying to force it down the lines as they spread. The slider catches air, effectively slowing its descent. On a very slow opening (one that might result in closed end cells), the bottom skin inflates so slowly that the pressure in the cells themselves is not enough to force open the canopy. This is mostly due to the slider doing its job, as well as the trim of the canopy controlling how much air is forced in the nose. The canopy slows its descent slowly and smoothly until the slider is no longer effective. But, since there was no rapid bottom skin inflation, nor massive influx or air going into the nose (because the slider is doing its job holding the snivel together) there is not "adequate" pressure pushing through the crossports to push the outboard cells into shape...hence, the last cells don't get fully pressurized. By laying on your rear risers, or toggles, you're increasing the pressure inside the canopy, thus extra air is pushed through the crossports and helps inflate the end cells. Repeat after me..."Slow openings are good...we like slow openings..." If you don't agree, I have an old original sabre 210 I'd love to sell you.... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Can you elaborate about what happened to Scott? I hadn't heard anything negative about freestowing lines and I'd be interested if anyone else has. I've been jumping a completely stowless bag for almost a year know and my openings haven't changed at all. Still sweet as honey on my Xaos (as well as Stilettos and Nitrons). I'll definitely give you that proper slider positioning is essential to controlled openings, but you'd need to show me something other than what I've seen/experienced/heard from others to change my mind about stows. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

I think what has to be remembered here is that the money you are spending on the jumps shouldn't just be money spent to get your A lic. If the DZ is doing its job, that extra money you're spending is actually saving you money in the long run by decreasing the number of jumps needed to gain a level of proficiency. I wasn't a huge proponent of the Coach program when it first came around (specifically because of the front loaded costs), but what I watched was the overall skill level of our students shooting through the roof compared to what it used to be on the old AFF system...all other variables remained the same, the only change was adding coaches. What we were seeing was people with 20 or 30 jumps flying with groups and showing skills that their contemporaries from only 2 or 3 years prior took 80 or 100 jumps to gain. As I think is common on many DZs, students get off "student status" then make a glut of solos...then get around to getting involved with other jumpers, organizers, etc.... Something that I think actually slows their progression as they are regressing rather than moving forward while doing solos or 2 ways with a 100 jump wonder. So, if you can cut the jump numbers needed to reach a given skill level by a factor of four, then even if the cost per jump is tripled it's still advantageous to the young jumper. Most coach systems (that I'm aware of) aren't making the DZ any real amount of money...besides filling slots. At our DZ, a coach jump costs enough to cover the two slots, the students rental gear and about $10 for the coach. In reality, the coach system is just a measured mentoring system put in place, for a large part, because students weren't getting the mentoring they needed...and because mentors weren't necessarily at the DZ when the students were. Coaches, being a part of staff, are pretty much available whenever the DZ is open. Its a fast food world, and people want it all, and they want it now! The coach system caters to that want. Of course this whole theory revolves around the DZ doing its job and providing coaches and dive flows that actually progress the student along a path. We actually have people earn their A lic and keep paying for coach jumps...because they know they're getting better as a result. While it's a bit more expensive, IMO a good coach program dramatically increases the learned skill level of a young jumper over the older "thrown-to-the-sharks" method. This is an expensive sport, everyone knows that...and it's heavily front loaded to be sure...but the money is well spent if it gains you skill, confidence and safety! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Student gear has a way of not fitting everyone so well. Generally speaking, when you get gear that fits you better (like, you own), a lot of the aches and pains go away. This fit issue may or may not be the reason the leg straps are giving you problems, but it's a pretty common gripe from students! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

If it's a main, you can re-line it yourself...but don't expect any help from the mfg...they will most likely tell you not to do it in any manner other than the way they designed the lineset. It's really not all that big of a deal to build a line set at home, but it does take time. Of course, if the mfg. recommends against it, you might want to ask "why"...they may actually have a reason other than "because we haven't done it, so you shouldn't". my $.02 "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

Feel free to bring some! We never turn beer away... "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

I'm willing to bet there was something else involved with the mal. If you've ever swung a weight around your head on the end of a string and let go of it, you know it doesn't keep spinning, it straightens out and goes away from you in a line...just like you do when you cutaway from a spinning mal. Perhaps this person was caught up in their lines before cutting away, or had his hands/arms out flailing (instead of arching like a good little skydiver) and caught the p/c with his arm... There are several reasons why what happened may have happened. Of course, it's also possible that the RSL did have something to do with it. BUT...if you look at the statistics, there are still many more people each year that die from low cutaways or cutaway-no pull incidents than can ever be associated with being injured or killed from using an RSL. Get all the facts about ANY piece of gear you're considering, weigh all the options, then make your decision. And remember, you don't have to like the facts or even choose the systems deemed most safe because of those facts...but if you're not going to use all the available safety gear, at least have the stones to stand up and say "Yes, I'm not going to make my equipment as safe as it could be, and this is the reason why..." "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

It used to be, that when you had the experience, you just passed it along to others without the need for a formal "mentoring" system. That's what chatting-over-beers-after-sunset was for. After learning a bit on the ground, the newbie would lurk loads and eventually get invited on with their "mentors". Since it seems that few people want to hang around and wait for the beer light anymore, and even fewer newbies will be bothered with lurking loads, maybe an installed system is what it's come down to. My best advise is to start small...only a few people...and let it build from there. Maybe set up one or two days a month for that group to get together and work on specific skills...followed by dinner/beer/bullshit sessions to go over the days events. Skills are often passed on as an after effect of forming friendships. Develop the personal side and the skills will follow. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

WD-40 can breakdown, and also tends to attract dirt a bit more than Silicon lube does. Regardless of what you use, wipe off all the excess...you don't need much on there when you're done! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

I should make clear that I am not the owner nor the primary designer of the Viper. I am the General Manager of Trident H&C, as well as a member of the design team... I have had quite a bit of influence over the rig, but so have many other people within our company...it's a group effort! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..."