Hooknswoop

That's just it. Given the forces that will bend a Rapide link, you won't have a Slink failure. You will have a non-event with a Slink. I would rather not have a failure at all than have a bent Rapide link. Derek

Then your point is flawed. Rapide links will fail before Slinks. If the opening is hard enough to damage a Rapide link, the Slink will still be fine. No Slinks have failed on opening, because they are stronger. If you are counting on a Rapide Link surving by barely hanging onto the lines, a Slink in the same situation would not have failed. And what if the lines fall off the damaged Rapide Link? If a Slink fails on opening, a Rapide Link would most definately have failed, buying you nothing. So the lines hanging onto the end of a damage Rapide link wouldn't happen if the forces were high enough to break a Slink. A Rapide link will fail at a lower load than a Slink, and if it is your reserve, you are dead. So as the forces go up (for a reserve), you first reach where a Rapide link will open, but might still hang onto the lines (or may not), then, as the forces continue to increase, the Rapide Link completely fails. Finally, increasing the load some more, the Slink will finally fail. The damaged link in the pic that started thread would have resulted in no damage to a Slink. Therefore, Slinks are safer than Rapide Links. Derek

Simple: Stronger means less likely to fail. Less likely to fail is safer on reserves. If a reserve opens hard enough to cause a Rapide link to fail, but not hard enough to cause a Slink to fail, and you are deploying the reserve, what type of links would you want? No, just that Slinks are safer tha Rapide Links. I do like how you go from Slinks aren't as strong, so you don't like them to Slinks are too strong, and that's why you don't like them. Seems like you are just searching for an excuse to not admit Slinks are safer....... I don't understand how you can think a weaker link is safer on a reserve. Derek

Does your manual have any SB's/AD's in it? Does that mean you don't follow them since they aren't in the original manual? Does your Altico Dolphin manual include the option of closing it the same way as a Javelin? Derek

Not smart for a reserve. I would want to make my reserve as strong as possible. You are better off with a Slink, they are stronger. Stonger is better when it comes to parachutes, especially reserves. A slink installed wrong is more likly to total fail then a rapid link IMO..*** I'll take that bet. As already been mentioned, Slinks have been installed incorrectly w/o failing. You can't say that about Rapide links. Derek

Just like Rapide links?: I don’t think you did. Seems like with either Slinks or properly installed Rapide links, the riser failed or the Rapide link failed before the slink. Either way, you lose one line group: “In our testing, the failure point of the system was repeatedly the suspension lines or the webbing attaching the three rings to the riser.” One failed Slink would give you the same result as one failed Rapide link. I don’t think a canopy missing an entire line group is land-able. How would a link failing be better than a complete riser failing? I have seen a cutaway cable get striped in free fall and the jumper deployed with only one riser attached. He pulled the cutaway handle to release the other rise and deployed the reserve. Why do you think a riser failure would kill you? And why would you not want to increase the strength of the weak point on your reserve system? I would want the strongest link I could on my reserve……… So you like Rapide links better because you thought they were stronger. Now you like them better because they will fail before Slinks. Which is it? Why would you not use a stronger link on your reserve? Derek

I always said, if you don't stand it up, it doesn't count Derek

USPA doesn't. A USPA Regional Directors signature line: "It's not about the rules - it's about safety. G.P." DZO's don't follow the rules because 1) they get in the way of profit, and 2) nothing happends if they don't. Derek

You might want to check PD's web site, Slinks are stronger than Rapide links. Since Slinks don't have abarrel not, there isn't anything for the lines to get caught on and put the lines out of alignment. Also, Slinks cannot be side-loaded since they don't have any sides. I have listed how Slinks perform better than Rapide Links in every way, from strength to ease of installation to failure rate. I'll ask again, why do you feel Rapide Links are better than Slinks? (Other than Slinks are new) Derek

From the risers I have seen, only RWS and VSE do riser inserts correctly. They need to metal. The argument of "What if I slam my rig in the door of my ca and the housings pinch the cables?" is a joke. First, if you slam your rig in your car, you are an idiot. If you manage to do that and don't inspect/get your gear inspected afterwards, you really are an idiot. They need to be capped. This prevents the excess from sticking up past the housings and, more importantly, prevents the insert from sliding ot of the housing and through the white locking loop of the 3-ring if whatever is holding the inserts in place fails. If you do not have inserts, get them. If your inserts are not metal, capped, and secure like VSE's or tacked tightly in place like RWS's, get them fixed. Proper inserts can save your life, improper inserts can kill you. Derek

I never hurt myself either. So about those links, do you have a reason why you won't put Slinks on a reserve? Derek

You say you won't use Slinks on a reserve, but not why. Why do you feel Rapide Links are better than Slinks? Derek

I think that is a factor of $$ over everything else. If it wasn't tandems it would be S/L and AFF. Most fun jumpers will keep going to a DZ regardless of how they are treated, so they don't get treated very well. Tandems are safer than AFF, especially with the Sigma. As for landings, if they look scary, then the TI doesn't know what they are doing. I took great pride in standing even the 'heavy' passengers. Dave, tell that to Larry Hill. Derek

That's the problem, Rapide links are installed all the time without bumpers or lock tight or torque stipe or by a rigger. Slinks are much easier to install. No nail polish, no lock tight, no wrench, to over tightening, no slider bumpers. The vast majority of Rapide Links are not installed by riggers. I have seen a lot of incorrectly installed RApide Links that were installed by a rigger. I found one, on a reserve that had been installed by a Master Rigger/DPRE where the barrel nut closed the gap in the link but didn't catch any of the threads. I have heard of incorrectly installed Slinks holding for more than one jump before it noticed by another jumper thqat they weren't installed correctly. And a Rip cord pin won't be brittle. TSO certification is a design passing the TSO process and then the part made to that standard. Each TSO'd part is not pujt through the TSO tests. It isn't that hard to crack a Rapide Link's barrel nut by over tightening. Are Rapide Links good? Yes. Slinks are better. They are easier to install, easier to maintain, and stonger to boot. There is no reason to use Rapide links for sport mains and reserves now that Slinks are around. Everything Rapide Links can do, Slinks can do better. Derek

1) Slinks are stronger than Rapide links 2) It is hard to see cracks in a Rapide Link that could lead to failure. There have been a lot of Rapide link failures and 1 (because of very poor maint on the part of the jumper) Slink failure. Slinks are better than Rapide links in every way. Derek

Lock Tight keeps the link from working loose over time. The differences between soft links are: 1) If you install the soft links and Rapide links correctly, the soft links are stronger 2) Soft links are most likely to fail on opening if they fail, and fail completely. Rapide links can fail on opening and hang onto the lines just barely. 3) soft links do not require a wrench, nail polish, lock tight and bumpers to install. They also do not require replacing the bumpers or any maintenance beyond a quick once over every 30 days or so. 4) The only soft link failure I have heard of was caused by sharp edges on the slider grommet because the jumper didn't have bumpers on their rapide links and didn't stow their slider. So the slider grommets got beat up and after they installed the slinks without inspecting their slider grommets, the grommet cut through the slink. Very poor maint by the jumper. I can't see any reason to use rapide links with Slinks available. Derek

Don't worry too much about the USPA actually taking action against you though. They tend to turn a blind eye to non AFFI's jumping w/ students in my experience. Derek

I've done a lot of AFF and AFP (solo instructor the whole way through) and I hated having someone on the other side. Main side just made the exits harder (I never got rolled when I was solo and always exited reserve side), I hated having to wonder what the other AFFI was going to do, etc. I never 'dropped' a student and the other AFFI when I did 2-JM AFF jumps just made things harder, not easier. Derek

It's int here somewhere, or at least it used to be. Something along the lines of the student must have 2 instructors until they demonstrate the ability to pull on time and stable. I did a lot of AFF jumps where I was the only instructor after the student had 3 tandem jumps. Derek

In the U.S., legally, you do not need any USPA ratings to jump with students. For the USPA BSR's, both Instructors need to be rated. Once the student demonstrates the ability to deploy stable on time, you only need one Instructor. Derek

Also, learn how to get your hands free if they do grab them. Have someone stand in front of you and let them grab your hands, roll your arms towards their thumbs to get free. It is a very easy and fast technique that all TI's should know how to do. I always told the student not to grab me, "since if you are hanging onto to me, who is gonna pull the ripcord?" Derek

And it is happeing more and more. These people's mistakes from lack of knowledge can kill you. Derek

I'm well aware that it has been done before. I'm looking to see if there is a trend. It'll probably take a few more polls, spaced about 6 months apart to see if there is a trend. Derek

Just Racers, Reflex's style reserves. Derek