Hooknswoop

Preventing and Curing Line Twists: Line twists have gone from a common nuisance to a common malfunction on small, highly loaded elliptical canopies. There are techniques for reducing the chances of incurring line twists and correcting them if you do get them. The first step to handling line twists is to prevent them in the first place. The looser the chest strap is the wider the 3 rings will be on deployment, which makes it harder for line twists to develop. Of course, be sure that your harness is secure enough to keep you from sliding out of it. Make sure your leg straps are even. For free flyers, a piece of bungee or elastic between your leg straps will help keep the leg straps from creeping to the back of your knees and keep the risers loaded evenly on deployment. Evenly loading the harness on deployment by keeping your hips and shoulders level with the ground will help keep the canopy opening on heading. A pre-mature brake release can easily cause line twists and limits your ability to steer away from others immediately after deploying. When stowing the lines on the deployment bag, keep the stows neat and even. Refer to your owner's manual or call the manufacturer for the correct size rubber bands. Leave 12 to 18 inches of excess line between the side with the least amount of excess and the corner of the reserve container. This will prevent the lines from hanging up on the reserve container and twisting the deployment bag as it leaves the container. A worn out pilot chute can spin on deployment, which can spin the deployment bag. Replace a pilot chute that has holes in the fabric or tears in the mesh. Re-line a canopy that is out of trim. If one end cell “A” line has shrunk more than the opposite side, the canopy will open turning in the direction of the shorter line. Also, if one steering line has shrunk more than another or has excessive twists in the line, the canopy will want to turn in the direction of the shorter line on opening. Take care when setting the brakes of your canopy and take out any twists in the steering lines, which shorten the line. Pulling the slider down to the 3 rings can prevent self-induced line twists and most importantly, smooth control inputs. Even if you take all possible precautions, line twists still happen. If you find yourself under canopy with line twists and the canopy is flying straight, simply kick out of the twists. Make sure you are kicking in the right direction. You can also twist the risers to bring the twists closer to you and reach above the twists for leverage to get yourself out of the twists. Let's say that you weigh 170 lbs. And that when you open, you have 60% of your weight on one leg stap and 40% on the other. So the harness shifts on opening, so that the links are not even. The canopy begins to spin, creating spinning line twists, i.e. harness steering. As the spin rate increases, so do the "G" forces. Initially you had 102 lbs. (60% of 170 lbs.) in one leg strap and 68 lbs. in the other leg strap, a 34 lb. difference. Now, because of the spinning, you are pulling 2 "G"'s. Now in one leg strap there is 204 lbs. and 136 lbs. in the other, a 68 lb. difference. If the canopy is spinning with line twists, react quickly, look up at your links and make them even by shifting your weight in the harness. Be careful not to overdo it and cause the canopy to spin in the opposite direction. At the same time, make sure your brakes are still set. You can use any reference you want, but I’ve found using the links to make the risers even is easiest. The canopy should stop spinning and fly straight. Now kick out of the line twists. Again, make sure you are kicking in the right direction. A canopy that is spinning in line twists loses altitude rapidly. It is critical to maintain altitude awareness. If you are on your back, it is because as the canopy opens and you sit down into the harness, you are in a de-arched and stable back-to-earth free fall position. The speeds generated by a spinning canopy can be close or even overlap with free fall speeds. The same aerodynamics forces that would put you back-to-earth in free fall will put you back-to-earth under a spinning canopy. Remember under a highly loaded elliptical, you don’t have much time depending on your pull altitude and you do not want the twists to include the excess cutaway cable in the back of your risers. This can make for a difficult or impossible cutaway. Riser inserts and keeping the cutaway cables clean have been proven to reduce the pull force during a cutaway. Derek

Unless your Cypres batteries have now leaked acid all over your reserve. Getting fined and getting the pilot in trouble should be reason enough to keep your reserve and AAD in date. Environmental conditions, how the rig is treated, rig maintenance, number of jumps on the rig, and how old the rig is can all affect how long it can go without being re-packed and still be safe. Unfortunately it isn't practical to have a rule that determines when you reserve is due for re-packed based on those factors. The only way to do it is every X number of days. Some rigs shouldn’t even go the full 120 days. Some can go a lot longer. Derek

There has been a lot of discussion about how Ravens fly and land. I have flown a MR-109-M and a PD-106R and the PD out-performed the Raven in every way. Derek

The 'FMD' method is for the first person down to follow the wind indicators, be it a tetrahedron, windsock, or person-controlled wind/landing direction indicator. The ‘FMD’ method is inclusive of following the wind indicators, but doesn’t stop there. The key is that everyone land in the same direction, simply because a canopy collision contains a much higher risk than a downwind landing. I am not advocating downwind landings, I am advocating that everyone land in the same direction into the wind. But if the wind direction changes between the first person and last person down, or the first person down doesn’t land into the wind, it is better to land in the same direction than land into the wind. Derek

FXC CORPORATION / GUARDIAN PARACHUTE 3410 South Susan Street Santa Ana, California 92704 U.S.A. (714) 556-7400 / FAX (714) 641-5093 / E-mail: fxc@pia.com Derek

You mean 16, right? Derek

25 jumps = "A" license. They should follow the first person down if they have a license. If they are still a student, they should be filling out a flight plan and have guidance via radio from their Instructor to back them up on their landing pattern. The concept of following the first person down should be explained to them prior to receiving their "A" license to prepare them for flying in traffic with other jumpers. Blue Sky Adventures has (had?) a very small landing area with the runway nearby, taxiway, ditches, trees, roads, powerlines, and buildings. Derek

I see a few problems. 1) I told a RD, now BOD member that a DZO was doing AFF w/o a rating (never had a rating) and had video proof. Her response was “What do you want me to do, take away a rating he doesn’t have?” Self regulating means skydivers do whatever they want. 2) If AFFI’s at small DZ’s can’t do enough instructing to stay current, then they shouldn’t be Instructors. Students deserve high quality Instructors. Unfortunately Instructors that skimp on training and take up more students in a day or disregard BSR’s for winds, etc, make the DZ more money and therefore are more valuable to the DZ. Lower quality Instructors make DZ’s more money so DZO’s couldn’t care less about the quality of Instructors. 3) DZO’s will be against it since it can only hurt, and cannot help their bottom line. USPA lowered the standards to become an AFFI in response to the Instructor shortage, do you think they will put a system in place to take Instructors out of the pool? DZO’s won’t stand for it and DZO’s make the rules, not USPA. Remember when the ISP was supposed to be mandatory and DZO’s said we aren’t going to use it and bang, it was changed to be optional, non-mandatory. It is a good idea to have a re-currency check dive, but it will never fly. Derek

I agree the minum jump requirement is lacking, but hanging onto a few level 1's a year doesn't mean they can catch a spinning student. I knew an AFFI that would only do level 1's and refused to re-dock on a student. If you can't pass a re-currency check dive, then you shouldn't be an AFFI anymore. Annual/biannual check-dives are ,ong over-due. There are AFFI's out there that couldn't pass the AFFI course today. Derek

Right, I covered that on in; 1) You can generally figure out in the boarding area who is going to be the first person to land. At that time you can discuss which way they are planning on landing, the winds, etc. This can prevent the first person down from landing downwind. There must be the condition that if the winds do pick up, the first person down will land into the wind, regardless of what was discussed on the ground. Derek

They are about the same size, at least within a couple of sq. ft. So something like 6 years after PA released the 109-M, PD releases a similarly sized reserve and people are outraged Derek

Yes, the wind can change direction from the time the first person lands and the last, but that is the point of following the first person down. Landing in the same direction, even if it is downwind, is safer than landing in different directions because of the collision hazard. Yes, that can happen, but again, landing downwind is safer than a canopy collision. If the first person down lands downwind either intentionally or unintentionally, they should be grounded and given further instruction to prevent that error in the future. If someone is that risky under canopy, they need to up-size and receive further canopy instruction because they are a danger to themselves and others. If they are told to land in the same direction as the fist person down, it removes the decision of which way to land. They know which way to land and it removes the chance of a panic turn from realizing too low that they are landing the ‘wrong’ direction. Then they should do hop and pops and receive canopy instruction until they can safely fly with other canopies in the traffic pattern. Until they can follow the first person down, they are a danger to themselves and anyone else in the air with them. At DZ’s with that option, then landing which ever direction he jumper chooses away from the main landing area is a nice out. Not every DZ has an alternate landing area. Derek

Which may result in the entire load oanding downwind if the wind direction changes by the time the load is landing. The first person down can land into the wind and at least give the load the chance to land into the wind. If the wind direction changes after the first person lands, then nothing can be done and it is safer for everyone to land in the same direction. Derek

No one wants to guess on the difference in sizes? Where was all the outrage about the 109? It is business, if PD can sell it, they will build it. Derek

1) You can generally figure out in the boarding area who is going to be the first person to land. At that time you can discuss which way they are planning on landing, the winds, etc. This can prevent the first person down from landing downwind. 2) The first person down is deciding which way to and based upon the same wind indicators that you are using to decide which way to land. This is usually only a problem when the winds are light and variable. If the winds are light and variable, then a downwind landing is a non-event since the maximum tailwind component will be very small if the wind direction changes after the first person lands and before you land. 3) Usually the first person to land is a competent canopy pilot, more often than not flying a small canopy. As long as they understand that intentional downwind landings will not be appreciated and that they are expected to land into the wind to set the landing direction for the entire load, there shouldn’t be a problem. 4) This is the most important reason why everyone should land facing the same direction; a canopy collision is much more dangerous and severe than a downwind landing any day. A downwind landing, at worst, results is sliding across the ground, whereas a canopy collision, at worst, results in two fatalities. Given the choice, I’d take the slide any day over the fatalities. 5) Aircraft at large airports are sometimes required to land downwind in the interest of traffic management. Imagine if the winds were light and variable at SFO and the controllers kept changing runways every few minutes to allow every aircraft to land into the wind. 6) If everyone lands in the same direction as the first person down, then the landing patterns will be similar, helping to prevent canopy collisions in the landing pattern as well as in the landing area. 7) The downside to everyone following the first person down is the possibility of the first person landing downwind in high winds. This is easy to prevent, as mentioned in 1), and should never happen. Derek

No. It depends on the TSO and the reserve. Derek

All this outrage over PD's new 99 sq. ft. reserve..... Any guesses on how PD’s 99 compares, size wise, to PA's MR-109-M. Hint: it isn't 10 sq. ft. smaller. Numbers is one thing, actual size is another, and the bottom line is performance regardless of sq. ft. Vanity? Maybe, but how many people crying foul have 1000+ jumps and jump a main and reserve over 200 sq. ft.? I hate to admit it, or encourage anyone to downsize for this reason, but a smaller/lighter rig allows a skydiver to turn, track, and move faster. Once the rig is narrow enough that it is out of the air stream, it no longer plays a role in drag, etc and allows to skydiver to fly better. Of course jumping a small rig simply to improve free fall performance is stupid, especially if the performance of the main or reserve is outside your abilities. Derek

It's been done. Very sharp edge of the sword though. For ISS EVA's, they were a SAFER, which, in an emergency, can get them back to structure. Derek

DZ marketing = B.S. Most DZ's flat out lie in their advertising. "It's sunny and 80, and load 2 is on a 15-minute call." Derek

Jump run was 1/2 mile west of the DZ and into the wind (South), I opened 2 miles to the East of the DZ. I drove the road from where I opened to the edge of the DZ and added 1/2 mile. The pilot used GPS to fly jumprun 1/2 mile to the West and maintain a straight jumprun to keep the competion fair (it was a whole otter load). Pro-Track for exit, opening altitudes and free-fall speeds. I looked it up on Jump-Track Exit:13,500 Deploy:2,100 Free-fall time: 102 sec By my math that equals 76 mph avg speed and a 1.158:1 Glide ratio. Derek

I didn't mean I trained others that way, I meant that is how I trained myself to handle a mal. If I lost altitude awareness, I could fire the reserve. As long as I maintained altitude awareness and had enough altitude, I could get stable, then fire off the reserve. W/o the RSL, I had the option of doing so. I could always fire off the reserve quickly or on my back if I wasn't in complete control. Derek

"long delay", "horsing around"? No, no long delays, no horsing around. I never said that, nor did I say terminal reserve opening. Cutaway, get stable, fire the reserve. Right, saving your life is the important part. Wrapping the reserve PC bridle around you is not going to save your life. Derek

I agree that the Skyhook fixes almost all the problems associated with the RSL. I wouldn't have a problem jumping a Skyhook-equipped rig, but probably wouldn't just because I enjoy taking a delay after cuting away. I would want a Skyhook on a tandem rig though. Derek

That is how EP's should be trained, for experienced jumpers. I always trained to cutaway, get stable if altitude permits, then pull the reserve. There is no attitude, either under a malfunctioning canopy or in free-fall, where I cannot see the ground and use it for altitude reference. Derek

I think RWS's position on the RSL hits the nail on the head (thanks Rob): "Facts about the "Reserve Staticline Lanyard" Posted Thursday, October 15, 1998 By Relative Workshop Facts about the "Reserve Staticline Lanyard"Lately there has been a big push towards the use of the reserve staticline lanyard (RSL) for experienced jumpers. Most proponents of the RSL have only been dwelling on the positive aspects of the RSL without considering the negative consequences. The Relative Workshop wants to educate each jumper regarding the pros and cons of the RSL system so you will be able to make an informed decision about this popular, yet controversial modification. For those of you unfamiliar with the RSL system, a short description is in order. The RSL is a simple lanyard connecting one or both of the main canopy risers to the reserve ripcord. In the event of a main canopy malfunction, and following a successful breakaway, the reserve ripcord is pulled as the main risers depart with the released main canopy. In essence, the RSL indirectly connects the breakaway handle to the reserve ripcord handle. Unfortunately, this simple lanyard can easily complicate a routine emergency for those who are more than capable of handling the problem manually. The RSL has gained much of its notoriety through its use on student equipment. The RSL is ideal for students because the probability is high that a student might breakaway from a malfunction lower than the recommended altitude, and delay longer than necessary before deploying the reserve. Having the reserve deploy in a unstable body position, while far from ideal, is preferential to not having the reserve deploy at all. Waiting for the AAD to fire if the breakaway is extremely low is a chancy situation at best. For these reasons, the RSL is quite compatible for student gear and most instructors would probably agree! RSL's work great on tandem systems as well. The tandem instructor really has his hands filled during a malfunction so the speedy deployment of the reserve is a big advantage. Stability after a breakaway is generally not a problem as the tandem pair have inherent stability qualities due to the positioning of the passenger and tandem master. If the tandem master has properly prepared the passenger's body position, a tandem breakaway has a greater potential for instant stability than a solo breakaway. Both student and tandem jumps are carried out at higher altitudes and rarely involve other jumpers in the same airspace, minimizing the chance of canopy entanglements which can complicate matters severely. RSL's and the experienced jumper - Pros vs. Cons Remember, the RSL does one thing and one thing only: It will activate (providing it does not physically fail) the reserve container following a main canopy breakaway. That's it! Now lets talk about the disadvantages of the RSL. 1) Most jumpers don't realize that utilizing a RSL correctly requires changing their emergency procedures. Why? The reason is simple: Most RSL systems offer the ability to disconnect it from the riser. If it's disconnectable, then there will be situations that may require a disconnection before proceeding with the breakaway. An obvious one that comes to mind is a canopy entanglement with another jumper. If one or both jumpers have an RSL and they mindlessly breakaway without considering the consequences, they might very well find themselves entangled again, possibly for the last time! Canopy entanglements are happening more frequently now than ever before due to several reasons: A) More inexperienced jumpers engaging in larger RW formations. B) The recent popularity of ultra-fast zero porosity canopies. The result is: Skies crowded with more inexperienced jumpers flying faster canopies. Emergency procedures for systems fitted with RSLs would change in the following manner: Before the breakaway, you must ask yourself (considering your present malfunction) if an immediate reserve deployment will be in your own best interest. If not, the RSL must be released before proceeding with the breakaway. NOTE: Anytime the RSL remains active during a breakaway, the jumper should automatically plan on pulling the reserve handle anyway just in case the RSL connection fails to activate the reserve container for whatever reason. This lack of awareness regarding the need to back up the reserve pull manually is an increasing and disturbing trend among some of today's jumpers. 2) The average jumper will take more than several seconds to analyze and determine if the RSL disconnection is necessary. This can obviously consume valuable time. No doubt the average jumper would be better off handling the emergency manually by pulling both handles, which is not a difficult task. 3) Lets examine the cause of malfunctions in the first place. The biggest culprits are improper packing and rigging, or bad body position during deployment. (Bad body position can be defined as shoulders not perpendicular to the relative wind.) s almost impossible to be stable within the first second and a half following a breakaway from a malfunctioning high performance main canopy. Therefore, the typical RSL user is most likely unstable during the reserve deployment. Instability causes malfunctions and allowing the RSL to open the reserve container for you will increase the chance that the reserve canopy will malfunction as well. One might argue that this would be a rare occurrence, but why would an experienced jumper take the chance? Some would consider this an unacceptable risk! 4) CRW enthusiasts, for the obvious reasons mentioned in point 1, do not want or need a RSL. For those that have one, it should be disconnected prior to boarding the aircraft on a planned CRW jump. Freefall videographers should never jump with an active RSL systemThe last thing a camera-person needs is the reserve deploying while they're unstable. Just recently in France a fatality occurred when a RSL-activated reserve canopy entangled with the jumpers helmet-mounted camera equipment. 6) The RSL will not work during a total malfunction of the main container, and do not assume that it can take the place of a functioning, properly calibrated automatic activation device. An RSL is not an AAD. Summation The RSL system was developed over 25 years ago and found its proper place on student equipment. Due to the fact the skydiving community encounters several deaths each year attributed to the "no-reserve-pull-following-a-breakaway scenario," we have many individuals who feel the RSL is the answer for the experienced jumper. Our belief is quite simple: If every jumper had a RSL, then the amount of RSL related deaths each year would be many more than we now encounter with no-pull situations. Naturally we have tremendous concern whenever someone wants to take a simple, 3-handle system and turn it into some complicated apparatus in an attempt to make up for the inadequacies of the poorly trained or ill-prepared jumper. We believe if you stick to the basics, constantly rehearse your emergency procedures, and assume you'll have a malfunction on every jump - you'll be much better off. Remember: The RSL is not a safety device for experienced jumpers because it takes more time to operate it correctly than to pull the breakaway and reserve handles manually. Now that you have been presented with the all the facts, we hope you'll make the right decision for yourself regarding the RSL. If you would like to have a consultation on your personal skydiving equipment needs, please call Relative Workshop at anytime during the hours of 8am - 6pm EST. We have a highly experienced staff of riggers and instructors who are anxiously awaiting to assist you. If we don't have the answers to your questions, we probably know who does! Remember, we're here to help you make the right decisions concerning your skydiving equipment and its proper use." Derek