Hooknswoop

Slinks Pro's: Stronger than Rapide links They don't require lock-tight,torque stripe, or slider bumpers. Easier to get slider down past links. (Or bumpers can be installed if the jumper does not want the slider to come down) Lower bulk. Zero maintenance. Less likely to fail at low altitude. Less likely to fail. Easier to install and remove, with no tools needed. They come with installation instructions. They won't damage the slider grommets which then damage the lines. Slinks Con's: They have been intalled incorrectly. (But even then they held.) Derek

Large moving air masses don't tend to accelerate, slow down, or turn corners on a level that could even be percieved by a canopy. We fly within a moving air mass that for practical purposes doesn't change direction or speed. Derek

That would represent going from an air mass that wasn't moving over the ground to an air mass that was moving over the ground, i.e. wind shear. If a submarine takes on enough ballast to descend at 500 fpm it doesn't matter which direction it is facing, into the current or with the current, it will still descend at 500 fpm. We fly our canopies in a mass of air, usually that mass is moving over the ground. Another way to think of it is a fish bowl. The fish swims around at 1 mph and it feels like 1 mph, even if the fish bowl is sitting on your floor board as you do 60 mph down the freeway. The fish's ground speed would be 61 mph if it swam towards the front of the car and 59 mph if it swims toward the trunk of the car. Either way it feels like 1 mph to the fish. Derek

Your rate of decent under canopy is not affected by which direction you are facing. The only thing wind affects is groundspeed. Derek

Same method as cordura. Be careful, use a soft-bristled nylon brush, and use as little soap as possible and rinse throughly. Derek

If the Slink isn't tacked it could still snag the tab. Even tacked, I would still be concerned. I could be accidently stowed through the Slink, then locked in place once the Slink is loaded on opening. It could also fall out easily, which can cause problems. Just a thought. Derek

Fire exiting the exhaust of a PT-6 is not a flame-out. A flame-out doesn't destroy the engine. Derek

I've always taught; "try once, if it doesn't come out, pull again as hard as you can. If it doesn't come out on the second try, it isn't going to come out, you can't pull harder than 'as hard as you can'". In other words, two trys, then reserve. Derek

I think you sorta answered your own question. Stowing the excess on the front of the rear risers seems to be the least prone to problems way of stowing the excess. Unfortunately, nothing is bulletproof. Derek

Even if the Slinks are tacked, the excess steering line can still get snagged. How many bag locks in the last 400 jumps? My point being that because it has worked in the past is no guarantee that it would hang up on the next jump. Edit: Added pic. red=steeringline, blue=tacking Derek

I agree. It is a bad idea and there are better ways. I think the Slink slider stops represent another possible snag point if the excess steering line was stowed through the riser. Derek

If the excess steering line is stowed through the riser, then it can snag on the slink tab or ring regardless if it is also stowed around the toggle tab. There is no way to ensure it is clear before releasing the brakes. The problem is that the loop must clear the tab as it passes through the riser. There is no way to predict if it will clear the tab or not. A brake setting that will snag does not look any different from one that won't. Derek

I do not recommend either stowing the excess steering line in the loop on the end of the riser or leaving ot free. Even if the Slink is tacked, the excess steering line can snag it. The excess steering line should be stowed. An easy solution to risers that do not offer an easy way to stow the excess line is having a rigger sew a piece of binding tape (or two) to the front of the rear risers. The excess steering line gets stowed in the binding tape and easily slides out when the brakes are released. It is secure, low bulk, and doesn't hinder pulling the slider down. RWS already does this and others may also do this as well. Derek

LOL- right. Main lift web, same as Bryan and Frodo. Derek

The grey area is about interpretations. Does the FAA consider it an alteration? Best bet is not to ask. Sparky? I've seen them on the main lift web before, but that doesn't comply with the 'only accessible by the owner stipulation. Derek

You could put it in the Cypres pocket and set the mode to 'auto'. It would turn on automatically and otherwise sleep. You could only check it when you open the reserve container. Putting a Pro-Track in the Cypres pocket runs into a legal grey area though. Derek

And this thread is done also. Let it go. Derek

Your best bet would be to ask the same question in the BASE forum (if you haven't already). Derek

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 have been proven to reduce the pull force during a cutaway from line twists. Derek

OK, I think everyone has made their point. Let's let this one go. Thanks. Derek

The National Parachute Industries Phantom 24' recommended suspended weight is 90-165 lbs. They are affected by several SB's, including Kevlar upper band re-inforcement and Acid-mesh PH inspections. I have an 1983 Phantom 24' in the closet. I have no intentions of putting it in a skydiving rig. My advice, don't buy it, get a PD-R instead. Derek

Excellent advise. My Factory Diver is very quiet and I wear ear-plugs in the aircraft. Derek

LOL- can't trick you. Reverse-engineered B-29 by the Russians. They built something like 300 of them. And had as much trouble with them as we did. Derek

How about this one? Derek

T-37 Dragonfly or Tweet and a Lear in the background. The front one isn't a T-2.........or a T-45........It's a T2V-1 Sea Star. Derek