billbooth

Sorry. I see "riser slap" I automatically think tandem.

What brand of tandem gear were you jumping?

Actually, I thought that my acting in "Cutaway" was superb. I know...I know...Keep the day job.

The "guide ring" on a Vector-type RSL, performs a completely different function than the ring(s) on a Javelin-type RSL. So don't go cutting rings off any RSL system without specific instructions from that rig's manufacturer.

Static line guide rings are a relic from the days of pin-through-cone main static line rigs, where they were absolutely necessary. The pin the Vector RSL pulls directly is a "curved" pin in a soft loop, so no guide ring is necessary. I just put it there so I wouldn't have to explain why I didn't put it there. Before the Skyhook, the RSL guide ring did no harm. But with the Skyhook, there is a chance some careless rigger would run the Skyhook lanyard (as well as the ripcord) through the guide ring. The Skyhook would then try to pull the entire bagged reserve canopy through that tiny little ring, resulting in a broken Skyhook lanyard (but an otherwise normal reserve deployment). That's why I removed it on Skyhook installations.

Yes, I was personal friends with both Wilber and Orville. I can't understand the snub.

Guys, I have snoozed (they are sold out), and need two tickets to the Wright Brothers Centennial Celebration on December 17th at Kitty Hawk, NC. I have asked everyone I know, including the Liberty Parachute team who is jumping in, for tickets...but no luck yet. I am an avid pilot, as well as a jumper, and it would mean a lot to me if I could attend. Let's see if DropZone.com can produce a miracle. Thanks, Bill Booth

"The times, they are a'changin." I can remember, not to long ago, when almost all experienced jumpers said," AADs are for students. I wouldn't be caught dead with one of those contraptions in my rig!" Unfortunately, too many were caught dead without one. Now, you are considered crazy if you jump without an AAD. The main reason this change came about was that someone (Airtec) came out with the first really good AAD (the Cypres). The same transformation is about to take place with RSLs because, with the Skyhook, the RSL has finally matured to the point where it has removed almost all of the arguments against itself, just like the AAD did 12 years ago with the introduction of the Cypres. And not a moment too soon. According to USPA records, 25 people have died in the last 10 years after breaking away and not pulling their reserves...and the new high performance canopies look like they will increase that number. Here is a reprint of a piece I wrote a while ago about this very subject: Current thinking among owners of highly loaded elliptical canopies is that because they might have a rapidly spinning malfunction, they don't want an RSL. And they may have a point when discussing conventional RSL's, which only pull the reserve pin after breakaway. Like mains, reserves are getting smaller and more high tech, and an unstable opening, even if it does not result in some sort of an entanglement, might yield unrecoverable line twists. However, "getting stable" after breakaway from a high speed, spinning malfunction, might take a lot longer than you think, and you might not always have enough altitude to pull it off. So, in many peoples minds, there has been a trade off between altitude loss and stability to consider: RSL - Fast, but unstable...No RSL - slow but stable. But just how long will a non-RSL reserve deployment from a spinning breakaway take? And is your current emergency procedure the correct one for this situation? Think about it. If you are jumping a high performance canopy, and your plan is to breakaway, and then "get stable" before pulling your reserve handle, your emergency procedure has to go something like this. Step 1. Realize that the line twists are not going to come out, and that your canopy (which might seem otherwise "fully open") is not controllable. And because of the high speed nature of these malfunctions, and the hope that it might get better if you just "play with it" a little longer, you can easily eat up a 1,000 feet hoping to fix it, before you even make your decision to breakaway. Step 2. Locate, grab, and pull your cutaway pillow. (Now remember, your plan is to "get stable" as quickly as possible before you pull your reserve handle. This means that you cannot grab, or for that matter, even look at your reserve handle until sometime after you have broken away, because you're spinning rapidly, and are going to need your eyes on the horizon, and both arms outstretched in order to get stable quickly, aren't you? Step 3. Now finally, after getting stable, you must locate, grab, and pull your reserve handle. And God help you if you have a pud (instead of a "D" ring) for a reserve handle, which: a. Like any reserve handle, isn't where it usually is, because your harness loosens up with the main container empty. b. You can't see because of your full face helmet. (And why even look, because your pud is probably color coordinated anyway.) c.You can't really feel, because your main lift webb and jumpsuit feel almost the same as your pud. (If you're wearing gloves, good luck.) And please remember, you were just spinning rapidly, while possibly taking 3 or 4 "G"s, and might just be a tad dizzy, if not close to unconscious, and not really sure just what "stable" is anymore. And let's not forget that 2-3 second pilot chute hesitation you will probably experience, because you are used to a hand deploy pilot chute system, and don't really know how to launch an internal, spring loaded pilot chute properly, (especially if you are wearing photographer's wings). So how long do you think a spinning breakaway to an open reserve might take? The answer is, A lot longer than it takes to read the above procedures, and at 174 feet per second, perhaps the rest of your life. And don't look for you AAD to save you. It might not have time to re-arm after a low breakaway. Also remember that this procedure virtually guarantees a terminal reserve opening, and because reserves are designed to open "right now", the chance of reserve canopy or bodily damage will be much higher than if you had opened at a lower velocity. The point here is that if you don't use an RSL, you can easily eat up 1,500 to 2,000 feet to get your reserve open after experiencing a high speed spinning malfunction . And even if you do manage to get open by 500 feet, what are the chances that you'll be over an area where you can safely land that tiny little reserve that you've never jumped before? The spot was chosen for 2,500 feet, not 500 feet. Luckily, there is a way out of this dilemma. The Skyhook RSL can give you a stable reserve opening from a spinning malfunction in under 100 feet. Fast and stable...no trade-off. Ever open below two grand? Come on, be honest. Are you still sure you don't want an RSL? I know I have included just about everything that can go wrong during a breakaway, and that not everything listed above will happen to everyone on every breakaway. But chances are, at least some will, and if you experience even half the above problems after a low breakaway, you're history.

The more high performance your canopy, the more you NEED an RSL.

An e-mail or fax has been sent, or phone call been made, to each owner. Only 40 rigs are affected, and 15 of those were packed by experienced Relative Workshop riggers, and were OK, according to them. It is very difficult to pack a Skyhook that is sewn on backwards, especially with a color picture of a correct installation staring you in the face...So I doubt any rigger did it. I just have to be sure. When Relative Workshop makes a manufacturing error, we will admit it immediately, notify every affected party, and then pay for the fix.

I the case of a total malfunction, when the reserve container empties, the riser covers become so loose, they almost fall open. They are only " tight" when the reserve container is full.

Just to add to our problems... Two "identical" reserves (same model from the same manufacturer) might vary up to 10% in pack volume, due to the actual thickness of the bolt of fabric they're made of, as well as several other reasons. Then humidity and temperature can also affect pack volume, as can the skill of the packer. All we can do as rig manufacturers is to give a range of model numbers of reserves that MIGHT fit in any particular rig. The closer you are to the bottom of that range you are when you order, the greater your chance of a reasonable fit. And as we all know, a too tight reserve container makes for a very uncomfortable rig.

I haven't taken geometry for a long time, but I believe that you are using something like the formula for the volume of a pyramid (1/2 base x height) not a cube, which is roughly what a main pack tray is. The correct formula is L x W x H = V. (12 x 10 x 5.4 = 648 cu.in.) Add the volume of the bag, and risers, and links to the volume of the canopy, and it comes out about right, doesn't it. No magic here.

Want to hear a scary Velcro story? 30 years ago, my first Wonderhogs used Velcro in the reserve container to support the bottom flap. One day I opened one for a repack, and found the pilot chute mesh stuck to the Velcro in a very bad way. We're talking possible reserve total malfunction here. That's why I got rid of the Velcro inside the reserve container, AND mesh on reserve pilot chutes.

For our jumps at the North Pole, I calculated the barometric pressure at the surface of the ice cap. At sea level and minus 40 C, it worked out to 31.50 " mercury. That's roughly equivalent to a density altitude of MINUS 7,200 feet. Even tiny canopies fly "big" in that very "thick" air. You need special aircraft altimeters to fly in the polar regions, because "normal" altimeters only adjust to 31.00 " mercury. Jumping altimeters, and AAD's seem to handle it without any problem though.

I've taken 100's of jumpers to the North Pole on six separate parachute expeditions. The temperature at the 10,000 foot exit altitude varied between 50 and 60 degrees below zero. No frostbite...of course we left no skin exposed in freefall. In other words, it's never too cold to jump..if you want it enough.

Maggie; Believe me, it was close. Your one act play gave me a lot of good laughs. We are going to put it up at Relativeworkshop.com in a few days. Al King, from Monterey, MA, produced a rap video, dressed in an orange prison suit, accompanied by a couple of "hotties" in purple spandex and wigs, that had everyone in stiches, too. Thanks to everyone who sent in an essay. We'll do it again at 50,000.

After making my first Para Commander jump in 1966, I remember remarking, with great confidence, "No one will ever make a better parachute than this!" You know, when I think about it, I was right. What we jump today are actually more nylon wings than parachutes.

Believe it or not, someone actually did make a "bungee" jump with a Dacron line, and it did tear his foot off. I only used bungee cord vs. Spectra as an example everyone could understand.

My tests show up to a 300% increase in opening shock felt by the jumper using Spectra vs. Dacron suspension lines. It is not always that much different. It depends on how quickly the force is applied...and canopy makers have done a good job of designing canopies that open slowly enough to allow the routine use of Spectra. However, when a rare hard (quick) opening happens, Spectra lines will definitely make it hurt more.

Unstowed, or improperly stowed steering lines (mostly brought about by the "velcro-less" toggle craze) have been implicated in 3 fatalities in the last six months. As a major cause of death, they rank only behind low hook turns. This sort of thing happens every time we change technology. I'm not sure this change was worth it. What have we gained?

Anyone who doubts that suspension line stretch is a factor in reducing the opening shock felt by a jumper, should make a bungee jump...only replace the normal stretchy bungee cord with a stainless steel cable. What's going to happen when you hit the end of that steel cable? Your leg is going to be torn off, that's what. Now remember, Spectra line stretches about as much a steel cable.

If you use the correct rig, and get the proper training, then the risk of an intentional cutaway is out weighed by the benefit...but only if the procedure and handles used in the cutaway closely match the same emergency handles on the rig you usually use. If the handles are different, you are practicing a different emergency procedure, and therefore actually hurting yourself.

As I've said before, jumping with three parachutes is far more dangerous than jumping with two. Please make sure you use a rig that was specifically designed for breakaway training, and that use receive proper instruction in its use. We have several Skyhook RSL demo breakaway rigs at the Relative Workshop, and they sometimes travel to other drop zones. Call us to try to set something up. (386)736-7589

I'm with Kelly on this one. For the life of me, I can't figure out how to tangle main suspension lines with a ring sight...unless you open in a rapid front loop, that is.