skydiverek

From RICK HORN: "I got saved by a backup device (RSL) on Thursday, August 28th. I thought I'd relay the information. My background: 5000+ jumps 107 cutaways (No, i don't need to learn how to pack, a lot of test jumps and films.) About 20 unplanned cutaways. 21 years jumping, AFF I/E, Static Line I/E, Full time instructor at Perris, AFF Course Director for USPA. Equipment Background Rig- Javelin, Articulated harness (Rings top and bottom), RSL and Cypres equipped. Soft Reserve pillow Main, Stiletto 135 Reserve- PD143R I wear my leg straps and chest strap quite tight. The jump: A great AFF Level 4, the student did well, I watched deployment on the student's canopy, and hung around to give a thumbs up for the camera. This put everything happening a little lower than usual, so I threw the main out at about 2100, as opposed to the usual 2500 since I've gotten older and hopefully wiser. The main opened into a severe spin. There were no line twists, but I don't know what caused the spin, as I could not see the left side of the canopy. After the usual playing around with it, I decided to get rid of it. My procedures are grab cutaway, grab reserve, pull cutaway, pull reserve. I went for the cutaway handle, and to my surprise, it was on the LEFT side of my chest. I grabbed it, and reached for the reserve handle. It was somewhere under my left armpit. I could only touch it with my thumb, and not grab it. My theory is that a combination of the severe spin and the articulated harness allowed the handles to move so far. I had also practiced hooking my thumb between the reserve pillow and the housing. I was unable to do it. I then pulled the cutaway handle, as I was not accomplishing anything in my attempt to find the reserve handle. After pulling the cutaway, I continued to search for the reserve pillow. I was unable to find it. I theorize that it tucked under the main lift web as the harness slid back into position. That theory took a couple of days to figure out. Being honest, I have my sincere doubts that I would have found the handle within the 6 seconds of working time that I had left. My RSL prevented me from knowing the answer. I have since modified my rig to include a standard ripcord on the reserve. This should also serve as a reminder that backup devices, whether they be RSL or AAD can save your life, no matter what your experience. Please don't make this into a debate thread, there have been enough. I just wanted to share the experience, so people could make informed decisions. Rick Horn D-6277 AFFI/E USPA AFF Course Director"

Is it perfectly round, or slightly oval shape? I thougt that V3 hacekys were smaller and lighhtly oval shape, to create less probability of cathing/hitching bridle underneath it. Anyone?

Listen to BOTH shows with BJ Worth on skydiveradio.com. Tons of info there from BJ himself.

Link? Are you sure it is 100% the same. For instance, www.dropzone.com, and not www.drop-zone.com, www.dropzone.org, or www.dropzone.net, etc. If it it the same, probally the domain lapsed and was bought by the competition

Check it out HERE: http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2001/AAIR/pdf/aair200101903_001.pdf

What Precision? R-MAX, Dash-M, Super Raven, or Raven? Makes difference for the discussion...

Do a search.

From my different post to a skydiver who needed soft openings (previous back injury): "Hi there, Yeah, Spectre would be perfect. Also, opt for Dacron lines, which strech more than Microline and have more friction when the slider grommets slide on them. Here is Performance Designs' opinion on them (from their website): "Why would anyone want to use Dacron line on their canopy? Though most people prefer the lower bulk and drag of Microline or Vectran, Dacron is often the best choice for some applications. Dacron is a fairly elastic line, so it gives a little when there is a sharp "spike" to the opening force. This elasticity won't change the really good openings very much, but it can take the edge off those occasional abrupt openings where your packing was a little off or your airspeed was a little high at opening time. Dacron may be preferable in a student operation, where unusual body positions can compound opening issues. Some camera flyers with very heavy helmets also prefer Dacron lines. Older jumpers, who may not want to subject their bodies to hard openings, may want Dacron to help reduce the impact should something get a little out of control at opening time." Also, Bill Booth made some comments on that issue, too: "Spectra (or micro-line) is strong and tiny, so it reduces both pack volume and drag , which means you get a smaller rig and a faster canopy. Unfortunately, It has a couple of "design characteristics" (this is manufacturer talk for "problems") It is very slippery (less friction to slow the slider), and stretches less than stainless steel. This is why it hurt people and broke so many mini risers when it was first introduced. Now, I must say that the canopy manufacturers did a wonderful job handling these "characteristics" by designing new canopies that opened much slower than their predecessors. However, the fact still remains, that if you do have a rare fast opening on a microlined canopy, Spectra (or Vectran) will transmit that force to you (and your rig) much, much faster, resulting in an opening shock up to 300% higher than if you have Dacron lines. (It's sort of like doing a bungee jump with a stainless steel cable. At the bottom of your fall, your body applies the same force to the steel cable as it would to a rubber bungee cord, but because steel doesn't stretch, your legs tears off.)" Moreover, you can opt for lighter, brass slider groomets, instead of heavier, stainless steel slider groommets. Lighter mass equals less momentum (speed) down the lines. BTW, Precision Aerodynamics favors them, saying they contribute to softer openings. Also, on their website Performance Designs says that "larger Spectres open slower than the smaller models". So, to sum up, if I were you my choice would be large Spectre, Dacron lines, and brass slider grommets. Careful packing and deploying at no faster than 120mph (and not while tracking, especially steep tracking) will help, too. Some people also say that Psychopacking helps, but I am not sure about this. Good luck and welcome back

Or kill you... .

I heard it's gonna be an answer to Vampire/Vampire 2. More here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=forum_13&search_string=blade&search_type=AND&search_fields=sb&search_time=&search_user_username=&sb=score&mh=100

Or Vector 3-M .

Spoon

He meant that the reserve is closed incorrectly - take a closer look.

Here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2567055#2567055

You can also get Slinks bumpers (hats), too: http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/SlinkInstructions_RCI.pdf Useful with Type 17 (narrow, 1-inch) risers. BTW, they are included with every Slinks purchase.

I'm sure this is regarding microline... No. Dacron holds trim MUCH better then Microlione.

So... who installed the wrong-sized slider in the first place...? PD?

Why would they be non-cascaded?

Any pictures

Below is my post from a different thread. I think it is relevent to this thread, since it might save someone from ending up in this forum...: Dacron lines - they strech more than Microline and have more friction when the slider grommets slide on them. Here is Performance Designs' opinion on them (from their website): "Why would anyone want to use Dacron line on their canopy? Though most people prefer the lower bulk and drag of Microline or Vectran, Dacron is often the best choice for some applications. Dacron is a fairly elastic line, so it gives a little when there is a sharp "spike" to the opening force. This elasticity won't change the really good openings very much, but it can take the edge off those occasional abrupt openings where your packing was a little off or your airspeed was a little high at opening time. Dacron may be preferable in a student operation, where unusual body positions can compound opening issues. Some camera flyers with very heavy helmets also prefer Dacron lines. Older jumpers, who may not want to subject their bodies to hard openings, may want Dacron to help reduce the impact should something get a little out of control at opening time." Also, Bill Booth made some comments on that issue, too: "Spectra (or micro-line) is strong and tiny, so it reduces both pack volume and drag , which means you get a smaller rig and a faster canopy. Unfortunately, It has a couple of "design characteristics" (this is manufacturer talk for "problems") It is very slippery (less friction to slow the slider), and stretches less than stainless steel. This is why it hurt people and broke so many mini risers when it was first introduced. Now, I must say that the canopy manufacturers did a wonderful job handling these "characteristics" by designing new canopies that opened much slower than their predecessors. However, the fact still remains, that if you do have a rare fast opening on a microlined canopy, Spectra (or Vectran) will transmit that force to you (and your rig) much, much faster, resulting in an opening shock up to 300% higher than if you have Dacron lines. (It's sort of like doing a bungee jump with a stainless steel cable. At the bottom of your fall, your body applies the same force to the steel cable as it would to a rubber bungee cord, but because steel doesn't stretch, your legs tears off.)" Moreover, you can opt for lighter, brass slider groomets, instead of heavier, stainless steel slider groommets. Lighter mass equals less momentum (speed) down the lines. BTW, Precision Aerodynamics favors them, saying they contribute to softer openings. Also, on their website Performance Designs says that "larger Spectres open slower than the smaller models". So, to sum up, my perfect choice would be large Spectre, Dacron lines, and brass slider grommets. Careful packing and deploying at no faster than 120mph (and not while tracking, especially steep tracking) will help, too. Some people also say that Psychopacking helps, but I am not sure about this.

"Has anyone discovered a "fatal" rigging error on a reserve?" thread here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1063272#1063272

From my different post to a skydiver who needed soft openings (previous back injury): "Hi there, Yeah, Spectre would be perfect. Also, opt for Dacron lines, which strech more than Microline and have more friction when the slider grommets slide on them. Here is Performance Designs' opinion on them (from their website): "Why would anyone want to use Dacron line on their canopy? Though most people prefer the lower bulk and drag of Microline or Vectran, Dacron is often the best choice for some applications. Dacron is a fairly elastic line, so it gives a little when there is a sharp "spike" to the opening force. This elasticity won't change the really good openings very much, but it can take the edge off those occasional abrupt openings where your packing was a little off or your airspeed was a little high at opening time. Dacron may be preferable in a student operation, where unusual body positions can compound opening issues. Some camera flyers with very heavy helmets also prefer Dacron lines. Older jumpers, who may not want to subject their bodies to hard openings, may want Dacron to help reduce the impact should something get a little out of control at opening time." Also, Bill Booth made some comments on that issue, too: "Spectra (or micro-line) is strong and tiny, so it reduces both pack volume and drag , which means you get a smaller rig and a faster canopy. Unfortunately, It has a couple of "design characteristics" (this is manufacturer talk for "problems") It is very slippery (less friction to slow the slider), and stretches less than stainless steel. This is why it hurt people and broke so many mini risers when it was first introduced. Now, I must say that the canopy manufacturers did a wonderful job handling these "characteristics" by designing new canopies that opened much slower than their predecessors. However, the fact still remains, that if you do have a rare fast opening on a microlined canopy, Spectra (or Vectran) will transmit that force to you (and your rig) much, much faster, resulting in an opening shock up to 300% higher than if you have Dacron lines. (It's sort of like doing a bungee jump with a stainless steel cable. At the bottom of your fall, your body applies the same force to the steel cable as it would to a rubber bungee cord, but because steel doesn't stretch, your legs tears off.)" Moreover, you can opt for lighter, brass slider groomets, instead of heavier, stainless steel slider groommets. Lighter mass equals less momentum (speed) down the lines. BTW, Precision Aerodynamics favors them, saying they contribute to softer openings. Also, on their website Performance Designs says that "larger Spectres open slower than the smaller models". So, to sum up, if I were you my choice would be large Spectre, Dacron lines, and brass slider grommets. Careful packing and deploying at no faster than 120mph (and not while tracking, especially steep tracking) will help, too. Some people also say that Psychopacking helps, but I am not sure about this. Good luck and welcome back

What happened to Billy Weber???

Alternatively, you can also use visual LED-only warnings.

Some L&B products allow you to choose 3 levels of loudness.