Dec 20, 2012, 5:12 AM
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"Mixed" tandem bridles
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I noticed that some of the Sigma tandem drogue bridles used at Skydive Dubai are made from both old AND new type of bridle materials. Below are the examples. Any comments...?:
Dec 20, 2012, 6:43 AM
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Re: [skydiverek] "Mixed" tandem bridles
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I saw the same around here in Switz. I like the new part of the bridle (can't remember, is it Type8 ?). The "old" bridle gets damaged very quickly on the lower part, where the bridle gets "crunched" when uncollapsing the drogue chute.
Dec 20, 2012, 8:10 AM
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Re: [piisfish] "Mixed" tandem bridles
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The new bridles are crap. We've had kill lines burn through them on the bottom portion (below the disk), just above the disk, and up near the drogue. It seems the friction of the kill line against the "new" material causes much more friction and it sort of "crystalizes" the kill line making it "sharper" so it cuts right through the bridle. Many more snapped kill lines with the new configuration as well. I'm talking VERY NEW bridles here, too.
Dec 20, 2012, 8:40 AM
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Re: [piisfish] "Mixed" tandem bridles
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I could post pics showing where it cut through the "crunch" zone which would seem like the most likely place it's happening, but it's not. We are very careful to cock the bridle at the "inspection window" so as to be able to check the kill line and we cock the rest when we untwist the bridle prior to packing the drogue. The most common place where they are burning through is above the disk and before the juncture between top and bottom bridle portions. We've had one burn through just below the drogue on the top portion as well.
Dec 20, 2012, 10:53 AM
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Re: [SkymonkeyONE] "Mixed" tandem bridles
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Interesting. I haven't seen these holes any more often with the black Ty-12 bridles than with kevlar. One thing I did notice with new bridles, that UPT didn't mention as fas as I know: the ty-12 stretches a lot. Kevlar didn't. That changes how one needs to measure the kill line when installing into the newer bridles. With Kevlar bridles you could use maybe 10-15 lbs of pressure when sizing the kill line, and that bridle would be fully stretched. It takes 30-40 lbs on the newer bridles to get a similar effect. If someone follows the old instructions for kill line sizing, the line will probably be 2-3" too short. Im wondering if that could leave you with a tight kill line after chute deployment, rubbing on the bridle til landing.
Dec 21, 2012, 4:01 PM
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Re: [SkymonkeyONE] "Mixed" tandem bridles
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If I'm not mistaken the black ones are not being used anymore. The last few we received are shipped with the Kevlar bridal and 'y' mods on the student harness. That oughta spark a whole new conversation, aye!
Dec 26, 2012, 9:38 AM
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Re: [Aaron_O] "Mixed" tandem bridles
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If I'm not mistaken the black ones are not being used anymore. The last few we received are shipped with the Kevlar bridal and 'y' mods on the student harness. That oughta spark a whole new conversation, aye!
We hhad/ have a mix of parts here at San Marcos, Aaron. I found that out after I saw the Dubai pics at the start of the thread and talked to the riggers here about it. They showed me the burned up black ones we have had.
Chuck
PS: tell everyone at Eloy I said "hello" and thanks for the work
