Vented BASE Pilot Chutes

[baseexplorer 0]

What are the pro's and con's of using vented Pilot Chutes on a BASE Jump?
Who's using them?
Do all the manufacturers reccomend them?

[Faber 0]

im not pro or con but after 30 jumps whith out vented pc and now 4 whith,i all ready are absolute happy about them..(not a good statestik,but its all i got)
Im sure they are the way to go

Stay safe
Stefan Faber

[TomAiello 25]

Quote

What are the pro's and con's of using vented Pilot Chutes on a BASE Jump?

Pro: Dampens oscillation from toss, less airspill induced orbiting.

Con: More expensive, slightly slower inflation at zero airspeed, which only matters at ultra low (sub 200') altitudes.

Quote

Who's using them?

A lot of people. I am. I thing that the Little Aussie has switched over to using them exclusively. I heard that D-Dog is using them for all his hard object jumps.

Quote

Do all the manufacturers recommend them?

I believe that all the manufacturers who sell them recommend them. That means that, last I checked, they were recommended by Consolidated Rigging and Basic Research, but not Vertigo or Morpheus. I'd call around and check what their most current recommendations are, though, as I can't speak for any of them.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[flyinryan 0]

Just a little addition to this:

I talked to BR the other day about just this. If you look on their web site you will see that they do NOT vent their 48" pilot chute. When I talked to them they did NOT recomend a vented pilot chute for go and throw stuff. As it was explained to me there is no bennifit for jumping a vented pilot chute at that low an airspeed as the oscillation does not come about until you are falling a little faster.

I have NO data on the subject, just passing on what I was told.

BASE 853

[TomAiello 25]

I disagree with BR. Even at low altitudes, there can be a benefit to jumping vented PC's, especially off solid objects (where you will have near zero time to correct, and hence avoiding off-heading is even more desirable). You will need a relatively small vent for quick inflation, though. I think it's really a matter of finding the ideal balance for your object.

I know that Karin's Boyfriend posted a while back saying that both he and she were testing vented 48's at very low altitudes (if you know him, you can imagine how low that means) and had good results with a small vent. Let me see if I can dig up the post.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[motherhucker 0]

Quote

What are the pro's and con's of using vented Pilot Chutes on a BASE Jump?
Who's using them?
Do all the manufacturers reccomend them?

I use Adam's AV's for slider up, non-terminal BASE jumps. I just don't have slider down oscillation problems and don't really see a need for vents on the shit I jump slider off, and terminal jumps I figure If my track is so bad that a vented PC will make a difference, then I deserve what I get.

[bps 0]

Hello --

I too, am using vented pilot chutes on all my jumps except ultra-low freefalls and static-line jumps. I'm a firm believer that they decrease the amount of PC oscillation and result in better on-heading performance.

I don't have any statistical proof that a vented PC will open slower than a non-vented one, but when I'm doing a really low freefall, I feel better at the exit point without a PC vent, and managing your gear fear can be an important aspect of the jump.

As for static line jumps, besides the obvious fact that a PC is just a back-up device, there stands a chance that the PC may be damaged as it strafes across the object you just jumped off of. So I simply use my old 46" PCs that do not have vents as they are cheaper and less costly to replace should they get damaged.

I'm also of the opinion that vented pilot-chutes are critical when jumping technical objects in the 4 to 7 second range, where your often opening up close to an object in a slider-up configuration. I know that a few people on here did some extensive analysis of vented PCs vs. non-vented PCs at a legal event in the far East about 6 months ago -- maybe they'll share their findings on the subject.

And last but not least, ever wonder why a static-line or a PCA jump has a higher chance of an on-heading vs. a freefall? It's because there is a static-point that is deploying the canopy as the jumper falls away. Now, imagine if you could replicate this on a freefall jump...

Vented pilot chutes have taken the first step in achieving this direction...

C-ya,

Bryan

[stoner 0]

Do those people that Jump out of Aircraft with Parachutes and Freefall for a long time use Vented Pilot Chutes?

[mcclone 0]

I had a nasty 180 on my first jump with a vented PC off a little freestander. Not sure if the 30 mph crosswind had anything to do with it....LOL.

Seriously though, I've converted my entire pc arsenal to vented pcs. Thus far, I've been extrememly pleased and believe they attributed to exceptional opening performance.

[DexterBase 0]

You might want to PM TomA and ask him about his view on PC's.

In a private email a while back, he listed his preferences on all sizes of PC's. I know he's not the final authority on BASE equipment, but when he says something gear-related, I listen carefully.