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katzurki

customizing brake length

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By how much, if at all, have you shortened your canopy's steering lines?

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1 inch
I've got this really hardcore group of gaurdian angels that need a free paid vacation.
~Dan Osman

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3" mon my blackjack, 6"on freinds troll.

i think it helped. but not as much as i thought.

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Which do you mean. Toggle to canopy or fingertrap to canopy?
take care,
space

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I assumed he meant toggle setting. I had a semi hard landing on my black jack the first jump (not bad, just solid) and moved the toggles up one inch, and have had mainly soft landings since.
I've got this really hardcore group of gaurdian angels that need a free paid vacation.
~Dan Osman

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One inch? If that made a difference, you are jumping one hell of a small canopy.
take care,
space

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260, I'm pretty sure it's a fluke. I probably just botched that first landing. The one inch isn't causing stalls though, so I'm leaving it.
I've got this really hardcore group of gaurdian angels that need a free paid vacation.
~Dan Osman

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Stalls on opening or landing? There is about a 6 inch difference on toggle placement on a 260 (with me and my weight) to get the same flare power slider up vs slider down (assuming one uses the line release mod)
take care,
space

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Oops — I meant the steering lines total length, not the brake setting.

I took 4 inches off mine (RD 303), and I am amazed with the flare power I actually developed.

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Landing.

Now that you mention that, I just realized that I'm kind of odd in the fact that I don't adjust my toggles for slider up at all. I've only done 2, but they were soft landings. I typically do slider down. Maybe I can move my toggles up even more and get an even nicer flare, but if it ain't broke don't fix it.
I've got this really hardcore group of gaurdian angels that need a free paid vacation.
~Dan Osman

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if you are jumping stuff from cr/asylum, yes you better figure that shit out.

the apex/br stuff on the other hand works great right out of the box.

if I was gonna jump a mojo or ace, i would go at least 5 inches shorter than stock provides, more like 8 inches, but instead, just go with apex out of the box, purchase in accordance with their reccomended wingloading on their chart. this way, their DBS works real nice as does their unstowed breakline length.

they tagged plenty of walls figuring this stuff out. leave it to them.

UPH

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Dialing one's canopy (Brake setup) in with skydiving is the best way before BASEing it. Ultimately, YOU are responsible. Trust no-one's opinion. Only your own.
take care,
space

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they tagged plenty of walls figuring this stuff out. leave it to them.



Unfortunately, they were probably unable to take your arms along when they did their research.

Where you set your toggles is primarily dependent on the relation between your arm length (different for every person) and the flare stroke of the canopy (different for every canopy model/size).


If the toggles set are too long for you, you won't get the bottom of your flare, and you'll land hard. If the toggles are set too short for you, when you let them up, you still don't get full flight, because you've still got some tension in the lines. It's important that you check your own toggle settings to be sure that (a) at the very bottom of the toggle stroke you can either just stall, or not quite stall the canopy (which one depends on your personal preferences), and (b) at the top of the toggle stroke your canopy is in full flight with zero tail deflection.


As an example, I'm a short, fat guy. That means I jump really big canopies, but I've got stubby little arms that have trouble getting the entire control stroke. This means that I'll have to choke my toggles up a lot more than, for example, Stane, who jumps the same size canopies, but has much, much longer arms (because he's a tall, skinny guy). The same thing applies when I try to use the factory toggles settings sorted out by Adam Filipino (a much thinner person than myself). On average, I have to choke my CR toggles up something like 12 inches from the factory settings (I need a bit less on the Atair settings). The BR and Apex gear I have had to move the toggles a lot less, probably because their test jumpers had body types more similar to my own.


Bottom line: the manufacturer can only guess at an average toggle setting. Each jumper should set their toggles personally, to get themselves maximum flare power, while still ensuring that full flight is available.
-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

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heres an idea stop base jumping until u learn to fly a canopy or just take a rap on your line u can rap a finger, 2 fingers or a hand
it is amazing
I know i dont know how to land this thing so ill just hope for the best.
is that what u say everytime guys jump

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How does that have anything to do with telling him to stop BASE jumping tell he learns to fly a Canopy ?
From what I read all that katzurke asked was:
..."By how much, if at all, have you shortened your canopy's steering lines? "

then he asks goldsmith if he feels much flair from 1-inch change in his break lengths.

then say's ..." took 4 inches off mine (RD 303), and I am amazed with the flare power I actually developed."
.

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if you are jumping stuff from cr/asylum, yes you better figure that shit out.

the apex/br stuff on the other hand works great right out of the box.


Im jumping Apex/BR canopyes both has got trimmed up..

Its all about the length of your arms.. If you didnt had to config your BR canopy then your luckey your brakes wasnt too short:|

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they tagged plenty of walls figuring this stuff out. leave it to them.


even as i like my BR/Apex canopyes over any other brand im really sure that you will get more out of your canopy by trimming it,but try ask Todd;)
I for sure know that they didnt calculate my arm length and wingload for my brakes,they set it so it can be used yes but not perfect..

Stay safe
Stefan Faber

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i took 10 inches of the mojo and about the same off my troll...when they are on "full drive" they are on full drive and both flare well

dont forget air density,windspeed,air temperature,all up weight and a shit load of combinations of these and other variables will affect canopy performance...ive done jumps where i wish i had arms like an orang- utan (instead of just a face like one) because other contributing factors have messed with the flight phase.that includes pilot error!

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..." I took 10 inches of the mojo and about the same off my troll...when they are on "full drive" they are on full drive and both flare well ."
-

OK for all. One point to make to all who are getting out the Scissors and hacking Break-Lines and shorten to accommodate short arms or a spongy feeling flair. Your BASE canopy is performing a duel purpose role.
Never forget that even though you are Not changing your Break-Settings by altering the break-line length below the Break-setting Eyelets.Don't Forget to take in the fact that you will be jumping that same canopy with a Slider-up also. You can go to far on the shortening.
Take note that Too short OAL (over all length) can affect the way your Tail will be shaped in'full flight' on 'Slider-up'. You (need some) B-line Slack when you let the Toggles go up and stop on the riser rings. A different total overall working length is needed for No-slider & Slider-up configurations.
.

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all very true..however the mojo and the troll have both been used in up down and off configurations...some people go for something in between the two and have a finger trapped loop for the toggle (1 fixed oal)...you just have to know what the flare point is for each configuration (up,down or off)

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to late i just cut 36" off mine and now it flys like an F-16
everybody should cut 3 feet off there lines its awesome

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Is it worth saying here that if you do adjust your overall brakelength setting....then make sure its symmetrical ?
My Troll came with a knot in the end of the brakelines ( which is great for adjustment) but its also easy to 'readjust' differently on both brakelines which will no doubt need some creative handling to fly level...

It was a concern with me when I started changing brake line lengths....
Measuring the distance from SBS cats eye to the knot was my best way of making sure its was the same...( after measuring the distance from canopy attachment to SBS on both lines...just to make sure they were even)

Just thought i'd mention it....

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...it's also easy to 'readjust' differently on both brakelines which will no doubt need some creative handling to fly level...



Although I totally agree and did measure from the SBS down to the new knot location (as you describe), I doubt that anything less than an inch of difference would be noticable. Having symmetrical brake-settings is highly recommended, but once I pop my brakes I don't fly straight by making sure my hands are at similar levels; I just feel where the canopy is going.

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heres what i do i have strings from my chest strap to my
toggels so i have to flare evenly i know im a genius

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