How far should my reserve PC go when I pull the handle on the ground?

[kelel01 1]

??? Does it vary? And if it doesn't go very far, does that mean anything about how it would perform in the air if I needed it?

To clarify, I'm referring to when you pull the reserve handle before a repack (so you can fully practice your EP's as well).

[dropzonefool 0]

I'm not 100% sure on this, and am not a rigger, so maybe i shouldn't give advice. All I'm going to tell you is my pc launches to full bridal extension.

[KellyF 16]

Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly....

It varies greatly from rig to rig, and can also vary greatly from rigger to rigger. there are pretty much two schools of thought- make a PC that can blast through the jumpers' burble when they are flat and stable, or make a PC that can clear the flaps of the reserve container but relies on the air returning to the jumpers' back to sweep it out to the side and into clean air. Something else to keep in mind is the fact that a PC doesn't do anything (orient itself or stay inflated) until it has a load on it, so a PC that launches to 4 feet or so on the ground can actually deploy a canopy faster than a PC that goes to full bridle extension.

Regardless, it always feels good to have the PC fly across the room and knock a picture off the wall

[skydiverek 58]

I have seen them go to FULL bridle stretch (jumper standing, wearing the rig and pulling the silver).

BTW, Quasar II has a cool feature helping the reserve PC launch. Basically, the reserve side flaps have the stiffeners in them that cause the to stay open. So, when you pull the reserve pin, the side flaps open by themselves in an instant, and the reserve PC does not have to push thru them. It actually takes a significant force to close the flaps down (basically, it's like a flower that blossoms in an instant).

In general, that's like having an unobstructed launch of an external PC with the reserve PC that is actually packed inside. Maybe such a design would also help the recent "Mirage issue", since the container "wants" to open by itself...

[skybeergodd 0]

It definitely varies from rig to rig. External mounted pilot chutes such as a racer of Javelin typically don't launch as far because they are a weaker spring...They don't need to push open any flaps when activated and rigs like the Racer reserve container open wide open when activated so again the pilot chute doesn't have to launch as far. In contrast to that some rigs have a very stiff spring like a Mirage or Eclipse. Those both typically launch very far off the back because they have to push open flaps and they both also have pockets in the bottom of the reserve tray that the reserve sets in. And yes some of the launch is from different packing techniques.
Hope that quickie explanation helps.
Blue skies
Kelly

[RMURRAY 1]

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It definitely varies from rig to rig. External mounted pilot chutes such as a racer of Javelin typically don't launch as far because they are a weaker spring...They don't need to push open any flaps when activated and rigs like the Racer reserve container open wide open when activated so again the pilot chute doesn't have to launch as far. In contrast to that some rigs have a very stiff spring like a Mirage or Eclipse. Those both typically launch very far off the back because they have to push open flaps and they both also have pockets in the bottom of the reserve tray that the reserve sets in. And yes some of the launch is from different packing techniques.
Hope that quickie explanation helps.
Blue skies
Kelly

I have been dumping my Racer reserves at repack time for over 10 years. Although it may not really matter, it always goes to full bridle length. I have had rigs with the normal poptop - not sure about the launch of the smaller ones used on power racers.
rm

[mjosparky 3]

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I have seen them go to FULL bridle stretch (jumper standing, wearing the rig and pulling the silver).

Does the pilot chute fly the full length of the bridle, 12 to 14 feet? Or is all the bridle out of the pack tray when the jumper turns around? That would be like laying on the floor and have the P/C hit the ceiling with force.
I don't think I have ever seen a P/C fly 12 to 14 feet before hitting the floor.

What it does on the ground is no idication of what it will do in the air. Thats why all this stuff is tested by drop testing or live jumps.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[skydiverek 58]

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Does the pilot chute fly the full length of the bridle, 12 to 14 feet? Or is all the bridle out of the pack tray when the jumper turns around? That would be like laying on the floor and have the P/C hit the ceiling with force.
I don't think I have ever seen a P/C fly 12 to 14 feet before hitting the floor.

The PC launch I saw was durinmg the PIA Expo. Strong Enterprises rep dumped the reserve (to demonstrate the aforementioned reserve flaps). He stood a rig on a table (so it was actually lower than on someone's back) and pulled the silver. The reserve PC launched and flew to FULL bridle stretch. I know that for fact, cause just before he pulled I was wondering if it's gonna do that. The reserve PC's flight was actually 'stopped' when all the bridle length was used (the reserve PC was kind of yanked back since all the bridle slack was used). You could see that. I then looked inside of the reserve container and ALL the bridle was out (any more pulling on the bridle at that point would be pulling out a freebag).

I can't tell if the PC would have reached the ceiling. In the example I witnessed the PC was flying horizontally, not vertically up (hence less fighting the gravity).

[tdog 0]

Kelly,

Perhaps I am tired and just can make my mind work, but...

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Something else to keep in mind is the fact that a PC doesn't do anything (orient itself or stay inflated) until it has a load on it,

Got that part.

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so a PC that launches to 4 feet or so on the ground can actually deploy a canopy faster than a PC that goes to full bridle extension.

Don't quite understand that part...

Specifically - if the reserve PC needs a bit of load on the bridal - wouldn't a spring that shoots the PC as far as possible get load on it the quickest? Could you give me some more details so I understand why this logic works...

[mjosparky 3]

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Does the pilot chute fly the full length of the bridle, 12 to 14 feet? Or is all the bridle out of the pack tray when the jumper turns around? That would be like laying on the floor and have the P/C hit the ceiling with force.
I don't think I have ever seen a P/C fly 12 to 14 feet before hitting the floor.

The PC launch I saw was durinmg the PIA Expo. Strong Enterprises rep dumped the reserve (to demonstrate the aforementioned reserve flaps). He stood a rig on a table (so it was actually lower than on someone's back) and pulled the silver. The reserve PC launched and flew to FULL bridle stretch. I know that for fact, cause just before he pulled I was wondering if it's gonna do that. The reserve PC's flight was actually 'stopped' when all the bridle length was used (the reserve PC was kind of yanked back since all the bridle slack was used). You could see that. I then looked inside of the reserve container and ALL the bridle was out (any more pulling on the bridle at that point would be pulling out a freebag)

I can't tell if the PC would have reached the ceiling. In the example I witnessed the PC was flying horizontally, not vertically up (hence less fighting the gravity).

That is one hell of a P/C. I would't want to put that thing too low, it would drive you into the ground.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[davelepka 4]

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not sure about the launch of the smaller ones used on power racers.

I just popped my Power Racer a week ago, and got full bridle extension.

I looked at the PC in comparison to the PC that came with my Infinity. Wow. The Racer PC, pop top and all, fits inside of the Infinity PC.

[riggerrob 561]

A spring-loaded pilot chute should launch 6 feet (2 meters) minimum, 10 or 12 feet (4 meters) preferred.
Height of launch varies by container.
For example, both the Vector and Sidewinder manuals say to fold the last 5 or 6 feet of bridle on top of the kicker plate, ergo, you can expect a 5 foot launch, enough to launch the pilot chute clear of the burble. After that, it should only need a 2 pound (1 kilogram) pull to extract the rest of the bridle.

[kelel01 1]

Ok, well, that kind of answered my question. My reserve PC plopped down right behind my feet. There was no "spring" to it.

[KellyF 16]

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Kelly,

Perhaps I am tired and just can make my mind work, but...

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Something else to keep in mind is the fact that a PC doesn't do anything (orient itself or stay inflated) until it has a load on it,

Got that part.

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so a PC that launches to 4 feet or so on the ground can actually deploy a canopy faster than a PC that goes to full bridle extension.

Don't quite understand that part...

Specifically - if the reserve PC needs a bit of load on the bridal - wouldn't a spring that shoots the PC as far as possible get load on it the quickest? Could you give me some more details so I understand why this logic works...

I guess I may not have been real clear when I was talking about the PC launching 4 feet. The assumption is that the restriction on the bridle (usually from being placed under kicker flaps) is what would be preventing the PC from going farther.

Let's say your reserve bridle is 15 feet long. A PC that launches hard to 4-6 feet can orient and pressurize itself faster than one that "lobs" out to the end of the bridle since it has less distance to cover before it orients itself and slows it's own descent rate down so the jumper can fall away from it as opposed to a PC that is "freefalling" for that 15 feet until it hits the end of the bridle. I know of tests where the bridle was rubber banded inside of the container and on some jumps there was no measureable difference in deployment time, while in other jumps it was up to 3/4 of a second faster.

[Hooknswoop 19]

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Ok, well, that kind of answered my question. My reserve PC plopped down right behind my feet. There was no "spring" to it.

Was the main still packed? I've seen this cause the PC's launch to be less than with the main removed.

I've seen Wings PC's fall to the jumper's feet and launch to the end of the bridle. It depends on the reserve/container size and how the reserve was packed.

Derek

[mjosparky 3]

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Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly....

It varies greatly from rig to rig, and can also vary greatly from rigger to rigger. there are pretty much two schools of thought- make a PC that can blast through the jumpers' burble when they are flat and stable, or make a PC that can clear the flaps of the reserve container but relies on the air returning to the jumpers' back to sweep it out to the side and into clean air. Something else to keep in mind is the fact that a PC doesn't do anything (orient itself or stay inflated) until it has a load on it, so a PC that launches to 4 feet or so on the ground can actually deploy a canopy faster than a PC that goes to full bridle extension.

Regardless, it always feels good to have the PC fly across the room and knock a picture off the wall

Kelly, if I remember right, we tested your reserve P/C when you changed over. Worked great.
Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[skydiverek 58]

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BTW, Quasar II has a cool feature helping the reserve PC launch. Basically, the reserve side flaps have the stiffeners in them that cause the to stay open. So, when you pull the reserve pin, the side flaps open by themselves in an instant, and the reserve PC does not have to push thru them. It actually takes a significant force to close the flaps down (basically, it's like a flower that blossoms in an instant).

In general, that's like having an unobstructed launch of an external PC with the reserve PC that is actually packed inside. Maybe such a design would also help the recent "Mirage issue", since the container "wants" to open by itself...

That's what I meant: http://strongparachutes.com/Pages/qspicts.html --- the animation is on the right.

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[Designer 0]

Sorry,just couldn't help myself,"OUT".(LOL)

[ChileRelleno 0]

I always pull my handles while wearing the rig at re-pack time, safety is free practice EP's all you want.
My Reflex poptop launches like jack-n-the-box, I know that suckers going somewhere when I pull silver!

ChileRelleno-Rodriguez Bro#414
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