Wings freefly pud handle and brake stowage

[propilot 0]

I have had a freefly handle on a mirage rig and absolutely loved it. The custom made mirage however did not fit, so I sold it after 1 year of owning it and ordered a Wings. (I think the mirage problem was a measuring issue from a bad gear dealer..the mirage was an awesome rig, just didnt fit)



The wings is amazing. Awesome fit, great design, awesome. by far the best rig that i have owned (out of three). Except for two (should be easy to fix) things.


The main freefly handle pud. this has to be the gayest (is that a word?) incarnation of a freefly handle. the tab that slides into the rig is like a limp noddle and is impossible to get into the space between the flap and bottom of container fabric. adding to this problem, is the attachement point of handle to PC. its in the middle of the tab that is supposed to go in between the flap and rig. it forces me to pull out the PC fabric to even get the handle stowed 1/2 way in (which is made impossible because it issooo limp! ...my rig is a tight close, so its hard to get it in there).


second, the brake line stows. you end up tearing up your brake lines trying to stuff feed them though the taught elastic...wtf?

does anyone else have these problems on their new wings?


PS...I absolutely LOVE my wings...out of the entire process the only complaints I have are these two small things...so dont get me wrong. its the best rig ever....just need to find out if im the only one or maybe I should tell wings about it?

[mr2mk1g 10]

Must have changed things since I got mine...

Try contacting Wings and see what they say.

[koppel 3]

Brake stowage I have the same problem. I found by careful feeding of the lines in first that you can prevent most of the problem. I will be making a different system to go on mine with a rigger friend.

With regards to the Pud. never had a problem with it being too tight. Too loose yes. Most of that problem (but not all) went away when I sent them back to have the Birdman Mods done. Dealer failure to specify on ordering

Otherwise, AWESOME Rigs

I like my canopy...


...it lets me down.

[damion75 0]

Can't help you with the pud as I got a hackey, but as for the brake line stowage, I got a rigger to put a small bit of elastic on the other side of the rear risers from the toggles, and I tuck the brake excess into that. It took about 2 mins and works a treat.

***************

Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

[Zoter 0]

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Otherwise, AWESOME Rigs

I'm picking mine up in 5days !!....cant wait

[Professor 0]

Yeah, the wings freefly handle is atrocious. They really need to redesign that thing. I got rid of mine as fast as I could.

As for the breaks, I don't have the same risers you do, appearantly, but my jav has elastic to stow the break lines in. All I do is pinch the sides of the risers in, and that separates the elastic and the webbing, then slide in the break line.

Ted
Like a giddy school girl.

[mr2mk1g 10]

Could someone describe in detail this new handle design because the one on mine I would describe as one of the greatest features of the rig. The short descriptions here don't appear to tally with the design I have.

cheers

[tr027 0]

I have a Wings PC with freefly handle. It's a standard freefly handle with a stiffener tab sewn on, then 1 or 2 inches of string running from the tab to the apex. It would be nice if they could remove the tab and string, or at least just the string, so as not to have an entanglement hazard. Easiest thing would be to switch to the PVC pipe style handle.

"The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it. " -John Galt from Atlas Shrugged, 1957

[Professor 0]

pic here.

Ted
Like a giddy school girl.

[Dumpster 0]

Put a call into Ankie at Wings and discuss the difficulties you're having with her. They should be able to help you out in no time at all.

Easy Does It

[dmetz 0]

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I have had a freefly handle on a mirage rig and absolutely loved it. The custom made mirage however did not fit, so I sold it after 1 year of owning it and ordered a Wings. (I think the mirage problem was a measuring issue from a bad gear dealer..the mirage was an awesome rig, just didnt fit)



The wings is amazing. Awesome fit, great design, awesome. by far the best rig that i have owned (out of three). Except for two (should be easy to fix) things.


The main freefly handle pud. this has to be the gayest (is that a word?) incarnation of a freefly handle. the tab that slides into the rig is like a limp noddle and is impossible to get into the space between the flap and bottom of container fabric. adding to this problem, is the attachement point of handle to PC. its in the middle of the tab that is supposed to go in between the flap and rig. it forces me to pull out the PC fabric to even get the handle stowed 1/2 way in (which is made impossible because it issooo limp! ...my rig is a tight close, so its hard to get it in there).


second, the brake line stows. you end up tearing up your brake lines trying to stuff feed them though the taught elastic...wtf?

does anyone else have these problems on their new wings?


PS...I absolutely LOVE my wings...out of the entire process the only complaints I have are these two small things...so dont get me wrong. its the best rig ever....just need to find out if im the only one or maybe I should tell wings about it?

As far as the brake lines, I had the same issue. An easy fix is to stow extra line before the bottom toggle tab, and pinch the riser sides together to make a gap under the elastic.

I had a different issue with my FF handle that was remedied without a problem. By all means give Ankie a call, she/they will fix any problem you have and more with a quickness. They're great!

_________________________________________

"If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?"

[koppel 3]

It must be said that I was so impressed with the service when i had an issue that I went and ordered my girlfriend a Wings when she was ready for new gear

I like my canopy...


...it lets me down.

[Deuce 1]

Call Ankie.

In the time it took you to type your post, she could have fixed your problem (free) with a phone call.

The reason to buy a Wings is the comfort and safety, but primarily the customer service.

When you are dissatisfied with something, they will fix it!

[redramdriver 0]

Ditto..what Deuce said....absofrickenlutly.

So, you bring your beer?

Its 5 o'clock somewhere
POPS #9344

[mr2mk1g 10]

What's wrong with it?

[Professor 0]

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What's wrong with it?

Lack of security. The only thing holding that thing in is the tuck tab. That makes it a bitch to pack, and once it's in there, it can fall out if you bump it. And once it's out, it's a chore to get back in, and it's a huge snag hazard. Look at the design of the freefly handles on every other rig out there. They're sew onto the top of the pc completely, instead of just being attached with a piece of binding tape. The wings design actually has more distance between the PC and the handle than a standard hackey, so it can really get out there and flap around.

Ted
Like a giddy school girl.

[mr2mk1g 10]

I see you point - but of course if it comes out it turns into exactly the same kind of snag hazard as an ordinary hackey (except admittedly with corners and a more drag).

I have to admit though, I cannot see the tuck tab coming out of its housing without user error or the use of a canopy smaller than the rig was designed for. That thing is so tightly stuck under the flap I have to use two separate movements in order to deploy the pc – 1: pull pud (an inward movement), 2: throw. (at least on mine anyway... of course rigs will differ).

I saw one guy tucking the tab into the spandex... I wonder how many people complaining are doing this instead of putting the tab under the side flap where it's supposed to go?

As for the more distance between the tab and the pc – this allows the tab to be under the side flap instead of the mouth of the boc. This way it is facing back towards the mouth of the boc. The pud therefore covers the mouth of the pouch like a trap door – a design I feel is far more secure than other designs which simply let the pub hang out the spandex held only by the elastic of the pouch.

If you compare it to a hackey for example, there is something there to snag - the connection point between the hackey and pc. With this method the pud completely covers the mouth of the boc, the pc, and anything that's exposed as well as the connecting tape.

[hookitt 0]

The design is horrible. Wings is not my first choice of rigs but it's a good rig. That particular handle attachment, however, is very poorly thought out.

How many years have hand deployed pilot chutes been in existence? How many more times do pilot chutes have to become rendered useless after it ties itself in a not after deployment?

The handle should be sewn down to the apex. The way it's tied on is for ease of manufacturing.

Hackey Handles are less likely to snage but present the same type of danger. Both types have resulted in malfunctioned pilot chutes towed behind the jumper. In that situation, the hazards presented when the reserve is about to be deployed are vast.

The use of a hackey handle equipped pilot chute resulted in a BASE fatality when the bridle wrapped the handle on a wingsuit jump.

I would never suggest the use of that type of handle attachment used in the one pictured, but I would suggest discontinuing its use if you own one.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[Professor 0]

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I have to admit though, I cannot see the tuck tab coming out of its housing without user error or the use of a canopy smaller than the rig was designed for. That thing is so tightly stuck under the flap...

Yeah, it's definitely tight, which makes it hard to pack. Once the container gets a few jumps on it, it will loosen up, and then it can come out moving around in the plane, due in part to how far the distance is between the handle and the PC. The handle is only secured by the tuck tab, and that can slide out. Then you've got a whole bunch of handle dangling around back there, which is not easy to restow. I much prefer the designs used by everybody else.

Ted
Like a giddy school girl.

[GTAVercetti 0]

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I have to admit though, I cannot see the tuck tab coming out of its housing without user error or the use of a canopy smaller than the rig was designed for.

My container was made for my 170 with the ability to downsize to a 150 in the future and my handle slid out all the time. I was too lazy to send it back (and I wanted to be able to jump), so I had a rigger slap a little velcro on it.

I have packed it many different ways to try to get it to stay. Grommet up, grommet towards reserve, etc Nothing worked. The space between the right flap and the bottom where the handle should go just won't stay tight enough to "hug" the handle.

I may send it back when the velcro wears out. And ultimately, it is the only thing I do not like about my wings.

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[Trent 0]

Like everyone else has said, contact Sunrise Rigging and they'll probably handle it without any problems.

It's interesting to see so many people down on that handle. My team has been using them since 2003, doing a thousand jumps a year and never had any problems. Sure, we've knocked the handles out in freefall by doing stupid stuff and trying new moves, but each time it involved stepping on the handle by accident. Otherwise, they have never come out. When it was out, it felt just like a hackey back there flopping around, and it wasn't bad enough to expose ANY of the PC.

If you can't get the handle to stay in, make sure you're tucking it into the right corner flap/bridle cover. Also make sure you close the rig Bottom, Top, RIGHT, Left. That'll keep it a bit tighter. If you have a tight rig or an oversized canopy, the handle can be hard to get in, but it's nothing a couple of punches to the right corner hasn't fixed for me.

I've heard of people not liking the attachment between the PC apex and the handle before as well, and understand what COULD happen there. Getting the PC into the wind seems to help prevent that, and none of us has had any problems with it so far.

The good news is that either way, Wings is always making those handles better. I'm sure they will continue to do so.

Oh, hello again!

[GTAVercetti 0]

Yeah, I am just lazy with getting it fixed. The velcro works just fine for me at the moment. That is why I don't complain about it much.

But, as for the oversized thing. My container is made for my 170 (can fit a 150 too) but I actually STILL have a gap packing bottom, top, right, left.

DISCLAIMER: Even with this issue, I LOVE my rig.

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[hookitt 0]

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I've heard of people not liking the attachment between the PC apex and the handle before as well, and understand what COULD happen there.

It could happen and it does happen. It hasn't happened to you, but it's happened to others.

There is a much better design, and they don't use it.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[mr2mk1g 10]

Ah, thanks for that. I'd asked you to explain that in a thread a few months back. Now I see what you were talking about. cheers.

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[Trent 0]

By the way you describe it, it seems that this malfunction could happen to any PC with a handle on the end. I can see that having the 1/2 inch extension on the Wings handly would make it more likely, but only slightly. If the bridle comes out and loops around any PC, there is the chance that it would not slide around any type of handle.

I'd be interested to hear how many times it's happened on conventional (hackey, pvc) handles in relation to the Wings-type handle.

Likewise, I have seen drawbacks to the apex mounted freefly handles as well. Sloppy packing leaves some PC material exposed. A knocked out handle means the PC is now in the wind instead of JUST the handle. I have seen freefly handles on all kinds of rigs just not sitting right and loosely stowed.

Potential problems are everywhere.

Oh, hello again!