Packing Line Twists

[west33freefall 0]

So Had my 2nd cutaway this weekend. Severe line twists with a spinning stiletto. Did 3 rotations in less than 1.5 seconds before I cutaway. I do get the occasion line twist, about every 10 jumps or so. I know its usually bad body position but I was wondering what all the packing errors are that could cause line twists. I Flaked and laid down a spectre 135 last weekend, that got cutaway for the same thing last weekend. Got me thinking that I may be doin something. I didn't do anything extraordinary with either pack jobs, I am pretty efficient and clean in my packing, I was a packer for a season and a half. What can you do to pack twists so I know what not to do. The only thing I know I do with my stiletto that PD doesn't recomend is I push the nose a bit up in the tail before I roll the tail. I fly camera and I rather have a little softer opening. Any opinions would be helpful! Or is this more of just a coincidence that they got chopped?

[airtwardo 6]

Are you sure the slider is all the way at the upper stops, as you stuff the bag?

Any weird marks/burns on the canopy?

Can you follow a single 'top' line clearly through out your stows...or does it disappear to the bottom of the next stow?
~It's easy to put a 1/4 turn in the lines at each stow, sometimes they add up.

Are your shoulders square during deployment, how's the trim on the canopy, do the riser covers let go exactly at the same time...

~without video of an opening it's hard to diagnosis what the true problem might be.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[AggieDave 6]

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Are your shoulders square during deployment, how's the trim on the canopy, do the riser covers let go exactly at the same time...

Many times people make sure their leg straps are even. Well, most people's legs are NOT the same size. They should make sure that their 3-rings are even. I've seen a couple of inches difference on some people. Do that, with sloppy packing and BAM you're spinning on your back.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[NovaTTT 1]

Are you still jumping the Wings? How much unstowed line are you leaving? I suggest nice tight bights and 20 - 24" unstowed lines.

+1 what Twardo said. Also, Dave is right on about checking the symmetry of the 3-rings.

N

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

[Toasted_Cracker 0]

ive had 4 line twists on my last 4 jumps. I don't know why either. I had somebody watch me deploy and they said I had a stable deployment but my bag was spinning almost immediately as it came out of the container.

None of the line twists was severe enough to cut away but one was close.

I plan on asking my rigger this weekend before I make another jump. Maybe have him take a look at my pack job and checking the line lengths.

This all started recently to. I don't have many jumps on it but the first 10 jumps I made with my own pack job opened perfect. But now all of a sudden something is a miss.

I am jumping a old PD210 btw.

[PhreeZone 14]

Check the trim of the canopies. Odds are they have several hundred jumps on the canopies with out a reline and are out of trim. couple uneven trim on the canopies and other factors and you have the start of issues.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[west33freefall 0]

I still jump the wings container, and I have noticed if I leave a little more unstowed line in the container, it tends to open a little better but it makes me nervous leaving all that loose line in there, I Do make sure slider is all the way at the stops, a couple times through out the pack job, for aware of that because I have had hard openings and I make sure its there since I jump camera a lot. I usually make pretty clean stows but will definitely check to see if they are straight throughout the line stows, While definitly give this a look next time I pack it.

Also any one who knows wings, do you use the inside, or outside stows or both like wings suggest and what do you notice is the difference.

[wildcard451 0]

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I still jump the wings container, and I have noticed if I leave a little more unstowed line in the container, it tends to open a little better but it makes me nervous leaving all that loose line in there.

I leave between 2-3' of loose line on my velo. Just be careful with it and there shouldn't be a problem.

[azureriders 0]

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I still jump the wings container, and I have noticed if I leave a little more unstowed line in the container, it tends to open a little better but it makes me nervous leaving all that loose line in there

And it should. I have three wings containers and never leave more than about 12" of unstowed line. I rarely rarely ever get line twist.

excessive unstowed line to prevent line twist is a myth in my opinion.
excessive unstowed line has been a factor in line / container flap entanglements.

[timmyfitz 0]

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Severe line twists with a spinning stiletto.

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I do get the occasion line twist, about every 10 jumps or so. I know its usually bad body position

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I fly camera

I just have to ask. If your body position is bad enough to cause line twist every 10 jumps or so, is it wise jumping a Stiletto and a camera?

I don't think such frequent line twist could be described as occasional.

[NovaTTT 1]

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excessive unstowed line to prevent line twist is a myth in my opinion.

You're certainly entitled to have your opinion, but I know from long experience that too-short unstowed lines leads to linetwists on deployment. Sufficient unstowed lines does not.

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sloppy, poorly managed excessive unstowed line has been a factor in line / container flap entanglements.

FIFY

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

[dragon2 0]

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excessive unstowed line to prevent line twist is a myth in my opinion.

No way. I can feel by the way the bag leaves my back whether the packers have returned to too short slack again

Since I now mostly jump a pilot a bag coming up twisted a bit that is not that big of a deal but with my vengeance it got interesting much more quickly...

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[west33freefall 0]

My body position is not bad, Expecially when I jump camera, I have a whole routine on deployment and I ensure the best body position, I was just making a remark that most line twist probably occur due to slightly bad body position.

And also the stiletto is a very soft opening canopy, I would prefer to have 2 seperate rigs with a spectre 135/150 for camera but I don't so I do with what I get.

[wrightskyguy 1]

Absolutely, anything less than 12" of slack is begging for line twists. 18 to 24 " will do you right.

John Wright

World's most beloved skydiver

[skychock 0]

I agree with leaving 18"-24" unstowed. If not the lines are too taught and spin the bag out of the container on opening. I jump a lightly loaded spectre 190 and get line twist if I don't leave enough slack. Just be neat in packing the slack that's all. Of course it's not a cut-a-way predicament for me, just a nuisance.