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hjumper33

Hooking up a main backwards...

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I just got my new demo Sabre2 from PD and hooked it up to my container. Figured it was pretty straight forward, but then I thought about horror stories I had heard about people hooking up mains backwards. I guess im just wondering how that could even happen. Wouldnt you notice when you are packing that nose is on the wrong side or that theres a twist in the lines? I dunno, maybe just paranoid but id like to know what I could have missed.

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How could it happen?

Unqualified
Inattentive
Inebreated
Inahurry
Inept

Rigging compitence comes with experience and training. With experience comes confidence and the dreaded fellings of doubt go away.

Have it checked by a qualified rigger and then repack before you jump, better to be safe than sorry. I have landed backwards a lot, but never with a fast ram air canopy.
An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

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I admit to doing it once. When I had jsut gotten my packing class was when I just started using the rental gear from Square 1 in Perris. Each main has to be parapacked at the end of the day and removed from the particular cotainer you are using.

I packed it myself and having only packed a couple times, I didn;t catch the nose being the wrong direction.

Whe nI got done, I started my gear check. I noticed that the RSL rings were outwards, not inwards. It didn't look right to me. I had someone look at it. He wasn't sure enough so we decided to take the pack job apart. Voila! The main was on backwards. I think it is easy to do when you have to get gear that way. It is one benefit of having one's own gear.

So, any way, it is possible and has been done. I am just glad I caught the mistake and got help.

David

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How could it happen?

Unqualified
Inattentive
Inebreated
Inahurry
Inept



Or maybe even on purpose? I've seen someone connect a main backwards on purpose so that a camera flyer could film a stunt from the front. It doesn't seem like something everyone should do, but when it's done by an expert I don't think it falls into the "horror story" category. The canopy still flies and flares.
Owned by Remi #?

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Well the one horror story I was thinking of in general was a very experienced jumper who had a few hundred jumps on a 150, borrowed a friends new rig with a 135 which the friend had accidently hooked up backwards. and wound up under a 126 reserve. Nothing like an instantaneous unplanned downsize.

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I would think that demo gear especially would have the right and left riser labeled in some really obvious way.

It is easy to make a small mark in a location that is not obtrusive.
People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

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Or maybe even on purpose? I've seen someone connect a main backwards on purpose



Years ago I was one of the S&TA's at Perris and signed Gary Cobb off for his Pro Rating. He did 6 of the 10 required accuracy jumps with his canopy hooked up backwards.

He started a group called “Backwards CREW” and got his 4 stack, 8 stack and CCS awards with the canopy hooked up backwards.

He moved to OZ in the mid to late 80’s.:P
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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It can easily happen when you disconnect your risers for whatever reason and then reconect leaving the canopy in the d-bag. That is why you should always repack and do a line continuity check if you have disconeccted the risers.

Sometimes riggers disconect the main to repack the reserve and then hook it back up without taking the main out of the bag. This happened to me after I needed a rushed repack at a boogie. However the rigger was smart enough to warn me to do a full repack of my main just in case.

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I have seen it done on a tandem and then landed!

the funny thing is that the customer didn't even realise until after she was told on the ground!

hows ya genral awareness!!!:D:D

the T/M had over 10000 jumps too.

I've also heard of people doing it to film CRW!
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

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My first sports rig used to belong to Gary Cobb.

I believe he went on to make over 1000 jumps on that set of gear flying backwards.

It had BCRW-1 embroidered on the mudflap and you can still see the odd sticker floating around dropzones around here with the same printed on them
I like my canopy...


...it lets me down.

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Doesn't anyone other than me trust their own ability to reconnect properly?

Repack whenever the risers are disconnected? For those not capable of laying out the bag and risers to be reconnected later, I suggest that a rigger take care of everything, including checking your gear before each jump.
People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

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Doesn't anyone other than me trust their own ability to reconnect properly?



Well I have a Loft and a Reserve packing area or 2 at my DZ and I can lock those up if I leave a packed main disconected, however if I left something in the main packing hall and I wasn't with it 100% of the time I would repack. I know I can connect a set of risers without putting the main on backwards. What I don't know is if anybody has moved them when I haven't had them in my sight.

Anyway repacking isn't a bad idea, doing a line continuity check will make you that little bit more familiar with your gear and if nothing else it gives you a bit more packing practise and god knows some people need it. :D
_________________________________________

Nullius in Verba

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For clarification purposes, what is meant by line continuity check? Would this be when you separate the three lines groups at each riser and run them up to the main making sure they are separated and untangled? THat is what it sounds like to me.

David

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I'm a rigger. When I did it (and managed to jump it on a cross-country no less), I was quite confident of my ability. Turned out I'd been a little too confident that time.

I did stand it up, though.

When you're doing something blind (which hooking a packed main to a canopy counts as), it's probably best to have something to assist in ensuring correct configuration. Whether it's a card, or a piece of paper that you tape the risers to, or writing "LEFT" and "RIGHT" on them. Something to prevent distraction from making you think you're right when you're not.

And I'm neither stupid, nor am I careless with rigging.

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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For clarification purposes



Well if the lines haven't been off the risers seperating the 3 line groups, front, rear & control and running them down to the canopy is all it takes. This off course assumes they were on the links right to start with.

In fact you can do it with just the control line as long as you eyeball the risers to make sure you havent let them twist through on themselves.

Obviously if the lines have been off the links, each line should be checked for proper continuity from the canopy to the links and proper orientation on the risers.
_________________________________________

Nullius in Verba

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Hi kkeenan,

Quote

It's a very good idea to mark your risers for Left and Right.



The last set of risers I built for myself (black mini risers) I put a very small piece of T-3 in silver 'sticking out' just where the confluence wrap is above the grommet. I just caught the T-3 in the end of the confluence wrap so it only stuck out about 1/8".

This allowed me to easily know which side went where.

The next time you (or anyone) buys a set of risers, you might ask if they could do something like this for you.

Then, of course, always remember that silver (or whatever color) always goes to the outside.

Jerry

PS) Just trying to stay ahead of the problems. Now what was that Bill Booth premise???????

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My Rigger gave me a good piece of advice when disconnecting my risers. When you pull them off, put an elastic around them and use the phrase "Right on Top". Then when you go to put them back on, you remember that the right riser is on top. This assumes you stacked the right riser on top of the left riser when you put the elastic on. Works for me.


Chris
"When once you have tasted flight..."

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>When you pull them off, put an elastic around them and use
>the phrase "Right on Top".

And then you wonder "did I rotate the risers? Did they get rotated relative to the pack job?" When I try tricks like that, I often end up with a 360'ed main (not a 180 yet, fortunately.)

The only method that's ever worked for me consistently is a purpose-built bag with a riser-keeper on the outside that both held the risers and the bag and prevented them from turning.

Our coach had a cutaway last weekend; gave the rig to Amy to repack. He hooked up the main in a hurry the next day without repacking it, jumped it, and - 180 off. Cutaway on a brand new repack.

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i heard recently about another rigger i know who repacked a reserve and then reconnected the main on backwards.its the stupidest thing ever!!! from a rigger??? the only way to ensure correct line continuity is to just take it out and repack it, i mean how long does it take to repack a main for christ sake? how anyone can put a canopy on backwards,jump it and then claim they are not stupid and careless with rigging beggars belief!!!!

if you absolutely cant repack your main for some strange reason how about just taking it to linestretch without removing it from the bag..
my hovercraft is full of eels.

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