Mis-routing RSLs

[jheadley 0]

You hear about misrouting chest straps or bridles all the time but you never hear much about misrouting RSLs. Why is that? It seems pretty easy to do. There have been some definite RSL mis-routings I've seen before, but also some that aren't so obvious. I've caught several rigs that appeared to have misrouted RSLs. While they all would have most likely still worked in a cutaway, they still worry me. I'll show some pictures of what I mean.

The first picture called "RSL" is an RSL connected to a ring on the riser that is on the outside, and not the inside, like usual. This was a vector 2, but Mirage risers IIRC. I asked the manufacturer about this, and also a master rigger, and they said this was ok. It doesn't look very pretty but I see no reason why it wouldn't work. Is this ok on pretty much all harness and riser combinations?

I have also seen people hook up RSLs with the ring on the outside of the riser, but the rsl lanyard is routed under a reserve riser. This setup had the RSL velcro attached to the inside of the front reserve riser, so it only went under that one riser. This means the RSL lanyard and ring would have to travel underneath a reserve riser, in one side, and out the other, before releasing in the event of a cutaway. It still would probably work but I do see some possibility of a hang up.

Last weekend on a Telesis, I found an RSL routed underneath both reserve risers this time, since the Telesis had the velcro channel going along the yoke, but this rig had the RSL ring on the inside of the main riser, so I really saw no reason at all why this would be done. The lanyard actually ran down the inside, then under the reserve risers, to the outside, and then came back around to connect to the inside ring on the riser. The other two telesis's on the dz had the RSLs routed in the standard way, and after talking to another rigger, I changed it back to the standard way.

There is another way that is hard to catch, and at first it seems like it'd hang, again, but if the cutaway cable is pulled, then I suppose it shouldn't be an issue, but again, I see no reason why you'd connect it like this. I like seeing the rsl routing nice and clean. I've attached what I mean in the image RSL2. Basically the rsl is between the cutaway cable housing and the riser.

Are these real issues or am I just thinking way too hard about this?

[councilman24 36]

I probably wouldn't have been too worried about the first one. Ring outside instead of inside. The others, running under reserve risers or around cutaway housings are legitimate concerns and should be corrected.

I've seen a number of these also. The worst was running the rsl though the harness main ring to the riser rsl ring. Would have had to pull the rsl through the harness ring of the three ring.

Sounds to me like your doing good work.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[TCMRigging 0]

Sadly enough I have spotted and fixed many many RSL's in the plane that were either routed through the three ring, clipped to the three ring, routed under the reserve risers and some rigs have enough slack that the loose part of the RSL ends up in the three ring.

I fixed one this past Sunday that had the slack pulled through the three ring.

A little safety check in Parachutist may not be a bad idea since Javelins now require the RSL to be connected even if you do not use it.

Chris

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

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Are these real issues or am I just thinking way too hard about this?

Yes, its a real issue because if mis-routed an RSL can kill rather then help.

My 2 cents...

In my time, I too have found RSLs that have been mis-routed.

I can think of one instance where the RSL was mis-routed around the reserve risers before being hooked to the ring on the riser. It came to my attention when the jumper of the rig had just landed, got back to the packing area and was in the process of "cutting away" the main so they could swap it out for another. They had pulled the cut-away and released the 3-rings, but couldn't figure out what was up with the RSL; they hadn't undone the shakle and stoped and came and asked me for help. I told them about unhooking the RSL first, but more importantly pointed out the RSL mis-routing and what could have went badly for them on the preceeding jump if the had to have cut-away for real. After that, the jumper, a low timer at that point, got REALLY interested in gear checks.

I've also seen a couple of RSL mis-routings on rigs with the "no sew a ring on the main riser" technique of hooking up an RSL. This technique is hard to explain if one has never seen it before, but it involves a loop of tape through the bottom of the main riser (where the middle rig attacheds to the main riser) that the RSL is hooked to rather then to a ring sew to the riser. While this works and you don't have to do any sewing on a main riser that doesn't already have a ring to hook the RSL to, it can be more easily (IMO) mis-routed by someone unfamiliar with this set-up such that the RSL would have to be drug throuh the big ring (rig side) upon cut-away. I've seen folks with such rigs with the RSL hooked up such that it would drag the RSL through the big ring on cut-away. I've also seen second parties trying to "help" a third party wearing a rig with such a set-up during the ride to altitude where they disconnect the RSL conviced it is mis-routed before, but actually re-hooked it to where it was okay before, but now really was mis-routed.

Last but not least, even though the "theory" behind an RSL is pretty much a constant, today, they "appear" more different from many a rig mfgr to antother rig mfgr as opposed to say 10 years ago. For instance... ring on the right main riser... ring on the left main riser... ring on the side of the riser... ring on the back of the riser... Velcro used to afix the lanyard... tucks used to afix the lanyard... a channel used to afix the lanyard... two guide rings... one guide ring... no guide rings... reserve pin actually on the end of the RSL lanyard... the RSL lanyard acting as a pin puller... etc. All similar in appearance and operation, but different enough to confuse many, IMO.

Okay, not everyone needs to be a rigger, but it never ceases to amaze me how little some know about the gear they're using to save their lives after jumping from an airplane and the misinformation they'll defend as truth from well meaning, but similarly misinformed others. Okay... I'll get off my soapbox...


Anyway, anyway, really last but not least. Last of my 2 cents... Stand by to stand by... as the Skyhook begins to proliferate... Skyhook, not a bad thing, but definitly more complex... RSL + Collin's lanyard + hooked to reserve bridle... the chances of mis-routing that critter are going to be exponential as compared to just an RSL.

[KellyF 16]

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Are these real issues or am I just thinking way too hard about this?

In the first pic, the worst I can see happening is the possibility of the snap shackle finding it's way under the riser while it's packed, thereby making it harder to release prior to the main being deployed.

In the second pic, there is no issue that I can see. In the event that the riser leaves (either by cutaway or breakage), it will function normally. In fact, I prefer to stow RSL's this way due to a little added security provided by the cutaway housing. If something were to snag the RSL and start pulling it toward the reserve container, the cutaway housing will provide some resistance, as opposed to having very little resistance and a big loop of RSL lanyard hanging out in the breeze
So you may be thinking too hard about it, but at least your THINKING about it, which as others have pointed out, isn't too common

VSE on Facebook

[skyblu3 0]

This thread got me worried. I used to own an old Javelin a few years ago. It was an older one manufactured in 1989. It had a rsl that was put on by a well known master rigger, it wasnt a factory made rsl. Many different riggers had packed this rig and every rigger had a different opinion of how this rsl should be routed. It used to really piss me off cos I never new what was right.

Now I once again have an rsl equipped rig. See pic. Is it routed correctly?? It's going around the housing. Funny how the Icon manual does not mention the rsl. Maybe one of the Aerodyne guys can chip in!

[azureriders 0]

I always go over RSL routing with my coach students, as required for the A, but I agree, it is not often discussed enough. I also jump both my rigs with an installed but disconnected and stowed RSL. This serves two purposes, one, after I have shown them a gear check on thier rig, then they do a gear check on mine, and oh, did you catch that, and also, if a novice jumper is looking to buy gear and wants to demo mine, I hook it back up for him to jump.

[brettski74 0]

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Now I once again have an rsl equipped rig. See pic. Is it routed correctly?? It's going around the housing. Funny how the Icon manual does not mention the rsl. Maybe one of the Aerodyne guys can chip in!

I'd be concerned about that routing. I had a similar routing of the RSL slack on my Vector 3. I had a cutaway a week ago and as a result, my Vector 3 has gone back to the factory for repair. See attached photos.

Like you, I figured that once the cutaway cable is gone, the RSL would be free to slip past the cable housing as the risers leave the harness, and perhaps in many cases it will. Based on the damage to my rig and the visible pill/scuff marks on the RSL lanyard at the correct spot, it appears as though in this instance at least, it instead snagged on the cable housing. Fortunately, the cable housing ripped out so the main canopy did clear and the reserve deployed without incident, however, things could have been much much worse. The RSL routing in your picture goes around the cable housing much like mine did. I believe there exists the possibility that under some load, it may snag much like mine did.

As for why I would have stowed the RSL slack this way, when I first got my V3, freshly assembled at the UPT loft, the RSL was stowed very tidily, with no slack showing. I'm not sure when - probably at one of my repacks, I got the rig back with a loop from a couple of inches of RSL slack hanging loose "in the breeze". There was probably nothing particularly wrong with this, although I saw it as untidy and a potential snag hazard, so I sought to figure out how the UPT loft may have stowed the slack so that it wasn't hanging loose in a large loop.

Having been able to look at my rig fully disassembled, now, I notice that there's a small pouch underneath the reserve risers, which appears to be the correct place to stow the RSL slack on a Vector 3. Unfortunately, I've not yet been able to find anything in the Vector 3 manual or on the UPT website about correct stowage of the RSL slack, however, once the UPT loft get a chance to look at my rig and I get an official answer on RSL routing/stowage I'll add the response here. Of course, if there is already something on the website or somewhere else, feel free to post a link.

[hajnalka 0]

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The first picture called "RSL" is an RSL connected to a ring on the riser that is on the outside, and not the inside, like usual. This was a vector 2, but Mirage risers IIRC. I asked the manufacturer about this, and also a master rigger, and they said this was ok. It doesn't look very pretty but I see no reason why it wouldn't work. Is this ok on pretty much all harness and riser combinations?

I bet it would work OK, but IMO it could be a safety issue because most of us are used to the RSL ring being inboard on the riser.

Some people install mains without considering R vs L riser, or placement of the RSL ring. Which is fine until they give the main on risers to a friend to jump ... and the friend hooks it up backwards based on the RSL ring inboard thing. I've seen this happen and of course it's a stupid mistake on their part for not doing a continuity check ...

I've seen lots of laziness installing mains correctly on left or right risers regarding the RSL ring, and have had to switch many main risers because of this. It's not that hard to get right in the first place, but lots of people don't seem to think of this.

I like RSL rings to be inboard and it looks "wrong" to me when I see a shackle connected to an outboard ring.

Good thread, thanks for posting. Great food for thought.

[pchapman 261]

Brettski74 quoted Skyblu3:

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Now I once again have an rsl equipped rig. See pic. Is it routed correctly?? It's going around the housing. Funny how the Icon manual does not mention the rsl. Maybe one of the Aerodyne guys can chip in!

I'd be concerned about that routing. I had a similar routing of the RSL slack on my Vector 3.

Hi Brett, I don't have any easy answer for what must be a rare type of failure, that the RSL would actually be able to snag on the free end of the cutaway housing to the extent of ripping the housing off the container.

Whether good or bad, I think the RSL slack is normally routed how Skyblu3 showed it: "around the outside" of the cutaway housing. This is in contrast to going "up between the housing and riser". Usually I see the former, and I think the latter only rarely, such as when the cutaway housing bulges outward a lot from the yoke. In that case, instead of routing the RSL way out far around the housing, the RSL can go straight up "inside".

I was curious so skimmed a few manuals (not necessarily the latest but generally up to date). Wings, Infinity*, and UPT show photos that suggest the RSL goes around the outside. R.I.'s pic is hard to see but likely outside. Aerodyne didn't seem to show anything. Mirage shows the cutaway housing routed up from the other side of the shoulder strap, so it is clear of the RSL.

* (KellyF of Velocity Sports wrote earlier for the Infinity that he likes the inside routing for for a different snag related reason.)

As for RSL slack, keeping it from dangling has long been an issue for rigs.

[LloydDobbler 2]

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Having been able to look at my rig fully disassembled, now, I notice that there's a small pouch underneath the reserve risers, which appears to be the correct place to stow the RSL slack on a Vector 3. Unfortunately, I've not yet been able to find anything in the Vector 3 manual or on the UPT website about correct stowage of the RSL slack, however, once the UPT loft get a chance to look at my rig and I get an official answer on RSL routing/stowage I'll add the response here. Of course, if there is already something on the website or somewhere else, feel free to post a link.

Though I can't post a link (don't know of one) and can't claim to be a rigger, I've had two separate master riggers demonstrate to me that said pouch is the place to stow the RSL excess on my Micron.

The end of the RSL (right next to the shackle that attaches to the riser) is more stiff than the rest of the RSL - I was told/shown to simply push it into the pouch, so that the remainder of the RSL slack comes out the same opening. This secures the excess and places your RSL shackle right next to the attachment point on the risers.

Signatures are the new black.

[brettski74 0]

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Though I can't post a link (don't know of one) and can't claim to be a rigger, I've had two separate master riggers demonstrate to me that said pouch is the place to stow the RSL excess on my Micron.

The end of the RSL (right next to the shackle that attaches to the riser) is more stiff than the rest of the RSL - I was told/shown to simply push it into the pouch, so that the remainder of the RSL slack comes out the same opening. This secures the excess and places your RSL shackle right next to the attachment point on the risers.

Yep. That's the one.

[erdnarob 1]

I always come back to that point but let me say it again. Look for the FUNCTION. If you know how it works then you will have a better judgement if something is alright or wrong. When I show people how to pack I really insist on the FUNCTION. For the 3 ring release for instance. Not only I tell them but I make also the system operate in front of their eyes. Too many jumpers are packing their rig without knowing what they do and why. They just repeat what they have been shown almost like a parrot repeating his master's favorite swearword. Riggers or/and instructors are not always taking the time to explain the HOW and the WHY. I recently put on purpose for a test 7 mistakes on a rig in order to get a student finding them. He found 6 of them which is not bad. The one he missed was the main bridle cord coming from the pilot chute, tucked below the right flap but going under it and getting out at the top to allow the pin to lock the closing loop. It looks almost normal but jumping that rig would have ended with a pilot chute in tow. The student was pissed off for not finding that serious mistake but I told him that he will remember it for the rest of his life.
Coming back to the specific problem illustrated in this thread, the 2 first cases were quite harmless, just a manufacturer's design issue not really interfering with the FUNCTION of the RSL but the one with the RSL going under the reserve risers is a pity since the RSL is caught and tighted between the container and the reserve risers. If you think about the FUNCTION, in case of cut away, the main parachute has to pull the RSL and its pin from below the reserve riser and possibly the result will be not extraction of the reserve pin. A special attention is about routing the RSL above the AAD cable going to the display window (if placed under the yoke). Otherwise, in case of cut away the RSL will rip off that AAD cable and will likely damage it.

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[brettski74 0]

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Unfortunately, I've not yet been able to find anything in the Vector 3 manual or on the UPT website about correct stowage of the RSL slack

Actually, I sit corrected. It is mentioned on page 37 as part of the main packing instructions. My recent searches concentrated on the skyhook and reserve packing instructions and as for when I first got the rig, I guess it never sunk in. I just happened to notice it by chance while looking through the manual again today.

I should also mention that UPT repaired my rig and had it back to me by today. I'm really happy with the service from the loft at UPT. I really couldn't have asked for more.

[Jason42 0]

I've got an Aerodyne rig that has the RSL routed behind the reserve risers. It even has a strip of velcro going vertically down the riser and a strip going across to attach it to.

Is this wrong?

[erdnarob 1]

I am not knowledgeable about the Aerodyn rig and I am not sure of what you mean with "behind the reserve risers".
But what I can tell you is, if the little shackle at the end of the RSL is attached to a ring located on the outside (sideway) of the (main) riser and if the RSL is passing under the reserve risers then you have a problem.
Explanation. Suppose you cut away, the main parachute goes with its risers. The RSL riser pulls the RSL but if this RSL is caught under the reserve risers it can stay stuck there before having the chance to pull the reserve pin. The RSL has to able to peel off from its velcro without interference from reserve risers and/or AAD cable and has to go directly to the reserve pin.
If equiped with a RSL including a Collins lanyard, in case of cut away, the RSL has first to release the non RSL riser then pull the reserve pin. In case of the Skyhook, the RSL has to release the non RSL riser first, then pull the reserve pin and keep on pulling the reserve bridle. That is why in all cases, the RSL has to be routed to avoid any interference. I recommend you strongly to consult a rigger and get some good explanation with hopefuly a demo.

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[Jason42 0]

That makes sense. I can visualize exactly what you mean in regards to problems with the ring being on the outside and running under the reserve risers and the potential hangup that can occur. In my case the ring is on the inside and the velcro runs down the back of of the reserve riser and goes directly to the pin. I was confused as to if there was a problem with it being routed behind the riser because looking at it I couldn't see anything functionally wrong with it and wanted clarification. This helped.

[erdnarob 1]

<<. In my case the ring is on the inside and the velcro runs down the back of of the reserve riser and goes directly to the pin.>>

That looks better since when the cut away main will pull on the RSL it will peel off from the velcro under the riser and then will pull the pin. I have seen that kind of installation. But you can try it on the ground and see by yourself. Always think about the function. Will the RSL able to peel off from the velcro and pull the pin ? If the answer is YES then probably you are OK. But double check with a rigger.

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.