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SethInMI

How do brake lines get twisted up?

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I just untwisted mine 20 jumps after I untwisted them the last time, on a canopy w/ 50 jumps total, and as I was doing it I wondered, "How does this happen?" I stick the toggles in the keepers on landing, but I thought maybe I rotate a toggle with every jump and it just adds up?

I would like to prevent the twisting if I can.

Seth

ps. I tried a search but I couldn't figure out how to filter out posts about deployment time line twists.
It's flare not flair, brakes not breaks, bridle not bridal, "could NOT care less" not "could care less".

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I'm not sure if putting a twist in them (inadvertently) everytime you stow your toggles would account for all of it, but it could count for some of it.

Anyway, taking the twists out is a good thing to do. If not, the theory is tension knots are more likely to happen.

Also, I've found that if you have steering lines that have a bunch of twists in them and you blow off untwisting them for awhile and then go to try to do it, the line sort of "takes a set" and you can't really get the twist out. :S

Anyway... anyway...
[joke]
I always figured the twists in steering lines came from doing spirals while under canopy... so... spiral the other direction on the next jump and you should be fine.
:D
I've wondered too if twists in steering lines go one direction in the Northern Hemisphere and the other in the Southern?
:D:D
[/joke]

Okay... now back to your regularly scheduled thread... ;)

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I just untwisted mine 20 jumps after I untwisted them the last time, on a canopy w/ 50 jumps total, and as I was doing it I wondered, "How does this happen?" I stick the toggles in the keepers on landing, but I thought maybe I rotate a toggle with every jump and it just adds up?

I would like to prevent the twisting if I can.

Seth


ps. I tried a search but I couldn't figure out how to filter out posts about deployment time line twists.



I bet that i you let go of the toggles while in flight the toggles can dance in the wind (assuming velcroless). I bet if you dont stow the toggles right away after you land - they can rotate a few times.

what works for me :

check your brake line all the way from the cascade down to the toggle beginning of every jumping day. Ideally do it every packjob, but that gets boring and you don't always have time

Once you land, keep the toggles in your hands and set your brakes and stow them.

good luck.

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Travelling to as many dropzones and dealing with jumpers as a tour rep during my days at PD, I've actually noticed that most jumpers have one brake line more twist up more than the other, (especially in windy area's)

My theory. ... (as twisted as it might seem) When you land in a windy enviroment, most jumpers, pull one toggle down while releasing the other just after they have control of their weight on their feet, and turn/spin under the risers to face the canopy and make sure it flies nose first into the ground. Then stow their brakes ... complete with one twist in the line that is attached to the toggle in their hand. (left handed people tend to go one way ... right hand the other)

It doesn't take more than a couple jumps to see signficant twists in the line..... with the heat generated by friction of the slider racing down your microline, shrinks the fibres in microline.... those that have a twisted edge against the slider, will eventually become set in their twist, regardless of how many times you untwist them.

like I said........ a twisted theory!

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... okay, trying to remember all that "right hand rule" stuff I learned way back in college when getting that B.S. in Aerospace Engineering... now if on landing... I drop my left toggle and spin on my right foot trying to collapse my canopy in high winds... and haul in on my right steering line... and I'm in the Northern Hemisphere... so the corriolis effect is imparting forces in... what direction would it be???....

Fuck! No wonder my steering lines are so twisted up!!?!
:S

My head hurts, I need a beer.
:D

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I've actually noticed that most jumpers have one brake line more twist up more than the other



This was true for me (one brake line had a few twists, the other had, well, alot).

I guess I will have to pay attention to what am doing before I stow, or just run the twists out more often.

Seth

An for all you twisted people post-whoring it up in my thread, go back to the bonfire! ;)
It's flare not flair, brakes not breaks, bridle not bridal, "could NOT care less" not "could care less".

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I'm completely convinced that little gremlins crawl in my gear bag at night and put twists my steering lines.

I have however gotten in the habit of untwisting my steering lines while under canopy (if traffic allows)

But why hasn't someone invented a swivel just above the toggle that eliminates this problem in the first place?


.
Doc
http://www.manifestmaster.com/video

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I check both brake line before packing after the last jump of the day. Since I'm doing this, I've never had more that 3-4 twists in the lines.

Next time, I'll check if one brake line has usually more twists than the other.

All your dropzone are belong to us!!!!111!

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