tacking reserve "slinks"

[tsalnukt 1]

I've been told that it's a must and I've been told that it's not.

If they are tacked down then it makes them difficult to inspect to make sure that they are assembled correctly. Of Course you would like to think that whoever assembled them and tacked them down, did it correctly.

I can't really think of a really bad situation that could come from not having them tacked down, but I am open to learn.

What do other people do and think of all this.

[erdnarob 1]

PD doesn't mention any tacking at all on its slinks. But PD asks to keep the ending going thru the loop inside the folded riser to protect it from abrasion from the slider grommet. After 20 jumps or so, the slink has a sufficient set to stay stable.

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

[ficus 0]

Quote

PD doesn't mention any tacking at all on its slinks. But PD asks to keep the ending going thru the loop inside the folded riser to protect it from abrasion from the slider grommet. After 20 jumps or so, the slink has a sufficient set to stay stable.

And you still have 5 jumps left on your reserve before it has to go back to PD!

[riggerrob 558]

This debate dates back to when Parachutes de France introduced reusable soft links more than a decade ago. Initially, P de F's soft links were only sold with special main risers. P de F main risers included centering studs, basically half of a snap fastener. The centering studs purpose was to hold the steel ring - on the soft link - in the middle of the two layers of webbing, where it was least likely to be damaged by slider grommets.
Fast forward a few years and a dozen other manufacturers copied P de F reusable soft links, but none of them copied the centering stud. The first report of a soft link failing included a rough slider grommet repeatedly slamming the exposed tab on a soft link until it broke.
The current fashion of hand-tacking soft links serves the same function as P de F's centering stud. Hand-tacking also prevents the lark's head knot from undoing itself ... something I have never seen in practice.

Lesson learned: "If you don't understand something, copy it exactly" Sandy Reid.

[pchapman 262]

You'll have to check the manuals but I seem to recall that Aerodyne mentions tacking their soft links in the Icon manual, but not in the Smart manual. (Smart reserves come with their soft links.)

In any case, not being under FAA rules, I tend to leave reserve soft links un-tacked, just stretching them to try to seat them. I prefer having them inspectable.

Remember all those rigs with rapid links that had no bumpers and no tacking? Links rotating, lines sliding around, contacting the barrel? I never liked that much but I guess when the reserve was used everything usually lined up properly and didn't cross-load the link (across the short dimension). Definitely uglier than un-tacked soft links.

[riggerrob 558]

... not being under FAA rules ...

The difference between FAA and CSPA policy is insignificant at the rigger level.

IOW, if you are not following PIA, FAA, CSPA, OEM, etc. policy, you are in the wrong in any country.

Better riggers hand-tack soft links.

[tsalnukt 1]

Do you un-tack them to inspect them and then tack them again?? Why is that better??

[Bertt 0]

This is a little off-topic, since the OP was about reserves. I've seen the metal ring on Aerodyne soft links put dents in slider grommets if the rings aren't tacked in between the risers. A recent ad from Aerodyne describes an "ingeneous pocket" on Icon risers that "eliminates the need" to tack the ring by providing a place to stow it.

You don't have to outrun the bear.

[tsalnukt 1]

I'm totally for tacking slinks on mains. The risers are much thinner and they get used a whole lot more and sometimes they don't set just right. The reserve risers are much wider adn don't get used that much adn it makes it easier to inspect if they are not tacked. I really can't think of a good reason to tack the slinks on a reserve. Can anyone enlighten me???

[koppel 3]

hmmm there are lots of good reasons to tack them and no bad ones not to.

the part about making it harder to check them is nonsense as well. Unpick-Inspect-Tack. It takes a couple of minutes and is called doing the work properly.

I like my canopy...


...it lets me down.