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downtoearth

Metal cutaway handle

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Jumpshack offers a metal cutaway handle. The downside is that it it heavy, so if it is out of pocket in freefall, it will pull the yellow cables out (since there is a very little tension between cables and the loop). The standard cutaway pillow is lightweight, so the probability of that happening is lower.

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the benefit is that you are able to hook your thumb/fingers through it and have a much better chance of cutting away. Realistically if that's what you are worried about, hard riser housing would probably be a more effective solution. Still, you can get a cloth loop cutaway handle, instead of the bulky metal D-ring.

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Hey mojosparky, where are you at when we need you? :P

If memory serves, he used to jump a metal cutaway handle. I seem to remember one photo of him with rig and it was a 'conventional' D-shaped handle.

Maybe he will drop in here in a day or so and post a photo.

You would not be the first person to have this type of setup.

JerryBaumchen

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See pictures. They are much easier to use, as likestojump said, hook a thumb in each handle and go right, left. Some people say it is safer if they have a different feel. If you can't tell your right from you left maybe you not be jumping.

Sparky
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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after a fairly scary apinning mal, I had UPT put a metal cutaway handle on my rig - I wasn't able to cutaway using the pad until pretty low because of the spin....
I haven't jumped it yet but I like the idea of being able to get my fingers in to pull whatever the situation.......

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Jumpshack offers a metal cutaway handle. The downside is that it it heavy, so if it is out of pocket in freefall, it will pull the yellow cables out (since there is a very little tension between cables and the loop). The standard cutaway pillow is lightweight, so the probability of that happening is lower.



I have seen a dislodged cutaway handle lost in freefall. the guy realized and was very experienced and we just continued our 4 way :)

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is to clean and lub your yellow cable





I'm with ya on the 'clean' but would be careful with the lube.



from the UPT Vector3 manual for every 3 months:
"Clean and lubricate the release cable with a light oil such as “3 in 1” brand or silicon"

yes, the manual also says only a thin layer.

I don't need to lube my red (teflon) cable however I bought a couple of cans of food grade silicon a long time ago and use that to clean it twice a year. My point of this being I bet no more than 10 percent of jumpers follow the rig manufacturers recommendations when it comes to (yellow) cutaway cables maintenance.

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On the subject of lubrication: lube your cutaway cables the same way you lube your machine gun.

The major issue is CLEANING cables. Cleaning cables drops cutaway force from 25 pounds to less than 5 pounds. After that, lubrication is a formality.
OTOH too much lubrication can trap desert grit, radically increasing cutaway forces.
Since it is difficult to have two standards for two different climates (Wisconsin pasture versus Southern California desert), we settle for "less lubrication being better."

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See pictures. They are much easier to use, as likestojump said, hook a thumb in each handle and go right, left. Some people say it is safer if they have a different feel. If you can't tell your right from you left maybe you should not be jumping.

Sparky



.....................................................................................................

Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?
Tee!
Hee!
Seriously, the primary reason fatality rates remained constant - while jump numbers increased dramatically - during the 1980s, was STANDARDIZATION OF HANDLES, the same as motorcycles.

It is all about establishing a standardized FLOW of handles, starting at lower right and working your way diagonally across your body up to your left shoulder. After the Second World War, the United States Air Force recognized that different shaped handles helped pilots pull the correct handles in the correct sequence, reducing "finger problems."
That is why flap controls feel like tiny flaps and undercarriage retraction levers feel like tiny wheels. Differentiating controls by different locations and tactile sensations helps differentiate them in stressful situations, reducing the risk of people pulling handles out of sequence.

ON that note, I would applaud a cloth loop on a cutaway handle, as seen on some tandems.

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Testing done on reserve ripcord handles years ago showed a 20% or so increase on pull force when hooking a thumb into the handle. That means you can produce more pull force with a "D" handle than a pillow.

A "D" handle cutaway can therefore address the concerns of hard pulls that can arise from hi-speed spinning mals.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

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Testing done on reserve ripcord handles years ago showed a 20% or so increase on pull force when hooking a thumb into the handle. That means you can produce more pull force with a "D" handle than a pillow.

A "D" handle cutaway can therefore address the concerns of hard pulls that can arise from hi-speed spinning mals.



Correction - a handle you can hook your thumb through. DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A D OR A METAL HANDLE.
Here's a nice VooDoo version. I think it's cleaner and more user friendly.

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I located another picture that shows the handle better.

Sparky




Earth-tone 'Bounce & Blend' colors...I like it! ;)



:D:D:D:D

Yeah... you've OBVIOUSLY never seen Sparky's choice in jumpsuit colors.

Had to wear friggin' sunglasses if on the plane with him! :P

He wouldn't have bounced and blended in unless he landed in a truck-load of oranges. :S

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That is why flap controls feel like tiny flaps and undercarriage retraction levers feel like tiny wheels. Differentiating controls by different locations and tactile sensations helps differentiate them in stressful situations, reducing the risk of people pulling handles out of sequence.



On a skydiving rig when the shit hits the fan you only have 2 handles. One is on the right and one is one the left. Hook your thumbs in both and pull the right one first. I see no reason for them to be made of different materials. jmo

Sparky

Sarcasm, me?:P
My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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