THE DOLPHIN UNIVERSAL

[Ronaldo 0]

Found this while browsing through Altico’s web site.

http://www.altico.com/universal.htm

Does anyone have experience with it? I found it interesting. The only disadvantage I can see for now is for the jumpers who opt for not cutting away in some high speed mals (PC in tow, hard pulls, lost handle).

Engineering Law #5: The most vital dimension on any plan drawing stands the most chance of being omitted

[stratostar 5]

I have used the system a lot, works just fine. If you reread the info on the link, it works as an SOS or two handle system regardless what handle is pulled it will cutaway the main.

in other words...

1. if a person only pulls the SOS (reserve ripcord) it cuts away the main and pulls the reserve pin.

2. if a person pulls the cutaway handle, it cutaways the main and if the RSL is hooked up it will pull the reserve pin. (ONLY if the main is out)

This is set up so people who have been trained on an SOS and not originally on a two handle system, who might brain fart they are now on a two handle system and not pull the cutaway handle first dose not end up with dumping the reserve into the trash. Yet it still affords those who were trained on two handles to use it that way.

This system works good for trans over from SOS to two handles for those places who use SOS for student rigs and later on train you for two handles.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[councilman24 36]

But the reason (main reason) people (me) don't cutaway is to not waste time cutting away when your don't have anything out. This doesn't waste any time. Your pulling the reserve ripcord and just happen to be cutting away at the same time. The disadvantage would be if the risers were not held in place well, came loose up behind your back and entangled with the reserve.

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

[councilman24 36]

Quote

1. if a person only pulls the SOS (reserve ripcord) it cuts away the main and pulls the reserve pin.

2. if a person pulls the cutaway handle, it cutaways the main and if the RSL is hooked up it will pull the reserve pin.

....IF THE MAIN IS OUT

THIS HAS TO BE STRESSED IN TRAINING.

I know you know this but I've run into a lot of newbies that think an RSL will open the reserve if you pull the cutaway handle NO MATTER WHETHER THE MAIN IS OUT OR NOT!

I had one guy admit to thinking this in the air! He realized after a second or two the error of his thinking and pulled his reserve. The reason he had a PC in tow was he rushed the throw and wrapped it around his front BECAUSE HE WAS LOW ALREADY.

To be TRUELY universal this system needs a dual reserve ripcord as well as dual cutaway cables.

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

[stratostar 5]

yep your right... I only edited my post 19 times to try to cover the info in great detail, seems I missed one that could be misunderstood.

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To be TRUELY universal

Agreed.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[timmyfitz 0]

Quote

Quote

1. if a person only pulls the SOS (reserve ripcord) it cuts away the main and pulls the reserve pin.

2. if a person pulls the cutaway handle, it cutaways the main and if the RSL is hooked up it will pull the reserve pin.

....IF THE MAIN IS OUT

THIS HAS TO BE STRESSED IN TRAINING.

I know you know this but I've run into a lot of newbies that think an RSL will open the reserve if you pull the cutaway handle NO MATTER WHETHER THE MAIN IS OUT OR NOT!

When I was working at a dropzone out on the west coast several years ago, we had a woman that jump out of the plane solo and at pull time she could not get her pilot chute out. Total malfunction. She tried the pilot chute twice and then pulled her cutaway handle thinking that the RSL would open her reserve.

After pulling the cutaway handle she stayed in a stable position until her CYPRES fired. She had no idea that the RSL would not open her reserve with a total malfunction.

And to make the story even scarier, this was her second or third jump of the day and on her previous jumps she did not have her AAD turned on.

Just before she did the jump involving the CYPRES fire, she was given a gear check. The guy giving the gear check noticed her AAD was not on. He then turned it on for her while they were in the boarding area waiting for the plane.

[councilman24 36]

Tim,

You know who I was referring to but you haven't seen him in a long time. Gave up jumping.

It's imperative that newbie jumpers get training on their gear. I had one customer who DIDN'T WANT to know how to put his three ring together!

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

[riggerrob 558]

I remember when (mid-1990s) Parachutes Australia sent their first "Universal" prototype to Rigging Innovations - for Sandy's Blessing.
My response was "too many moving parts." I did not believe that - s system that complex - could be trusted in the hands of most jump-masters and only the brightest of field riggers could be trusted to assemble that system correctly.

Fast forwards a decade and I got to overhaul a fleet of Javelins equipped with "universal" cutaway systems. Forty rigs came in the door (that autumn), but I could only get 20 airworthy by the following spring. I worked "stupid amounts of overtime that winter!
What a "plumber's nightmare!"
All those Javelins worked well for one season, but - blessedly - they were retired after only one more season.

[sundevil777 93]

Are you saying they were only one year old, but needed a lot of work? Why did they need to be overhauled?

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

[riggerrob 558]

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Are you saying they were only one year old, but needed a lot of work? Why did they need to be overhauled?

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

The oldest Javelins were about 13 years old. They had been "jumped hard and put away wet," after thousands of student static-line jumps.

I never knew how young the youngest Javelin was???

It was never clear to me how many were still in service and how many had been "shelved" by the previous DZO. The last rigger had done few repairs, so they were all "faded, frayed and filthy."

[azureriders 0]

We use these for our student gear. It allows you to train standard EMPs that will work on sport gear once the student transitions, while also assuring that the idiot that freaks out and pulls the wrong handle will not deploy his reserve into the trailing mess behind him.

There are a couple of complications.

First is rigging and gear checks, but if you are familiar and thourough, it is not a big deal.

Next is the concept of making a low altitude ball of shit the biggest ball of shit possible. It is impossible to deploy the reserve without cutting away on one of these rigs. So you wind up not teaching the concept in the FJC and tring to educate the novice once he starts buying his own gear.

Then you have the matter of teaching a good gear check. These rigs have been in service at our DZ longer than I have and the DZO did not want the students to know that they could pull either handle and survive. I am very mechanical and did not like the thought of teaching a gear check with out covering how everything works, but I managed to learn how to work around this.

[Ronaldo 0]

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Next is the concept of making a low altitude ball of shit the biggest ball of shit possible. It is impossible to deploy the reserve without cutting away on one of these rigs.

Good point, I forgot that scenario also, such as in a very low mid air collision where you don't want to cutaway but only add more fabric above your head. As always, it is impossible to create a perfect system.

Engineering Law #5: The most vital dimension on any plan drawing stands the most chance of being omitted

[riggerrob 558]

Try teaching gear checks over half a dozen jumps and add one more step to each lesson, so that students only learn about the "Universal" system late in the learning process.

By that same logic, I do not mention AADs or RSLs during the first jump course, because I do not want any student DEPENDING upon an automatic gadget to save their lives.

IOW If a student lacks the skills to save their own life - without an AAD or RSL - they should not be jumping solo (IAD, S/L or FF).