raven 4 as a main

[uberchris 0]

howdy. i have a raven 4 as my main. i keep noticing that when i open, and am flying fully inflated, my canopy slowly turns to the right side. this is when both toggles are still stowed. i plan to measure both break lines to ensure that the toggles are equally as far down both lines, but........

any other ideas what would cause this? could the lines on the entire right side be totally out of trim?

can a rigger completely reline an older raven?

thanks in advance
chris

gravity brings me down.........

[hcsvader 1]

You could probly get another used one for $100

Have you seen my pants?
it"s a rough life, Livin' the dream
>:)

[mchamp 1]

You could perhaps just be leaning in your harness way to the right along with your right break lines being a bit twisted therefore being slightly shorter than your left side. Just some thoughts

For info regarding lift ticket prices all around the world check out
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[headoverheels 291]

My Raven 3 did the same, from new to 900 jumps. In my case, I had an asymmetrical color pattern, and the different porosity may have contributed. Or maybe they just cut or sewed it up poorly when made.

[councilman24 36]

A slow turn is not necessarily something that needs attention. Many canopies of that design era had a slow turn one way or the other. As indicated above it also may not be the canopy's fault. Unless it needs new lines I'd leave it alone. Except of course going ahead and checking the brake and line trim.

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

[captain1976 0]

Built in turns on older canopies were quite common as previously mentioned, but the Raven series had the most issues in this area including mine.

Line tension was usually the issue and even canopies sent back to the Raven factory didn't always cure the problem.

Now that modern canopies are made with computer exacting methods, seldom is there a problem.

Interesting that last Fall when I had to send my Spectre to PD for some work, I decided to make a few jumps on my Raven III. Still had that old built-in turn which I just learned to live with.

You live more in the few minutes of skydiving than many people live in their lifetime

[dpreguy 14]

Ubercris,

I bought a brand new Raven 4 when they first came out a million years ago. Put about 5 jumps on it, and on three of the jumps, the pilot chute and D bag went in FRONT of the canopy on opening! Yes, they dangled over the nose and went in the lines or wherever, and caused me a lot of apprehension as they wormed thdir way between the lines and into everywhere, and dented the leading edge. I sent it back and the factory gave me a complete refund. My theory was that the attachment point was too far forward? Whatever; it happened. Hope that doesn't happen to you.

[Amazon 7]

Quote

Built in turns on older canopies were quite common as previously mentioned, but the Raven series had the most issues in this area including mine.

Line tension was usually the issue and even canopies sent back to the Raven factory didn't always cure the problem.

Now that modern canopies are made with computer exacting methods, seldom is there a problem.

Interesting that last Fall when I had to send my Spectre to PD for some work, I decided to make a few jumps on my Raven III. Still had that old built-in turn which I just learned to live with.

My Raven 3 also had a turn built in.. and my Raven II Reserve had one as well when I got to use it.. not a bad one.... but still it was like... aw come on.... really???

My R-Max reserve that Chris talked me into buying on the other hand did not have a turn built into it..and I got to jump it a couple times.

[RiggerLee 61]

Their fabric not alumanum. Fabric is streatchy. Think a big rubber balloon blowing up. The bad news is it's also crooked. The Fill fiber don't go straight across. They can be bowed or angled across the roll. A lot of early manufatorers had this problem till they learned to tighten their standards and send back the crooked rolls of fabric. The also learned to flip flop the panels in the canopy so that the crooked fabric looked like a haring bone on the surface. You can also cut more from the center if your peaces are small enough. You can also make seacret magic incantations over the canopy before you ship it.

This has always been an issue in the industry. Flight Concepts got bit when they agreed to build all of those matching canopies for Dimond Quest. Only to find that they couldn't get lime green fabric to save their lives. It was all crooked. In fact the whole industry was in a jam. The weaver had turned out a bunch of crooked fabric and it was comeing through all the finishers. some colors you just could not get. Joe told me they were running a 70% rejection rate on some colors. He started putting secret marks on some of the rolls he sent back and he busted them redieing rolls and shipping them back to him.

Lee

Lee
[email protected]
www.velocitysportswear.com

[hookitt 0]

Welcome to old Super Ravens!!!

It turns and chances are, it will always turn. Sometimes shortening the lines on the front of the side it turns toward will help. It takes someone who knows how to shorten them incrementally. (Good luck)

I installed a Raven III as a reserve for a user. He ended up using the reserve a few jumps later. I put one hop-n-pop on it to verify how much it turned. After it was "fixed" by the Factory, I refused to put it back into the reserve container. The right side was now shorter by over 2 Inches. It flew straight but was in my opinion, not airworthy as a reserve.

I've seen several Super and Micro Ravens with built in turns.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[hookitt 0]

Quote

I bought a brand new Raven 4 when they first came out a million years ago. Put about 5 jumps on it, and on three of the jumps, the pilot chute and D bag went in FRONT of the canopy on opening!

That's usually caused by too deep of a brake setting. It stalls on opening and then it surges allowing the PC to fall in front. Spring loaded pilot chutes made it MUCH more common.

Since reserves don't have an attached pilot chute, it's not too big of a deal to have the deeper setting. Add a pilot chute, especially a spring loaded pilot chute and you're in for some fun.

If it were a main, I'd just move the Brake setting down a couple inches. A reserve... well, it was either deal with it because you won't ever notice, or return it.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[377 20]

I had two Raven IIs as reserves and decided to jump a rented rig with a Raven II as a main, to see what the ride was like.

Here is what I found:

1. Built in right turn, even with slack brake lines and good body symetry in the harness. Had to crank in some opposing toggle to fly straight.

2. Really lousy flare, and the main wasn't old and worn out. It kind of ran out of flare power way before it should have compared to other F 111 canopies I have jumped.

I got a bonus that year and used it to buy two PD reserves. I later had a cutaway and the PD 193R flew and landed like a dream.

I just didn't want a quirky canopy as my reserve.

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[captain1976 0]

Quote

Their fabric not alumanum. Fabric is streatchy. Think a big rubber balloon blowing up. The bad news is it's also crooked. The Fill fiber don't go straight across. They can be bowed or angled across the roll. A lot of early manufatorers had this problem till they learned to tighten their standards and send back the crooked rolls of fabric. The also learned to flip flop the panels in the canopy so that the crooked fabric looked like a haring bone on the surface. You can also cut more from the center if your peaces are small enough. You can also make seacret magic incantations over the canopy before you ship it.

This has always been an issue in the industry. Flight Concepts got bit when they agreed to build all of those matching canopies for Dimond Quest. Only to find that they couldn't get lime green fabric to save their lives. It was all crooked. In fact the whole industry was in a jam. The weaver had turned out a bunch of crooked fabric and it was comeing through all the finishers. some colors you just could not get. Joe told me they were running a 70% rejection rate on some colors. He started putting secret marks on some of the rolls he sent back and he busted them redieing rolls and shipping them back to him.

Lee

Thanks for the education in this area as I never knew this.

You live more in the few minutes of skydiving than many people live in their lifetime

[uberchris 0]

wow, thanks everyone for all the information. i learn somethin every damned day.

now that its been put in perspective, i bought the entire rig for 1k, so im not gonna bitch, its got me back in the air again until i get a real skydive rig. i can deal with the right turn and the shit flare.

blue skies

gravity brings me down.........

[hookitt 0]

Quote

Sometimes shortening the lines on the front of the side it turns toward will help.

Old post but I mistyped this and wanted to make a correction. This should read the side it turns away from.

Some turning parachutes have been "fixed" by incrementally shortening the A-B and C lines on the side of the canopy it turns away from. So basically, it's like steering the canopy straight by using front riser input on one side.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[BoogeyMan 0]

What is the DOM of your Raven?

[BoogeyMan 0]

Sorry for the late post..... I jump a '92 Super Raven IV as my RW main. No built in turns; responsive; penetrates very well; lands like a feather. WL is 1:.8. Another jumper I know is going back to a Super Raven III as his RW canopy.