What things to think about when jumping brand new gear for the first time (s)...

[shorehambeach 9]

At the end of the month I get my brand new custom Icon with a Pilot 188 canopy.

I have jumped a near new Icon and Pilot (188) for about 75 jumps on a long term rental from the DZ so am happy with whats coming.

The 2 main differences I have ordered are a Freefly handle and longer bridle on the pilot chute. The cutaway and reserve are both as I have always jumped (soft cutaway and metal reserve)

When jumping new gear for the first time (s) what should be my priorities in relation to the new gear both in freefall and under canopy?

Thanks.....

[piisfish 135]

did the rigger assemble it properly ?
is the color all match-matchy ?

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[irishrigger 31]

congrats on your new gear! thats beer
my advise is put the rig on along with jumpsuit on the ground and do lots of touching handles until your comfetable. on your first jump on it, do a couple handles check after exit while in Free fall. i would also advise to pull a bit higher than normal say between 5000-6000 feet if possible. you will have a longer canopy ide down to get used to the new handles and canopy. do plenty of practise flare's and feel how the canopy behaves. but make sure you have no other canopys in the air around you and always keep your eyes open for other traffic.

so happy jumping with your new rig!

stay safe

[Boogers 0]

shorehambeach

what should be my priorities in relation to the new gear both in freefall and under canopy?

Familiarization. Touching handles in freefall. Opening high and getting the feel of the canopy. Practice flairs. Find the stall point.

Oh, and not landing in mud.

[ghost47 18]

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The 2 main differences I have ordered are a Freefly handle and longer bridle on the pilot chute. . . .

When jumping new gear for the first time (s) what should be my priorities in relation to the new gear both in freefall and under canopy?

Last Saturday, a guy at my DZ jumping his new rig for the first time had a reserve ride because he was unable to pull his main. It was the first jump on his new rig. The new rig also had a freefly pud as opposed to a hackey.

So prior to freefall and being under canopy, make sure you practice extracting the freefly pud, as the motion is a bit different than extracting a hackey.

[woppyvac 0]

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and longer bridle on the pilot chute.

I know why most folks get this... but being that you are a newer jumper why did you get this option?

Woot Woot!

[shorehambeach 9]

If I plan (which I do) to wing suit then the rig is ready to go.. As
I can downsize 2 canopy sizes with the new container I am going to have it for many years...
The longer bridle was a 60usd option so I went for it as I dint want it retrofitted in a few years.

[dragon2 0]

shorehambeach

The longer bridle was a 60usd option so I went for it as I dint want it retrofitted in a few years.

Well, you're going to need a new bridle after a couple hundred jumps anyway, and wingsuiting in a non-matress-sized suit can be done perfectly fine with a regular length bridle. I would've put the usd 60 towards something else, myself... OTOH a longer bridle will not hinder you in regular skydives, just makes cocking the pc a bit harder

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[airtwardo 6]

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When jumping new gear for the first time (s) what should be my priorities in relation to the new gear both in freefall and under canopy?

I always hope it wasn't built on a Friday by the 'new guy' they just hired...

Oh...and don't forget to bungee the leg straps if needed.

First jump on my new rig, I did a couple of back flips & damn near had to go into a hard track looking for it.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[NWFlyer 2]

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When jumping new gear for the first time (s) what should be my priorities in relation to the new gear

Taking and posting multiple photos of the new gear to make all your friends jealous.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[erdnarob 1]

Assuming that your rig is assembled properly, you still have to know and remember the spatial location of your handles of the new rig (reserve and main). You wouldn't believe that a slight difference of 1.5-2 inches in location would be enough to disturb you at the pull time. In order to do so, the best would be to train on a suspended harness. If impossible, get flat on your stomach at home equiped with your rig and jumpsuit, throw the pilot chute, and pull the cut away handle, followed by a simulation of your reserve handle pull. Repeat this several times. Even better, do that with an instructor watching you.
Now for your first jump with the new rig, I recommend you to dedicate this jump to getting used to the rig only and perform a medium altitude (5000-6000 ft) jump alone. While in free fall, do some simulations of the main pull. A delay of less than 12 seconds would be fine.
Why a medium altitude jump : I have seen a jumper trying a new rig from 12500 ft, opening after 5-10 seconds and getting some trouble to the point he had to cut away. He has lost his main. Better to discover the differences of your rig with respect to other rigs you have jump before, and this on the ground instead of having surprises at pull time.

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

[Boogers 0]

Re: Longer bridle

shorehambeach

If I plan (which I do) to wing suit then the rig is ready to go.. As
I can downsize 2 canopy sizes with the new container I am going to have it for many years...
The longer bridle was a 60usd option so I went for it as I dint want it retrofitted in a few years.

Are there any bad effects from a long bridle on a non-wingsuit jump? Like perhaps a higher snatch force on the bag, because the pilot chute is allowed to accelerate longer before hitting the end of the slack? Leading to a higher chance of a bag strip, where the opening flap rubber bands break dumping the canopy out on your back?

You should be careful about mixing specialized components in unintended ways...

[sundevil777 93]

Check out how much slack there is in the steering lines at full flight. Talk to your rigger about what is appropriate for you, what it looks like in flight, and about the impact of too much or too little.

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

[councilman24 36]

Were the bobbins full?

And all of the above.

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

[Alexg3265 0]

A longer bridle poses no cause for concern whatsoever. It's more bridle so when folding it, there's more, and it's more if a stretch to cock. I use a 10ft bridle. I don't wingsuit... Yet (maybe next toy) and from the original almost 8 foot bridle I switched from, the only diff I've noticed is I've had zero PC delays when I used to get them all the time.... Especially on hop and pops or delays less than 5 sec. Now I pitch, and I'm looking at a sniveling canopy. (Pilot chutes same size exactly)

Just my observations.

I was that kid jumping out if his tree house with a bed sheet. My dad wouldn't let me use the ladder to try the roof...

[spootch 0]

Listen dude, all the advice here seems to be good. Honestly tho, the things you need to think about when jumping that new gear are this:
1. How fcuking awesome you look!
2. How this gear makes your ass look phat!
3. Concentrate on how you will avoid constant flirtation from the opposite sex!
4. How jealous people will be of you!
Most important REMEMBER people wanna be YOU!!!

Congrats on the new kit[;)

[shorehambeach 9]

Thanks for all the replies everyone !! ....3 weeks to go...lets hope the rain in the UK stops so I can use it.

[katzas 0]

Put everything (including jumpsuit and helmet) on in your living room. I know--you'll feel kinda stupid--but--close your eyes, arch and find your pilot chute handle over and over and over. When you have that down do the same thing with your cutaway and reserve handles. Keep doing it until you can touch all of them ten times in a row without missing. Then, when you get to the DZ do it again--maybe fewer times--but do it. The skygods will snicker--but who cares. The rig you were jumping may have all those things in slightly different places--and fumbling around while spinning under a malfunction is no time to discover that.

[OccupytheSky 0]

I've have two friends who have both had a terminal velocity reserve ride due to not being able to get the freefly PUD out of its little pouch. One friend, it was on her first jump with the gear and she hadn't pre-flighted the handles on the ground at all. The second friend had jumped it the first weekend without gloves on and had no issues, but on the second weekend she was using gloves for the first time with that gear and couldn't get the grip she needed to pull out the PUD with gloves on.

Obviously the takeaway is practice with your gear on the ground before you jump but, as was the case with my second friend, you might need to be extra cautious the first few times you jump as you introduce different gear configurations.

SCR 15081, SCS 8334, TDS 893