0
skymeat

skyhook incorrectly assembled ?

Recommended Posts

Sorry if it has been posted, I really tried the search...

My friend had a cutaway/reserve, on a spinning main. with micron/skyhook setup. He lost his freebag , this was not connected to the main when he found it. I was quite sure that after a skyhook save the freebag would always stay with the main...
So i would like to know could it be incorrectly assembled by the rigger. or this just happens sometimes . I know there is the possibility of him pulling the reserve first, but this is unlikely
Thanks

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
skymeat

Sorry if it has been posted, I really tried the search...

My friend had a cutaway/reserve, on a spinning main. with micron/skyhook setup. He lost his freebag , this was not connected to the main when he found it. I was quite sure that after a skyhook save the freebag would always stay with the main...
So i would like to know could it be incorrectly assembled by the rigger. or this just happens sometimes . I know there is the possibility of him pulling the reserve first, but this is unlikely
Thanks



I think your friend needs to read the manual.
It will most likely answer his and your question.

However, no the main and freebag will not always be connected.
If the reserve PC is stronger than the mains drag then the skyhook will unhook itself.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just do be clear, this is a design feature!

The end result is that not all Skyhook deployments will be main-assisted if the various forces are in the wrong direction and would otherwise risk entanglements and badness. Something to keep in mind when considering changing decision altitudes because one has a MARD... B|

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
The only thing that "guarantees" them to stay together is a single pass of the same thread used to seal your reserve.

Staying together is a cool happening. It is not a feature.
scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
gregpso

yet another skyhook save get with the programme !!



You understand that he is stating that the skyhook disconnected? How is that a 'save'.

To the OP, read the manual or better yet have a play with one. Could be that it disconnected after it did it's job. If it didn't it is better to have a MARD that disconnects too early than too late.
Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
There is no guarantee that the Skyhook will keep the free at attached to the main. That is an accidental side benefit. Bill Booth jokes that his increased profit (from selling Skyhooks) is off-set by selling fewer replacement free-bags.
Bottom line, the reserve saved your buddy's life. He should be happy.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Thanks for all the answers !, I did read the manual, I understand how the skyhook works, but I thought that after the skyhook did its job , it would always stay with the main , this is not the case I understand now. ( but it often does right ?)

This remark in dont totally understand :
Quote


The end result is that not all Skyhook deployments will be main-assisted if the various forces are in the wrong direction and would otherwise risk entanglements and badness. Something to keep in mind when considering changing decision altitudes because one has a MARD...



When/how could this happen when with the skyhook system when you cut away from a open or partaly open canopy ?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
skymeat

When could this happen when you release with a skyhook system when you cut away from a open or partaly open canopy ?



The Skyhook is designed in such a way as to disconnect if the reserve pilot chute needs to deploy the reserve as in a total (jumper does not have a main out). Because of this design, if the reserve pilot chute happens to create more drag than the malfunctioning main, the Skyhook will disconnect.

Bill Booth describes it as a race between the malfunctioning main and the reserve pilot as to which one deploys the reserve.

While quite rare - there are some cases where the Skyhook disengaged during the cutaway before it pulled the free bag off the reserve canopy. This is not dangerous unless you lowered your cutaway hard deck because you expected the Skyhook to always work and open the reserve in under 100 feet.

Being a Vector dealer, I am very close to many at UPT Vector and discuss Skyhook deployments frequently. While they do not keep hard numbers, it is estimated that the free bag will stay connected to the main about 80% of the time. Just because it is not still connected on the ground, after the fact, does not mean it didn't do the job of deploying the reserve.
Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
nigel99

***yet another skyhook save get with the programme !!



You understand that he is stating that the skyhook disconnected? How is that a 'save'.


There is actually no way to know for sure unless you have a video. If you get a MARD deployment you can still have a disconnection.

It should take at most about 9lb of force to disconnect the two so even something simple like the whipping action of the freebag coming off the reserve can snap the safety thread. A couple years ago I had a video of a tandem save where exactly this happened. The MARD assist was very evident in the gopro footage yet the freebag landed about 100' from the main. I had several stills of the two together and apart.

-Michael

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
My second cutaway (small format camera entanglement) the skyhook released prior to deploying the reserve. Result was a normal RSL deployment.

It is a backup device. Relying on it is equivalent to waiting for your AAD to fire. In other words just plain stupid.

As stated previously a freebag becoming separated from the main is not an a sign of it being misrigged necessarily.
I am an asshole, but I am honest

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
EFS4LIFE

My second cutaway (small format camera entanglement) the skyhook released prior to deploying the reserve. Result was a normal RSL deployment.



I've had one of these as well (a skyhook release and RSL deployment, not a camera entanglement).

No big deal - the Skyhook is still a step forward - but it's not magic.
--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0