Bumpers or tacking for reserve hard links?

[pchapman 261]

While soft links are most common these days, I'm curious what riggers' standards and procedures are for reserves with hard links, with Maillon Rapide links that is.

Ideally they have bumpers installed, either a fabric cover or silicone tubing. Clear vinyl tubing covers are still seen on old rigs.

One sometimes sees rigs with hard links with no bumpers.

Sometimes the links are left as is, sometimes there's tacking in the riser to help reduce link rotation, and sometimes the lines are tied (tacked) together at the link to prevent them from sliding all over (including onto or over the link barrel). I kind of like to at least see some tacking, as it an easy upgrade without having to take links off to put bumpers on.

Another issue is link orientation -- sometimes ones with no covers have the barrel to the outside, which isn't recommended due to possible slider damage but doesn't change things structurally for the parachute opening.

Having links with no bumpers or tacking seems to be entirely legal although a little old school now. One still sees that shown in some modern manuals as acceptable.

What do you all do?
Often if the configuration is legal and safe I leave it, but sometimes I suggest the rig owners to upgrade a little.

If tying lines together at the links, I've seen it done with supertack or with seal thread -- the latter possibly breaking easily but not strong enough to interfere with the way loads are applied to the lines on opening. Some simple ways of tying the lines together can let the tacking shift and not really restrain the lines at all.

[RopeaDope 0]

Good question. I've only had two come to me with Rapide links so far. I recommend an upgrade and both customers agreed so I upgraded them. I personally think Rapides should be phased out.

[gowlerk 1,911]

Desert skies rigging in Eloy refuses to pack them without bumpers. My customers tend to jump in Eloy, so I always just add bumpers so I'm not embarrassed if John Lyman tells them they need to buy some. I sew them from ty12 webbing and tie them down with supertack.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[likestojump 3]

Bumpers
Tack the bumpers
Don't tack the lines
And don't forget to use nail polish to mark the barrel to link thread point.

[hackish 8]

I always consult the manuals first. Often they do give instructions about this. I frequently find rapide links installed incorrectly on the risers. I'm not terribly concerned about it on a reserve although I often do recommend upgrading to slinks. I've seen mains jumped for years without any bumpers and no significant slider damage. While it's not ideal, I don't feel that it's necessarily a go/no-go item unless the manufacturer lists them.

-Michael

[councilman24 36]

We keep losing information not being passd on to baby riggers. Have had a couple not realize or know that bumpers must be tacked down but can be tacked down in a way that lets you check the barrel.

A friend had a malfunctuon and reserve ride into his eedding due to a bumper up the lines. Riggers that have only seen soft links sometimes don't know the critical nature of tacking the bumpers down.

Baby riggers don't sometimes aren't taught the preferred orientation, not to use chinese hardware store links, that PD specs a torque on barrels or what was meant by ail polish. Tb6ese are the things lost in faster instructjon that i think are important for riggers to understand. And L bars, speed links, drag links need to be discussed because often found on pilot rigs.

Had one trained senior candidate taking a test that didn't know, was never taught, that friction adapters an be upside down.

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

[peek 20]

RopeaDope

... I've only had two come to me with Rapide links so far. I recommend an upgrade and both customers agreed so I upgraded them. I personally think Rapides should be phased out.

Are you referring to links on reserves or mains?
Why do you consider soft links an "upgrade"?
Why do you think Rapide links should be phased out?

[gowlerk 1,911]

Quote

Why do you consider soft links an "upgrade"?

I had a customer ask me how much it would cost to upgrade his soft links to "metal ones". He was surprised when I told him that would generally be considered a downgrade.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[RopeaDope 0]

peek

Are you referring to links on reserves or mains?
Why do you consider soft links an "upgrade"?
Why do you think Rapide links should be phased out?

- I was talking about reserves
- I consider them an upgrade because they are stronger than Raptides, they reduce bulk over the Rapide and bumpers, and eliminate a couple of possibilities for fatal malfunctions.
- Rapide links are commonly found installed incorrectly, i.e. Barrels out, barrels not closed, barrels not tightened, barrels over tightened, cheap hardware store links used, links inverted, bumpers missing, bumpers not tacked.

Granted riggers should be well trained and vetted to ensure they are competent, but simply switching to slinks removes the human error for at least a couple of scenarios.

[skytribe 16]

And you haven't seen slinks installed incorrectly, ragged out or homemade ones installed on mains ? Main slinks on reserves.

Some equipment is also not permitted to be using slinks on.

So I don't know if the reasoning on upgrade is necessarily completely true (but is a good personal opinion) , however I think both soft and hard links work and require correct installation and can both be damaged/compromised if not.

[riggerrob 558]

The simple answer for young riggers is only installing SLinks.

As long as they read the instruction sheet, they will be fine. Brighter riggers hand-tack Slinks to hide the tab, ring, ugly knot inside the riser.

Never seen main Slinks on a reserve.

As for home-made soft links on mains ...... I have seen dozens of home-made soft links dating back to 1980 .... even made a few dozen myself. Home-made soft links last hundreds of jumps.

OTOH metal connector links have a half-dozen "know" wrong-ways to install. CSPA banned US Navy Speed Links dozens of years ago because of all the problems.

The primary reason that I install Maillon Rapide links barrel-inboard is that I had to replace too many damaged Brass slider grommets!!!! Grrrrfr!!!!! I bled all over customers' sliders until I learned the correct technique! Grrrrrr!!!!!
Installing silicon or webbing bumpers is easier than replacing slider grommets. Call me lazy. Did I tell you how much I hate replacing slider grommets?
Hah!
Hah!

If installing metal links, I insist on genuine, French-made Maillon Rapides. Though Precision has been sending out some pretty Italian-made oval links in recent years.
As for my opinion of off-brand, Oriental links .... block your ears because I am about to use some un-church-like-language!
Hah!
Hah!

As for SLinks not being permitted ?????
I have installed soft links ( from Aerodyne, Parachutes de France, Performance Designs, Precision, etc.) on modern canopies from most manufacturers.
What is the fuss????

The only canopies -still in service - that use MIL SPEC L-bar links are tandem reserves (Strong Mighty Mack 425 and PD360).
Strong is trying to convince customers to replace all their old 425 reserves with the new 366 reserve canopy.
But I got distracted.
That reminds me that I have to repack a PR360 reserve today.
Bye folks!

[pchapman 261]

riggerrob

As for SLinks not being permitted ?????

I found one rare case. The NAA Eagle reserve manual says nothing about it, but when I contacted the company, a rep for them said soft links are not approved TSO approved for the Eagle and I was requested not to use them. Not that they think there's some special incompatibility, just that they never tested with them so don't approve them.

(As for arguing about grey areas with TSOs, component compatibility, and secret knowledge not in the manual, I won't try to figure that out.)

[Unstable 8]

Quote

Brighter riggers hand-tack Slinks to hide the tab, ring, ugly knot inside the riser.

K - forgive the silly question, but on a reserve wouldn't it make more sense not to tack the ring/tab inside the riser on a reserve slink? That way the knot can be slid out and properly inspected as part of the reserve repack process? If you tack it inside, seems you make it difficult to perform a basic and critical inspection point....or if you see them tacked inside, do you just trust it's hooked up correctly?...

Quote

As for SLinks not being permitted ?????

As far as I know, Jumpshack does not allowing Reserve Slinks on their reserves (although they DO allow them on Racers, just not with their Angelfires. Clickly

*Edited because I missed the point about NAA Reserves

=========Shaun ==========

[RopeaDope 0]

Article from someone more credentialed than I:

http://parachutistonline.com/safety_training/ask_a_rigger/soft-links-regular-links

[riggerrob 558]

Lots of good advice in that "Parachutist" article.

As for hand-tacking making it more difficult to inspect soft links ....
Hah!
A little slack (in the hand-tacking) helps, but I am always able to push the button end out far enough to confirm that it is fastened with a larkshead knot.
... no matter who tacked it.

As to the life of soft links, I always install fresh soft links when I re-line a canopy.

Meanwhile, metal links last as long as 3 or 4 line sets. IOW Metal links usually last as long as the canopy fabric ... maybe 1200 jumps on tandem mains.

As for installing plastic tubing bumpers (over metal links on tandems) Strong sells extra-large bumpers for the #6 Maillon Rapide links on their tandem mains. The extra large bumpers are also great for reducing wear on the bottom of drogue bridles. Just remember to hand tack bumpers. firmly in place. Since hand-tacking frays quickly, it should be inspected during every 25-jump inspection.

If a reserve has metal links, I install fabric bumpers made of Type 12 webbing (or whatever webbing scraps are laying around the loft). Type 12 bumpers usually last the life of a reserve canopy: 20 jumps, 20 years or 40 repacks ... ish.