Something I learned about release pins while paragliding.

[tdog 0]

So, I am new to Skydiving (hi everyone) – but have some good experience flying a paraglider. (In case you are not familiar with a paraglider, imagine a much more rectangular and larger skydiving canopy that you launch fully inflated by running off a hillside – with the point to catch thermals and stay up for a long time.)

I found there is a piece of gear used in skydiving that is exactly the same as in paragliding – the release pin (either curved or straight)… But, in paragliding it is used on the release of a tow rig assembly – in conjunction with a three ring disconnect mechanism. (Just like one of the main canopy connection points on a skydiving rig put on the end of a rope.)

So what is a tow in paragliding – it replaces the mountain - you can launch by running on flat ground while a winch with 3 or 4 thousand feet of rope pulls you up – looking just like a parasail behind a boat – where you pull the “rip cord” at altitude to fly off into the wild blue yonder free of the tow. (By the way, it is real hard to keep the wing flying straight behind the tow when crosswind occurs, going off 30 or so degrees is never recoverable and requires an abort – unlike parasailing in Mexico which can be done drunk.)

Ok – so here is the safety part. I did not assemble the three rings on the tow, but the person who did accidentally pushed the release pin way too far so that the rope loop was not around the pin, but past the hole on the pin and around the webbing sowed to the pin. As soon as a bit of tension was applied to the three rings, there was no way on earth that the pin could have been released. Once flying, it was upside down and under tension so I could not see the pin.

See the drawing attached (ok, so I pushed the limits of Microsoft Paint to make the drawing – please don’t critique the drawing.)

As soon as I saw a skydive rig and saw the “infamous pin” on the main and reserve, I inspected to make sure that the pin could not be pushed in past the hole at the end of the pin. On the rigs I have been using, it is indeed impossible… But, riggers and those who repair or make gear – be sure there is no way to push in the release pin so the loop is on the wrong side of the hole on the pin!

--- End Skydiving Observation

Ok – so those who want to know how the paragliding incident finished… I pulled and pulled – and nothing happened. I was 300’ AGL (bad tow, no lift and limited headwind) heading 14 MPH towards the tow equipment in the back of a pickup truck with the operator blinded by the sun unable to see my struggles. The tow operator watched me pass him connected with about 20 feet of slack in the towline yelling “pull, pull”. **duh** Now, the proper procedure is to cut the towline (I should have had a knife too) but the operator had to run around to the other side of the pickup truck as to grab the line since I overflew the truck. He was not quick enough as far as I was concerned, so I initiated unplanned and untrained for procedures.

I immediately envisioned my wing flying forward reaching the end of the line, and turning forward motion into a downward dive --- perhaps a stall, perhaps an asymmetric deflation throwing me into a turn??? A shallow turn would have put me with the wind and I did not have the radius – plus I heard my verio beeping indicating I was going up. I needed down without putting tension on the tow line.

Now I don’t really know all the difference in characteristics between skydiving canopies and paragliding wings yet since I have only a few jumps, but I have been told a spiral dive close to the ground has the same general consequences in skydiving as it does in paragliding… Well, I initiated a spiral dive from 300’ towards the pickup truck, at one point reaching the end of the rope. Against all odds, I landed it with a flare, directly under the wing, on my feet between the truck and 20’ tall haystack with the tow line wrapped in the hay stack.

The tow rig should have been grounded until it was made failsafe – but instead I opted to leave after I was told, “just don’t push the pin in that far.”

Travis

[diablopilot 2]

using another peice of skydiving equipment that could be made much safer. A "soft" pin made of cutaway type coated cable would be better. Used on 3 ring drogue attachments on tandem rigs. Better idea for sure.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[linestretch 0]

sweet story dude

my pics & stuff!

[gus 1]

Yes it can happen in skydiving too. Check out this thread.

Gus

OutpatientsOnline.com

[PhreeZone 15]

The softpin on Tandems is not immune to this either. You can (and I about saw it done) was push the pin up and over the swedge. Impossible pull. Same thing if the outter coating of the flex pin cracks and flakes off, you end up with a grove that can catch on the closing loop.

Its your ass on the line jumping, do a proper gear and pin check and this is'nt an issue.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[mr2mk1g 10]

If skydivers follow propper procedure they check the position of this pin and have a second jumper double check for them before the get on the plane. A further budy check or self check by feel just before exiting the plane is also commonplace.

Build it into your paragliding preflight checklist and this shouldn't happen.

Or use a teflon cable passed through a section of hard housing before going through the loop of the three ring circus. It would be physically impossible to push the teflon cable too far as it first passes through a section of hard housing which is in itself attached to the tow. You could then have a soft loop on the end of the teflon secured by velcro to the tow below the hard housing, exactly as with a skydive rig cutaway system.