Free Packing Strato stars and Clouds

[McGonigal 0]

Does anyone know why they dont free pack any more like back in the 70s? I have not jumped since then, but I remember how reliable it was just coiling the line into the container and wraping a strap around the folded canopy/it worked great and I never saw or had a malfunction(or line twist), I never heard of one back then,whats up with that? Base jumpers pack that way, and they need reliability!

[topdocker 0]

Most CRW jumpers still freepack. I have 5000 freepack jumps probably, some of those to terminal. Not a bad system, but not what the manufacturers recommend. It's harder on the gear and on the jumper!

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Jump more, post less!

[pchapman 262]

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but I remember how reliable it was just coiling the line into the container and wraping a strap around the folded canopy/it worked great and I never saw or had a malfunction(or line twist),

It would be an interesting discussion about the reliability of freepacked canopies at terminal, as is done for BASE. I'm used to the extra staging of a bag for skydives where the occasional failure of that component (eg, a bag lock) isn't fatal. Having a strap is somewhere in between having a bag and going completely bagless.

The line coiling thing went away after they killed people from wrapping around main container flaps. At least that's the history I've read.

(E.g., CSPA Technical Bulletin #3, 1980, reported on suspension line entanglements being discussed at the then PEIA meeting in the USA. Bulletin #4 of the same year started off with a report of the 2nd fatal accident within 10 days to a Canadian jumper due to free stowing line. So at least here in Canada that's when it became officially unacceptable.)

[lekstrom10k 0]

I used to free pack "Unit"# 26 in a Classiflyer just S folding lines and stacking the canopy. It worked OK. The pack jobs I remember the most was Nick Lucas of EXitus with Jump Shack SST,s having the Martelldo attached to the top of the center cell of a Strato Star as a pilot chute. Worked OK for a while.
I had 1 baby Plane and 4 Para-Planes I converted to relines and sliders also de-taped to fit PC sized containers. Just to get a good opening was enough let alone free packing

[skyjumpenfool 2]

30 years ago, I used a strap on my old standard weight Cloud. However, in those days the standard freefall rate was much slower (remember the baggy heavyweight suits or even balloon suites). Anyway, I still got popped hard every time I dumped. At today’s higher speeds, I don’t think I’d want to do that again.

As for malfunctions, those older and much slower canopies didn’t go into extreme spinning nightmares that these new canopies do. Just the other day, I managed to capture on video an experienced jumper cutting away from a high speed spinning mal. Even in slow motion replay it looked very scary.

F-111 and ZP are two different animals. As for straps, probably ok for crew but I wouldn’t recommend it for terminal.

Birdshit & Fools Productions

"Son, only two things fall from the sky."

[pms07 3]

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Does anyone know why they dont free pack any more like back in the 70s? I have not jumped since then, but I remember how reliable it was just coiling the line into the container and wraping a strap around the folded canopy/it worked great and I never saw or had a malfunction(or line twist), I never heard of one back then,whats up with that? Base jumpers pack that way, and they need reliability!

I remember freepack reliability as less than optimal, including some without the benefit of the strap, some with strap. I seem to recall seeing a significant number of mals and scary openings but maybe we were doing it wrong.
Anyway, I had 3 or 4 cutaways before I gave up and went back to a bag and line stows. Lots to be said for a correctly sequenced deployment and I believe that's why you don't see much freepacking anymore, at least for events that involve typical terminal opening speeds.

[airtwardo 6]

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Does anyone know why they dont free pack any more like back in the 70s? I have not jumped since then, but I remember how reliable it was just coiling the line into the container and wraping a strap around the folded canopy/it worked great and I never saw or had a malfunction(or line twist), I never heard of one back then,whats up with that? Base jumpers pack that way, and they need reliability!

I remember freepack reliability as less than optimal, including some without the benefit of the strap, some with strap. I seem to recall seeing a significant number of mals and scary openings but maybe we were doing it wrong.
Anyway, I had 3 or 4 cutaways before I gave up and went back to a bag and line stows. Lots to be said for a correctly sequenced deployment and I believe that's why you don't see much freepacking anymore, at least for events that involve typical terminal opening speeds.

I used a Raeper, which is basically a frapstrap times 3, and free pack the remaining lines into the container.

It always worked great and was fast to do, but I'm with ya on the terminal openings...

I use to liken it to hanging the pilot-chute on a hook as ya went past at 100 mph!

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

[airdvr 200]

Packed a heavy cloud into an SST for awhile using a diaper. ALways thought the mess of lines in the bottom of the tray looked like a bad idea but I never had a mal.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[wmw999 2,147]

I made a diaper for a main that had room to stow the vast majority of the lines; 3 or 4 stows crosswise to secure it, and the rest lengthwise. Had great luck with it. I never really liked the thought of freestowing everything -- I think I'm too much of a control freak.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[fastphil 0]

Guess I’m the opposite kind of freak, but I didn’t like to stow anything. My experience was with stratoflyers though, but I had great reliability for 600 or so jumps by just coiling the lines in and folding the canopy on top. My pilot chute was attached directly to the canopy bridal with no extension and I used the SST Racer so openings were brisk to say the least, with the canopy mostly inflated at linestretch. I loved the opening sequence, which was very direct and to the point. Most of my openings were at terminal but a few were very low hop and pops. I packed for BASE the same except for a longer bridal with a curved pin and handheld pilot chute...

[pchapman 262]

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but I didn’t like to stow anything. [...]and I used the SST Racer

My impression from the flap design is that at least the Racer is one of the better rigs for avoiding line snags on flaps.
(Having low aspect ratio flaps, or soft flaps without a hard lump of plastic the end.)