New Y mod on Sigma

[parafredo 0]

Anyone tried this modification yet without any kind of problems to sit passenger ? Any particular tricks to know to help to make it easier ? Thanks

[Rover 9]

No real issues - I just leave the back strap loose otherwise it makes it more difficult for the punter to lift their legs on landing.

2 wrongs don't make a right - but 3 lefts do.

[SEREJumper 1]

So whats the back story on the SB? Why now?

We're not fucking flying airplanes are we, no we're flying a glorified kite with no power and it should be flown like one! - Stratostar

[pchapman 261]

As you probably know but just to clarify for the thread, the advantage of the system is that the vertical butt strap is has a soft bungee system on it, pulling on the webbing. (In parallel, not in series!)

So the strap can be be made 'tight' -- as in not hanging down loosely -- yet still stretch as needed for passenger movement for sitting in the harness and getting legs up for landing. Then it can usually just stay in place the same way for most passengers without having to adjust the buckle.

The advantage of the system would be lost if the strap were buckled up so far that the strap were fully tight, as in no slack in the webbing itself.

Other viewpoints and experiences welcome.

[RIGGER 0]

Hi

I use it since 2010 - it's a fine improve but does not replace a good harnessig by the TI.

I do not think that the SB needs a special reason to be published but it might assist.

Read the harnessing instructions regarding thd Y Strap.

Cheers

[parafredo 0]

I really tried it on the ground and in the air, but I find that it is not so great and friendly TI user , especially if the y mod is all the way on the hip junction after opening. My post is only to find any TI comments and tricks that might help to make it easier. It is very time consuming with the passenger after opening but I believe it is making it more safer as well. I still believe that if the harness is very well adjust like I did in my 6000 tandem jumps, you should not need this .

[riggerrob 558]

If you use the modern student harness adjustment instructions (Sigma and newer Strong) the hip joints end up at the FRONT of the student's hips, the leg straps automatically lifts their thighs in front.
Just leave the Y-strap loose.
The only students - who still complain about difficulty raising their legs - have not done a sit-up in this century.

[piisfish 135]

just ordered 19 of them. We'll see how it goes
IMO the main problem with student harness fitting is the meat interface between the rig and the student

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

[riggerrob 558]

***just ordered 19 of them. We'll see how it goes
..................................................................................

I hope you enjoy sewing!
Hah!
Hah!

The winter that Strong introduced their "Y" strap, I sewed twenty-or-so onto old student harnesses.
The exact number was a bit of a blur by the end of the winter
Hah!
Hah!

[jf951 1]

I've used them and they're pretty simple, just dont make it too tight and dont make the belt band too tight around the back either or else the elastic portion of the y mod gets caught and the students cant lift their legs.

its a back up of a back up of a back up of a back up, leading to lazier and lazier TI's

Jump more, Bitch less.

[TomNoonan 1]

Quote

So whats the back story on the SB? Why now?

The short version answer:

After the incident in May 2006, Strong Enterprises made y-mods mandatory on all harnesses by the end of that year I believe. UPT also came up with a version of the Y strap that incorporated a bungee system to allow some give of the strap during opening shock that was an optional component that could be integrated into existing systems.

Whether a Strong or UPT harness, if the passenger harness is fitted properly AND the side laterals are tightened, the y strap has no loading, no job to do, the properly fitted harness absorbs the load.

So, why now is the question? Well, its been made clear by the FAA that the next time a tandem student is ejected from a harness, tandem skydiving, as we know it today, a self regulating industry will cease to exist as we know it.

After the two incidents that occurred across both systems, both outlier events to a certain extent based on body mass and unforseen circumstances. It was rationalized by many that "after all that", no tandem instructor would allow a tandem student to enter an aircraft, let alone exit an aircraft without a properly fitted student harness.

Then the video that went viral around the world surfaced, with a grandmother holding onto to her harness for (literally) dear life. Her harness had not properly been fitted. For the tandem industry and the organization (USPA) it was a cold hard wake up call that passenger harness fitting, was and will continue to be the Achilles Heal of the tandem industry. This left little choice on the part of the SB.

So why wasn't it just done in 2006? Well, like with the implementation of any new system, there was a plausible concern that in trying to solve what was rationalized as an outlier problem (harness fitting issue) that it could create a new problem (increase in injuries associated with the mod, such as spinal compressions, or ankle/leg injuries on landing. (That is one of the reason the UPT passenger harness has the bungee system, to allow the strap some freedom of movement).

Enough time has passed now with the y straps that were in the field to give everyone involved a level of comfort that the addition of this strap will not cause a new problem.

(I do not speak for either Strong or UPT in an official capacity, these are just my opinions from working with both companies over the years).

Namaste,
Tom Noonan

www.everest-skydive.com

[riggerrob 558]

Yes, if you leave the Strong Y-strap slack, students have no excuse to complain about being unable to lift their feet for landing.

Hint: most of the students who complain about the Y-strap being too tight have not done a sit-up in this century!
Hah!
Hah!