PC Hesitation

[Kris 0]

Okay, I've checked my pilot chute as per Bill Booth's "Is your Pilot Chute Correctly Made?" thread and it's perfect. I have a 26" ZP collapsible PC with a freefly handle that came with my Mirage. My canopy is a Stiletto 190.
Over the last several jumps I have had more & more hesitation. I went on a CRW jump with a friend of mine today and I took two seconds to build up a little speed, then dumped. He saw the throw and saw the inflated PC towing behind me for 3 seconds before it pulled the pin and finished the deployment.
I thought It might have been in my burble but a check over my shoulder showed that it was at full extension. My closing loop is not tight, but not overly loose. I don't have to strain to put the pin in but it is still secure. The end of the pin is pointing up and I insert it 3/4 of the way through the loop.
I am going to give Bill at Mirage a call tomorrow but thought I would see if anyone had any ideas...
The apex isn't below the skirt when I tow it through the air, the mesh is offset 45-degrees, the tapes are even and the kill-line has 1/2" slack compared to the four tapes.
Stumped,
Kris

[PhreeZone 15]

That Stiletto is a big canopy for a 26 inch PC to be lifting and if you launched out of a 182 that only like 85 mph on exit. You might try a 28 inch ZP or a 30 inch f-111 to see if that eliminates the subterminal issues, but at terminal you will want the 26 inch PC.
Drop the tube...DROP the tube...

[Kris 0]

Yeah... I thought I might need a 28. Even at my terminal (125-130), there's still a bit more hesitation than I would really like.
Thanks,
Kris

[drenaline 0]

You say before it pulled the pin right? Here is my non rigger newbie opinion (hafta protect me with the flaming), How do you store the PC? If its BOC (only thing I know), do you leave some bridle slack inside one of the flaps?(I have no idea if you can understand what I said, damn english, gotta practice some more)
I use a BOC Dolphin and I usually leave about 2-3 inches of bridle inside the right flap before folding the PC with the extra bridle. My rigger says it makes a difference. I feel english stupid today so can't explain why he told me that.
"Life is full of danger, so why be afraid?"
drenaline

[jurgencamps 0]

You have to insert your closing pin completely, not 3/4 or 1/2.
Your closing loop has to be tight. Even with a very tight loop, the max force to extract your pin is about 10 lbl Pound and a normal PC pulls around 80 lbl pound. So there is no need to have a loose closing loop. (read this somewhere, I think it come from RWS)

[grick 0]

Hey Kris, I was having the same issue with my Mirage and a 24” pc on a Stiletto 135. I even have video of someone IADing me and pc in tow for 4-5 sec. I switched to a 30” F111 and it fixed my hesitation problem about 90% of the time. I don’t believe the pc is the problem, but the bridle getting caught on the corner of the main pin protector. I have since changed my bridle routing and the problem is fixed 100% of the time. Instead of routing my bridle directly under the closing loop, I make a 45 degree angle down to the right where it can just barely be seen with the flap closed. I hope this makes sense and helps you out.
Also a 28” zp or 30” F111 pc won’t hurt. Another problem I was having with my 24” pc and Stiletto 135 was line twists. I had 0 line twists for 200 jumps with the same canopy, same pack job, same rig, same pc, etc. I all of a sudden started getting line twists about every third jump. The 30” F111 pc fixed my line twist problem 100% of the time. BTW, I still have soft openings with my Stiletto 120 using the 30” pc.
The reason I choose F111 was PD claimed more consistent openings with F111 vs. ZP to me over the phone when I was troubleshooting my line twist problem. They also state “Pilot chutes made of zero porosity fabric are more sensitive to specific design criteria, and two of similar size may have widely different drag”. Pg. 3, http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/hrdopn.pdf
Twonames

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

Quote

You have to insert your closing pin completely, not 3/4 or 1/2.

My friend was talking with the main guy at Chute Shop when he was in SA, and he recommended putting the pin through about 1/2 way.
Adrenaline Junkie Skydive Monkey

[jurgencamps 0]

Look at the site of RWS (Relative workshop) . I think I saw there some comment on this issue (pin 1/2 2/3 or ...)
The advice = put the pin as far as possible in the closing loop. You do not have to be afraid that it will not come out when it has to come out and it prevents that the container opens to early.
The same rule applies at the length of your closing loop, it has to fit very tight.

[riggerrob 558]

drenaline made a good point when he said that stuffing too much bridle under the side flap can cause a hesitation.
If you stuff too much bridle too deep under a side flap, it might snag on the corner of the bottom flap stiffener and take too long to open.
Newer Javelins have an extra bridle-hider flap that prevents this sort of sloppy packing.

[Kris 0]

Thanks for the tips and advice!
I did a few jumps today on my new 28" ZP PC that Bill Hallett from Mirage sent me. The snatch force was much higher and the hesitation is completely gone. The canopy still opens very soft but it is noticibly firmer.
I want to thank Bill at Mirage for getting my free exchange PC to me in record time along with my new 20" risers. If you're reading this, Bill, I will be sending the old PC back when I get back from my business trip to New Jersey at the end of the week.
Kris

[steve1 5]

Grick brought up an interesting point with the routing of the pilot chute bridal. I don't think he was referring to pushing it up so far that it could catch on a closing flap corner. This could cause serious problems. The part I am interested in is the routing of the bridal at a 45 degree angle from the pin to where it is stowed under the container flap. Is this a better way to go? Can the pin protective flaps cause problems? On my Talon and Vector containers I go directly down from the closing loop, stuff the bridal, and then close the main closing pin protective flap over the bridal. On my rigs I've had no problems with this, but I'm wondering if it would be better to route the bridal over at an angle as Grick suggests. I've often wondered about this and have come to the conclusion that (on my rigs at least), it doesn't matter. I also know not all containers are built the same. What do you think? Steve1