angryelf 0 #26 December 9, 2016 I don't think that it's all packing. I think it's packing combined with finer fiber Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP's) that have high aromaticity combined with excessive wear and new opening characteristics. (I brought the LCP/aromaticity into it to be funny/smartass. I'm not a chemical engineer-I'm a skydiver). With 450 jumps on the wing I respect the hell out of it. I thumped myself 10 years ago on a Spectre. I almost killed myself on the VK testing an altimeter earlier this year. complacency on these planforms (and many parachutes in general) is certain death. I assure you I DO NOT have every aspect of the the VK figured out. As far as the VK to VE vs truck to Ferrari thing-I wasn't comparing a VK to a VE. I was comparing the VK to a KA. the region I jump in currently has a lot of very experienced tunnel fliers moving from the KA/CF2to the VK/Leia because that's what you do... Not so long ago it was recommended that you only flew a VE if you had a bazillion jumps on a Stiletto... Which was the hot canopy then... We now know that short lineset to entirely different planform with way longer lines different dive/recovery tendencies led to a few experienced jumpers femuring. My point is that a lot of folks are bitching about having to reline. My thought is that they need to. They aren't and it's leading to problems. We're nearly at a stage with these wings where the lines can fail in the turn because the openings are butter and we're building so much power and system-felt g forces into the canopy at the most critical phase of flight that the failure can occur when we have the least time/altitude to deal with it. I hadn't considered line vibration in flight-but in makes sense. Gun barrels have harmonics that affect accuracy, some motor cycles vibrate themselves to death... the potential for line wear to be a by-product of velocity induced vibration theoretically sounds valid. It's a brave new world..."Sometimes you eat the bar, and well-sometimes the bar eats you..." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hodges 4 #27 December 12, 2016 QuoteWe're nearly at a stage with these wings where the lines can fail in the turn because the openings are butter and we're building so much power and system-felt g forces into the canopy at the most critical phase of flight that the failure can occur when we have the least time/altitude to deal with it. Nearly? Two recent fatalities (that I know of) and some near misses. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skow 6 #28 December 13, 2016 hodgesQuoteWe're nearly at a stage with these wings where the lines can fail in the turn because the openings are butter and we're building so much power and system-felt g forces into the canopy at the most critical phase of flight that the failure can occur when we have the least time/altitude to deal with it. Nearly? Two recent fatalities (that I know of) and some near misses. It's been like this for years Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
