relyon

You're quite right. My mistake and apologies. Bob

Assumming the numbers (and corresponding wing loadings) are correct, I sense JC's progression to the Stilletto 150 at 315 jumps would have gotten him a severe ration of shit from many dropzone.com posters, regardless of his progression to that point. So why does JC get hailed as a model of the canopy progression while the average anonymous jumper gets flamed? Bob

The primary difference between the Triathlon models that affects the deployment speeds is the size and shape of the cell opening. The RW and Hybrid employ a droop nose (top skin extends partially down the cell opening) where the Competition version is wide open. The more open nose inflates and deploys faster resulting in higher opening shock. You definitely want to avoid those kinds of openings - it's very hard on the body and the parachute (it can pop bartacks and blow ribs at the crossports). As indyz pointed out, mesh sliders and freepacking also speed things up, but you don't want to dump a competition Tri at terminal even with a solid slider and bag as it will still slam you. The line length and trim on all three canopies is the same, though the line material is not (Spectra on the RW, Dacron on the Hybrid and Comp)

Not true. Internal pressurization is not dependent on the size of the opening though the rate of inflation is. Increasing the freestream velocity (speed) increases the internal canopy pressure proportional to the velocity squared. The orientation of the opening to the relative wind also does not matter as long as the stagnation point is in front of the opening and not on the top (or bottom) skin. Turbulence can greatly effect both external pressures (ie. on the outside of the top and bottom skin) and the stagnation point location, resulting in loss of lift and poor handling in such conditions. Bob

I'd open them. It won't make any noticeable difference in the deployment speed, but it will prevent one riser from being released before the other (which spins the bag resulting in low line twists and likely an off heading). I wouldn't do this. Too much of a snag hazard on exit with little or no benefit. Way too unpredictable. One thing you might consider is a pullout system. There is a noticeable difference in sub-terminal deployment speeds between BOCs and pullouts. Bob

Mi-8 MTV Bob

The point about Spectra's modulus being the same as a steel cable is well taken, but bungee jumping and parachute deployment are apples and oranges. Replace the bungee cord with Dacron in the example and the same thing will happen. Bob

I have eight jumps on my current reserve (Tempo 170) loaded at 1.15. I've had no issues flying or landing it, and I'm confident I can repeat the performance when necessary. Bob

Yeah, it's definitely going to be the shit. I'm looking forward to jumping with some of the very best CRWdogs in the world! Bob

Yes, thanks for the explanation. I use both full hand grips and sometimes a vulcan "live long and prosper" grip (where the links are between the middle & ring fingers), with all four fingers in the toggle loop. I haven't experienced anything remotely close to a dropped toggle - not to say it can't happen as it obviously has. FWIW, I wear tackified winter weight football gloves and sprung toggles (ie. with cables sewn in to keep the loop open). If anything, I've had problems getting my hand out of the toggle (I dislike dive loops for the same reason). Bob

My motto is "find a muscle group that doesn't hurt and hurt it". Repeat as necessary. Bob

I don't understand the whole dropped toggle thing. I use both blocks and toggles all the time and I've never dropped either inadvertently. I put four fingers through the toggle loop and just grab the block. When I let go of the block, it releases and my hand is still in the toggle. What am I missing? Bob

I practice my procedures probably 2-3 times on each jump by touching and mentally pulling them in order. The practice pays off when you need it the most (I've had 9 cutaways). Bob

Exit later, deploy higher, and land later than him or better yet, stay off loads he's on. Bob

I have 9 cutaways in 1265 jumps and have never had a main deployment malfunction. All my cutaways were in the aftermath of CRW entanglements and/or wraps. I jump a tailpocketed (no bag) PD Lightning 143/Tempo 170/Infinity. Bob

Short lined Lightnings tend to exhibit the nasty landing tendencies but factory lined ones (the majority out there) land fine. Bob

Aside from 30 or so jumps on student gear and maybe one or two others, I haven't jumped a rig with an AAD. I've never made CRW jump with a RSL. Bob

Both span two cells/linegroups instead of one. I can't tell what type of lines are on the bottom canopy, but I'll bet it's cascaded microline like that in the upper pic. That stuff snags on just about anything it can. Bob

I've been to 16500' on a few CRW dives. Bob

CRW with cross braced or high performance canopies? I'll watch. Between the high aspect ratios, elliptical plaform, micro lines, and pilot chutes, a stack wrap will be one hell of show I'd rather not be part of. There's a photo pictorial on pp. 40-41 of Oct 2003 Parachutist. The photo on the top left shows the right way to do CRW. The remaining pics, IMO, show less than ideal conditions. The grips on the the stack docks on the top and bottom right on p 41 are incorrect at best and could cause a worse problem. You wouldn't find my feet in those lines. Bob

If you'e wrapped or entagled with another canopy and cutaway, having a RSL deploy your reserve into the mess is bad. You want to fall away from it first, then deploy. That is the primary reason RSLs are not used in CRW. If a jumper is so low that they can't cutaway and deploy their reserve safely, chances are they're better off skipping the cutaway and just dumping the reserve. Bob

It does. ZP Lightnings have fast opening characteristics, so much so they're not recommended for terminal deployment. Some people take them terminal anyway, and use various tricks to slow down the opening. Rolling the nose is pretty effective. Bob

Depending on altitude, I'd probably try to clearing it with a deep rear riser stall first. Next I'd go for cutting the offending line. If none of that worked or I was really low (< 500') to begin with, I'd do my best to aim for something soft, hold it straight, and hope for the best. Bob

A teammate of mine once bagged his solid slider ZP 176, rolled the nose to the B lines, packed it with the brakes unstowed, and took it terminal. The word I'd use to describe the opening is "instantaneous". I can assure you it's less than 250' - probably more like 100 - 150 ft. Bob

That's how I do it. I try for a full arm extension straight out to the side, though I don't think I've ever gotten it out that far before having it yanked out of my hand. I've dropped a PUD a couple times (cleared by reaching back and giving another pull), but I can't say I've ever had a hesitation even though I have a very short bridle (53"). Bob