vonSanta 0 #1 March 4, 2004 Noticed some very small (less than half a millimetre) holes near the bridle attachment point on my Safire. There's about 5 of them. My sister (who owned and jumped the canopy before me) says they were there when she originally bought it. Canopy has passed all yearly inspections (DOM 2001), but I haven't actually asked the rigger about 'em. It has about 380-400 jumps on it and is otherwise in good shape. I suspect they're caused by friction - maybe the previous owner wasn't meticulous about making sure no fabric got caught between the metal ring and the "hole" in the bag where the bridle exits? Am I wrong about this? Also, anything I can do to prevent more/bigger holes appearing, aside from beign meticulous about checking for fabric caught between metal ring and the "hole"? Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grega 0 #2 March 4, 2004 What do they look like Are they completely circular, like someone would made them, or do they look like small tears. Because if they are completely circular, then they are probably made by manufacturer. i know i have quite few of those holes through my whole canopy in numerous (specific not random) places. They are about 0.5 mm in diameter. But i'm not a canopy designer so i'm not sure.. "George just lucky i guess!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seal_S49 0 #3 March 4, 2004 QuoteAlso, anything I can do to prevent more/bigger holes appearing, aside from beign meticulous about checking for fabric caught between metal ring and the "hole"? The holes seem pretty small for being caused by bridle "pinch," but I agree that clearing the fabric from this area when bagging the canopy is an important habit with a non-retractable pilot chute. If you use a retractable pilot chute, the pinch point is actually between the link that connects the kill line to the canopy and the link that seats against the bag grommet. If the kill line was manufactured too short or it has shrunk from many jumps, these links will actually bear against each other as the PC is cocked. If cocking is done after the canopy is bagged, then this action can pinch a fold of fabric between the links and cause a tear when the bag is stripped off the canopy during deployment. I've seen big rips caused by this. To prevent this problem with a kill-line PC: 1) I like to see at least 2" of excess kill line slack in the bag after the PC is cocked. I manufacture my PCs this way and check used PCs to make sure the kill line has not shrunk excessively. 2) If you are in doubt about kill line length, cock the PC before bagging the canopy. But as you bag the canopy, the PC will probably retract slightly. If you need to re-cock it after bagging, reach inside to clear any trapped fabric. I use an adequately long kill-line and cock my PC after bagging the canopy. Years of this practice have not resulted in any damage to my main canopy. Enjoy you "new" main! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
