Improved Openings!! But, why?

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

I have a Samurai 105 that i've put about 100 jumps on. I have always had some issues with the openings (off heading, fast, sometimes end cell closure/turning.) I had chalked it up to shitty packing or body position until I got my new container. . . .

I had been putting this in a Javelin TJN which is made for a 135 canopy. It had the d-bag made for that size canopy with side stows. The container has a BOC deployment system. It was a used container, not made for me (and a little big for me I think.)

I just purchased a custom Voodoo V0 which is made for a 105, the bag is sized nicely for this canopy and I got the bag with center stows. I also got the pullout system instead of boc.

I did 13 jumps this weekend and I had on-heading openings EVERY SINGLE TIME! Now understand that this never happened in the other container.. an on heading opening used to be a rarity. So, i'm wondering what is it that is causing this change. Is it

a) The container (and therefore d-bag) being appropriately sized for the canopy? Maybe there was some partial deflation going on in the larger bag?

b) The center stows on the d-bag not allowing it to jar itself around as much when opening?

c) The pullout system, which takes a bit longer. Maybe with the boc I was tossing and it was opening so fast that I was getting back to normal position which deploying which was causing turns? With the pullout I am already back to normal position when the pilot chute is released (because you have to fully extend your arm before releasing the pud.)

Any thoughts? I don't know what it is, and I can't really isolate each changed variable, but something has caused a DRASTIC improvement in my openings. Maybe someone here has some insight.

Thanks!
Angela.

[AggieDave 6]

In my experience its usually a combination of little things that add up to produce bad openings.

So changing to stowing in the middle may have helped keep the bag from dancing too much, it makes a difference for some people and some people it doesn't.

The pullout may be making you go back to a proper neutral body position which would help a LOT, especially if you were dropping a shoulder a bit on deployment or something like that with a BOC.

More to the point your harness probably made a bigger difference. A properly fitted harness makes a HUGE difference to many things including openings.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

Thanks for your input, Dave! I am amazed at the difference, i'm so glad it was either me, the container, or the d-bag... and not the canopy. The canopy opens beautfully now!

On larger canopies I never had much or a problem, but I suppose the smaller they are, the more sensitive they are, and the small changes that have come from the new container have certainly improved the openings 100% on the Sam.

thx.
-A

[GravityGirl 0]

I found exactly the same thing when I got my G4. I can just about feel every stage of the opening, and they are soooo semetrical.

I guess all that R&D pays off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[livnbored 0]

I have to agree with Dave on this one.
The main factors are most likely improved body position (possibly due to fitted harness and pull-out body position) and better line tension and line deployment. When the parachute is leaving the bag, now, it has more direction and more ... what's the word... traction ... Besides that, the way a bag is placed into a voodoo, (I find anyway) can help a HP parachute launch more efficently off the back. This is just my opinion... but congrats on experiencing the joy of nice openings...

• Quote

[alan 1]

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I have a Samurai 105 that i've put about 100 jumps on. I have always had some issues with the openings (off heading, fast, sometimes end cell closure/turning.) I had chalked it up to shitty packing or body position until I got my new container. . . .

Since your questions have pretty much been addressed, I'd like to just make a brief comment on a side issue. It was refreshing to read your initial comments chalking up the opening issues to packing, body position, etc.. How often do we read/hear inexperienced and experienced jumpers alike commenting on the performance of a canopy and blindly passing off any negative attributes to the canopy without giving much, if any, consideration to any of the other factors that may be contributing to or causing the perceived "problem".

alan

[mnischalke 0]

One thing I didn't notice you mention was the pilot chute. Is the new PC a different size or fabric? Is the mesh a tighter pattern? PC size and type certainly has an effect on opening characteristics.

mike

Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills--You know, like nunchuk skills, bow-hunting skills, computer-hacking skills.

[JumpRu 14]

I think this is new PC.

[larsrulz 0]

Directly related to it being a samurai, were the off heading openings in a hard dive? The previous owner of my samurai didn't like the occasion diving turn on openings, which is the main reason he sold it. Brian informed him that he wasn't loading the canopy up enough at 1.4 and should downsize to load one at 1.6 or there abouts. All this ends up asking: what are you loading your 105 at? Brian seems to be big on the idea (as I understand it) that samurais open better when properly loaded.

With my samurai, I noticed that my current rig which is tight to extremely tight consistently opens very well, and I only have a problem when opening in a bad body position. And samurai's open much better when you allow your body to react to the opening using both weight shift and riser turns, so possibly your better fitting rig allows you to better sub-consciously respond to the issues you previously had in your ill-fitting rig.

I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

[Designer 0]

The center stows make for a more predictable,consistent on heading opening.Still trying convince some side stow people to change over to the center stow method.It makes a bigger difference on the smaller canopies.Anybody having a high wind loading,jumping a small canopy should seriously consider the center stow method on their bags!

[masterrig 1]

You make a good point, about 'center stows'. I've done a lot of conversions on 'D'-bags from side stows and have heard god responses. I spoke with John Sherman about this subject and he is quite in favor of the 'center stows'.

Chuck

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

To address a couple of questions :

The pilot chute is new and came with the rig, I will compare it with my old one this week to see what the differences in size and mesh density are. I hadn't given that any thought.

As far as the loading factor, I load this at a little under 1.5, but after seeing how nice it opened this weekend, I don't think that I need to load it more to get a nicer opening, it seems to have been corrected with the better fitting container, center stow d-bag, pullout system or pilot chute size or a combination of things.

Alan, yes, I hate hearing people bitch that a canopy sux and not even consider that it might be other factors. My boyfriend has a 105 Sam and his opens fine, so I'd just assumed it was me (packing or position, etc.) Glad it was the container, d-bag, deployment method or whatnot, tho:)

Thanks to all for their thoughts,
-A