Packed myself a StepThru?

[nvanduyn 0]

Alright, well I jumped earlier today and packed myself. Anyway, I went up to altitude for a jump, planning on pulling high (9 grand) to get some more experience with front risers, diving the canopy, ect.

On deployment, it was a little harder than I was used to, had a few line twists, and the front riser was apparently looped around the back. I did the standard steerability check. The canopy flew just like it normally did, so I flew it in and landed it, without problem.

I was talking to the DZO about the risers and how the front was twisted around the back, and he told me that I apparently backed myself a stepthru. Only odd thing is I have no CLUE how I could have done this. The first jump I did not step thru the canopy at all, the lines were all lining up without any twists.

Anyone have any ideas, I have been told that it can be survived (without chop) with larger canopies, but it starts to become an issue with the smaller ones. Thanks.

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-Nick

[bodypilot1 0]

You probably did it when you took the container off your back and laid it down, flipping it through the lines.
It's an easy mistake and nothing big, unless you cant do a good controlability check.
You did the right thing.


Be safe.
Ed

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[rushmc 23]

I had something similar earlier this year. This caught me by surprise and I feel a little stupid but maybe this can help someone else.

I was packing a rig that had just had the resereve repacked. The rigger had attached the main. Knowing this I payed (I thought) special attention to the lines before packing. (This was a tandem rig by the way)

The lines looked good so I packed the main. ( I too am a rigger) When the TM got down he said he had a twist in one of the risers. And while togle pressure was high he decided to fly it home and land it. (which he did)

I had a habit of taking the slider all the way down to the risers to make the line check easy to start. But by doing this (I think) I allowed a twist in the risers below the slider.

I guess my point is that there are ways to run line checks that will not discover a twist or maybe a walk through if you are not fully aware everything that can happen.

I did not connect the main but I did check it and pack it. My mistake! I hope this helps some one else avoid what I did.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[phoenixlpr 0]

I`d rather review the way of your canopy check.

I`ve flat packed a student canopy in the weekend. He let the canopy fall in him, so lines were a bit tricky. I took about 10 minutes to solve that puzzle, but I was 100% sure the lines and risers were correct on the end.

[JohnMitchell 16]

Check your lines for proper routing at the beginning of every pack job. Always be 100% sure. If in doubt, have a rigger check. If you don't know how to check, find an instructor to show you. Then this won't happen again.

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[PaulProbuild 0]

I did my packing certificate test last week & my instructor put all sorts of twists & defects into rigs for me to sort out including a "step thru", just take a little more care & logic thought on your line checks & remember if it got tangled attached to the container it will be untangled without disconecting the canopy, trace the twists from the canopy down towards the container
I appologise for being someone new to the sport & trying to tell experienced packers what they should be doing, but it is still fresh in my mind & I would like to have my packing checked every so often to make sure I wasn't getting sloppy or complacent

Happy jumping

Paul

[nvanduyn 0]

alright, thanks to everyone that replied. I guess next time I'm packing I'll slow down and make sure the lines are right. And if they are and I get the same stuff again I'll have a talk to the rigger and see what I could be doing to screw the pooch.

------
-Nick

[phoenixlpr 0]

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I guess next time I'm packing I'll slow down and make sure the lines are right.

You should have serious problems with packing if you have to slow down for that. A consistency check should be an essential part of your packing.

Are you flat packing or pro-packing?
Both ways have their checkpoints. You should not miss those.

[nvanduyn 0]

well I didn't mean I was disregarding the lines, that was my 5th pack for myself and the ones prior had all be great. Thats why I couldn't understand how the heck this one got screwed up. I am thinking I might have done something going from the bag to the container.

Again like I said, I want to take care of this issue now, so I don't have to worry about my canopy (or to a lesser extent).

edit: I am pro-packing them

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-Nick

[AggieDave 6]

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The only reason dropzones *PAY MONEY* to become a group member is for the sake of promotion.

Hold on there paco!

Unfortunately Nick (nvanduyn) left the DZ before I was able to explain how a step-through could happen and how it could be overlooked while packing.

Basically it can easily be done, especially since he only has a couple of packjobs, the risers can be twisted all the way at the base by the 3-rings so when you pick up the risers and lines in your fingers for a line check while walking up the lines to the canopy it all looks fine.

Beyond that Nick packs just fine and has recieved good instruction on how to pack, Nick just happened to overlook something this time that can be overlooked for a low time jumper/new packer. So trying to jump his shit on the internet does nothing to help him (nevermind that you didn't even explain what your "checkpoints" were), so how about you leave him alone since you don't have any sort of understanding whats going on.

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

[Harksaw 0]

In addition to what has already been said, it is also possible to give yourself a step-through when you've got the canopy in the bag, and the bag (and pilot chute) passes through the lines. This could happen if you lay the bag down before and walk away for a minute before putting the bag in the container. It's far rarer an occurance, but possible.

__________________________________________________
I started skydiving for the money and the chicks. Oh, wait.

[nvanduyn 0]

I'm thinking this is what happened actually, because I still remember the lines and risers lining up perfectly, just like my other packs. I do however remember that I was moving the pilot chute out of the way of some....lines. I had no clue that would have resulted from that, something so simple. Oh well, better that I learn it now and not do it in the future.

Oh and Dave, the reason I left in a hurry was because I was actually late for work. heh, load didn't get up in the air as fast as I thought it would so I had to haul ass out the door. Hey and thanks for all those questions I've got answered from you and the rest of the guys out there. I'll be there wednesday, for more packing practice, the exam and maybe a jump or 2.

------
-Nick

[AggieDave 6]

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Oh and Dave, the reason I left in a hurry was because I was actually late for work. heh, load didn't get up in the air as fast as I thought it would so I had to haul ass out the door. Hey and thanks for all those questions I've got answered from you and the rest of the guys out there. I'll be there wednesday, for more packing practice, the exam and maybe a jump or 2.

Yeah, I know, still fun to poke at you for skipping out on a great jump day for work.

If you want, when you come out tomorrow, after you jump I'll make a step through and show you how to fix it. Not only that, but I'll show you a couple of tricks and such on how to keep it from happening after you've got everything bagged up.

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

[nvanduyn 0]

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Yeah, I know, still fun to poke at you for skipping out on a great jump day for work.

If you want, when you come out tomorrow, after you jump I'll make a step through and show you how to fix it. Not only that, but I'll show you a couple of tricks and such on how to keep it from happening after you've got everything bagged up.

Yeah, sounds great thanks.

I did like 10 spirals in a row just to lose altitude. That 200 was fun but time was ticking and I didn't really want to get fired, cause that would end my skydiving funds right there.

Anyway, see you tomorrow.

------
-Nick

[Avion 0]

This thread has raised a question for me:

According to the rules, who is allowed to disconnect/reconnect canopies and rigs? I mean if the risers are left connnected to the canopy and all that is being disconnect/reconnected are the two three rings.

I have done this several times myself for the various demos I've had. The demo's came attached to risers. The second time, I noticed things were a bit wrong. This was my canopy that I was re-attaching after a demo. The brake lines twisted around the other lines. One dimwit actually suggested that I untie the toggles, untwist the brake lines, then reattach the toggles. I just knew that was wrong, because it got that way with everything still together. I eventually straightened everything out by flipping the end of each riser up and between the seperate front and rears risers. Then, I took it back to my rigger, so he could make sure everything was right. He said I had a 'flip-through'.

Apparently, the person, who I had asked to show me how to rigger roll, flipped the risers through in the process. I actually recall seeing him do that, when he was stetching out the canopy and lines before rolling it, but was clueless about what that meant at the time.

My rigger then showed me a simple way to check things out, if the canopy was left attached to the rises for the whole time. This involves finding the lines attached to the stablizers, tracing them back to the risers, and making sure that they go all the way back to the rig without twisting around any of the support lines, and that they attach to the outside edge of each riser.

Cheers

[nvanduyn 0]

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According to the rules, who is allowed to disconnect/reconnect canopies and rigs? I mean if the risers are left connnected to the canopy and all that is being disconnect/reconnected are the two three rings.

According to the SIM 5-3 M. pg 111 states
"Maintenance and repair of the reserve:
Repairs to the reserve assembly must be done by an FAA certified rigger only."

"Maintenance and repair of the main:
A. Repairs to the man may be done by an FAA certified rigger OR by the the owner IF he/she has adequte knowledge and skill"



So I guess that means either you if its yours and you know what your doing, or your rigger.

As to the check, that sounds like something I am going to have to include when I pack.

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-Nick

[Avion 0]

I guess, I'm gonna haf ta get a hard copy of the SIM. The PDF version is just too much trouble to read at length.

Cheers

[justinb138 0]

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I guess, I'm gonna haf ta get a hard copy of the SIM. The PDF version is just too much trouble to read at length.

Cheers

You can always just do what I did and print it at work.

[ZegeunerLeben 0]

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My rigger then showed me a simple way to check things out, if the canopy was left attached to the rises for the whole time. This involves finding the lines attached to the stablizers, tracing them back to the risers, and making sure that they go all the way back to the rig without twisting around any of the support lines, and that they attach to the outside edge of each riser.

>>That's called a "4-line check", and that's a good tool to have. If you ever disconnect and re-attach a canopy to your harness/container, you should do one.