Problem with Mirage centre flap after mod'

[andybr6 0]

Firstly I realise debates about the Mirage Cypres modfication have been done to death here so I would like, if possible, to keep this about the technical problem I am having.

The central reserve flap on my Mirage container sticks up a quite a bit after the mod and has done for the past 2 reserve re-packs. Although it looks a bit ugly it had not really bothered me until a recent trip to Empuria. There, while learning to sit, the end of the flap popped out of place and on the vid' can clearly be seen flapping around. I was jumping with one of the Babylon coaches and he had a look at it. As the reserve pin had not moved and the other tabs keep the flap in place had stayed tucked in he did'nt see a problem with continueing the coaching. Does anyone else have this problem? Would you freefly with someone who this might happen to? Is there a solution for this problem?

All help and advice is appreciated.

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"All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

[wilcox 0]

You could buy their new reserve pilot chute with concave top.

[andybr6 0]

I have heard a little about that, do you know if it makes a big difference?

Also if there are riggers reading this that are very familiar with Mirage containers; what are your opinions on that tab popping out in a sit? Do you think it could be risky?

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"All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

[jceman 1]

As a longtime Mirage jumper and retailer, I see no problem besides the esthetic one with that flap.

The way I see it, you have three choices:

1. Live with it -- not desirable because that flapping around in an undesigned manner could have long term negative effects.

2. Get one of Mirage's new pilot chutes with the concave "hat".

3. Find a rigger who knows how to pack your rig properly -- given the size of your rig/canopies, there should not be a visual difference in your pack post-mod.

My vote? Option 3.

Faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, more money.

Why do they call it "Tourist Season" if we can't shoot them?

[skymedic 0]

absolutely...he should not be having any problems with a mirage that size. unless his mirage is made smaller than his main and reserve are sized. That is an issue with the mod...no matter how good of a rigger you are it is very difficult to make it look good with a reserve that is even slightly larger than the container is designed for.

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[BlindBrick 0]

My reserve is a little bit too big for my Mirage and through watchign a couple of Master riggers and a lot of trial and error on my part, I've found that there are three things that really make a major difference.

1. Bulk distribution. This is always important on a Mirage, but it's doubly so if you have a tight one that's had the mod. Mike Gruwell's instructions are very good for this and are avilable on his loft website and are also available on Mirage's website.

2. Closing loop length is another absolutely critical one. The shorter the better its going to look. In my experience, I've gotten the best results by having a loop short enough that it had ~19 lbs of pull force, so it would be relatively easy mistake to shorten the loop to the point that it put it a little over the legal max. So you definitely want to test the pull force on each repack.

3. This was kind of the "light bulb" step for me. With a tight repack, there's a bit of a tendancy for the base of the pilotchute to shift off center. Recentering the base, if needed, as you close each flap prevents the misaligned PC from creating a small bulge on one of the side flaps. Seems like a little thing, but if the side flaps are are even a little bit off they will not let the reserve pin cover set totally flat.

-Blind

"If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

[andybr6 0]

The container size is M5. I bought it second hand but the Performance Designs factory put it all together so I guess its all the right size.

Perhaps someone out there knows an advanced packer or rigger in the UK that is very familiar with Mirages?

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"All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

[Hooknswoop 19]

Was the reserve 'concave' before the mod? By this, I mean, was the top flap even with or a little below the side flaps? If it wasn't, then the rigger is not going to be able to pack it after the mod and make it look good.

Derek

[andybr6 0]

I can't remember so I suppose that it couldn't have been otherwise it would have stood out to me at the time. As I said this was put together by the PD factory so I would have thought it would be ok.

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"All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

[Jeffrey 1]

Mirage Container Compatibility Chart

Container size-Reserve w/microline

MZS- Dash M-109
MXS-1/2- PR-113
MXS- PR-113
MX- PR-113
MT- PR-126
MO- PR-126
MOS- PR-126
M1Z- PR-143
M1- PR-143
M2- PR-143
M3- PR-160
M3X- PR-160
M4- PR-160
M5- PR-176
M6- PR-193
M7- PR-218

[andybr6 0]

Ok so my reserve is one size to large for my container. Is that going to make a massive difference after the mod' has been done? Do you think a smaller reserve would be a good idea [with reference to packing] or cou;d someone experienced in packing Mirages be able to make the flap lay flat?

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"All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

[Hooknswoop 19]

Quote

Ok so my reserve is one size to large for my container. Is that going to make a massive difference after the mod' has been done? D

Yes, the mod makes the tolerances that much tighter and less forgiving of a less than perfect reserve pack job.

Quote

Do you think a smaller reserve would be a good idea [with reference to packing]

Of course it would, but that is a poor way to go about deciding your reserve size, backwards actually.

Quote

cou;d someone experienced in packing Mirages be able to make the flap lay flat?

Maybe, but you are not making it easy on them. At some point, no one can make it look right.

Sounds like a larger container is the best fix.

Derek

[Jeffrey 1]

Andy,

This thread would be a good example of why jumpers should contact the manufacturer before purchasing used gear/kit site unseen.

Unfortunately for you, the M6 is designed to fit your main and reserve canopy combination. Your M5 is not unsafe, but I'm sure it's a real brick with extra long loops.

Please call or e-mail Ward@miragesys.com next week. Refer to this thread and perhaps we can help you with your options to this problem.

Jeff

[mattjw916 2]

Personally, I'd just get smaller canopies and keep the container. But that's just me.

Even with my PD176R in an M5 I have had one repack that looked like absolute crap and another one that looked perfect (I have the original reserve PC still). Oddly enough the first one was the more experienced rigger. So, obviously rigger skill and/or attention to bulk management makes a big difference since my last two repacks were like night and day.

With my next rig purchase I definately won't be getting something Mirage lists as "snug" for the reserve container. My M5 with a 175 main and 176 reserve is pretty snug as is, I can't believe you shoe-horn bigger canopies in there.

NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

[wardhessig 0]

as responded to andy by email
Hi Andy,
Thanks for inquiring about your Mirage with us. We are always more than happy to continue to provide service long after the sale and I want to make sure our customers know it is absolutely recommended to contact us with anything that they may need.

In this case, unfortunately you have a double whammy. The reserve is too large for your container and no matter how skilled the rigger it will be difficult to make your rig look nice and flush after the modification or even before the modification for that matter. The new pilot chute, along with a Mirage proficient rigger may help some but we definitely recommend a compatible reserve and container combination for aesthetics and safety.

With the safety issue, it is somewhat of a concern that the reserve tab comes out of the d-flap as that is where it is intended to be. If you take your hand and rub it up and down the center of the back of our rig you will notice that it is one long smooth surface with nothing protruding to become a snag factor. We designed it that way intentionally and that tab sticking out does introduce a snag factor. For example, it is entirely possible for a line from your main canopy to snag on that during deployment. Chances are it will just open the reserve flap and deploy normally but there is the possibility of snagging on your reserve pin, deploying the reserve, all sorts of ugly stuff. Its just much better to be safe than sorry. Live to make a whole lot of jumps has seemed to be my policy.

As for recommendations on what you can do……..If you are intent on keeping the reserve and main container as is, you will need all the help you can get to make it sit flush, you will need to buy the new pilot chute as it is an excellent enhancement and really helps to make the flaps sit flush on more difficult rigs. If your rigger isn’t proficient with Mirage reserve repacks you can send it to us and we can do the best repack available for you if you wish and if it is an option for you.

I do not know the rigger that you used and am not questioning their skill or expertise but the modification is only allowed to be performed by a master rigger not senior riggers if you wish to pass along the information as the senior rigger that did it can be held liable if an incident were to happen.

I hope this answers all your questions and please feel free to contact me if you need anything else.
Thanks
ward

[andybr6 0]

Thankyou for the prompt reply. I am going to try and get my hands on a PD176 reserve in the hope that it will solve the problem.

Again many thanks for the advice.

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"All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"