Gear checks

[voltage 0]

What is your routine for gear-checks? Here is mine:

start of the jumping day:

1) switch on AAD
2) check pin is proper in place on main
3) check pin on reserve and continuiety to handle
4) peel off both handles and re-place them

before each jump:

1) check 3-ring system (proper assembly, proper routing of "loop", rsl connected correct)
2) check main pin / reserve pin
3) take a quick look at harness connection points
4) check pc stow


Thats it pretty much. While packing I try to pay attention to the material that goes through my fingers, but don't do any specific checks.

Am I missing something important? Do you have other routines? Hope to learn something from this post.

[bodypilot1 0]

Quote

What is your routine for gear-checks? Here is mine:

start of the jumping day:

1) switch on AAD
2) check pin is proper in place on main
3) check pin on reserve and continuiety to handle
4) peel off both handles and re-place them

before each jump:

1) check 3-ring system (proper assembly, proper routing of "loop", rsl connected correct)
2) check main pin / reserve pin
3) take a quick look at harness connection points
4) check pc stow


Thats it pretty much. While packing I try to pay attention to the material that goes through my fingers, but don't do any specific checks.

Am I missing something important? Do you have other routines? Hope to learn something from this post.

Peeling off both handles and replacing them daily will wear out velcro very fast. It's good to check, but if its your gear, and always in your control, checking to make sure the velcro is mated is sufficient. Always make sure the ball is swedged onto the reserve cable too. Try adding check AAD, and make sure cutaway and reserve handles are in place to your "before every jump list".


Ed

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[DougH 270]

I am interested to hear what some other jumpers and riggers think about you peeling your handles free every day.

Up until this point I only peel them once a reserve cycle, unless I am cleaning the cutaway cables in the middle of the repack cycle.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[in2jumping 0]

Quote

I am interested to hear what some other jumpers and riggers think about you peeling your handles free every day.

Just like bodypilot1 said it will wear out the velcro. I have seen a couple floating reserve handles on older rigs in FF. Both would have had a hard time finding their reserve handle which was floating towards the back of their arm pit if they needed it .

[billvon 2,991]

> I am interested to hear what some other jumpers and riggers think
>about you peeling your handles free every day.

I would recommend you do not do this. It will lead to having to replace the velcro on both sides within a few hundred jumps.

But what is more likely is that you won't inspect/replace the velcro often enough and your handles will come loose in freefall. And while this is not the end of the world it can be very annoying, and can lead to dual deployments, loss of altitude awareness and other bad things.

[shermanator 4]

my gear check:

begining of jump day:

1. put hand in front of face, and count down with fingers 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. ok, activation divice is working
2. check reserve pin, as well as continuity to pad.
3. start from left 3 rings, down, main lift web, down to legstraps, other side legstraps, up mainliftweb/cheststrap, to that sides rings.
4. check main pin
5. check pc.

CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08
CSA #720

[siddacious 0]

Start of the day:
1. Turn on aad. I've remembered that I didn't turn on my AAD on the way to the plane twice now because I got distracted from doing my morning gear check.

2. Check back pad side of gear in an upside down U, starting with the right leg pad, up the main lift web, to the chop handle, to the chest strap, 3 rings, double check AAD, 3rings/rsl, and RSL routing, chest strap, reserve handle.and back down the lift web tp the left leg strap. I do this side first so I don't have to lay the rig against the same side of the reserve pin after checking it.

3. Flip it over and check reserve pin seated properly, and then check the main pin placement, and PC kill line, as well as bridle exposure.

Before leaving the plane:
1. Reserve pin if the rig has been sitting against something on the reserve side.

2. Main pin If I'm feeling paranoid. Maybe I should be more paranoid.

3. 3 rings, 3 straps, 3 handles.

4. I always practice my EP's at least once on the way up, usually more.

While packing, I pay special care to folding the PC neatly with the main attachment point pulled out to be even with the PC edge and hackey to prevent monkey fisting, as well as stowing excess bridle and making sure that the routed portion is well covered.

A dolor netus non dui aliquet, sagittis felis sodales, dolor sociis mauris, vel eu libero cras. Interdum at. Eget habitasse elementum est.

[hackish 8]

On gear that I'm not used to jumping I'll give all the webbing a good look over as well as checking all the hardware. This did lead me to discover badly dammaged webbing on a leg strap (student gear) as a result the gear was grounded.

While I do think all the main points have already been covered I do think it's a good idea to periodically inspect a random part of your gear - weather it's inspecting the main lift web, your kill line or just going over the hardware it's a good idea because it not only familiarises you with the equipment but can catch items that are beginning to wear.

-Michael

[redlegphi 0]

To add on to everybody elses checks, check to make sure altimeter reads zero while on the ground.

[monkycndo 0]

Quote

To add on to everybody elses checks, check to make sure altimeter reads zero while on the ground.

That's a good reminder for most DZs. But for the few where you land away from the airport with a different elevation at the landing area, make sure you have the correct offset (either +/-), and then check it reads zero when you land. The AAD would need to be offset as well. I jump at one of these DZs and most visiting jumpers need a quick lesson on how to do the offset on their AAD.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[DanG 1]

Quote

before each jump:

1) check 3-ring system (proper assembly, proper routing of "loop", rsl connected correct)
2) check main pin / reserve pin
3) take a quick look at harness connection points
4) check pc stow

I never quite understood why people spend so much time checking the 3-ring system. I check mine at the beginning of the day, but that's about it. (Before anyone jumps in my shit, when doing gear checks for other I always give it a careful inspection.) What do people believe has happened to it during the day that might change the configuration? This is an honest question. The only thing I can think of if that the yellow cable may have come out of the channel or otherwise been displaced, but I can't remember the last time I saw another experienced jumper fully check the routing of the cables when doing their three ring check.

I would add checking bridle routing to your list of prior to each jump, especially if you use packers. A misrouted bridle is easy to miss and can easily result in a total malfunction.

- Dan G

[voltage 0]

Very valid responses. I will certainly stop peeling the handles on each jumping day for reasons pointed out here, and because I found the force needed to be nearly the same regardless of circumstances (long sitting period, airline transport ...).

I do check the 3 ring assembly because I've had the yellow cabel come out of the channel. Also checking every time that the loop is not twisted in any strange way. It is probably overkill to check the correct assembly every time, though.

Thanks for every contribution.

[peregrinerose 0]

For me:

Start of jumping day, turn on AAD and go over entire rig, webbing, harness, keepers, 3 rings, handles, pins making sure everything is good to go.

Then I do three quick gear checks (main pin, handles/hackey/bridle , leg straps, chest strap, 3 ring, altimeter) prior to every jump... once on the ground before I put it on, once before getting in the plane, once in the plane prior to exit.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[riggerrob 643]

SIMPLE bridle routing, straight from pin to handle.

[billvon 2,991]

>I never quite understood why people spend so much time checking the
>3-ring system.

A few reasons/anecdotes:

1) On some rigs (mainly rentals) canopies are often changed. This leads to a high likelihood of misrouting the 3-ring.

2) I once had a 'student' (he had 50-60 jumps but was uncurrent) who had a questionable-length cutaway cable. I told him he had to have a rigger check it out before he jumped. He had the rigger check it, we jumped - and just as he touched down one riser fell off. When I went to yell at the rigger he said that he had just checked the 3-ring order and hadn't looked at the cable. (lesson for me there.)

3) When rigs are dragged during packing, often the white loop takes much of the friction.

That being said, if it's your own gear, and you are maintaining it yourself, checking it once a day is probably sufficient.

[Joellercoaster 6]

The RSL is also generally right next to the 3-ring.

I've seen someone else catch a misrouted RSL on flightline while routinely checking the 3-ring beside it...

BTW, this side of the pond flightline gear checks, explicitly including 3-rings, are compulsory. It's also much more likely you'll run into integrity (reversed) risers over here, which is a pain *sigh*

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[DanG 1]

Good answers, thank you.

I do look for all of those things on other people's gear, but on my own I tend not to. Maybe I should add a 3-ring check to my pre-jump ritual.

- Dan G

[fcajump 164]

Quote

Good answers, thank you.

I do look for all of those things on other people's gear, but on my own I tend not to. Maybe I should add a 3-ring check to my pre-jump ritual.

- Dan G

Hi Dan...

Not to pile on, but I've seen (more than once) one other issue occur between jumps in a day and not get caught until the jumper was either on the plane or on the way to it...

When being carried back, the main riser flips down on the base ring. When being packed the riser becomes jammed with the middle/top rings facing toward the base of the big ring... (hard to describe... will try to post a pic).

Point: there is another problem that can occur during the pack that needs to be found before use, and a pin check that includes the 3-ring system will find it.

JW

Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

[AFFI 0]

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=Gear%20check&sb=score&mh=25

Mykel AFF-I10
Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

[firstime 0]

Good point, Colonel Tom from West point brought this to my attention when I was doing the coach class. It has stuck with me since. I also check for hair line cracks in the hardware which you cant see, just move them left to right.
It only takes a second, it's something that I do..along with the regular stuff.

I also move my reserve cable from one end to see if it moves from the other end.

[riggerrob 643]

Main riser flip-throughs are common on tandem gear, but rare on solo gear.

Flip-throughs are so dangerous - on tandems (a few broken main risers during the 1990s) - that many schools refuse to pay packers who do not correct flip-throughs early in the packing process.

Even so, you should still glance at every 3-Ring before donning any rig.
The best angle - for inspection - is from the side, because from that angle, you are far more likely to spot errors like both rings through the harness ring, etc.