Gear maintenance my/rigger responsibility.

[d123 3]

I know that some parts of gear maintenance follows under "riggers only" status and some other parts are my responsibility to check and maintain. I'm looking to find out which are the parts that follows under my responsibility.
So far I've put together this list:
- Main fabric check (for cuts/wear/tear/lose sewing threads).
- Main lines check (for sings of fatigue not trimming).
- Main soft links check (for signs of fatigue).
- Main risers check (wear/lose sewing threads).
- PC bridle check(for wear/tear).
- PC fabric check(for cuts/wear/tear/lose sewing threads).
- Main closing loop check(for wear/tear).
- Main pin check (for metal fatigue/deformations/lose).
- BOC check(for wear/tear/lose sewing threads).
- Reserve pin check(location of the closing loop on the reserve pin).
- 3-ring system check(freedom of movement/metal fatigue/deformations).
- RSL routing check (on the 3-ring system/on the reserve pin).
- Cutaway handle and cables check(freedom of movement in the hosing/Velcro resistance/reserve cable sphere).
- Lubricate the cutaway cable every month with Silicone?
- Reserve packing cycle.
- AAD check & battery cycle .
- Connecting the risers to the harness.

Please let me know if I'm missing something!

And some other gear question:
Do you keep the main packed or unpacked during the winter?
UPT mention that there should be no gap between the outside edge of the harness ring and the small ring attachment tape. On my mini rings I have a half cm gap. Should I be worried?
How do you check the Velcro pull force?
Do you have a rigger inspection cycle when you ask your rigger to do a total inspection?

Happy landings,
Jean-Arthur Deda.

Lock, Dock and Two Smoking Barrelrolls!

[billvon 2,998]

>Main fabric check (for cuts/wear/tear/lose sewing threads).

Especially check the slider stops, bridle attach and the top center cell (gets the most wear.)

>3-ring system check(freedom of movement/metal fatigue/deformations).

Good thing to check, but do not spin the rings.

>Lubricate the cutaway cable every month with Silicone?

Silicone is good. Once a month may be overkill unless you're in a dusty/dirty area. Once a repack and/or whenever you change out your canopy is probably sufficient.

>How do you check the Velcro pull force?

Pull the handle. If it comes out very easily it's probably too loose. Don't do this too often as unmating velcro wears it out.

>Do you keep the main packed or unpacked during the winter?

Doesn't matter much. Keeping it unpacked is a bit easier on the fabric. Ideal is putting the main in a big cloth bag and sticking it in a dark, cool area.

[punkd 0]

Just a quick Q on the 3-ring check. Why not spin the rings?

[Anvilbrother 0]

When you spin them you rubs dirt, oils ect into the webbing fabric. If you dont have stainless, and have rust on your rings it rubbs that into the webbing fabric as well.

Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along,

[d123 3]

In your opinion what would be the safety time frame for which you can jump a ZP main without repacking it? I'm guessing a lot less than the reserve cycle!

Happy landings,
Jean-Arthur Deda.

Lock, Dock and Two Smoking Barrelrolls!

[Foggy 0]

All of the above. Plus who is landing it? you or your rigger?

Foggy
D21109

[billvon 2,998]

> When you spin them you rubs dirt, oils ect into the webbing fabric.

In addition you wear the plating off the rings (if they're cad plated, which most of them are.) The rings rust, abrade the material, and pretty soon you have an iffy layer of webbing on the riser.

[billvon 2,998]

> In your opinion what would be the safety time frame for which you
> can jump a ZP main without repacking it?

I don't know. FAA says 120 days. I've gone years not repacking a chest-mount main (for intentional cutaways) and it's opened just fine.

[d123 3]

Thanks for the help guys.

Lock, Dock and Two Smoking Barrelrolls!

[DSE 5]

Quote

> When you spin them you rubs dirt, oils ect into the webbing fabric.

In addition you wear the plating off the rings (if they're cad plated, which most of them are.) The rings rust, abrade the material, and pretty soon you have an iffy layer of webbing on the riser.

Interesting to read, as I was taught to rotate my rings occasionally to see that they hadn't developed a set to them.

[mark 107]

Quote

I was taught to rotate my rings occasionally to see that they hadn't developed a set to them.

If the webbing has taken a set, rotating the rings won't change that.

If the rings have elongated, you need new rings -- and you need to let the rest of us know so we can get the other substandard rings out of (ahem!) circulation.

Mark

[jmidgley 0]

My view is - you can delegate the *job* - you can't delegate the responsibility. Learn as much as you can about how all the components work, what pathologies and failure modes they're prone to, what you can do to avoid them.

Having someone for the coroner to blame after the event isn't nearly as good as avoiding the event in the first place.

Regards
John

[kkeenan 14]

Quote

...I was taught to rotate my rings occasionally to see that they hadn't developed a set to them.

What takes a set is the riser material that attaches to the ring. Periodically remove the riser from the harness and flex the bottom ring of the riser by twisting and moving the riser webbing. It develops a "J" shape from being attached to the 3-ring and staying in that position a lot. That is the "set" that you're looking to remove.

Kevin K.

_____________________________________
Dude, you are so awesome...
Can I be on your ash jump ?

[d123 3]

The word "responsibility" doesn't reflect that well my question. I will rephrase. Some parts of the gear maintenance can be done *only* by a rigger and some other parts can be done by a regular skydiver. I'm looking to find out which are the last ones.

Lock, Dock and Two Smoking Barrelrolls!

[d123 3]

Quote

Periodically remove the riser from the harness and flex the bottom ring of the riser by twisting and moving the riser webbing. It develops a "J" shape from being attached to the 3-ring and staying in that position a lot. That is the "set" that you're looking to remove.

Good point. Never thought about that. Thanks.
Is that what happen to the Australian guy that crash in the blueberry under a spinning main (after he cutaway) and amazingly survived?

Lock, Dock and Two Smoking Barrelrolls!

[riggerrob 643]

The concept of spinning rings relates to a bad batch of (soft) rings that were made in the 1980s. Those rings should have been removed from service DECADES ago!

Spinning cadmium-plated rings only accelerates wear.