Slow openings and emergency exit from the plane

[Hellis 0]

chuckakers

I'm always open to learn. Anyone following this thread know of a manufacturer that recommends slider holes to speed up openings?

PD Reserve
I know, that was a punch below the belt.

I have heard from a follow jumper who also likes quick opening canopies that it's very hard to get the manufacturers help to speed up the opening.
Their reasoning, according to him, was that this is how the canopy should open and they did not want to change it.

As of his story, he was at the factory several times trying to pursuade and beg them for a fix.
And on the last day of his visit one of the workers handed him a smaler slider secretly.
They probably all got fed up with him

[Snowcrash 0]

On this side of the border we are thought to go directly to our reserves if we have to exit below 700 m (~2300 ft). My understanding is that that is based on the lowest opening altitude required by our regulations (being 700 m, defined as pin out).

I jump a Sabre2 150 that has done 500-600 jumps, that takes about the same amount of altitude to open and though giving a blanket "700 m" answer may be leaving out quite a few considerations, I'll stick with it for now, rather staying a bit conservative, at least until I'm more experienced.

[chuckakers 425]

Hellis

***
I'm always open to learn. Anyone following this thread know of a manufacturer that recommends slider holes to speed up openings?

PD Reserve
I know, that was a punch below the belt.

I have heard from a follow jumper who also likes quick opening canopies that it's very hard to get the manufacturers help to speed up the opening.
Their reasoning, according to him, was that this is how the canopy should open and they did not want to change it.

As of his story, he was at the factory several times trying to pursuade and beg them for a fix.
And on the last day of his visit one of the workers handed him a smaler slider secretly.
They probably all got fed up with him

Yep, below the belt for sure although I did expect someone to post that.

As for a manufacturer not wanting to speed up a canopy's openings, there's a fix for that. Choose a different manufacturer or model.

Not all canopies open slowly. One of the reasons I chose a Stiletto when deciding to retire from the Velo universe was the quicker openings.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[Hellis 0]

chuckakers

******
I'm always open to learn. Anyone following this thread know of a manufacturer that recommends slider holes to speed up openings?

PD Reserve
I know, that was a punch below the belt.

I have heard from a follow jumper who also likes quick opening canopies that it's very hard to get the manufacturers help to speed up the opening.
Their reasoning, according to him, was that this is how the canopy should open and they did not want to change it.

As of his story, he was at the factory several times trying to pursuade and beg them for a fix.
And on the last day of his visit one of the workers handed him a smaler slider secretly.
They probably all got fed up with him

Yep, below the belt for sure although I did expect someone to post that.

As for a manufacturer not wanting to speed up a canopy's openings, there's a fix for that. Choose a different manufacturer or model.

Not all canopies open slowly. One of the reasons I chose a Stiletto when deciding to retire from the Velo universe was the quicker openings.


You chosed Stiletto for quicker openings?
I rented a rig when I was visiting another DZ and it had a Stiletto in it.
I was truely scared on the first jump because it opened so slow.
Those 5 jumps I made with that canopy was the worst jumps for me ever.
And that was only because of the slow openings.

[kuai43 7]

Hellis

You chosed Stiletto for quicker openings?
I rented a rig when I was visiting another DZ and it had a Stiletto in it.
I was truely scared on the first jump because it opened so slow.
Those 5 jumps I made with that canopy was the worst jumps for me ever.
And that was only because of the slow openings.

Both of my Stilettos opened very nicely in a short amount of time. The 150 sniveled just a bit more than the 135, but never any heart-stoppers.

Who packed yours? Do not roll/push the nose, IMO.

Every fight is a food fight if you're a cannibal

Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man. - Anthony Burgess

[JohnMitchell 16]

ellena

an Electra 190 main which has rather slow openings (the guy I bought it from said it usually takes about 900 feet to open,

I haven't read all the posts above, so this may be redundant.

Many of us jumped an early 80's canopy called The Unit, which had notoriously slow openings. My rigger and I hot knifed a vent slit down the middle of the slider and afterwords I had perfect, soft, consistent openings. This is one approach to the problem, but talk with an experienced rigger first. And remember that once you go down this trail you're now a test jumper.

[Hellis 0]

kuai43

***

You chosed Stiletto for quicker openings?
I rented a rig when I was visiting another DZ and it had a Stiletto in it.
I was truely scared on the first jump because it opened so slow.
Those 5 jumps I made with that canopy was the worst jumps for me ever.
And that was only because of the slow openings.

Both of my Stilettos opened very nicely in a short amount of time. The 150 sniveled just a bit more than the 135, but never any heart-stoppers.

Who packed yours? Do not roll/push the nose, IMO.

The first, have no clue. Probably a packer as the DZ was very strict with packing.
They had a spy keeping an eye on me every time I packed the canopy.

I did not do anything to slow down the openings.
I tried to open the nose as much as possible, I even folded the slider at the front end on the last two jumps.

The guy I wrote about above wanting a fix for his canopy, he also had a Stiletto.

[chuckakers 425]

Hellis

*********
I'm always open to learn. Anyone following this thread know of a manufacturer that recommends slider holes to speed up openings?

PD Reserve
I know, that was a punch below the belt.

I have heard from a follow jumper who also likes quick opening canopies that it's very hard to get the manufacturers help to speed up the opening.
Their reasoning, according to him, was that this is how the canopy should open and they did not want to change it.

As of his story, he was at the factory several times trying to pursuade and beg them for a fix.
And on the last day of his visit one of the workers handed him a smaler slider secretly.
They probably all got fed up with him

Yep, below the belt for sure although I did expect someone to post that.

As for a manufacturer not wanting to speed up a canopy's openings, there's a fix for that. Choose a different manufacturer or model.

Not all canopies open slowly. One of the reasons I chose a Stiletto when deciding to retire from the Velo universe was the quicker openings.


You chosed Stiletto for quicker openings?
I rented a rig when I was visiting another DZ and it had a Stiletto in it.
I was truely scared on the first jump because it opened so slow.
Those 5 jumps I made with that canopy was the worst jumps for me ever.
And that was only because of the slow openings.

Stilettos typically have a shorter snivel than most elliptical canopies. Mine never snivels more than 2 seconds and usually has almost no snivel at all.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[chuckakers 425]

Hellis

******

You chosed Stiletto for quicker openings?
I rented a rig when I was visiting another DZ and it had a Stiletto in it.
I was truely scared on the first jump because it opened so slow.
Those 5 jumps I made with that canopy was the worst jumps for me ever.
And that was only because of the slow openings.

Both of my Stilettos opened very nicely in a short amount of time. The 150 sniveled just a bit more than the 135, but never any heart-stoppers.

Who packed yours? Do not roll/push the nose, IMO.

The first, have no clue. Probably a packer as the DZ was very strict with packing.
They had a spy keeping an eye on me every time I packed the canopy.

I did not do anything to slow down the openings.
I tried to open the nose as much as possible, I even folded the slider at the front end on the last two jumps.

The guy I wrote about above wanting a fix for his canopy, he also had a Stiletto.

Line trim and canopy use can also have an effect opening times. Does the canopy you're referring to have a lot of jumps on it or are the lines old? Was it jumped in adverse conditions like the desert? Exposed to the sun an abnormally long time? Repeated water landings?

Anything that can effect the condition of the fabric or lines can alter opening characteristics.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[ryoder 1,590]

JohnMitchell

Many of us jumped an early 80's canopy called The Unit, which had notoriously slow openings. My rigger and I hot knifed a vent slit down the middle of the slider and afterwords I had perfect, soft, consistent openings. This is one approach to the problem, but talk with an experienced rigger first. And remember that once you go down this trail you're now a test jumper.

I had one.
I bought it from a guy who had even jumped El Cap with it.
Had I not watched him jump it many times, you could not have paid me to jump it with the slider it had on it because *MOST* of the slider was a huge hole.
What was left was just a strip around the perimeter a few inches wide.

But I had watched his openings many times, so I knew it didn't open hard.

I still have fond memories of that canopy because it was so easy to get good landings.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[dzswoop717 5]

Watch out, you will be called out for giving "BAD ADVICE" by Chuck. Us old timers don't understand this new fangled zp parachute stuff. My first square canopy in 1980 was a very used Unit 1 and my second square canopy was a brand spankin' new unit II. I loved those canopies but, wouldn't want to jump one today. Last 3000+ jumps have been on Stilettos. 400-500 ft openings.

[JohnMitchell 16]

dzswoop717

Last 3000+ jumps have been on Stilettos. 400-500 ft openings.

Same here. That and a few tandems here and there.

[kuai43 7]

JohnMitchell

Many of us jumped an early 80's canopy called The Unit

Even if it's true, it takes some courage to say you jumped a 'unit'.

Every fight is a food fight if you're a cannibal

Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man. - Anthony Burgess

[Hellis 0]

chuckakers

Line trim and canopy use can also have an effect opening times. Does the canopy you're referring to have a lot of jumps on it or are the lines old? Was it jumped in adverse conditions like the desert? Exposed to the sun an abnormally long time? Repeated water landings?

Anything that can effect the condition of the fabric or lines can alter opening characteristics.

Have no clue, but per memory:
The lines looked "used" and felt if I remeber correct. Beeing spectra lines it's hard to see or feel the difference between 200 and 600 jumps (at least for me).

The canopy was used in Poland, but don't know if it had a "previous life" in the dessert.
Exposed to sun? Don't know..
Water landings. No clue. The area where the canopy was used had no "obvious" water.
But it could have been used to land in water elsewhere.

The canopy fabric felt as it had been used, but not completly destroyed.
I'd say perhaps 4-800 jumps (ish). Meaning it was not hard to pack it but it had some slippery to it still.

But beeing a rental canopy, and the owner beeing very careful about his equipment. I'd say if the canopy has about 4-800 jumps as I think, it's probably the first set of lines.
And pardon if I'm incorrect. But used lines usually means quicker openings?

That's the best I can do, it was about two years ago since I jumped the canopy, and I only made five jumps on it.

[Deimian 43]

Hellis

And pardon if I'm incorrect. But used lines usually means quicker openings?

I guess it depends on the canopy. The change in trim affects the opening characteristics, for different canopies it might have different effects. But I hope my Sabre 2 will open faster with new lines. It flies awesome, but after ~400 jumps on the line set it takes forever to open. It pisses me off especially after demoing an optimum, which opened soft but fast (maybe not fast enough for being a reserve, but that is a different discussion).

[chuckakers 425]

dzswoop717

Watch out, you will be called out for giving "BAD ADVICE" by Chuck.

Just callin' 'em as I see 'em.

Heat. Kitchen. Dz.com.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX