RSL, good or bad ?

[stillalive 0]

Anybody have an opinion whether in any specific situation an RSL worsens your status instead of helping.

Eg. suppose you have multiple line twists and are in a spin, you cut-away and your unstable, on your back or completely mal positioned. Won´t that situation cause your already deploying reserve to tangle or open improperly.

If altitude permiting, wouldn´t it be better to cut-away stabilize, and then pull silver on your own.

Has any one had or heard about a bad experience with RSL?

------ LIFT ME UP!! ------

[tr027 0]

Search and you will find all the answers you seek. You should research and educate yourself, then make up your own mind regarding your own specific case.

"The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it. " -John Galt from Atlas Shrugged, 1957

[azureriders 0]

If you haven't already, try a search. There are tons of info on this subject archived in these forums.

[FrogNog 1]

I think RSLs are bad because they cause an unending stream of new posts on the same subject.

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[tnscorcoran 0]

If you are lucky enough to have or be able to buy a Vector container, the skyhook RSL is a fantastic innovation.
http://www.relativeworkshop.com/pdt_skyhook.html
Although it won't be as quick as the Skyhook, any RSL will most likely open your reserve quicker than you can. That can save your life if you cutaway low.
One downside is you can deploy your reserve with line twists if you cutaway from a spinner - though more people have gone in from late reserve deployments 'waiting to get stable' than from problematic reserves due to RSLs.
Another is - one riser fails to release and your reserve deploys into the still attached riser.
So if you can get a skyhook, do so - it takes care of the 2 rsl problems mentioned. If not, they are still a good idea at least until you have had your first spining mal - then you can decide if you need one based on experience.

[stillalive 0]

Thanks!

------ LIFT ME UP!! ------

[Ron 10]

Do a search.

They have killed, and they have saved people.

Read the 2005 incident rollup I did in this forum for examples of both.

Reserve drills should be practiced until they are natural and BOTH handles are pulled all the time. RSL’s save more people than they kill, but jumpers should place more focus on proper emergency procedures and drill them until they are perfect.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[Tink1717 2]

You'll find that people either love or HATE the RSL. There doesn't seem to be an in between. I personally have them on all my rigs and use them in all modes except CRW. Read up on them and how they work and make an informed decision.

Skydivers don't knock on Death's door. They ring the bell and runaway... It really pisses him off.
-The World Famous Tink. (I never heard of you either!!)
AA #2069 ASA#33 POPS#8808 Swooo 1717

[kelpdiver 2]

as a student, you have to have one. And many here, even those who don't want one, advocate keeping the RSL until your first malfunction.

If you're shopping for a rig, get the RSL option. (or get a Vector) It's only $30, and you always have the ability to disconnect it.

[grue 1]

When I had my cutaway at Eloy, my canopy was spinning, but not badly. I ejected () and pulled my reserve handle a moment after I felt myself go back into freefall (one hand per handle technique, in case anyone was going to ask), so of course the RSL beat me to the punch, so to speak. (but I had the handle pulled WELL before inflation or anything)

In any case, even though my canopy was spun up, the reserve opened clean and on-heading, via an RSL pin pull.

cavete terrae.

[jheadley 0]

Jim Crouch, USPA's Director of Safety and Training, and a skydiver with a velocity 96 and 3500 jumps once told me that out of the 8 cutaways he's had, 7 of them were with traditional RSLs, and he's never had line twists on his reserve. The other cutaway was with a skyhook, and he had line twists on his reseve.

[bob.dino 1]

I'm in-between!

[diablopilot 2]

RSL good.

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If altitude permiting, wouldn´t it be better to cut-away stabilize, and then pull silver on your own.

Fatality reports dictate that to be false. When cutting away from a spinning malfunction, you ARE NOT unstable the moment of release, making that the best window of opportunity for a clean reserve deployment.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[diablopilot 2]

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One downside is you can deploy your reserve with line twists if you cutaway from a spinner

You can have linetwists on your reserve falling flat as well. Just as easy to get them on a reserve as a main.

The misunderstanding that an RSL deployment from a spining malfunction is common. The fact is that line twists in that situction are most often caused by the jumper struggling to get belly to earth while deploying the reserve.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[NelKel 0]

The misunderstanding that an RSL deployment from a spining malfunction is common. The fact is that line twists in that situction are most often caused by the jumper struggling to get belly to earth while deploying the reserve.<<<

Exactly!
I do not currently use an RSL, but had one on my first rig. I have had 2 cutaways. My first was a sport rig with out an RSL from a spinning linetwist. I did EP's one hand on each handle. No reserve problems. The second was on a Sigma Tandem, that RSL/Skyhook is fast! It felt as thought the reserve canopy was surging forward and backward for the first few seconds of inflation. Kinda like it deployed faster than it could inflate.

_________________________________________

Someone dies, someone says how stupid, someone says it was avoidable, someone says how to avoid it, someone calls them an idiot, someone proposes rule chan

[diablopilot 2]

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It felt as thought the reserve canopy was surging forward and backward for the first few seconds of inflation.

At the risk of going off topic, I think THAT phenomena is caused by the super deep setting of most tandem reserve's brakes to ensure the openings don't take too long.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[hobbes4star 0]

here we go again.

if fun were easy it wouldn't be worth having, right?

[tso-d_chris 0]

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When cutting away from a spinning malfunction, you ARE NOT unstable the moment of release, making that the best window of opportunity for a clean reserve deployment.

Not once conservation of angular momentum is taken into consideration. Experience (and Physics) tells me that no matter how hard you arch after cutting away a spinning mal, there is still a good chance you will tumble, which can be very bad during a deployment.

Still, pulling is more important than pulling stable, and RSLs save more lives than they take.

For Great Deals on Gear

[diablopilot 2]

Who said anything about arching?

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[skydiverek 63]

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One downside is you can deploy your reserve with line twists if you cutaway from a spinner

OK, I am getting tired of this argument... ALL TSO'd reserves are test-dropped with THREE 360-degree twists in the lines. The reserve must be fully functional within few seconds (I forgot how many exactly). So, why are we worriend about the line twists on the reserves?!? They are designed to fly with them and "untiwist" from them quickly (TSO)!

The RWS Skyhook video shows it! - check it here:

http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=2463

Does this settle the "line twists by RSL" argument ?

[riggerrob 643]

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It felt as thought the reserve canopy was surging forward and backward for the first few seconds of inflation.

At the risk of going off topic, I think THAT phenomena is caused by the super deep setting of most tandem reserve's brakes to ensure the openings don't take too long.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You are referring to the PD 360 reserves installed in Vector and Sigma Tandems. That weird brake setting is designed to SLOW the openings on PD 360s.
I never did enjoy the openings on PD 360 mains.


On the other hand, the Master 425 reserves - installed in Strong tandems - fly almost the same as F-111, 425 mains. They may open hard - at terminal - but there is none of that silly surging back and forth.

[riggerrob 643]

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One downside is you can deploy your reserve with line twists if you cutaway from a spinner

OK, I am getting tired of this argument... ALL TSO'd reserves are test-dropped with THREE 360-degree twists in the lines. The reserve must be fully functional within few seconds (I forgot how many exactly). So, why are we worried about the line twists on the reserves?!? They are designed to fly with them and "untwist" from them quickly (TSO)!

The RWS Skyhook video shows it! - check it here:

http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=2463

Does this settle the "line twists by RSL" argument ?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Yes!
I have deliberately twisted the lines on a few reserve canopies - just before doing TSO drop tests.

For most people, the question is: would you rather suffer line twists on your reserve at 1500 feet or impact during line stretch?

I may have survived 20 reserve rides, but I just re-installed the RSL on my Talon 2.

[tnscorcoran 0]

Yes but I was refering to a regular RSL not a skyhook.
And the point was, RSLs save more lives than they kill, the positives outweighing the downsides.

[skydiverek 63]

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Yes but I was refering to a regular RSL not a skyhook.

Doesn't matter - you were implying that having line twists on a reserve is bad. I proved otherwise.

[wmw999 2,439]

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you were implying that having line twists on a reserve is bad. I proved otherwise

I'd have to say that having line twists on a reserve is not as good as not having line twists on a reserve. Having a line-twisted reserve is way better than not having a reserve.

In those few seconds that it's untwisting one is probably not focusing as much on location, steering, and where the expensive freebag went. That's not as good as having all of the seconds.

But I use an RSL, because I think the chance of my losing altitude awareness is greater than the chance of an RSL killing me. I sure hope I never prove either of those.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)