faulknerwn 38 #1 January 29, 2008 I stopped jumping ellipticals a few years back because I really hated the occasional spinning malfunction. A friend decided to help me out yesterday by packing for me. He did say he experimented a little and to let me know how it worked. The video here: http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=6699 shows how that worked out! I was just truly amazed that a Triathalon - a nice docile 7-cell square - would do this!!!! I've had line twists before with nary an issue.. I did verify both brakes were stowed correctly when I found the canopy... Yee Haw!!!! I did buy my beer since it was the actual first malfunction I've ever had on a square! (my other 17 cutaways were either CRW wraps, round jumps, or spinning ellipticals :-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NewGuy2005 53 #2 January 29, 2008 What caused it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #3 January 29, 2008 I had a very similar chop 2 weeks ago. Its been a couple of years since I've had any linetwists on a sport main, but my Velo loaded at 2.6:1 (holiday fat) tossed my fatass to my back and spun me HARD with 4 twists. Two handles later I was under a very nice white PDr-176 pissed off that I was going to miss a swoop on a solo hop-n-pop. Fixed that problem with a little front riser (ok a lot of front riser), but its still just not the same.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yamtx73 0 #4 January 29, 2008 I'm interested to find out what caused it as well... I also fly a nice, docile Tri (and love it!)....The only naturals in this sport shit thru feathers... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faulknerwn 38 #5 January 29, 2008 I wish I knew! Still haven't figured out why. I've had line twists before on this canopy and it was very docile..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yamtx73 0 #6 January 29, 2008 I know what you mean about being docile with line twists.. I had them Saturday morning after a balloon jump and the canopy was flight straight and true while I kicked out of them...The only naturals in this sport shit thru feathers... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kschilk 0 #7 January 29, 2008 I had a brake come unstowed and cause a similar reaction on my Tri. It spun-up like a loose shirtsleeve on a drillbit then almost instantly, morphed into a lineover and wicked flat-spin. I never had time to get to my toggles, it went up quick!"T'was ever thus." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy_Copland 0 #8 January 29, 2008 Quote It spun-up like a loose shirtsleeve on a drillbit then almost instantly Thats an awesome desription 1338 People aint made of nothin' but water and shit. Until morale improves, the beatings will continue. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bolas 5 #9 January 29, 2008 Just saw the vid. Is that the Triathalon 99 you have listed in your profile? A sub 100 can only be but so docile. While looking at the vid you can see the risers go uneven. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohanW 0 #10 January 29, 2008 Hmmmmmm .. it's never done that for me. And my 120 has a higher wingload than your 99. But I know of a guy with a Tri 175 who chopped a spinner. (On a demo Act of God, or body position. Johan. I am. I think. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #11 January 29, 2008 Didn't get to see the vid (some kind of Quicktime error) but I can imagine.... My only cutaway was on my Tri190 with severe line twists at Dublin. My baby spun up 4 times and stopped...no big deal until it spun 4-5 more times. I looked at her and asked her, "WTF sweetheart? Why are you doing this? You've NEVER done this to me before. Why now? Sorry baby, too low and I gotta let you go. FUCK! $50 bucks!" The guy I let pack for me has never packed for me again. He was nice about it though. He let me off the hook for the pack-job $$$. My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkwing 5 #12 January 29, 2008 Nothing is impervious to nasty spinning, even round canopies can do it. As to the cause... it happens. You need a longer lead-in on the video.... -- Jeff My Skydiving History Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkeenan 14 #13 January 29, 2008 Quote You need a longer lead-in on the video.... I think that was to build dramatic tension. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdub2221 0 #14 January 30, 2008 You know, now that I think about it, your buddy asked me while he was walking your lines "Hey dude, is this a step-through?" In fact it was a step through, but I believe that it got fixed before he closed it all up, but I was also in my own little world packin' away... But anyway, could a step through cause that kind of mess? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #15 January 30, 2008 A step through? It most likely won't spin up your canopy and toss you to your back like a little...uh, rag doll, BUT it could cause a cutaway. I've landed a number of step throughs packed by packers, its just really annoying most of the time. If it locks your toggles or isn't a symmetrical step through, then it could be a chop quick fast and in a hurry.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sdub2221 0 #16 January 30, 2008 Yeah, I've had one before, like you said, it was more annyoing than anything but I was thinkin red and silver just before my hard deck... I think I set a record for the number of controllability checks you can do in one jump Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martini 0 #17 January 30, 2008 It appears in the video that your risers are offset by about 1 1/2 inches. Easy to see in the first frames of the risers, not so clear later on. Once the canopy spins up the offset becomes pretty locked in but can some times be evened out with a few hard tugs on the appropriate riser while giving slack to the other. Even a fairly small offset can lead to an unrecoverable spin. Cause of initial spin (packing, body position etc.) isn't important if you can't get control afterward. And yes I've spun up Tri's and Sabre-1's too, it's easy if you're good at it. Sometimes you eat the bear.............. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
noblesmelissa 0 #18 January 30, 2008 Yuck!! Glad you are OK... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeG 0 #19 January 30, 2008 Quoteor isn't a symmetrical step through By a non symmetrical step through would you mean if it were only stepped through on one side of the risers rather than over the entire canopy?_________________________________________ "Knowledge is Power!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yarak 0 #20 January 30, 2008 what was that flying out of the canopy? It looks like a frisbee? did you guys see that?I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll burn your fucking packing tent down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #21 January 30, 2008 I could only come up with one of two things: a) UFO b) skyride certificate I dunno. I'd go with UFO since, as yet, it has not been definitively identified.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yamtx73 0 #22 January 30, 2008 QuoteI could only come up with one of two things: a) UFO b) skyride certificate I dunno. I'd go with UFO since, as yet, it has not been definitively identified. I'm gonna go with a skyride certificate.. those things can screw up a good jump every time!The only naturals in this sport shit thru feathers... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #23 January 31, 2008 Whenever I told people that I had more malfunctions with my Triathlon then my Stiletto, they never believed me. It's true, though. I don't have either canopy anymore, but I do sure keep in mind the idea commonly accepted perceptions of canopies are often wildly out of line with reality. _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pchapman 279 #24 January 31, 2008 Wendy F. wrote on Jan 28: QuoteI stopped jumping ellipticals a few years back because I really hated the occasional spinning malfunction. [...] A friend decided to help me out yesterday Wow. Some weird karma going on here: So your chop was the VERY SAME DAY one of those canopies you mentioned got back into the air. After it had sat unused for some time, you kindly sold that cute little yellow & blue Cobalt 75 to me, and I put my first jump on it. It did hunt on opening on a 3 second delay from a C-182 skimming the bottom of the clouds at 3200', but the canopy flew straight for me. It was the first jump of the year at the DZ, one single ceremonial load before an instructor meeting, with the DZ not open for another month. Although I'm not dialled-in to Cobalts, I at least had a little swoop through the soft snow, made more amusing for the crowd because of the large frozen puddle hidden underneath. Some skidding and buttsliding involved. At least for now, knock on wood, it seems the canopy gremlins didn't make the trek from Texas to Ontario. In the end a mal is still a mal even if small ellipticals are worse. I remember watching a guy spinning around and around under a big Parafoil at a pretty good rate before he chopped. It would still get the heart rate up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rick 67 #25 February 1, 2008 Wasn't able to open the video for some reason. Beginning of this year I had a mad spinner on my Spectre 170. As soon as I deployed my head was pinned to my chest and I was spinning on my back. Took about 1 second to decide to chop. It goes to show you don't have to have a hot rod canopy with a high wing loading to have a spinner. You can't be drunk all day if you don't start early! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites