RSL

[Parky1 0]

I have done 200 jumps and currently jump a sabre 150 in a javelin odyssey container. My rig has a cypress AAD and a RSL. I would be interested to hear your views on the advantages or disadvantages of having an RSL.

[Samurai136 0]

goto the bottom of this screen and enter "rsl" in the search field box.

There are a lot of good articles/ threads on here.

Ken

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[billvon 2,991]

In general, I recommend using an RSL during normal skydiving until you have had a cutaway or two. At that point you will be in a better position to decide whether or not to use one.

[wmw999 2,447]

At which point you might still decide to have one. I do.

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)

[jumpinjackflash 0]

Good Point Wendy,

I haven't cut away yet, but when I think about the mechanics of it all, I worry that an RSL will dump my reserve before I've ensured that my Main is cut away... Then I'll have two balls of shit above my head.

Do they have a fairly good record? I mean, it's nice to know that it will "pull" and all, but quite honestly, I almost would rather (maybe a hard spin would suck) cutaway myself, arch hard, and dump my reserve.

Course, all this is cerebral for me, I think about it frequently though, go through my emergency procedures constantly.... Pull Red, Pull Silver



Opinion? Have you heard of RSL's causing double Mal's?


Thanks,
Jack

It's a gas, gas, gas...

[Jimbo 0]

Quote

I haven't cut away yet, but when I think about the mechanics of it all, I worry that an RSL will dump my reserve before I've ensured that my Main is cut away... Then I'll have two balls of shit above my head.

The RSL is designed not to activate until the last riser has left the container.

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Do they have a fairly good record?

Yes.

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Have you heard of RSL's causing double Mal's?

I imagine that they have.

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[jumpinjackflash 0]

Thanks Jim,






Jack

It's a gas, gas, gas...

[johnny1488 1]

Quote

The RSL is designed not to activate until the last riser has left the container

The rsl is designed to activate when the riser with the rsl on it leaves the container. Meaning if I had one on my javelin, and my left riser broke or my right riser didnt release for some reason, my reserve would fire. (Before you flame, I have made an educated decision to not use an rsl, but I am not saying that is the right decision for anyone else.) I'm not entirely sure how a 2 sided rsl works so I wont comment on that here.

Johnny
--"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!"
Mike Rome

[Tonto 1]

I have 3975 dives total, and 18 cutaways - 8 of them on Tandems which were RSL equipped. The RSL failed to activate the reserve on 2 occasions. (Brass snap-shackle sprung open under load)

I now wait for RSL activation (Stainless steel snap-shackle) and only follow through if it fails due to the hassle of managing the extra handle while getting the brakes unstowed. (RWS T R's don't like to fly on brakes..)

I don't have an RSL on my "normal rig" as it's a highly loaded eliptical. I don't have an RSL for CF, and I don't use one for camera.

I think they're a great idea when experience is low (Low numbers) or unknown (High numbers but no cutaway experience) or when workload can be very high. (Tandem)

(edit)The broken riser firing the reserve into the still attached main can be dealt with by fitting a Collins lanyard. The "Skyhook" by RWS solves many of the problems caused by RSL's - but I still wouldn't want one for camera or CF.

Also bear in mine that an RSL is NOT an AAD, and an AAD is NOT a substitute for an RSL.

I suspect that as I age and move back up in canopy sizing - I'll probably equip my rig with an RSL.. but that may take 25+ years to happen.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[rigging65 0]

A good way to help ensure proper separation when using an RSL is 1) be sure you have hard cutaway housings (which everyone should anyway) and 2) trim your non-RSL side riser's cutaway cable so that it's relative length is about an inch shorter than your RSL side riser's cable (having a rigger do this would probably be a good idea).

To clarify this, you would hold your cutaway housings next to each other (such that the amp fittings line up) then compare cable lengths.

By shortening the non-RSL side you, in effect, force that side to release 1-inch sooner than the RSL side...which also means that if a cable jams up, you won't get the RSL to activate unless the non-RSL side riser has released as well as the RSL riser.

The worst you would get is the non-rsl side releasing and the rsl side jamming, putting you into a streamer situation...but at least you have control over what happens next (ie - try to get the other side to release or just fire the reserve).

About the only 2-sided RSL I've ever seen that I actually might have considered jumping was on a PdF rig. 2 RSLs (one per side) each attached to their own pin and through their own loop (both going through one grommet). I repacked one once. It was a bitch, but that's mostly because I had never done it before. Also, 2 loops might not allow you to use a Cypres, at least not a single cutter system...I'm not sure how you would thread everything with a two cutter system...hmmm...interesting.

Anyway, the other (read: Racer) two sided RSLs are just dangerous, IMO. They're linked together and could (pretty easily) result in your main choking off your reserve in certain situations.

Well, there it is...for what it's worth...my $.02

"...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.
For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

[skydiverek 63]

Looks like the SkyHook with Conlins lanyrad is the best solotion...

• Quote

[rigging65 0]

I'd say it certainly has great potential...it'll take a few years to see how it works out in the field. But until RWS opens up a bit with who can install the cute little thing we won't know.

They have good reasons for not wanting just "anyone" to be able to do the work, but I do hope they help us out by making the education more readily available than it is now....

"...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.
For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

[Aviatrr 0]

Quote

The RSL is designed not to activate until the last riser has left the container.

Assuming the cutaway cables are properly sized for that rig. If not, it could fire the reserve just after the first riser has left. I think this is a critical part of determining whether or not to use an RSL....understanding everything about it. It's explained pretty well above by Rigging65.

Of course, the other argument is a broken riser(the retaining loop is the most likely thing to break on the riser)....which, IMO, is much less likely to occur than a no pull on the reserve, as long as the risers are maintained and inspected properly.

Mike

[Jimbo 0]

Quote

Assuming the cutaway cables are properly sized for that rig. If not, it could fire the reserve just after the first riser has left. I think this is a critical part of determining whether or not to use an RSL....understanding everything about it. It's explained pretty well above by Rigging65.

Agreed. I should have been a bit more precise with my post and said something to the effect of "The RSL, when properly assembled and maintained, is designed not to activate until the last riser has left the container". The RSL is only one part in a larger system (the entire rig) and proper assembly and maintenance, of course, includes things such as correctly sized cutaway cables, well maintained risers, etc...

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.