Slider Question

[Scoby 0]

I'm a bit confused about what is best to do with my slider. It's a collapsible slider and I have metal links. Generally, I collapse the slider and leave it at the top of the links. I can pull it down over the links, but it stays in place if I don't. I can also pull it down over the toggles before I collapse it, but I'm afraid of popping a toggle off then I do that. Should I collapse it and leave it up? Should I collapse it and pull it down over the toggles? Or should I release the toggles, then pull it down and then collapse it? I asked around and got conflicting answers. Thanks!

[rigging65 0]

Just my opinion, but if you choose to pull your slider down (after collapsing it) I would leave your breaks stowed until you get everything else sorted out (contrary to student training). As soon as you unstow your breaks, your rate of descent and forward airspeed increases, so you're loosing time and altitude, as well as flying off into the wild blue (or another canopy) at a much faster rate. Also, IMO, it's much cleaner and easier to get the slider over your breaks when they're still stowed and under their hoods.

You don't have to pull the slider down, of course. You can leave it in place and be just fine. You're not getting the full spread of the lines, but that really doesn't matter for most people, and it's certainly easier and faster to leave it up there. If you're going to leave your slider above the links, I would suggest you get slider bumpers to protect the line where they meet the links, as well as the slider grommets from damage.

Regardless of what you choose to do, your first responsibility is to make sure you have a good canopy over your head and are clear of traffic in front and all around you...be safe or be dead, your choice.

"...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..."

[PhillyKev 0]

If your slider can come down over your brakes, you should pull it down over your toggles before releasing your brakes. If you don't want to do that, then you should install bumpers so that they can't come down to where your brake lines go through the small ring in your risers.

There was a death this spring that is believed to have been caused by the slider coming down and trapping the brake line against the small ring so that when a turn was initiated it locked in place.

A) Check your canopy
B) Check for traffic (use rear risers to turn if necessary)
C) collapse slider
D) pull down over toggles
E) Release brakes

[Scoby 0]

It was the incident reported on here that made me start thinking about it. However, the slider doesn't readily come down over the toggles (takes a bit of effort), so I'm afraid of popping off a toggle while doing it. The stowed brake lines are the problem, as I have velcro toggles. Can I install bumpers myself? Where do I find them?

[rigging65 0]

If it's the extra stowed line that's the problem, it really isn't that big of a deal if it slips out while you're pulling the slider down. There are also other ways to stow your excess line to help reduce this. With that said, you're slider shouldn't really just slip down on your risers, it should take just a bit of work...that's normal.

You should be able to get a set of silicon bumpers from your local shop, or call your canopy mfg., I'm sure they'd be happy to sell/send you a set. You can put them on yourself (as it's a main canopy) as long as you feel ok with taking your links off your risers and then putting them back on...be sure to check line continuity afterwards! If you dont' feel like you can do it, get help with it...then watch and learn how it's done so you'll have that much more knowledge about your gear!

"...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..."

[tbrown 26]

Doesn't it make a difference if the risers are standard or thin ? I've been following this issue lately and it seems to especially concern thin risers and the use of slink type connectors. PD seems to be saying it's not an issue on standard size risers, or on reserve risers, which are all standard size. Also isn't grommet size an issue, aren't there sliders with larger grommets for people with thin riser swooping canopies, so they can get the slider down quick & easy ?

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[stylinmike1 0]

Quote

A) Check your canopy
B) Check for traffic (use rear risers to turn if necessary)

You might add - Turn toward your traffic pattern here
***
C) collapse slider
D) pull down over toggles
E) Release brakes

[kyros1 0]

If you collapse it and you dont have any bumbers the best thing is to pull it down the brakes (before unstowing them).

[PhillyKev 0]

Quote

Quote

A) Check your canopy
B) Check for traffic (use rear risers to turn if necessary)

You might add - Turn toward your traffic pattern here
***
C) collapse slider
D) pull down over toggles
E) Release brakes

I once spent way too much time focusing on getting my slider down after it had fouled with a partially unstowed brake line - all the while losing altitude & flying directly away from the DZ - and almost had to land out

[billvon 3,058]

>Actually, I'd add, turn perpendicular to the line of flight.

I would suggest people NOT do this. You have no idea whether you are left or right of the line of flight after you open (usually) and therefore turning perpindicular to it might just put you back _on_ the line of flight, if you happen to turn towards it instead of away from it. Also, on anything bigger than a solo, it's more important to be facing away from the rest of your group for the first 5-10 seconds.

If anything, if you're a solo and you are worried about the next group colliding with you, it makes more sense to turn away from them (i.e. anti line of flight, towards the previous group that opened.)

[PhillyKev 0]

Well, I can usually see where other people are opening. And I turn so that I'm not going toward those who got out in front of me or those who got out after. So, I turn 90 from them which I would think is perpendicular to the line of flight. Obviously if someone from my group is in that direction, I don't head right at them.