Swoop cords in camera wings

[PhreeZone 20]

I recently got a new camera jacket and it had a style of loop I do not like but it got me thinking about what styles people prefer and I wanted to see if there was a better style that I could modify this jacket to have.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[linestretch 0]

I've had the larks head style and the sewn style and prefer it NOT to tighten around my digits. So on the suit that wasn't fixed, I sewed them in place. Made them big enough to get the 2 digits through it comfortably and that's about it.

my pics & stuff!

[pchapman 279]

I have no idea what the pro's do, but I lark's head a large Tube Stoe on the end to put my thumb though, so that there's some give in the system. Probably still could get thumb injuries though.
(This is for swoop cords inside an old baggy suit, not actually camera wings.)

[PhreeZone 20]

What I don't get is its pretty clear that the vast majority of the camera jumpers I talk to in person and it seems a lot on this forum dislike the larks head style that tighten on your fingers when you pull on them (which is done on almost every camera jump) but yet there are jumpsuit makers that only offer the larks head style. To me it seems that they are ignoring what the market is asking for or maybe are doing it just since that is how they have always done it and have never bothered asking to see if the market demand has changed.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[gearless_chris 1]

I have the large larks head type from Tonysuits. My DZO told me to get them adjusted, then sew the loop in place so it won't fall off on accident.

"If it wasn't easy stupid people couldn't do it", Duane.

My momma said I could be anything I wanted when I grew up, so I became an a$$hole.

[theonlyski 8]

My Deepseed suit has a loop of webbing with a piece of elastic linking it to the larks head.

Little bit of stretch, never tightens up and slips off easily.

I undid the larks head because it slipped one too many times, so I finger trapped and knotted it.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[Skydivesg 7]

Quote

I recently got a new camera jacket and it had a style of loop I do not like but it got me thinking about what styles people prefer and I wanted to see if there was a better style that I could modify this jacket to have.

My Firefly has the loop which (if I wanted) could be larks headed, but I just use it as a loop around my hand. I can adjust the length and tension using a friction adapter iside - near the elbow.

Came standard on my Firefly jacket.

Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

[DSE 5]

Quote

My Firefly has the loop which (if I wanted) could be larks headed, but I just use it as a loop around my hand. I can adjust the length and tension using a friction adapter iside - near the elbow.

Came standard on my Firefly jacket.

Ditto for mine.

[PhreeZone 20]

My Firefly is the same but I recently got a BevSuit and they come with the Larkshead style and I will say the leg attachment method is horrible compared to my Firefly style. The larks head got so tight on one of the first jumps that I had to work under canopy to undo it off my hand leaving me with only one hand to fly with. To me this is a really bad idea but I was just checking to make sure I was not missing something critical since this is a new jacket in team colors.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[0013 0]

My Symbiosis was delivered with a long piece of tape i could model to anything i wanted.
I've made it into a sewn thumb loop i wear under my gloves.( i can even reach my toggles without releasing the clips on my leg)

On my previous suit i got a habit of snagging the top bar on the plane with the swoop cord if i wore it over my hand/glove.

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www.youtube.com/l0013

[linestretch 0]

Yikes, just remembered the biggest deal w/ the larks head I had and it happened twice. While reaching down to unclip my wings and bringing my left arm backup, the larks head caught on the excess hard cable for the reserve ripcord hanging out and cinched down on it. PANIC TIME!!!! I was able to loosen it and free my arm. It's robotic now that I tuck the swoop cords in my sleeves once removed from my digits even though they are sewn and not larks headed anymore. This was probably ten years ago....sketchy!!!

As for wearing under gloves?.....that scares me just as much. There was a fatality several years back and the guys video showed him trying to frantically get his gloves off to remove the swoop cord.

my pics & stuff!

[0013 0]

Quote

As for wearing under gloves?.....that scares me just as much. There was a fatality several years back and the guys video showed him trying to frantically get his gloves off to remove the swoop cord.

What was the specific situation ? I'm quite curious about that one tbh.

I can imagine the possible issues with it, although i can reach all the important controls with the wings clipped.
I can make riser turns and toggle turns with the wings attached to the leg.
If i want to stow the slider i will need to remove them - which isn't really my first concern in a potential incident anyways - but everything else can be done without releasing the wings.

It has even been "malfunction tested" a few years back :)

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www.youtube.com/l0013

[Halfpastniner 0]

I have a bev suit with larks headed style swoop cords, but they are a modified kind that use a piece of webbing that my riggah made for me. Ive never had a problem with the larks head style, but then again that is all ive ever used. Also, it is the small wing so it is sewn in, not clipped in. Don't know if that makes a difference. But I do love that bev camera suit a lot, and would buy another in a heartbeat.

BASE 1384

[davelepka 4]

Quote

If i want to stow the slider i will need to remove them

The problem is that you don't have your full range of motion. You can reach everything (besides the silider) in a 'normal' situation, but a malfunciton is anything but normal.

The better solution to your problem with the floater bar is better awareness of your hand placement on the aircraft, not trapping your swoop cords under your gloves.

Make your hand placement a 'thing' in your head, and be aware of it everytime you climb out. Practice on the ground the correct way to climb out and grab the bar where there is no interference with your swoop cords, and do it that way from now on.

When was the last time you shut you finger in a door? Probably when you were a kid, but then you learned to grab the door by the knob or push flat against the face of the door, and not get your hands near the edges. It's the same thing as that, become aware of the problem, devise a solution, and move forward with that plan on each and every jump.

[AndyMan 7]

I've always disliked how the larkshead is self-tightening, it can be a pain to remove under canopy. I've always sewn large loops.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[linestretch 0]

I can't remember the accident in general. It happened 7-8 years ago I think...and I remember reading about the video of him trying to get the glove off. The video wasn't made public that I know of. It's always stuck with me. Nothing like being trapped in a moment of holy fuck.

my pics & stuff!

[pcalandra 0]

I have a Bev Suit & sewed loops that slide over my thumbs, I've also had a piece of material sewed in my sleeve just inside the cuff that prevents the loops from sliding back up my sleeve. Easy on, easy off. I'll post a picture later. Works well for me. I always hated the larks head, as Phree metnioned that can get uncomfortably tight and almost impossible to get off at times. Lastl, I don't wear gloves but even if I did would never consider wearing them under the glove.

Pat

[pcalandra 0]

Here's some pictures, hope these are some help.

[MorfiusX 0]

While not a camera suite, my Bev RW suite has ~4 inch "wings" with swoop cords. The part of the swoop cord that goes over my hand is about 6 inches. With adjustment, it does not tighten over my hand, but allows the wing to catch air like a camera suite/jacket. I can easily get it off of my hand. In fact, after deployment and clearing my air space, I slip off the swoop cord after every jump.