sonnylounsbury 0 #1 January 1, 2004 I have a Comp. 160 Lightning with a 34 inch open mesh pilot chute that dances around like a cat on a hot tin roof....it's a real drag! Am I the only dawg on the planet that has this problem? What is causing this ? I have a PC killer on it now [it helps] but i shouldn't have to have it on there.DUMP HIGH ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
relyon 0 #2 January 1, 2004 The most likely cause is too long a bridle. IIRC, the Lightning bridle is 79" long for 176s and smaller. On canopies smaller than a 176, the excess bridle doesn't get taken in the last ring and that allows the PC to move. In addition to a dancing PC, there is a very real entanglement hazard where a hard stack dock can throw the lower canopy's PC into the upper canopy's brake lines. Many cutaways have happened this way. The fix is to shorten the bridle so that the base of the PC is pulled right to (or partially into) the ring. Have someone look at your bridle in flight and estimate the amount of excess, then have a rigger shorten the bridle. PC size may also be a contributing factor. I've never jumped one bigger than 30" for any size Lightning - 34" seems a little big. Bob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faulknerwn 38 #3 January 2, 2004 I'm with Bob. The bridle is almost certainly too long (most of them are). We did discover at the world record though that large pilot chutes did also cause this problem. The dancing pilot chute issue went away for a couple of our Dutch friends after they switched to a smaller pc. W Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckbrown 0 #4 January 2, 2004 It seems to me that the attachment point should retract several inches past the last ring, thereby collapsing (partially) the PC (or at least forcing the PC killer over the PC). I've seen Sonny's canopy in flight and the offending PC is completely inflated, and it appears that the attachment point is, at best, flush with the last ring. Any thoughts on how far the attachment point should pass through the last ring? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
relyon 0 #5 January 2, 2004 QuoteAny thoughts on how far the attachment point should pass through the last ring? Mine pulls in 6-8" of the PC into the last ring. It thoroughly kills the PC and all but eliminates the possibility of a PC/brake entanglement. Bob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AdamF 0 #6 February 12, 2004 Oscillating PCs are a major concern for BASE jumpers. They have proven to cause off-heading openings and in the BASE environment that's a BIG deal. We designed a solution to this problem by developing a pilot chute that uses a formed parabolic profile and an apex vent. Appropriately named, the AV Series they are available in 4 standard sizes plus custom. Since their release in '01 they have been immensly popular. Most BASE jumpers now use vented pilot chutes. Last year we sponsored the US Crew Team with 34" versions of these pilot chutes and they had rave reviews. Chris Gay commented that they were especially effective in the shorter delay slots where cross-stream deployments wreaked havoc with standard style PCs. Check them out here . If you would like more info about how and why these pilot chutes work so well feel free to contact us. support@crmojo.com Thanks Adam Filippino Consolidated Rigging, Inc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
