Newcomers Experience Initial Leaps
In the world of skydiving, the care and maintenance of your parachute, or canopy, are crucial for a safe and enjoyable experience. One essential aspect of canopy maintenance is the management of control lines, as detailed in the journal article "Know Your Lines!" by Anthony Hand at Performance Designs.
Up in the canopy, it's important that the right and left side cascade junctions are even. This balance ensures optimal performance and stability during a skydive. However, due to various factors such as handling preferences or infrequent use, control lines may develop twists.
If control lines are seldom walked, it can take more patience to remove the twists that have formed due to the development of a memory for the twists. Twists in control lines can cause the canopy to have a built-in turn, which can be dangerous during a skydive. To address this issue, it's recommended to seek guidance from your rigger or watch a video demonstration on how to remove memory-set twists from control lines.
Regularly walking the control lines can help reduce the number of twists and make them easier to remove. This simple practice should be a part of your pre-jump routine. Additionally, taking care to route control lines correctly can lessen wear on them. This includes guiding the lines up the inside of the riser and the excess line into the keeper down the outside of the riser.
Another important aspect of control line maintenance is checking for broken carriers (bundles of threads) in the lines. This is crucial to ensure the lines' strength and overall canopy performance. It's also advisable to examine the grommets on a regular basis to prevent damage to the control lines.
One side of the control lines may be more twisted than the other due to variations in handling the toggles with a dominant hand. This imbalance can lead to tension knots and mid-flight visits to the rigger for rig repair. To prevent this, it's essential to check each upper steering line to ensure they are the same length as their clone on the other side of the canopy.
In addition to these tips, Performance Designs offers a "Know Your Lines!" series and user maintenance resources for further education on canopy maintenance. By following these guidelines and regularly maintaining your control lines, you can ensure a safer and more enjoyable skydiving experience.
Remember, as the canopy owner, it's your responsibility to check your control lines between visits to your rigger. Collapsing the slider after opening reduces wear on the lines at the slinks, and checking right side versus left side trim on control lines can indicate symmetry issues.
By taking these steps, you're not only extending the life of your gear but also ensuring your safety and the safety of those around you. Happy skydiving!
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