Skydiving Low Pulls

[guest]

Two Questions. 1. I have a collapsable slider with the little plastic, push button barrel for squezing the center of the slider together. The question is can I pack the slider with it squezed together to get a quicker opening? what about the excess string now hanging out?
2. Is there a way in which I can quickly fabricate a Tail Gate to decrease the potential of a malfunction? Is this a good idea? Any other thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Javelin J-4, Merit 170 (zero-p top skin) Pin type brake toggles. 1000' pulls, give or take.

Thanks in advance

[guest]

Yeah, that would give you a quicker opening. And probably a broken neck. :P

[guest]

I would imagine the risk of a slider hang up would be greatly increased. Why not just put a mesh slider on, most people reaching terminal in Norway are using mesh sliders.

[guest]

The tail gate is for slider-down or off jumps. It would serve no purpose on a slider up jump because the routing of the brake lines through the slider grommets serves the function of controlling the tail.

[guest]

With the slider squeezed together,two primary things will happen: 1. more air can hit the bottom skin. 2. the slider will be smaller. Number 2 is the difficult one to judge. Because the slider is smaller, it will most likely be driven down faster after the canopy partially inflates. However, while the slider is still up, the canopy is much more like to spin into a line twist using a smaller slider.

To minimize a line over, you could do a flat pack (factory pack) or a flat propack. Pack it like a reserve. You could also restrict your brake lines by rubber banding a bite of the brake lines to center of a rear-mounted tab on the slider.

If you're that concerned about a mal or are that uncertain, you shouldn't consider doing a 500 foot pull.

If you use a bag (which I'm sure you'll be using), cut all but the last two rubber bands in half to minimize their frictional surface.

Talk to a rigger and/or experienced base jumper to show you how to do it.

[guest]

a friend of mine jumped a pack-job like this by mistake once....his girlfriend was trying to help him make the next load and "forgot" to unstow the slider. the opening pounded him so hard that i think he bruised his sternum with his chin!

given the way their relationship ended, it may have been an unconcious attempt on his life.

if you've just gotta go way low, use a mesh slider.