Basejumper.com - archive

Yup, another technical question...

Is anyone still testing the tailgate slider up with a small hole mesh slider??

I thought of a similar question the other day after a packing lesson....
Whats the risk in jumping a slider up config with a tailgate?........

From what I heard about a year ago the big problem was with a large hole mesh slider because the tailgate can fit through the large hole mesh and could hold the slider up. So people were testing with small hole only.

I have sewn a tailgate on the trailing edge of the slider (small mesh). That's what I use for slider up jumps.

I've seen a couple of germans using paper-tape as a tailgate on slider up...

I thought the issue with lineovers was virtually eliminated with the slider up, but my rigger did mention using wax, masking tape, or thread to do the job of the tailgate.

So whats the 'risk' of having a tailgate on a slider up jump.....if the tail gate is high enough up the lines....would it interfere with the slider ?
Secondly....can anyone tell me why the tailgate is ...what it is.....ie a pice of material with a stow, finger trapped.
Why cant you simply use a rubber band stow attached around the lines....granted you would lose you stow every jump.....but whats the reason over the specific design...I couldnt get it off the website.
(edited to add.....sorry about the dumb ass questions....but this is new to me and I need to learn)

thought the issue with lineovers was virtually eliminated with the slider up.. ?

You must have a magic slider err.. something??

There are all sorts of ways to implement the tailgate idea...

I use masking tape, but I'm curious what happened to the testing with the tailgate. I could be wrong but I thought that the BR crew was doing the testing.

Look here http://basicresearch.com/ click on the tail gate - vtec link in reference on the right.

I have been using the tail gate with a small hole mesh slider for some time with great results 40+ jumps or so. I guess when it stops working great I'll have more data for you

It seems to me like the slider would function very much like the tailgate. I realize the distance between the lines is 12-13 inches rather than 1-2 inches, but in comparison to the distance the lines must move to create a lineover that difference seems negligable. I've never had a lineover and am not looking forward to that 1st, but the the tailgate appears to just hold the control lines in check until a certain point of inflation and then the force of the canopy strips the band. The slider seems to create the same effect due to the slider not coming down until the canopy reaches a certain point of inflation.

I realize I could purposefully pack a lineover, but in general they are caused by line dumps or packing errors that allow enough slack in the lines to enable the control lines to flip over the nose, correct?

BTW, I had a discussion regarding this with a chick at the Bombshelter one night and she told me to quit talking to her about it...

There is a real non-zero chance for a slider up line over, even assuming good pack job, body position and deployment. The chance is small enough that we're only now getting to understand what the odds are like (perhaps 1 in 1000?).

Is this specific to BASE or is the lineover rate similar with skydiving? Due to line stowage?

 
I don't know how many skydivers I've seen cutaway a line entanglement or nasty slider hang-up and land proclaiming they had a "line over."

The only true line overs you're likely to see on the DZ are put in during packing . . .

NickD
BASE 194