Skyhook (skydiving)
The Skyhook is a safety feature on parachute systems. It is an advanced type of reserve static line (RSL), which functions to automatically deploy a reserve parachute after a malfunctioning main parachute has been cut-away.
Where the traditional RSL only pulls the reserve pin initiating the reserve parachute deployment sequence after a cut-away, the Skyhook goes further, extracting the reserve parachute from its deployment bag using the malfunctioning main parachute as a "super pilot chute".
The Skyhook system is viable because it does not interfere with normal reserve deployment (as long as the hook portion does not rip or tear the canopy) when no main parachute has been deployed. The key component in the system, from which the Skyhook derives its name, is a cantilevered hook on the reserve bridle. If a malfunctioning main parachute applies more pull force on the bridle than the reserve pilot chute, then the main parachute will remain hooked onto the reserve bridle. If the reserve pilot chute exerts more pull force on the bridle than the main parachute, then the main parachute will unhook and the reserve pilot chute will deploy the reserve parachute normally.
The primary advantage of the Skyhook system over traditional RSLs is a higher reserve deployment after a cutaway. More altitude means more time for the skydiver to perform a safe landing, which is especially important because most malfunctions cause a significant loss of altitude. Since the Skyhook relies on a cutaway main, it offers no advantages in situations where the main parachute has not been deployed from the parachute container.
The Skyhook system can also cause complications. One such incident was captured on video[1], where a spinning main caused a Skyhook to severely twist the reserve. A standard RSL or manual reserve pull would have taken longer to deploy—but a reserve pilot chute would have pulled the reserve freebag upwards, rather than spinning and entangling it. Due to the increased risk of spinning malfunctions, the use of Skyhooks with high-performance canopies remains an active area of discussion.
Accompanying the Skyhook system is the Collins Lanyard which helps ensure that both risers are detached for the Skyhook deployment sequence. It has been removed by many drop zones for its failure to release.
The Skyhook was developed by the founder of United Parachute Technologies, Bill Booth. It was originally only available on Vector III parachute containers. Now it is being licensed to other manufacturers, Sunpath being the first licensee to market.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ "Not your day to die, evidently". Blue Skies Magazine. http://blueskiesmag.com/2011/08/30/not-your-day-to-die-evidently/. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
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