Best reserve system?

Hello!

I'm considering replacing my good old round reserve for a better system with a lower sink rate.

I hesitate between going for two round classical reserves or one rogallo plus maybe a round.

As far as I know most acro pilots go for the rogallo + round setup but I wonder what would happen if for some reason you deploy both (for example if your rogallo got stuck in the lines, then inflates after you've thrown the round)? I imagine it would downplane out of control and land rather hard.

With two rounds you don't have to worry much about this, plus, if given the opportunity to deploy both, you might end up with a sink rate similar to a rogallo. The downside is of course that you can't steer, which is an issue if like me you live in the mountains with loads of rocks, cliffs, power-lines, waiting for you to crash into.

I know there is no easy answer but I would like to read about your pratical experience and choices on the subject.

Cheers!

ps : I don't consider -for myself- the base-like systems as an option!

Latest Comments

SK's picture

Which is considered better, the Beamer 2 or the ST Team 5 Orange and why? Will an XC pilot need to put those "hoses" on the ST Orange?

mikesm08's picture

you should contact Urs at High Adventure: Urs@skybums.ch // info@high-adventure.ch
the Beamer is very popular. I don't have any decent packing instructions for my team5, in fact their pdf manual is terrible.
I haven't said anything to Bernd or AvAsport, thing is, that system is not used by many, i have only seen it in Felix and Novas harness', it's new and a good idea, but from traveling up babadag mountain in the jeeps, the system did release once before on the take off, then from traveling from Turkey back to France the vibrations again must have made the tube loosen to a point where it released in the air. A combination of innovative yet non-tested design, bad luck and my fault for not double checking it before flying. It is so hard to load the spring and so tight and well made, I guess it's vibrations caused in travel that did it.
always check your reserves, at least after traveling... :P
As for untwisting- I still want those tubes incase of a nasty situation. Gabor told me that he practiced throwing his Rogallo and that throwing is half of it, the rest like pulling the glider in or cutting it away needs practice!
So in Spring I and hopefully a few others joining me, will be counting to 3 in the air and throwing the Rogallo over Lake Annecy ;).

Slider's picture

Hi Michael, actually I recently read about your accident on the forum and it kinda triggered my decision to change.
Glad you are okay, it was so bad luck. Btw do you have any kind of feedback from Avasport on the accident?

I think I will go for a Rogallo as they are obviously the best. The Orange ST is very appealing if it's as good as they say. I've seen the video from Team 5 and it looks to land very smoothly, but I'm after some "real life", unbiased testimony about it. The Apco G-MD is on my list too and it's probably much cheaper.

Concerning the twists I would imagine it's easy to untwist yourself under a Rogallo assuming you have the time to first cut-away your glider?

mikesm08's picture

hey Slider,
some people dont believe in rogallos.
I got the team5OrangeST, its smaller than my Annular in the bag :-D and although the bridles look thin, I'm guessing with its 36m2 size and 3m/s rate and new apex system, it's a good one to have-but- just wish I could hear more about the tubes in the bridles from other pilots:
http://www.justacro.com/forum/14/412/steerable-reserves

P.S. last July I broke my L2 vertebrae when my annular M size accidently deployed itself and although I had my hand on my Rogallo at the time(skydrive) handle after I knew I was coming down fast, I decided not to throw it incase it all twisted up or did what you have said above. My back is ok and I'm flying again+now have a large sized annular but wouldn't want to throw it over land :-0 !!!!