6 years ago
I have an Ava 2015 acro base and have been thinking about ways to fly with a 3rd rescue for training tricks with a high risk of falling into the wing/lines where I may not be able to use my base. Unfortunately this harness has no spot for a 3rd rescue (I'm aware that the newest version of the harness does have this). Using a front-mount is no good because clipping into the carabiners would add a major risk for using the base, and there are no attachment points at the shoulder to add in risers.
I've considered wearing a lightweight climbing harness ( https://campfour.com/products/black-diamond-couloir-harness ) underneath my harness and attaching a front-mount rescue container to the belay loop. While obviously not ideal, the harness is plenty strong as a 6G opening shock of a rescue is similar in force to a typical lead-climbing fall. The downside is that you by would be suspended by your waist instead of shoulders so a PLF would be harder. Can anyone think of a risk that I may be overlooking?
Alternatively, I've considered making or modifying a webbing harness to add in shoulder attachment points, though I would feel better about a professionally made product if a lightweight version exists. The last option would be if I could find a rigger to modify my harness to add full strength attachment points at the shoulder.
I fully recognize this is somewhat sketchy, but having a 3rd rescue for the event I end up in deep shit seems better than not having one at all. Does anyone have any ideas/recommendations to pull this off? Bonus points if there is a way to use a rogallo, since I'm told the risers for the second rescue are too long for one.
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Hello, parafriends :) Avasport made new harness with name cutaway, I think this harness will solve all your problems :) http://avasportcentral.com/product/cut-away/
KrisH, thank you a lot for sharing your experience! This modification recap isn't something we should normally do, but I see no drawbacks in emergency case. =) Probably I will do the same. Thanks!
I've come up with an elegant solution: I used a softlink connection on the waist strap just behind the caribiner attachment point (close to where the waist strap enters the harness at your back). There is a small black loop at this point. I do not believe that loop is load bearing, but it serves a useful purpose to keep the softlink in place, while the waist strap takes the actual load.
A real soft link was actually too small, so I made one out of 900lb dacron, tied in a loop and secured with a double fisherman's knot. I pre-loaded both knots by taking each loop and clipping it to an anchor point and bouncing on it, so that it will not become untied. I then threaded the soft link around the waist strap and through the small loop. I then again pre-loaded the tied softlink by hanging in my harness and bouncing on it. For extra security, I hand stitched a small bartack to prevent the softlink from coming undone, and tucked it away in the neoprene cover where the waist strap adjustment is. I tested the full setup by hanging from the bridle of the front rescue container and everything worked great.
You could use the soft link directly into the rescue container as in my picture, or connect it with a quick link/locking caribiner.
Ah, unfortunately the base risers on the 2015 are sewn in to the shoulder straps and do not use a carabiner. perhaps I could route some webbing under the seatboard to create my own loops
I fly with a Flugsau/AVA G2 base and to learn some maneuvers I've attached a 3rd rescue in a front container. I don't know how the base in the 2015 model is connected to the harness, but on the G2 base you can use the attachment carabiners of the base (below the glider carabiners, inside the harness) to attach a 3rd rescue.
Hi! Very interesting question! +1. I need to do the same for some tricks (really interested in cork to tumbling :))
I've seen in Organya last year Horacio installed 3rd rescue on his Supair base, but unfortunately I didn't came to check how he did this integration.