I found this ripcord...............

[davidlayne 5]

I found this ripcord in some woods I was clearing.

I figure it must have laid there for 30 years or so. The ripcord is 28" long and strangely has the riggers seal on the handle.

I'm intrigued to know what type of equipment would have used a ripcord like this, any suggestions?

I don't care how many skydives you've got,
until you stepped into complete darkness at
800' wearing 95 lbs of equipment and 42 lbs
of parachute, son you are still a leg!

[obelixtim 147]

No corrosion, it hasn't been there long. Someones lost it after a reserve opening..

Someone at your local DZ will be grateful to get it back.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[davidlayne 5]

I can assure you it has been there a long time.

Although it is made of stainless steel there are signs of corrosion.

The cable is formed into a loop at the end and is swaged together. I am not familiar with any equiment, main or reserve that used a ripcord like this.

I don't care how many skydives you've got,
until you stepped into complete darkness at
800' wearing 95 lbs of equipment and 42 lbs
of parachute, son you are still a leg!

[obelixtim 147]

Vector tandem rigs have a reserve handle like that.

If the lead seal has a riggers number stamped on it, it shouldn't be too hard to track.

Corrosion depends a lot on local climate. hot and dry....little corrosion. Regular rainfall, quite a lot of corrosion.

Why do you think its been there 30 years?. Was it buried beneath lots of dead vegetation?.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[davidlayne 5]

Quote

Vector tandem rigs have a reserve handle like that.

Really. I am not a TM or rigger and didn't recognize it as such.

I don't care how many skydives you've got,
until you stepped into complete darkness at
800' wearing 95 lbs of equipment and 42 lbs
of parachute, son you are still a leg!

[Niki1 1]

Quote

Vector tandem rigs have a reserve handle like that.

If the lead seal has a riggers number stamped on it, it shouldn't be too hard to track.

Corrosion depends a lot on local climate. hot and dry....little corrosion. Regular rainfall, quite a lot of corrosion.

Why do you think its been there 30 years?. Was it buried beneath lots of dead vegetation?.

Vectors with RSLs use that type of ripcord. Less than 30 years. That would put it back to 1981. RWS started doing that in the mid 80s. This doesn't look long enough to be a tandem. But on a second look, maybe. Don't know about the riggers seal on the handle. Maybe a gear check tag but the seal would probably be put on with wire instead of thread. Is there a seal symbol on it?

Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done.
Louis D Brandeis

Where are we going and why are we in this basket?

[councilman24 37]

Look close at the handle. It may have a manufacturer and date stamped into it. Often hard to see and read.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[davidlayne 5]

RobertMBlevins The ripcord was found in dense woods that had been cleared at Roy Ray Airport, Irvington Alabama.

There was skydiving there from 1990 to 1995 with very few tandems, if there had been a tandem malfunction I am sure I would have remembered it. There was also skydiving at Roy Ray Airport in the 1970's and 1980's, I feel it comes from that era.

Niki1 What is the length of a tandem vector reserve ripcord?

I have managed to scrape the corrosion from the lead seal and the riggers ID appears to be PP2.

The seal is attached to the handle by nylon thread.

councilman24 I have looked closely with a magnifying glass and can see no evidence of a date.

I don't care how many skydives you've got,
until you stepped into complete darkness at
800' wearing 95 lbs of equipment and 42 lbs
of parachute, son you are still a leg!

[docjohn 0]

My new Vector in 1988 had a reserve ripcord like that (not a tandem). The reserve closing pin was at the end of the RSL. Pulling the reserve ripcord pulled the rsl lanyard and hence the pin. Worked ok but wasn't used for very long.

Doc
http://www.manifestmaster.com/video

[obelixtim 147]

Quote

RobertMBlevins The ripcord was found in dense woods that had been cleared at Roy Ray Airport, Irvington Alabama.

There was skydiving there from 1990 to 1995 with very few tandems, if there had been a tandem malfunction I am sure I would have remembered it. There was also skydiving at Roy Ray Airport in the 1970's and 1980's, I feel it comes from that era.

Niki1 What is the length of a tandem vector reserve ripcord?

I have managed to scrape the corrosion from the lead seal and the riggers ID appears to be PP2.

The seal is attached to the handle by nylon thread.

councilman24 I have looked closely with a magnifying glass and can see no evidence of a date.

More likely the 90's, there was nothing like that in the 70's, and tandems didn't really happen till the late 80's.

Alabama, reasonably wet climate no?. I'd expect a lot of corrosion even on a SS ripcord. That one looks way too clean for me to believe it is that old. I've found lost ripcords that have been exposed to the elements for one or two years, and they all looked a lot worse than that one.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[stratostar 5]

RWS vector one reserve

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[chuckakers 419]

So what's the rigger's symbol on it the seal?

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[mjosparky 4]

Quote

ID appears to be PP2.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[likestojump 3]

PP2 traces to WHITE, JERRY WAYNE whose current address is listed in Santa Rosa FL

[Krip 2]

Quote

RWS vector one reserve

Hi SS

I'm confused please help a old guy out.

Since the seal is attached to the RC handle where was the other end of the seal thread connected to?

R

One Jump Wonder

[davidlayne 5]

I guess we need Jerry Wright to come along and answer that.

I don't care how many skydives you've got,
until you stepped into complete darkness at
800' wearing 95 lbs of equipment and 42 lbs
of parachute, son you are still a leg!

[obelixtim 147]

Quote

Quote

RWS vector one reserve

Hi SS

I'm confused please help a old guy out.

Since the seal is attached to the RC handle where was the other end of the seal thread connected to?

R

He may have put a seal on the handle simply for identification purposes in case he did lose it. Smart thinking.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[Krip 2]

Quote

Quote

Quote

RWS vector one reserve

Hi SS

I'm confused please help a old guy out.

Since the seal is attached to the RC handle where was the other end of the seal thread connected to?

R

Hi O

Thanks for the info that makes sense to even a one jump wonder...

OTOH the found ripcord post set off a fire storm in the DB cooper thread.

I'm guessing DB's ripcord is like the holy grail for the DB groupies. DNA (sp?)

R.





He may have put a seal on the handle simply for identification purposes in case he did lose it. Smart thinking.

One Jump Wonder

[drjump 0]

The seal on the handle was probably from a "gear check" at a boogie, or a visiting jumper at that DZ. The reserve packing was still placed around the closing pin on the end of the RSL.

[davidlayne 5]

stratostar Thanks for identifying the ripcord as coming from a Vector 1. When was the Vector 1 manufactured?

likestojump Well done with coming up with Jerry Wright as the rigger. I remember that name from the skydiving community in this area in the late 1980's

drjump Your suggestion makes sense. Probably from one of the old Cotton Council meets. Perhaps Mike Brown or Travis Creel could tell us more?

I don't care how many skydives you've got,
until you stepped into complete darkness at
800' wearing 95 lbs of equipment and 42 lbs
of parachute, son you are still a leg!

[otterpilot418 0]

I do very much remember the Cottonbelt Parachute Council meets But Jerry Wright i remember the name but not the face. Sounds like it came from and old rig they used for doing style. Can`t remember the name of the rig but when they did style it was a little container with a long ripcord. Good old hard core days lol.

[davidlayne 5]

Thanks Travis Creel. We have determined that the ripcord came from a Vector 1.

I don't care how many skydives you've got,
until you stepped into complete darkness at
800' wearing 95 lbs of equipment and 42 lbs
of parachute, son you are still a leg!

[Niki1 1]

Quote

stratostar Thanks for identifying the ripcord as coming from a Vector 1. When was the Vector 1 manufactured?

A Vector II, actually. Bill Booth redesigned the Vector I to clean up the wrinkles and make the narrower V-3,4, & 5. I think Bobby Overby helped with that. Would've been about early "83 or maybe late "82. RWS started putting RSLs on in "84 (?).

AND come to think of it, it would not be a Tandem handle becarse they were a loop handle made of tubular nylon.

Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done.
Louis D Brandeis

Where are we going and why are we in this basket?

[stratostar 5]

Ok your right.... us old fucks call the vector 1 a wonderhog. The vector is the "changed" rig.....

So Dave.... the ripcord in question is NOT from a wonderhog, it's a RWS VECTOR ripcord..... LOL


PS also just doing my part to drive DB Cooper thread off the top mark, people need to give it up... he's dead!

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[Hopper1979 0]

Jerry White was, at that time, a tall, lanky, black haired fellow who smiled alot, was friends with Brad Outlaw, Warren 'Toad' Bullin, and jumped at "Panhandle" in Elberta alot also.