Speed system attachments - alternatives to Brummel Hooks

[Sam Smith]

I had a nice chat with Fred yesterday (as always), and he said he was looking at alternatives to brummel hooks for attaching his speedbar.

He has found that his brummel hooks are scratching the screen on his shiny new Oudie flight computer during groundhandling, which isn't nice. Another problem that we sometimes find with brummel hooks is that they can come disconnected while the lines are slack, which can cause a big problem if you suddenly need your speedsystem after launch.

My own personal solution is to use electrical (insulation) tape around the brummel hook connection - leaving a tab of tape loose allows you to remove it in a hurry with gloves (if you have deployed your reserve and have time on the way to the ground, it's a good idea to jettison your main, so getting the speed system disconnected should be done before releasing the main carabiner to riser connection), and also protects against scratches.

However the following is another system that I have tried, and works well. It does make releasing the main a bit fiddlier, which is why I don't use it now. Using a hook knife on the speedbar lines would be a quick and effective solution here.

I have the following hook knife on my harness - it's small and unobtrusive, and the puch keeps it protected and accessible for when you need it. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2018-Dakine-Kite-Hook-Knife-with-Pocket/172776603797?epid=1763514164&hash=item283a49c095:m:mMmwek1yKZQig_be1I9dZ_w

OK, so without further ado, here is the lark's foot method of connecting the speed system with a semi-permanent, metal-free solution:

1) Remove the brummel hook from your speedbar lines (red), and tie a barrel knot approximately 40mm below (i.e. shorter) than the original brummel hook position. (Barrel knot = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRfjF5TcQbw)

2) Next, undo the lark's foot knot to the brummel hook on your speed system pulleys (riser side, grey). The sewn connection remains intact - you just thread the straight section of line back towards the brummel hook until you have a loop big enough to pass the brummel hook through.

3) The brummel hook can now be removed, leaving a lark's foot in the speed system (riser side, grey) line. Don't worry if you lose the loop here, a lark's foot is easy to tie = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV6STq_wDp8

4) Pass the barrel knot in the speedbar lines (red) through the lark's foot in the speed system lines (riser side, grey), and tighten. The knot will tighten up with pressure, however if the barrel knot is tight before you connect the two, it will not move.

...and there you have it. Naturally, be careful when adjusting your speed system positions - once you have made the connection on both sides, connect the risers to the harness and lift the harness by both sets of A-lines, to check that the speed bar in it's 'off' position is not pulling the speed system on at all (there should be a small amount of slack in the grey (riser side lines), to that your glider will fly in it's normal trim state until the speedbar is used).

Adjustments to the speed system tension can be made by part loosening the barrel knots in the speedbar lines and rolling them up and down the line to achieve an equal position on both sides, at a position that is comfortable for you.

Note, this is not my chosen method - I prefer taping, but I know that this system works and will generally not come disconnected while the glider and harness are connected and packed away. Always pre-flight your kit, of course!

[ambow...@aol.com]

Mini quick links.

For the scratching problem, a small section of clear plastic tubing, as in home brewing accessories. At the right size it should be a snug fit  sliding over the quick links/brummel hooksl whatever, leaving them visible, but  it's not impossible to slide off if you need to access the linkage.

Alistair 
 

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[Gordon Smyth]

There may be a simpler solution as like Sam I have had a number of times when the Brummell hooks have separated. The advice I took was to use small mailloans which allow quick detachment but do not come loose. Also a simple and cheap solution. I have 6 spare if anybody would like a pair.

Gordon

Sent from my iPhone

[Ben Johnson]

Great stuff guys,

                              I use larks head knots to attach all my power kites to the control lines and this would give a good connection to the speed system with the ability to quickly disconnect it should you choose to.

The only downside I can think of is if you leave the glider disconnected from the harness. The line running through the speed system on the risers could fall back through the pulley which would be a bit of a faff on takeoff.

I suppose all the preferences mentioned are great but leaving the glider as the manufacturer has sold it with caution taken and perhaps a  it of clear tubing to prevent accidental detatchments would be the best recomendation.

As has been mentioned before, please make sure your system is set up correctly and works as this is a safety issue.

Stay safe and have fun guys :-)

Cheers,

Ben.

[Alastair P]

I went the maillon route a couple of years ago as well, the hooks were always coming out, only time I disconnect is to get the wing serviced, and if this is tightened it's not going to move.

Cheers...

 

Alastair

[Sam Smith]

Good responses guys.

To everyone saying mallions, I would say this: Make sure you have a way of getting them undone quickly.

Now, apologies if I'm telling you how to suck eggs; I'm trying to be as clear as possible in this instance as there is a safety issue here, so even if the following is self-evident to you personally, it may not be for everyone.

If you do end up chucking your reserve, the first thing you should do if you have sufficient height is to try and kill the wing, this is to stop downplaning which can greatly increase the sink rate of the reserve, or even the main wing trying to fly again and getting tangled with your reserve. 

Most modern reserves, loaded within their weight range, will give you less than -5m/s. -5m/s is approximately 11mph, so it's still going to be like riding a bike into a brick wall - PLF people!

A downplaning wing can double this speed, which can be the difference between a little owie and a big one. You kill (depower) the main wing by pulling in the brakes or back risers, until the wing is balled up next to you and in no danger of fouling with the reserve.

Then, and only again if you have enough height, the next useful thing you can do is to jettison the main wing. There are a few good reasons as to why you should do this - the one I'm going to talk about here is drag and vectors. Assuming that there's going to be some wind going on as you're coming down, the balled up wing gives you more surface area to the wind, so adds a horizontal component to your descent rate. So a 5m/s horizontal component (wind) plus the 5m/s descent rate is going to give you an impact velocity of 7.07m/s. An increase of 40% on the certified maximum for the reserve you paid all that money for.

By releasing the main, you can reduce this horizontal component and ensure that your arrival back on terra firma is as predictable and survivable as possible. 

There are a few situations when you might want to keep a hold of your main - the added drag might help to carry you away from hazards, etc, or it might come in handy to climb down it if it looks like you are going to end up in the trees, but the general principle is to be able to get away from it quickly if you need to.

The procedure would be:

1) release speed system.

2) release the main carabiners (don't let go of the main just yet.

3) throw the balled-up main as far away from you as you can to avoid tangling with the reserve.

As I said in my original post, I use taped-up brummel hooks; I find this is a convenient and easy-to-release method. There are several others. I also have a hook knife on my harness, in a position accessible by both left and right hands, in case I need to cut any lines quickly. I think that if you are going to use mallions then it would be sensible to get a hook knife and fit it to your harness. They are also very handy for opening flapjacks in flight when you have gloves on ;)

Sam

[Alastair P]

Hi Sam,

Not sure if you are correct or not, but I doubt I would be able to make all these judgements and actions in a chuck situation, I will go going with a simple plan, so I will deploy the reserve and haul in the main wing. To me the greater and more common risk is getting in the air and finding the speed system doesn't work because those pesky brommels hooks have disconnected again. Which is why I use the mallions, and I need speed to get away from the hill. Not saying I am right, possibly not, but I like the simplicity of the system. Open to being persuaded this is unsafeand changing it, I do know I should carry a knife, if I did I could cut the wing away, but I think a knife in the air risks cutting the reserve as well, again it's hard to predict how calm and sensible you will be in a situation.

Cheers...

 

Alastair P

[Sam Smith]

Hi Alastair,

The hook knife is a protected blade (see photo below), it's like a car seatbelt cutter - you have to guide it onto the lines to cut. This is the one i have, it's pretty good, and not bulky at all... the length of the frame is about 60mm, and the blade is totally protected in the sheath until you need it.

 

[Iain Robertson]

I think the first thing you should do after throwing your reserve is make sure it has deployed properly. You may have to pull the bridle to try and get it to open, try to get it unstuck from your main, untangle it from your stirrup, etc. I'm not sure what a typical deployment time is - maybe 5 to 10 seconds? Which will seem like an eternity in an emergency situation.

Once your reserve is inflated and your dangling by your shoulders you can worry about disabling your main to reduce down-planing or penduluming - my vote is to take a couple of wraps on the brakes and stall the wing. Then get your legs together and hope for the best (or do that before worrying about the main if the ground is near).

The circumstances where you would have time to release brummel hooks and main carabiners under a reserve seem pretty unlikely. Try the procedure hanging (stood up) in your harness for practice / a reality check.

With a steerable reserve  it is more important and I would want quick outs on the main and a speed system release system too ( e.g. https://flybubble.com/charly-quick-out-speed-system-separation-systems).

There are circumstances where it would be useful and possible to disconnect under reserve so it's worth having a plan for... But I think choosing when to throw your reserve and a successful deployment are the priorities.

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[Alastair P]

Thanks Sam,

Ordered one! I will attach it to my flight deck.

Cheers...

 

Alastair P

[Chris Sangwin]

Thanks Sam for raising all this,

Interesting set of compromises between (1) taking off without a speed system connected and needing it immediately, and (2) getting rid of the main when you have thrown your reserve.  Then there are secondary thinks like damage to screens.

I've tried the maillions but gone back to brummel hooks!  

I do use the larksfoot for kites but didn't consider that option for a speed system.  It is an interesting and very simple suggestion, and eliminates another "thing" (which in principal I approve of).  I think the larksfoot is excellent for kites but it needs to be under constant tension, especially with thicker/stiffer cord so this might just come undone as well.  It will be very fragile to the individual situation I think. 

I also keep a knife handy and a very long climbing sling in the side pouch.  It weighs 50g.  I've had friends who've ended up in trees safely, and then fallen out and seriously injured themselves.  The sling it so make sure I have something I can tie myself to the tree with.

Chris

On Sun, Apr 15, 2018 at 6:50 PM, Alastair P <goo...@pandelus.net> wrote:

Thanks Sam,

Ordered one! I will attach it to my flight deck.

Cheers...

 

Alastair P

On Sun, 15 Apr 2018, at 6:34 PM, Sam Smith wrote:

Hi Alastair,

The hook knife is a protected blade (see photo below), it's like a car seatbelt cutter - you have to guide it onto the lines to cut. This is the one i have, it's pretty good, and not bulky at all... the length of the frame is about 60mm, and the blade is totally protected in the sheath until you need it.

 

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[Przemek Marek]

I've been using larks foot on speedbar connections for 5 years now.  Never ever came undone (or even close to).  I think as long as your speed bar line (i.e. the one on the riser) is made out of soft dyneema (as it would be on most wings these days), it keeps the connection nice and tight.  

In fact on my mini wing there are small, very thin loops on the larksfoot dyneema loop, just to help loosening it up by pulling them off - although in practice I found they are not really needed, even with cold fingers.

Just my 2p.

P.

On 16 April 2018 at 08:34, Chris Sangwin <c.j.s...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks Sam for raising all this,

Interesting set of compromises between (1) taking off without a speed system connected and needing it immediately, and (2) getting rid of the main when you have thrown your reserve.  Then there are secondary thinks like damage to screens.

I've tried the maillions but gone back to brummel hooks!  

I do use the larksfoot for kites but didn't consider that option for a speed system.  It is an interesting and very simple suggestion, and eliminates another "thing" (which in principal I approve of).  I think the larksfoot is excellent for kites but it needs to be under constant tension, especially with thicker/stiffer cord so this might just come undone as well.  It will be very fragile to the individual situation I think. 

I also keep a knife handy and a very long climbing sling in the side pouch.  It weighs 50g.  I've had friends who've ended up in trees safely, and then fallen out and seriously injured themselves.  The sling it so make sure I have something I can tie myself to the tree with.

Chris

On Sun, Apr 15, 2018 at 6:50 PM, Alastair P <goo...@pandelus.net> wrote:

Thanks Sam,

Ordered one! I will attach it to my flight deck.

Cheers...

 

Alastair P

On Sun, 15 Apr 2018, at 6:34 PM, Sam Smith wrote:

Hi Alastair,

The hook knife is a protected blade (see photo below), it's like a car seatbelt cutter - you have to guide it onto the lines to cut. This is the one i have, it's pretty good, and not bulky at all... the length of the frame is about 60mm, and the blade is totally protected in the sheath until you need it.

 

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[Andrew Williams]

Second that.

Andrew 

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