What Every Skydiver Needs to Know About Skydiving Canopy Lines?
When it comes to skydiving, the most common question that comes to mind is which skydiving canopy line would be better? Or What are the different types of canopy lines? Here is everything that you need to know about canopy lines.
Line Types
Different types of skydiving canopy lines that are utilized in skydiving are derived from the sailing industry most of the time. These lines are available in a variety of nylon and in different weaves. Below mentioned are some of the common line types.
Spectra
Spectra parachute line is one of the most common line types in the market of skydiving. It is a low-drag and low-bulk line that is hard to break. One best thing about this line type is that it wears very well. Nevertheless, it is dimensionally unstable as it is highly susceptible to shrinking when the heat is applied to it.
The shrink in this type of linings is often uneven as the slider rubs more on the control and outside lines as compared to the center lines. An out-of-trim linset leads to poor openings and performance. Even with these features, this is one of the best canopy lines as before breaking the lines get worn and out of trim. The performance of the line gets degraded enough to replace them.
Dacron
If you are a new jumper, then you might not have seen this type of skydiving canopy line. This canopy line has a large diameter, heavy-feeling line, and it is dimensionally stable. During the life of this canopy line type, it doesn’t change a lot in length due to stretching or shrinking. This line type is somewhat elastic; the weave allows it to stretch when opening and return to the original dimension afterward.
One of the drawbacks of this line type in skydiving is it has a bulk of lines packed, which leads to more requirements of space in the container. This type of parachute canopy line also produces a large amount of drag, which reduces the speed of air and performance of canopies. This drag is remarkably noticeable on small and high-wing loaded parachutes.
Vectran
This line type was introduced as an alternative of Spectra, as it also has good strength and low drag. The best part about this type of canopy line is that it is heat-stabilized, which means that it does not trim a lot over the life of the lineset. However, this parachute canopy lines wear out before the performance of the parachute begins to degrade. You need to regularly inspect the Vectran lines in order to avoid this issue.
HMA
HMA is one of the most popular canopy lines. It is dimensionally stable, low-drag, and the best part is that it does not change in trim. It wears well and is strong; therefore, it lasts longer. The only drawback of this canopy line is that it is small, and it is difficult to sew accurately. In addition to this, when it gets dirty, its life is greatly reduced; hence, it needs to be cared properly.
If you are a new jumper, it is a good decision to get information about different canopy lines and their life. Many factors can shorten the lifespan of canopy lines, so you should take care of them properly.
