Sylmar Hang Gliding Association

It had been about a year since I checked the friction rope in my harness, the one that the slider moves on to adjust flight attitude. At that time, the harness was about six months old and the rope was still in perfect condition. I usually spray a silicone lubricant on it to help keep it that way.

Today I found that the sheath was completely sheared away and I have been sliding on the inner strands. This was a total surprise since, in other WV harnesses I've owned, the rope has lasted 4 or more years and I haven't been flying as much this past year. At Joe Greblo's suggestion, I checked the plastic spool that is the slider for damage or burrs. I found that the shoulder of rear hole was not rounded, a sharp 90 degrees from inside to the face; the front hole shoulder was OK. Whether this was the cause of the more rapid wear on the sheath of the rope, I can't say for sure.

So, Woody Valley Tenax owners <b>with the friction system</b> (no levers or cleated pull strings to fix body position), Joe suggests making a check of the slider rope at each parachute repack or every six months, which ever is less. A complete failure of the rope will cause the pilot to hang much lower from the back up, not a position conducive to a happy landing.

The slide rope broke on my older-model Woody Valley when I was flying over Little T road, and my backup strap was so long I had to hang by my armpits over the control bar. Rather than try to land that way, I threw the laundry.

Since then, I check that rope regularly, more often than every six months.