Installing A New Sigma Drogue Kill Line - Sigma TANDEM VECTOR Owner's Manual

SIGMA TANDEM SYSTEM OWNER'S MANUAL

INSTALLING A NEW SIGMA DROGUE KILL LINE

The Sigma drogue kill line is little more than a length of line with a finger locked loop at each end. But because each
new drogue envelope and bridle may vary slightly, and each can stretch a bit after use, we cannot supply a finished
replacement kill line that is the right length for all used drogues. Your replacement kill line has a finished loop at the
envelope end, but you must finish the other end to match the particular drogue it is installed in.
Before taking anything apart, and assuming you are replacing your kill line before it breaks, make the following
observation so that you will understand what you are trying to accomplish.
1. Attach the #5 rapid link (where the drogue attaches to the main deployment bag) to something that won't move.
2. Go to the other end of the drogue and locate the #0 guide grommet at the base of the envelope.
3. Place two fingers under, and on either side of the guide grommet, and grab the drogue apex handle with the other hand.
4. Apply equal tension (at least 10 pounds) against the drogue bridle and kill line, with each hand.
5. Notice that the lark's head knot, where the kill line attaches to the kill line attachment bridle, is about 1½ " above
the guide grommet.
If the kill line were more than 1" shorter, the knot would strike the grommet each time the drogue collapsed,
causing excessive wear on both. If the kill line were more than 2" longer, the drogue would not properly collapse
during deployment, causing hard openings and canopy damage. Now, find a friend, follow the instructions below,
and achieve the same result with your new kill line.
1. Remove drogue kill line from Rapid link at the bag end.
2. Tie a long piece of hand tack cord to old kill line.
3. Re-close the rapid link and secure it to something that won't move.
4. Go to envelope end of drogue and pull the tacking cord through the Kevlar drogue bridle using old kill line.
5. Un-knot old kill line from drogue apex, and discard.
6. Larks-head (knot) the new kill line to the drogue apex.
7. Tie the hand tack cord to the unfinished end of the new kill line, and while you hold the bridle tight, have your friend
pull it back down through the drogue bridle.
8. Place two fingers of one hand below and on either side of the guide grommet at the drogue envelope base and pull
the bridle tight (at least 10 pounds of pressure), while loosely holding the drogue apex handle with the other hand.
9. Have your friend wrap the kill line around the #5 link and pull the kill line until the larks head knot at the drogue
apex attachment is 1½ " above the guide grommet.
10. Pull equal tension on both the Kevlar outer bridle and the kill line, and have your friend mark the new kill line
where it passes around the inside of the link.
11. Relax all tension and make a mark 1" above (toward the drogue envelope) the first mark, and again 3" inches
above the second mark.
12. Attach a finger trap tool to the loose end of the new kill line. Insert it at the second mark, and push it out at the
third mark, so that the mark your friend made is at the bottom of a 1" loop, and you have a finger-trapped area about
3" long. Remove the finger trap tool, but don't cut or sew anything yet.
13. Loosen the rapid link, slip the 1" loop onto it, re-close the link, and again attach it to secure anchor point.
14. Go to the other end of the drogue and repeat step #9, putting equal pressure on both the guide grommet and the
apex handle. The larks head attachment knot should be 1" (plus or minus 1/4") above the guide grommet.
15. If this is true, bark-tack, zigzag over twice, or straight stitch over 4 times, the new finger trap , trimming off and
retracting the loose end into the kill line. After the first use, the lark's head knot will tighten, yielding the correct 1½ "
spacing.
If you do not have a sewing machine, you can tie an overhand knot in the lower 3" finger-locked area, instead of
sewing. But, because the knot will shorten the kill line by 2", you will have to make the kill line 2" longer in the
first place. Test your new kill line for correct length before you cut off and tuck in the excess line. While this
procedure works, sewing in preferred.
11301 - 00.00.0000 Section 6 - Appendix Page 3:X