Installing The Reserve - Advance acoustic LIGHTNESS 3 Manual

Installing the reserve

General advice
Every reserve/harness combination has its own peculiarities. It is es-
sential that pilots and parachute packers familiarise themselves wi-
th the system and how it works – especially if any part of it is new (new
reserve in existing harness or vice versa), so that reliable operation can
be assured.
The LIGHTNESS 3 reserve compartment is in the best aerodynamic
position near the pilot's centre of gravity. The harness/reserve connec-
tion runs in a channel at the side of the harness, closed by a zip faste-
ner. The reserve compartment is closed by a closure flap; the reserve
system is thereby well protected from the outside, and accidental re-
leases are hardly possible. A well-designed release system guarantees
reliable and fast opening.
Caution: Installing the reserve must be done by a suitably skil-
led person. Your safety depends on it!
Suitable reserves/reserve compartment volume
Basically, bulky old-style reserves in compact, modern harnesses can
be difficult to release, especially under high g loading. The certified vo-
lumes for the LIGHTNESS 3 are specified as a function of harness size:
size S 3 to 5.5 litres, size M 3 to 6 litres; size L 3 to 6.5 litres.
Info: For a general approximation of a reserve volume, its weight
in kilos x 2.7 gives a volume in litres. But, depending on packing
style and skill, it can still be that a reserve that conforms to the
maximum certified volume for a container, using the weight for-
mula above, cannot be released without problem.
Caution: if the volume of the packed reserve lies within the up-
per third of the certified volume range, it is especially important
to observe that the reserve has been correctly folded to conform
to the length of the inner container!
Caution: when installation is complete only a test relea-
se/compatibility check can confirm that the actual reserve/
LIGHTNESS 3 combination will work.
Caution: A reserve parachute volume can expand by up to
30 % when it has been newly folded. ADVANCE therefore
strongly recommend that a new compatibility test is carried out
after every repack.
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