{"id":60766,"date":"2025-10-24T17:07:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T17:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=60766"},"modified":"2025-11-04T16:42:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T16:42:47","slug":"rsls-in-flocking-rethinking-an-old-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/rsls-in-flocking-rethinking-an-old-rule\/","title":{"rendered":"RSLs in Flocking: Rethinking an Old Rule"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jake Carlton breaks down when disconnecting your RSL makes sense and when it doesn’t.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For years, the skydiving community has treated the use of RSLs (Reserve Static Lines) in flocking the same way it has in CRW (Canopy Relative Work): disconnect them. The logic has been straightforward, when flying in close proximity with other canopies, the risk of entanglement is high. If you cut away from a wrap and your reserve deploys immediately (as it would with an RSL or MARD), you risk entangling your reserve with another jumper or canopy. That\u2019s a risk no one wants to take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as skydiving evolves, so does flocking. And as the discipline matures, growing more dynamic and more complex, It\u2019s time to reexamine whether that long-standing rule still serves us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What Is an RSL, and What\u2019s a MARD?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with the basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An RSL (Reserve Static Line) is a device that connects one of the main parachute risers to the reserve ripcord system. When a skydiver cuts away from a malfunctioning main, the RSL pulls the reserve ripcord, initiating deployment, often faster and more reliably than a manual pull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A MARD (Main Activated Reserve Deployment) system takes it a step further. The most well-known version, the Skyhook, uses the energy and drag of the departing main canopy to extract the reserve from the container, bypassing the need for the reserve pilot chute entirely. It\u2019s significantly faster than a standard reserve deployment and can be lifesaving in low-altitude emergencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why We Traditionally Disconnect RSLs in Flocking<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The rationale for disconnecting RSLs during flocking originates from CRW, a discipline where canopy wraps are expected risks. In a wrap, an automatic reserve deployment triggered by an RSL can be disastrous, deploying directly into a still-active entanglement or into a jumper flying below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By disconnecting the RSL, the jumper has a chance to separate from the entanglement, regain clean air, and manually deploy the reserve. This method, though higher in freefall time, reduces the risk of a second entanglement. It\u2019s a calculated decision based on the nature of the jump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early flocking jumps mirrored CRW in structure: stable, stacked formations, followed by a clean break-off above decision altitude. The RSL-off rule made sense in this context, and for years, it stuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo by Javier “Buzz” Ortiz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How Flocking Has Changed<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Since Momentum Flight launched the Flock and Flow<\/em> events in 2019, flocking has taken a major leap forward. Today\u2019s canopy formations are often dynamic, fluid, and multi-leveled meaning, they’re less like CRW and more like high-speed angle flying under canopy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jumps now regularly include trail formations, transitions, and team landings with tight proximity on final approach. These more complex scenarios shift the risk profile. In many cases, the danger isn\u2019t happening at high altitudes, it\u2019s actually happening closer to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a low-altitude malfunction occurs, a disconnected RSL could mean falling away from the formation with insufficient altitude to manually deploy the reserve. A connected RSL or Skyhook, by contrast, may ensure a fast, automatic deployment in time to save a life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

RSLs On or Off?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The answer is: It depends. This isn\u2019t about replacing one blanket rule with another. It\u2019s about evaluating each jump and deciding where the greatest risk lies. Here’s what you should consider in order to make the decision for each jump: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disconnect RSL\/Skyhook If:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n