- In this video let's talk about how does an AAD work.
Why it's important for you to have an AAD
that is specific for the type of jump you're doing.
And I give you an example on how you can get access
to more detailed information in your AAD unit.
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Before we start, anytime during the video,
make sure to check down the description for additional links
and notes about what I'm gonna talk about in this video.
Automatic Activation Devices, or AADs,
are part of every skydiving system nowadays.
They are another safety system
that makes sure to deploy your reserve canopy
if you're unable to do so, or simply forget to do it.
Here's an example of an AAD unit.
So whatever brand you have,
you'll notice that there's three main components.
The control unit, the processing, or release unit,
and then the cutter.
So now let's talk about how those units work.
So an AAD is programmed to activate
if it's at a certain speed, at a specific altitude.
This means that if you're falling too fast
for the altitude you're at, meaning at that point
you should already have a canopy above your head,
well the unit will know that it's not a normal situation
and the unit will activate.
If you have a chance to see how it's mounted
inside a skydiving container,
you will notice that the reserve closing loop
is going through the cutter.
So that means that the activation
actually cuts the reserve closing loop,
releasing the reserve pilot shoot.
So the unit contains a factory programmed microprocessor,
capable of real-time calculation
of the jumper's speed and altitude of decent,
based on the barometric pressure.
So basically it's using the atmospheric pressure
in order to determine the altitude you're at.
And to make sure that this is a flawless calculation,
while during the powering up of the unit,
it will calibrate itself with the pressure of the moment.
To do that, it simply takes multiple measure of pressure
to get an average value at the ground zero.
So, this is why it's important for you
to open your AAD on the ground, before taking out.
And while it's in use,
it's constantly taking the air pressure on the ground,
in order to adjust to the weather conditions.
It's important because if the weather
is changing during the day,
you don't want your AAD to get false measurements.
And that is done to have a very accurate calibration,
in order to make sure that it activates
at the right speed, and right altitude.
And those parameters are either factory presets in the unit,
or you can also modify those.
But I got to give you a warning there,
before changing any parameters on your AAD unit,
to avoid any possible errors,
you want to make sure that you
discuss with an instructor, a coach,
or even a rigger, to make sure
that the settings you're changing make sense.
Unwanted AAD fires may happen
if the settings of your unit aren't appropriate
for certain type of jumps.
Just like swooping,
where you can have a very high speed of decent,
even under canopy.
So, just like in this example,
the AAD settings might not have been set for swooping.
- This is why knowing about your units,
and the setting it has, is very important.
And even more, if you decide
to play around with those settings.
While the AAD brands out there
usually have multiple modes that you can use,
depending of the type of skydive you're doing.
Like, when you want to swoop, or if you're wing suiting,
those type of jumps
may require different types of settings in your unit.
And depending on the brands, those modes may differ.
For example, Cypres has four different modes.
And did you know that you can actually
change the mode that you already have on your AAD?
For that, you simply need to send your unit to Cypres,
or SSK, and they will do the switch for you.
Or, if you want to be able to change those modes yourself,
you can get a changeable mode AAD, just like me.
So let's talk about those four modes that you have access to
in a changeable mode AAD.
And I'll give you the different default settings
of each of those modes.
The first mode is the expert,
and it can be recognized by the red button on the unit.
The activation altitude by default,
is approximately 750 feet, down to 130 feet.
And the activation speed is around 78 miles per hour.
So that means that if you are at 78 miles per hour
between 750 and 130, well, you get an AAD fire.
The second mode is the tandem mode.
Of course this one will be used on tandem systems,
and it can be recognized with the blue button,
and the word tandem written on it.
Its activation altitude is between 1,900 feet and 130 feet.
Its activation speed is also of 78 miles per hour.
The next mode is the student mode,
and this one can be recognized with the yellow button
with student written on it.
And this one takes into consideration a possible cutaway.
Why, well it actually has two activation altitude.
The first one being 1,000 feet,
and this is in the case where the skydiver
would fall slower than in free fall,
but still faster than under a canopy.
So that would be in a case
where the skydiver would have a partially inflated canopy,
or if he had just cut away.
In any other situation, well,
the activation altitude remains at 750 feet.
And the activation speed
is whenever the skydiver is falling
at a higher speed than 29 miles per hour.
And the last one is the speed mode,
and it can be recognized with the red button
with the mention speed on it.
This one is made for extreme canopy piloting.
And the activation altitude
is from 750 feet, down to 330 feet.
So it stops functioning higher than usual.
And the activation speed is above 102 miles per hour.
And it's tailored to extreme canopy piloting,
due to the high activation speed,
and also the fact that it stops working below 330 feet,
which is higher than usual.
However, it does function normally
in all free fall situations.
The activation speed has been raised,
even though for many decades
nobody was able, on their canopy,
to reach the normal 78 miles per hour speed,
but we never know because nowadays,
the canopies equipment and techniques
are making the skydivers push their limits more and more.
Hence, the need, according to Cypres, for that unit.
And of course, the unit that I have,
the changeable mode can be recognized,
with the magenta button and the label changeable on it.
And by default, when you receive your changeable mode AAD,
it actually has the expert mode,
but you can switch between the four different modes
I just talked about, very easily.
Cypres also now have the wing suit AAD,
but I'm not gonna dive into this unit in this video,
because it has a whole other set of parameters and functions
that we could talk about in another video.
But keep in mind that it's mostly made for,
guess, wing suiting.
So to give you a little bit more information
on the Cypres changeable mode AAD,
it's a small, light, and waterproof unit,
even in salty water.
Did you know that you can get
several unit information on the display?
Like, you have access to a flight counter,
some more settings, and you also get
the next date recommended maintenance.
You can adjust the offset up to 3,000 feet,
if you have a drop zone that needs it.
Of course you can change the feet into meters,
if you want them.
And at the power up, it only needs
about 10 seconds to check itself.
Once open, it can work for 14 hours straight.
And Cypres now has a voluntary basis maintenance program.
For that matter, I highly recommend
that you check out this video I made,
explaining why the maintenance is important,
even though it's now on a voluntary basis.
(graphics whooshing) Now, let's take a look
at how you can get some more information
from your unit on the Cypres,
and I'll show you also how you can change
the different modes for a changeable unit.
First off, with any Cypres,
you receive this quick start guide,
which is pretty cool to have,
because it tells you exactly
how to get access to the different information,
with clear graphics and stuff.
So, I'm gonna refer to that for this part of the video.
So, let's go.
So first off to turn it on, it's pretty easy.
So we press every time we see the light coming on.
And then we see the unit doing its self calibration,
where we see the numbers going from 10 to zero.
When it's at zero, it means that we're ready to jump.
To turn it off, same thing applies.
So press every time we see the light.
And then it's off.
If we don't turn it off,
it will turn itself off after 14 hours.
If we want to see the extra information available
on the device, we need to preform the opening sequence.
And when it reaches zero, we want to press and hold,
to see the extra information.
Zero, press, and then that's the flight counter.
Then we'll see the serial number.
Next will be the next maintenance date.
Next it's gonna be the scale which is in feet, or meter.
Then we will see the user selected activation altitude.
And then we'll go back to a zero.
That's it.
If you need to set a drop zone offset,
what you need to do is perform the opening sequence,
but at the last time you press, you want to hold.
And then when the counter will reach zero,
you will start to see 30 feet increments,
and you simply need to release
to the offset you wanna see.
So let's say I release here,
I see 90 feet above the ground level I'm at,
when I take off.
You can set enough set up to 3,000 feet,
and if it's in meter, the increments will be of 10 meters,
up to 1,000 meters.
And your screen will keep showing this offset
during your jump.
If you wanna get back to zero offset,
well it's easy, you simply close it,
and then open it back up, as usual,
without holding anything.
And you're gonna see it's gonna say zero,
meaning zero offset.
If you want to increase your activation altitude,
it's doable, it can be done
in increments of 100 feet, or 30 meters.
And you can increase up to nine times.
So, to change the activation altitude,
you simply need to do the opening sequence again.
When it reaches zero,
we're gonna press and hold.
Until we see A0, which is activation zero.
And when we see that on the screen,
we will release, and press and hold immediately.
Release, press, and hold.
And release when the light turn off.
And then we see that it's rotating from A0 to A9,
and I simply need to click
whenever the setting is good for me.
One increment means 100 feet, or 30 meters.
Here again we have to do it twice to confirm.
And when you open it back up,
you're gonna see that there's a digit appearing
at the beginning of your screen,
telling you that the activation altitude has been raised.
There you go, number two, raised of 200 feet,
or 60 meters.
So, if you want to change the unit type of your device,
again, we will perform the opening sequence.
Press and hold on the light.
And then release when the light turns off,
and then it's rotating from feet to meters,
and I simply need to click on the button
when the display is showing the unit I want.
Feet, and that's done.
Now, if you have a changeable AAD,
you can switch from expert, student, tandem,
to speed, with the same unit.
So we're gonna do just that.
So we're doing the opening sequence.
And when it will reach zero,
we're gonna press and hold,
until we see that it's showing us
one of the four modes here.
Press and hold.
Press and hold, release.
Now it's gonna rotate from expert to student,
to tandem, to speed.
You see the black bar there.
So, when it shows the mode that I want,
I simply need to click on the button to confirm.
Done!
And you need to do that twice,
to confirm that you really want to change that mode.
If you don't do it twice,
you're gonna remain at the same mode you were before.
Now, let me know in the comments below
which AAD are you jumping with,
and did it ever fired for you?
So I hope you've learned a thing or two on your AAD.
Do not hesitate to take a look at your user manual
to see how it actually works.
And I would recommend you to take a look at the settings
that your own AAD has, so that you are aware of them.
If you wanna watch other videos from "Skydive Vibes,"
simply click here.
And on that, as always, keep jumping,
stay safe, and blue skies.