The images shown were built from a series of screen captures taken directly from STI's Parachute Flight Training Simulator. These were then combined as a sequence of smaller size images to produce the animation shown here. The actual simulator parachute transformation occurs extremely smoothly in 640x480 screen resolution at 30 frames per second.

LINE TWISTS, OR TWISTED RISERS are most common malfunction encountered. Sometimes the deployment bag rotates as it comes off the canopy so that the riser lines are twisted. The jumper can see the risers and lines twisted together as in a rope. Most importantly, in actual fact, the jumper will rotate - the canopy doesn't: but it and the ground will appear to rotate as seen by the jumper (see the animated image above).

Strictly speaking, it's a bit of a misnomer to call this a malfunction, since almost all line twists will work out, given sufficient altitude. That is the problem: with the twisted lines pinching the end cells of the canopy, the controls are not functional, and since the canopy isn't fully spread, it is dropping more quickly. If nothing else, it will make it more difficult for the jumper to reach a safe target area. The correction procedure calls for the jumper to grasp the riser straps, pull hard to spread apart, and work his body and legs to unwind the twists. Releasing and pulling brakes may make it worse. If twists can't be undone below a specified altitude, the operational jumper should cut away and transition to reserve.

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