WillsWing Covert Dissection

Here is a little bit more of the structure behind the new WillsWing Covert competition harness (not yet in production).

Covert Dissection - What's up with the Covert?

Photo courtesy of Dave Aldridge. Is there any feeling that's more birdlike?

I had to dissect my Covert yesterday, so I made a video pulling the parachutes, removing the backplate, and boot.

VIDEO HERE

I'd never pulled the parachutes out of the harness and I was VERY impressed with the deployment system. The enclosure is secure, using a minimal amount of Velcro, and once the "seal" has been broken, the chutes get progressively easier to pull until they literally fall out.

Jeff Shapiro has come up with a GREAT zipper configuration that opens in the direction you're going to be pulling. The zippers open easily and wide enough until the deployment bag falls out.

In other harnesses I've owned, it was impossible to deploy the chute by reaching cross body. We talked about this problem when Jeff was designing the new system and the deploying with either hand in the Covert is easy. Just a bit of leverage loss reaching across the body.

Dustin and Steve's design work is sweet! Shapiro told me the backplate could be removed without tools, and I only needed a tool to unbolt my main from the backplate. My "U" bolt system is going to be replace with a machined slider mechanism which will not require tools. The backplate came out by undoing two buckles and three strings.

These are poor quality camera phone photos, but look at the layout Dustin's fabricating. There are impressions where all the current hardware is going, and reinforcements all over. I dig the criss cross under-laying. The core of the plate gives it substantial rigidity.

The Covert information and order page is up: CLICK HERE

BIG thanks to Ken Howells for the web development.

stoked!More... [Jeff O'Brien]