I put my first couple of jumps on the Racer 2K3 Tandem System with paying customers, at Skydive Palatka. It was also the first time I exited a Caravan with a tandem (I have bought my beer).

It is hard to put into words how impressed I am with this tandem system. On all counts it beat, hands down, the Vector 2 system that I trained on. The first, and most noticeable, difference and benefit is the size and weight of this rig. Slimmer and about 10 lbs lighter than the V2, the 2K3 Tandem rig could easily be mistaken for a large student rig, and with the different construction methods that Jumpshack is renowned for, the fit was about as comfortable as I could imagine a tandem rig being. The weight difference and comfort factor would absolutely be beneficial on a busy day.

Leaving the Caravan was very easy. I followed Art Shaffer and his student out the door and used Art’s method of sitting the student in the door, legs dangling, and simply rolled out, turning into the prop blast. I have been used to jumping the Vector 2 tandem system, which tips you a little head low once you toss the drogue, due to it’s positioning at the base of the rig, so I used my normal technique of pushing my chest into the relative wind. As soon as I tossed the Racer drogue, I was almost standing up. The drogue has a unique shape*, resembling an ice cream cone, and provides a lot of, very stable, drag, so my body position raised us head high, but we leveled out very quickly.

The next thing that you really notice is the way that the student is pulled in to you. On the Racer system the hip ring attachments are at the base of the drogue assembly (called the Drogue Riser) and push through two slots cut into the rig itself.

In the picture above you can see the Drogue Riser more clearly. The picture on the right shows it completely removed from the rig and you can see the large ring from the drogue attachment, and three housings for the drogue release handles. Yes, three drogue release handles (more about that later). If you do a solo jump on the rig you must attach a belly band across the 2 rings to prevent the drogue really releasing.

Because the drogue assembly is also positioned between the reserve and main canopies the suspension point runs in a straight line through the bridle, drogue attachment and to the hip rings creating a very balanced feel from the instructor’s perspective.

In fact, balanced is the overall term I would use to describe my experience jumping this system. The student harness is easy to adjust, secure and comfortable for the student. The tandem rig is as comfortable as I can imagine a tandem rig feeling and once I had deployed the main, the hip connectors were very easy to release (despite that my 2nd student was a little on the heavy side).

Some other noticeable differences are the third drogue release which is also the cutaway handle, and a two riser RSL. This is the only system I know of that has a means of cutting away the entire main assembly, and ensures (by design) the proper sequence of emergency procedures with a one handle pull. The drogue is released first followed by the main risers. If the RSL is connected it should then deploy the reserve (although trust me, I’d still be pulling handles). The Racer RSL is a 2 riser RSL, identical to the one on the Racer sport system. It is basically a lanyard that connects the 2 main risers and passes under a break in the reserve ripcord housing. In the event of a riser break on one side only, the RSL will not deploy the reserve until the other riser is manually released, preventing a main reserve entanglement. When both risers are released, the RSL lanyard splits the reserve ripcord housing and pulls the cable (and therefore the pins).

Two other safety features I really like are that the total reserve pin protection afforded by all Racers is present on the tandem system (with the pins being against the Instructor’s back and not exposed on the front of the rig), and the unique double tuck tab riser protection.

The riser covers are the same as on my sport rig and feature a double tuck closing system which ensures that they stay closed. Check the picture below and you can see that in drogue fall the riser cover is nice and tight!

Since I started writing this review, I have taken a few more students on this system. My impression of it has only improved. I am a relatively new Tandem Instructor, with experience of jumping the Vector 2, The Sigma and the Racer. The Racer is by far the best of those systems in terms of comfort and safety. I have one on order.

* I talked with John Sherman (who designed the new drogue) about the revised shape. I don’t actually speak “engineer” so I’ll try and paraphrase. The earlier version of the drogue was based on the design of the pilot chute. The pilot chute and the drogue have two distinctly different functions. While the drogue “acts as a pilot chute” when released, it performs an entirely different function from the time that you toss it out until the time that you deploy the drogue release. During drogue fall it has to fly, and fly with as little oscillation as possible to avoid dumping air. Sherman redesigned the drogue by scaling a round parachute, thus giving it its distinctive shape.