Dive Rite's Gusset Control System

The gusset-control cord found on some Dive Rite Wings fulfills a variety of functions. Among them:

When the air cell is not inflated, the cord helps lower the air cell profile. This reduces drag and helps protect the air cell from damage.
By tightening the cord, you can limit lift capacity to only that needed for a particular application. The benefit is that reduced lift capacity also helps reduce the likelihood of uncontrolled ascents.
Tightening the gusset-control cord to its maximum limit helps prevent the air cell from wrapping around the sides of single cylinders. (Some doubles wings do not have GCS and they should not be used with single cylinders.)
Loose or tight, the GCS cord helps the Wing maintain a smaller profile for divers traversing in tight passages and the cord compression helps in dumping air.

You can tighten or loosen the gusset control cord by changing the position of the clips at each side of the base of the air cell.

The cord is also very easy to make shorter if you prefer. Just slide the collar off one of the clips, pull the cord out of the clip, cut the cord to shorten, push the cord back into the clip, and reinstall the collar.

For those who prefer not to use gusset cords, the cords can be removed entirely.

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Bondage Wings of Death?

An opinion occasionally heard is that divers should avoid using an aircell design known as "Bungie Wings" or less politely: "Bondage Wings of Death". This is a design in which many elastomeric retraction bands encircle the aircell to always keep it compressed to the minimum possible volume, countered by the pressure of the inflation gas. They cause the wing to deflate in a manner similar to a balloon and some diving accident scenarios have been theorized that suggest such a design may be unsafe.

We are sometimes asked if the bungie cord of the Gusset Control System found on some Dive Rite aircells constitutes a "Bungie Wing". The answer is no, that's not how the GCS works. The GCS is used to streamline the shape of the Dive Rite doubles wings when they are used with singles, to keep the excess of these larger wings from wrapping around the single tank or 'flapping'. When the aircell is used with doubles, the GCS is disabled by moving two clips to release all tension on the cord, allowing the wings to fully inflate without any retraction effect from the GCS. For those who plan to use the wings only with doubles or prefer not to use the Gusset Control System, the cord may be removed entirely.