Let's talk parachutes

[Gorilla]

I am rebuilding a Citabria, and want to get into some mild acro. I will definitely need and use an emergency parachute like a "softie." I weigh 230 lb, so I know that weight will be an issue when it is time to select a canopy.

I am leaning towards a seat parachute, because the Citabria has a big seat pan that will hold a chute nicely, and has plenty of head room, while the fore and aft is a bit tighter for me at 6'3".

Is this a reasonable presumption? And does anyone have any specific brands that they like? I am leaning towards the Strong 304 setup, but at nearly $2k per chute, not cheap. Used parachutes? Thanks!

The Strong 304 as at the bottom of this page:
http://www.wingsandwheels.com/page39.htm

Oh yes, all the acro is going to be positive G as my Citabria is carburetteed.

 

[freeflyer14]

This place is always a good place to deal with...

http://www.paragear.com/templates/parachute.asp?group=65&t2parent=2&parent=12&level=3

I have very limited acro experience and when I flew jumpers, I think I wore the P-124 Aviator Emergency Parachite System. To be honest, I am not 100% sure what model I used, I'll have to take a look the next time I am at that dropzone, which may be a while. I only made sure the repack was in date. I wore my own rig sometimes as it is almost as small as a pilot rig anyway (111 sq ft main, 126 sq ft reserve). Talk to other acro pilots near you, take a look at what they are using, try the rigs on, etc.

Also, I would recommend taking a first jump course, either static line or AFF. I don't think you'd want the first time getting out of an airplane to be under duress. At least you would have some information about how to do it other than the typical "open door, pull silver handle" that some acro people feel is good enough.

 

[jbDC9]

I am leaning towards a seat parachute, because the Citabria has a big seat pan that will hold a chute nicely, and has plenty of head room, while the fore and aft is a bit tighter for me at 6'3".

Is this a reasonable presumption? And does anyone have any specific brands that they like? I am leaning towards the Strong 304 setup, but at nearly $2k per chute, not cheap. Used parachutes? Thanks!

I went for a seat pan Strong 304 for my RV-8 for the same reasons you listed. A back pack chute just pushed me too far forward. The one bad thing about sitting on a seat pack though, it's like sitting on concrete after an hour or so. Might wanna wedge some thin foam under your butt.

I bought mine a year ago from these guys, http://www.parachuteshop.com ; I paid $1276 brand new. I see they have a few used 304 rigs ranging from $925 to 1500.

 

[Headwind]

I think the 304 would be a good choice for your aircraft, but not at $1900.00.
You will have more head room because the 304 is not as tall as your stock seat cushion.
Have seen several used 304's go for 6 to 700. Watch Barnstomers.

HEADWIND

 

[VNugget]

I don't even know if this is practical, but if you can, try to actually do a flight with a couple of different types. Some chutes absolutely kill my back after a simple 1 hr flight, while others leave me totally fine.

 

[Mike Eggen]

There was a good discussion on parachutes on the
acro exploder last month. Go here and search parachutes. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AcroMod/

 

[mach3matt]

Whatever you get TRY IT IN YOUR AIRPLANE BEFORE YOU BUY. Find a seatpack or back rig and sit in your airplane for a good 30-45 minutes. Lots of little cramps and pains don't show up until you sit in there for awhile. Believe me, I made this mistake in my pitts and its been a pain in the . . .

Good luck.

 

[Gorilla]

Great advise here, thank you all! Question: can't you ease the discomfort of a seat pack with a layer of memory foam or some other padding?

I noticed on another site that there are rigs available that relocate the leg connectors from the crotch area, more up to the side, meaning that the normal AC lap belt will not be cramming these into your tender legs. Lot's to think about.

I have had 6 jumps, 4 static line and 2 free fall, and enjoyed them all, so it is not a totally foreign proposition for me.

I will explore these links and try to come up with a clean, used parachute for under $1k. I think it can be done. I've read that a canopy's life can be considered 20 years regardless of whether it's been jumped or not, so I'll look for a newer date of manufacture.

Thanks again.

 

[freeflyer14]

Glad to hear you have jumped, I think it would certainly help if the worst case scenario ever happened. A canopy life span is based on several factors, among them number or repacks, number or jumps, how much UV they have been exposed to, what environment they have been in (salt, sand, etc). Do yourself a favor and have a licensed rigger check out whatever you are interested in buying before you pay for it (if it is used). Call your local dropzone or head to dropzone.com to find one. If you are in the IL, IN, or central FL (MCO) areas I can personally recommend many.

 

[svcta]

I sit on a Strong Squadron 306 with the lumbar support. It's for warbird application and a little larger and thicker in the cushion (I think) than the 304, but it is about as comfortable as I think you could find for this application. Matter of fact, the 306 has extra "confor foam" in the seat as well as the back cushion, whereas the 304 only has it in the back. The 304 has a "travel cushion" option that zips in to the seat.....maybe that would be good.

Got the pair of 306s at Sun n Fun last year for about $1500/ea. brand new. Took about 3 months to get them delivered. Experience has proven that you can get a slightly better deal at a large affair like that if you're going to be there anyway....I wouldn't make a trip just for it, though, you don't save that much.