Parachute... Packing, etc?

[Tram]

Hey guys-

Well, it looks like we'll be picking up a Yak 52 before too long, and I plan to start doing more aerobatics..

We are going to be buying chute's and we need to learn some basics on how to use them, etc..

Who packs them?
How often?
Can we be taught to pack them?
Is there "parachute" school.. or is it a "in the event of emergency pull here and hope for the best" type thing?

Anyone who could answer these questions, I would appreciate it..

 

[erj-145mech]

They have to be packed by a certified rigger in the loft. Inspected and re packed each 120 days. There is a log book in a pocket on the chute.

 

[Tram]

Ok, any idea how I can find a rigger somewhat local to me? Will a skydiver rigger be able to do it?

I know there is a "jump base" close to us..

 

[spankfly]

Well first thing first, there are a number of rigs that you can chose from, Strong Enterprise builds a vary good back rig. (There are three types to chose from, seat, back and chest, you want the back rig).
If you decide to buy a used rig make sure you take it to a competent rigger for a good inspection. There is a lot of old stuff out there that hasn’t been taken care of that well.
Some old National Parachutes need to have an acid test. (The mesh had an acid treatment that will destroy the fabric over time.)
Only a certified FAA Rigger Can pack an emergency rig. The pack cycle is 120 days.
Where are you located?
There are a number of Drop Zones that have rigging departments. How ever, not all of them are that familiar with emergency rigs. Take a look at dropzone.com or just do a search to see who is in your area.
You can get your riggers ticket but you will have to work under a rigger as an apprentice. I don’t know if Dan Dewolf still has a rigger course in PA.
There is no requirement to have a ground school, but it wouldn’t hurt. There is a bit more that just pulling a rip cord. I have had the harness shift 6 to 8 inches in free fall. More than one person has gone in pulling on the harness rather than the rip cord.
Above all else ask lots of questions!!! When you are bailing out of aircraft there is no such thing as a stupid question.
Good luck.

 

[Waldom]

I should qualify my advice by stating that I am not a licenced rigger and have never made an emergency parachute jump. I have worn several different types of pilot emergency rigs in the cockpit and have over 2900 sport parachute jumps, though. I'll take a stab at answering your questions and offer some suggestions

By regulation, an emergency parachute must be assembled, inspected, and packed by an F.A.A. licenced rigger. Getting a rigger licence is a rather long process involving mastering extensive materials knowledge, acquiring several hand and machine sewing skills, and performing many supervised repack jobs and repairs. Like a pilot or aircraft mechanic, an applicant must pass an F.A.A. written test and as well as a practical test administered by an F.A.A. inspector or designated examiner.

Again by regulation, if you wear the rig in an airplane it must have been inspected and repacked within the last 120 days. By the way, that's to the day and not to the end of the calendar month. This is determined by checking the rigger's entry on the pack data card, which is a legal maintenance record kept in a pocket on the harness/container system. The pin closure must have an intact lead seal with the rigger's individually
assigned symbols on the seal. Will the parachute work after 121 days? Sure, but keep in mind that the rig will be checked to see that it is "in date" if you are flying competition, performing in an airshow, or are lucky enough to undergo a ramp check. Most F.A.A. inspectors couldn't tell if you were wearing the rig upside-down and backwards but you can rest assured that they know all about pack data cards and rigger seals.

A parachute is a very simple device, which is why they are pretty reliable. Packing them is not rocket science, but due to the fact that you are stuffing "10 pounds of stuff in a two pound sack" while keeping the carefully flaked gores and meticulously stowed lines in staged order, it is not an easy job.
Although I repack my main canopy after each jump, the emergency canopy in my sport rig has to be repacked by a rigger every 120 days. In 28 years, I've never felt compelled to go through all the hoops to get a rigger rating and struggle with it myself. I gladly pay a rigger for that service.

Outside of the military, I am not aware of any formalized training course for an emergency parachute jump. A sport parachute school will teach you very little about emergency parachute jumps because an emergency egress from an out-of-control (why else would you be leaving it?) aircraft is a completely different animal than a sport jump. Even first-jump students use ram-air, rectangular planform, airfoil type canopies which generate lift and flair to land. Your "round" emergency parachute canopy is strictly an aerodynamic drag device that is controlled by different techniques. There are only a few fossels like me still jumping that are old enough to have started in the sport on "round" canopies. Taking a first jump course and making a jump or taking a tandem [parachute built for two people] ride would have some value in that it would provide you with some confidence that this flimsy piece of nylon can save your life. Spending a sunny summer week-end afternoon at the local drop-zone might offer a little insight into parachutes in general.

I hope that answers your specific questions. Now I'll subject you to some advice.

Here are some considerations when purchasing a rig.

An emergency parachute rig consists of two separate and individual primary components; the harness/container system and the parachute canopy. They are usually produced by different manufacturers, so check compatability before buying. Just because somebody assembled and packed this particular rig together dosn't mean it is a legal combination. This problem is not common and the parachute would likely work anyway, but you need to give a parachute the same consideration you would give any other component installed in your aircraft.

Regarding the choice of canopies, size does matter. If you are under 160 pounds and fit, I would suggest a 26 foot diameter, low-porosity fabric canopy. If you don't meet either desription, don't buy anything less than a 28 foot diameter, low-porosity canopy. Larger canopies will cost you more money and greater pack volume and they are worth every penny. Would you rather thud into terra-firma at 16 feet per second or 23 feet per second? Stay away from military surplus canopies because they have the relative porosity of a screen door. If young, fit, expertly-trained military pilots execute a perfect parachute landing fall manuever when they land them, they usually get up and walk away. You wouldn't. Lastly, there are two catagories of emergency parachute canopies manufactured: "low-speed" and "high-speed". The low-speed types are built to withstand an opening speed of 120 knots, which is the opening speed a sport parachutist deals with. If you have to leave a broken airplane, you will likely be traveling faster than that, so only consider a high-speed catagory canopy.

Regarding the harness/container portion of the rig, they are sometimes manufactured in different sizes, if only "large" and "small". All of them are greatly adjustable. A rigger should make the first adjustments for you while you are wearing the rig.

With the considerations I have mentioned, it should be obvious that it would be wise to secure the services of a licenced and currently practising parachute rigger before you set out to buy a rig. You may have to pay them for the service, but their guidance when choosing a rig and their inspection before the purchase is invaluable. You're going to have to find one to repack the rig periodically anyway, so you might as well start the relationship early.

I'm running out of room, so I will make my last comments regarding actually having to use the thing in another post.

 

[avbug]

I jump too, and disagree about being able to prepare for an emergency egress. Any jump training and experience you can get will be to your benefit. Learning to get clearand get stable will help you a lot, as will a basic jump course in malfunction recognition and clearing...even as simple as clearing line twists. Probably the best experience you can get to prepare you for an emergency egress is doing unstable exits to a hop and pop...getting out unstable, managing to get stable, and deploying your parachute quickly.

I always strongly encourage anyone who's going to be wearing a parachute to get some jump experience. It may very well save your life.

 

[Waldom]

Sorry about the book-length post, volume two.

Riggers must have the specific rating on their certificate in order to pack each of the three types of harness/container systems. Those types are back, chest, and seat. Almost all riggers have the "back" rating because all af the sport rigs have their reserve canopy container in the upper portion of the back and the majority of emergency rigs are of the back type. A few riggers that have been around a while also have a chest rating because sport rigs with main canopy containers on the back and reserve canopy containers clipped to the front were common until about 25 years ago. Unless they've been packing parachutes sinse WW II, very few riggers have a seat rating. There are modern seat type emergency parachutes made, but they usually have to be sent back to the manufacturer for repack. One manufacturer that offers a seat type pack was smart enough to state in their rigger's manual that the parachute could be repacked by a rigger with a back rating. If the only parachute that fits in your cockpit is a seat pack, the choice of container types is made for you. Otherwise stick to a back type rig.

Now for the sporty part. You may actually have to use this thing to save your life some day.

If you have been flying aerobatics a while, you know that having to use your last option is not a completely unknown situation. You are clearly not going to consider using a parachute until the airplane has unequivocaly demonstrated to you that it is no longer flyable. By the time this is determined, you are likely riding in a broken piece of junk that is very rapidly headed toward earth. Time is of the essence. Now is not the time to start thinking about how you're going to get out of what's left of the insurance company's airplane and get some nylon over your head. In this situation, a little forethought is helpful.

When deciding its time to leave, it seems everybody remembers to release the primary restraint harness. Most remember to unbuckle the secondary belt. Not many remember to unplug the helmet or throw off the headset.

Its difficult to have a standard egress technique. There are too many variables involving aircraft configuration, door or canopy type and release, airspeed, aircraft attitude, spin state, etc. for that. It might be a worthwhile exercise to just sit in the cockpit for a while when the airplane is in the hangar and run through a bailout scenario a few times. A few of the more recent pilot operating hand books might give some guidance. For what its worth, WW-II military aircraft handbooks suggested bailing out toward the inside of a spin if you were in one.

Once and as soon as you are clear of the aircraft, watch both of your hands go into the D-ring and pull it to arms' length. The reason to watch your hands go into the D-ring is three fold. Even though the D-ring will likely still be retained in the elastic pocket on your chest, the whole harness and pocket may have moved several inches from where it has been located for all the previous time you have worn the rig. As an earlier poster noted, panicked folks have "gone in" yanking mightily on a length of harness located right next to a functionable but securely stowed D-ring. The reason for using both arms for the pull is in case of a "hard pull". In fact, the pull force is likely to be less than 15 pounds on a modern rig, but pull forces on a surplus rig with the old "pins and cones" closure system could be quite high if you bent a pin with improper handling or a during a rough exit. Lastly, using both hands moves your arms close together and toward the middle of your chest where they are less likely to be snagged by a deploying suspension line.

You will hear sport jumpers going on and on about the how critical it is for you to be in a stable, face to earth body position before deploying the canopy. Ignore them. While this is certainly the most desirable body position from which to deploy, it is unlikely that you will have the luxury of time to figure out how to attain it. There's a planet out there and its coming right at you. You have one job to do and one job only: get that D-ring yanked. The only body position you have to think about is "ripcord at arms' length". I assure you that you will be "stable" under the open canopy in about 3 seconds.

The next thing you have to think about will either be steering the canopy or landing, depending on how close to the ground you were when you opened.

Steering consists of changing the heading of the canopy. A modern "round" emergency parachute will have from 5 to 10 knots forward speed due to meshed vents allowing some air to escape from the back of the canopy. As a pilot, you will readily notice your drift over the ground and be able to modify that slightly be turning into the wind and using the canopy's speed to "hold" or facing the canopy downwind and adding canopy speed to wind speed to "run". Being aware of drift over the ground and understanding what the wind is doing to you is about the only advantage a pilot has over anyone else making their first jump. Steering comes in handy if you have a choice of landing in an open field or a woods, buildings, or powerlines. Your rigger will be able to show you where the steering devices are stowed and how to use them when he has the rig opened for inspection or re-pack. Your decent rate under canopy will be about about 1000 feet per minute, which brings as to landings.

If you have a choice, you should turn the canopy into the wind for landing. Your heading will not change your decent rate, but facing into the wind will lessen your forward ground speed or reduce your negative (backing up) ground speed. Your natural tendancy is to look straight down at the ground coming up at you and spread your feet so that you won't fall over when you land. Don't do either; looking straight down gives you poor depth perception and you actually want to fall over when you land a "round" canopy. DO NOT TRY TO "FLAIR" A ROUND CANOPY FOR LANDING! As you near the ground, keep your hands above you on the riser straps, put your feet and knees together, and bend the knees. Tuck in your chin a bit but keep your eyes on the horizon. Keeping your feet together on touchdown prevents putting all the force on one outstreached foot and leg and makes you unstable so that you are pre-disposed to fall over. The plan is to land on the balls of your feet and then spread out the impact by rolling progressively with the wind direction on the side of your calf, thigh, hip and shoulders. At least that's the plan. Ask a sport parachute instructor at the local drop zone to explain the best procedures for landing in wires, woods, and water if you have no other options. Do this at the end of his workday. It may cost you a beer but the information is worth it.

If the surface wind has a velocity of more than 5 knots, the fun's not over yet. You need to spring up on your feet immediately and run around to the backside of the still inflated canopy so it will deflate. Otherwise you will be dragged over hill and dale until encountering a barb-wire fence or other unpleasant object.

Parting comments:

Make sure you get the owner's manual and rigger's instructions with your rig. Take the time to read the manual because there is knowledge in there to prevent you from inadvertantly damaging the rig and instruction on how to use it if you ever need it.

Don't just drop your rig off with the rigger and leave. Arrange an appointment so you can have him or her show you what the rig looks like when the canopy is out of the container. Have them explain how the parachute works, how to steer it, and how to take care of it.

Remember, the strength of nylon deteriorates rapidly in sunlight. Keep the rig clean and free of sand and soil. When you're not wearing it, it is best kept in a dedicated storage bag, in a dry place, and out of the sun.

 

[avbug]

You will hear sport jumpers going on and on about the how critical it is for you to be in a stable, face to earth body position before deploying the canopy. Ignore them.

If you're exiting the airframe at a low altitude, that is correct...better to have some chance than no chance at all. However, I had a reserve ride years ago when I failed to get stable and ended up with the pilot chute bridle wrapped around one arm in a horse-shoe...a potentially fatal malfunction.

Getting stable isn't hard. You know that as well as any. Opening the parachute is the main thing to be sure, but if one has time, just getting face to earth is a big step, and I disagree vehemenly that one should disregard counsel to do so. For that reason among many, getting hands-on training and some freefall jumps is more than just a good idea. As stated before, it may well save one's life.

 

[Waldom]

Avbug, all you statements are dead on, as usual. But I was making my comments to a non-skydiving pilot and we know how most of them feel about skydivers in general and making a parachute jump specifically. They were aimed at a pilot that will never make a parachute jump unless the airplane is burning brightly or busted.

 

[erj-145mech]

When I first starting doing acro in the T-6, I took a weekend accellerated free fall course, which was very beneficial, and fun. Met some people that were crazier than me. I was able to take a couple up in the T-6 and let them jump from it. One wanted to jump from the back seat inverted.

At least I knew that if I had to un a$$ the aircraft, I had a basic knowledge, and a bit of experience on what to do.