Ask A Rigger

[jazzviper1]

Hi
I am a U.S. Military trained parachute rigger with experience on high speed ejection & deployment of personell parachutes and a life long rocketeer.
If any one has anything I can help with, or you just have a question please let me know.

Mike






There is no such thing as a PARASHEET!

 

[o1d_dude]

Do you know of a source for Type IV paracord in end user quantity of say 100' hanks? I've been able to find something marketed as Type III 550 spec paracord but am skeptical that it really meets the Type III spec.

I use the stuff as shockcord in my low-rent tube fin rockets.

 

[troj]

Do you know of a source for Type IV paracord in end user quantity of say 100' hanks? I've been able to find something marketed as Type III 550 spec paracord but am skeptical that it really meets the Type III spec.

I use the stuff as shockcord in my low-rent tube fin rockets.

https://www.paragear.com/templates/parachutes.asp?group=32&level=2&parent=193

Shop places that cater to riggers and the materials will be properly documented as to what they are. They have to be, or they're severely limited on where they can use them.

-Kevin

 

[jazzviper1]

Troj is absolutly right. That is just what would suggest.

 

[MaxQ]

Hi
I am a U.S. Military trained parachute rigger with experience on high speed ejection & deployment of personell parachutes and a life long rocketeer.
If any one has anything I can help with, or you just have a question please let me know.

Mike

There is no such thing as a PARASHEET!

Cool.

The big projects use those old airborne 28'...maybe even 35' T-10s

What do they put in ejection seats these days?

 

[gdiscenza]

What do they put in ejection seats these days?

Pilots and Copilots, I think... :rofl:

G.D.

I had to, I just had to!

 

[MaxQ]

Pilots and Copilots, I think... :rofl:

G.D.

I had to, I just had to!

you forgot Wizos.....

 

[jazzviper1]

It Depends on the Aircraft and the seat.
The 28 foot flat circular C-9 is still very comon.
The latest that I am working with now it the GQ 5000.
It is a 32 foot conical canopy with a mesh ring about 2/3 rds the way up and Lemogn slots for stearing and a tiny bit of forward speed. These are mostly pressure packed into headboxes and then blown off the seat by an ejection charge.

 

[THier]

OK,, just the thread I was looking for.
I have C-9 chutes for my 90% Harpoon,,, looking for the "correct" way to pack the chute, here is what I do now,, I layer the gores per the numbers stenciled on them, I then Z fold the chute and (for lack of better terms) stuff it into a homemade Nomex deployment bag, I then attach the shroud line with rubberbands zigzagging them across the bag, fold a flap over the lines and secure it with rubber bands, so far it has worked,, and in one video of it deploying, you can see the shrouds pulling tight, streamering the chute out of the bag, then the chute slowly blossoming. I unfortunately lost the D-bag on the last flight in November, so I have to make,, or buy if I can find one,, you got any contacts?, a new D-bag. The deployment looked right on the vid,, but does it sound like I pack it the "right" way or have I been lucky?
Thanks,
Tom

 

[dave carver]

I've made long, skinny bags for a while now and I copied the packing technique from a 16" chute from Aerocon. It had been de-mil'd(shroud lines cut off), I re-laced with 550 and used it in my 3rd level rocket. The way it was packed kind of supprized me, it looked like it was just stuffed into the bag. I grabbed a handful of the top of the chute and started stuffing. It all fit into the 3 1/2" dia bag I sew'd up. The bag was attached to the nosecone with a 3' chute attached to the cone and stuffed in the bag near the top so when ejection took place the cone helps pull the bag out of the airframe and the small chute deploys, helping to finish dragging the main out and the cone comes down on it's own chute.

 

[jazzviper1]

It sounds like your packing method works ok. When we pack them for personnel use we put tension on the chute and layer 1- 14 on one side and 15 - 28 on the other. Make sure you have a clear air channel, raise the top 2 gores and look up inside you should be able to see almost to the top. After that just "long fold" the canopy to the width of the bag, this is usualy done be folding the right group of gores in towards the center and then fold in the left over those. Then place the apex in the top of the bag and "S" fold it in to the bag shove the skirt straight in.

Here is one example of long folding, please note this is not a C-9 but the methods are the same. https://www.fs.fed.us/eng/pubs/htmlpubs/htm08572835/page02.htm

The deployment bag should be heavy cotton or nomex. The flap that closes it should be held closed by the first line stows that you make, ( these should be the last ones to come out ). Then just stow the rest of the lines in a neat manner. Neatness is one of the most important things in parachute packing, the larger the chute the less tolerance ther is for errors.

 

[Msechler]

Is a Juki DDL-8300N a good machine for repairing chutes?