Backup Parachutes 2024, Part 2.
Today we come to LA 1st part of the bookmark series of 2024. We have opened for you Pilot no. 3 from 2014 and an article by Miroslav Huml. The article is in full resolution in pdf here.
At the same time, we asked several "packagers" to look at the ten-year difference since the publication of the article, what has changed significantly in the repacking of bookmarks during that time, and what to watch out for.
The good news is that little has changed. Of course, there are now a large number of different reserve parachutes from different companies, round, square, steerable, non-steerable. Each should have its own assembly instructions, which are mostly in graphic form (similar to our attachment here) and reflect the important stages of packing that particular parachute.
Fortunately, it exists for more complex packaging program of the Union PG – repacking reserve parachutes, where each pilot can so-called watch the hands of the packers and learn to pack your bookmark well yourself.
Unfortunately, there are also pilots who pack their reserve parachute by themselves without initial supervision or instruction. According to the packers with whom we discussed the topic, the round PG bookmarks are quite easy to pack and every pilot should learn to repack them without any problems. Of course, if we choose to supervise someone who has passed through 200 bookmarks and containers, we will definitely be calmer, at least if he is willing to supervise.
The packers described steerable Deltas as quite difficult to pack and suitable for repacking by a person who has more experience with them.
But what's the point?
We also asked some packers and learned something you should watch out for:
We have marked the steps in the last photo where it is advisable to be careful. At the end of the package, the pilot secures the container with a mandrel. However, some of the pilots are used to securing the mandrel with a black ring, despite the fact that more than 90% of the manufacturers neither provide nor recommend such mandrel rings in the original packaging. However, the habit is a jelly shirt and the original rings are quite expensive, so folk creativity found plumbing supplies and sealing rings there. However, these are made of a much harder material and so it may happen that the pilot is unable to exert sufficient force at the right moment to pull out the mandrel by jerking the handle, which is additionally secured by an even harder non-original non-original ring. He has to make an effort not only to pull out the thorn, but also to break his own fuse.
Packager's tip: don't cover the mandrel with rings, let alone plumber-friendly rings
- Each tab lies in a container of a certain volume and has a precisely determined place for the handle to open the tab correctly. The tabs, which are designed to be placed on the pilot's belly, have a properly tied handle in the CENTER of the container. The bookmarks in the drawer under the seat (under the butt) have a handle tied to the SIDE of the container.
Improper positioning of the handle can make it more difficult to pull out the tab or even make pulling out completely impossible. Always respect the storage of the handle according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Any bookmark that is well cared for has a relatively long lifespan. However, if you are the one who lets the bookmark air out at home before the changing event and then throws it into the trunk of the car, where the spare, oil tools, bearings, or possibly a chainsaw lie, you do not exactly meet the term "has a bookmark that is well cared for". In the same way, it is necessary that the bookmark does not lie in dampness and is not moldy. A well-folded dry bookmark should not be affected by the sun or frost (however, it affects the speed of opening), such a bookmark, which you air out and repackage every year, should last you for years. It mainly degrades the material. And if you've heard that parachute pads last forever, know that paragliders are not always made of the same material. The reason is the need for greater resistance in the market for skydiving tabs (due to the greater required height to open - approx. 150 m), less required resistance in the market for paragliding tabs (lower required height, approx. 50 m+-)
- Each bookmark is also stored in an original container that has its own meaning, volume and shape. If you throw a bookmark somewhere in the Alps and the container is irretrievably lost, likewise, if you can't find the container even when you throw it away somewhere in Eastern Bohemia, when you yourself are hanging from a tree and the container is blown away by the wind, the best option is to buy a new one - an original one.
If such a container is torn, it is again advisable to buy a new, original one, not to use skytex and seal the container.
- The cords are usually looped with rubber bands, which is convenient so that they are not cut into pieces on the bike.
- Beware of leaving all the equipment in the car in the heat. This heat can subsequently have a negative effect on the reserve parachute, as the rubber bands that connect the cords melt. Subsequently, we can feel the bumpy surface of the cords, the remains of rubber bands hardened in different ways on the cords.
- Using the wrong one (thin or faded) in the final packing of the briefcase can result in what happened to one unnamed pilot - he only dropped the container in the gym. The rubber band that holds the bag didn't last.
- Do not glue a torn tab with self-adhesive skytex - it is not stretchy enough, unlike the stretchiness of a tab.
- Do not tie the loop to the opening of the container in such a way that the handle will definitely not open in the end.
- Check old bookmarks for too much faded fabric.
- Do not attach the tab to the seat strap with a dog carabiner.
Thanks to packers KK and TM and PG for valuable advice