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Comment |
Leo Jones
Unregistered User
(1/14/01 10:36:50 pm)
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Parachute Clinic - Comments
There were 18 pilots at this clinic.
We did 9 hrs on Saturday and 6 hrs on Sunday. To say that I was
surprised by the sheer volume and breadth of knowledge which we were
exposed to in this time is a severe understatement, and I know I
speak for every one of the pilots who had not done one of these
clinics before. Some of the pilots had done several of these clinics
- I can see why. At $50 it was great value.
Betty Pfeiffer is
a World renowned expert on parachutes, esp. chutes for hang gliders,
(Quantum Chutes). Even the US Special Services branches of the
military uses her chutes.
Betty had a huge number of stories
and accounts and descriptions of deployments that she had personally
archived, and a lot of video footage which left us all stunned. Some
of it was shocking. Did you know that your life could depend upon
the type and strength of rubber bands you use to pack your chute,
that a single misplaced stitch could result in your chute expoding
into shreds upon deployment, that if your chute was manufactured
before 1990,(and in some cases well after that) it is quite likely
to have some serious defects in design and construction, that
without a correctly placed swivel of the right design in the bridle
line, you may end up with a completely wrapped up chute if you
deploy at more than a few hundred feet, that if your chute gets
damp, changes in the X section of the nylon fibres may render it
less funtional, unless it is dried with the lines under the correct
tension? These were just a small sample of the things that can go
wrong, and Betty documented every single one of these
cases.
We all did at least 3 or 4 practice deployments, with
BOTH hands, whilst hanging up in a control frame and being spun and
jerked around (not even CLOSE to what will happen to you in the real
thing). We learned the importance of how and where to throw the
chute, and what to do after you have thrown it, and practiced
climbing into the control frame afterwards - not easy when you are
spinning fast - and finding your hook knife. You don't have a hook
knife? Good luck then when you come down under canopy in a 25mph
wind! (or in water!!) (Hook knives cost about $15) Pilots have
survived the breakup of their gliders and the subsequent parachute
descent unscathed, and then been seriously injured when they were
dragged for considerable distances by their chute. I personally
witnessed a scary example of this last summer, when a pilot was
dragged for over half a mile through rocks and scrub after a
deployment, by a wind gusting to over 30 mph. He either didn't have
a hook knife, or dropped it!
(In the practice I got my hook
knife out, but sliced right through the cord!)
We learned how
poor "clover leaf" deployment systems are, and how a modern
deployment bag hugely increases your chances of a successful
deployment, (despite some European chute manufacturers' refusal to
use them) why older kevlar to nylon lines can fail, why never to
remove the plastic coatings from your wires, why a chest mounted
chute is safer than a side mounted one, why the cut of the material
in your chute will affect its rate of descent and stability, why
folding a chute in a "Z" manner with folds placed one on top of
another, is less safe than folding it in a sideways fashion, why
covering the the bridle and mains in a sewn cover designed to rip
free could kill you.
We learned the importance of mental
imagery in practicing an emergency deployment. We practiced
deploying without a control frame to hang on to, and what happens
when you come down without one (how do you hang - landing on your
head is NOT good). We practiced getting out of the harness when you
are hanging up a tree, or on HT wires - HAH! Try it in your garage -
it might save your life.
Obviously I cannot even begin to go
into all the stuff we learned. But I have a couple of
recommendations.
Attend a parachute clinic if you possibly
can.
If your chute was manufactured before 1990, and perhaps
later (find out why!)do yourself a favour, and use it to cover your
car, but not as an emergency chute. A brand new state of the art
chute costs about $500. Is your life worth that much? A good coffin
costs more than that!
We all hope we never have to use our
chutes, but if you do, you'd better have done everything possible to
ensure it works.
Leo
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Hangfly
Unregistered User
(1/15/01 10:08:05 pm)
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Parachute Clinic - Comments
We also learned that we don't
really know how extensively systems other than High Energy have been
tested. I think the fact that Special Forces has ordered 1500!
Quantums speaks volumes.
There was also stuff to learn for those
of us with rockets. I think mine is good for at least two more
years. I was happy to find out how to test it without firing
it.
We practiced launching unhooked too. I was surprised how many
pilots were able to climb into the control bar with all their gear
on.
CW ;)
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Albert
Unregistered User
(1/16/01 1:43:29 pm)
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Parachute Clinic
Thank you Leo and Charlie for your
comments. I could not agree more. The information imparted by Betty
was priceless. For 16 years I have been flying with a parachute that
has many flaws in both construction and design. The thought that in
the time of need, the likelihood of equipment failure was very good.
Out of 6 negative features of a parachute, mine had 4. I was
stunned.
We also talked about harness construction. There
was also a flaw in the design of my BRAND NEW harness. The more you
know before you buy, the better off you are. There are many things
beyond the obvious to consider prior to purchasing a piece of safety
equipment. Yes the harness is part of your safety equipment. Such as
continuous webbing to webbing construction, encompassing the pilot
is essential.
Betty is a wealth of knowledge and I encourage
everyone to attend a clinic as soon as you can.
I also wanted
to point out that Betty brought a helper with her. Allen Silver is a
committee member for the PIA (Parachute Industry Association). The
goal here is to have standards set up for the manufacture, training,
and use of hang gliding parachutes. Betty is a pioneer in this field
and we were extremely fortunate to have her provide this training.
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highhuber
Unregistered User
(1/16/01 9:14:35 pm)
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Parachute
A number of us are probably in the
market for a new chute. Do you think we could get a group discount?
I want a new Q440 and will be ordering it soon so if you also want
to order post a reply and maybe we can get a good discount if there
is enough of us. hh
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Albert
Unregistered User
(1/17/01 12:39:47 pm)
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Parachute
Talk to Wally. Betty does not do
direct sales so I would recomend talking to Wally. I'm sure he will
treat you well.
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Vince
Unregistered User
(1/17/01 4:11:11 pm)
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Parachute
I just ordered a new Quantum 440
from Rob Kells. His price is list at $695 with a swivel. This
compares to the LARA 250 Gold which is $750. But, he is going to
give me $200 for my old chute bringing the price to $495 plus the
governors fee. Something to think about. He said that if I had not
told him I had just attended Betty's clinic, I would have to either
send him my harness or come down in person. He wants to know that it
is installed correctly. So if you decide to go through him, make
sure you tell him you were just at Betty's
clinic.
Vince
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Vince
Unregistered User
(1/17/01 6:13:37 pm)
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Clinic
Pictures
I uploaded some of the pictures I
took at the clinic. They can be viewed at:
http://www.egroups.com/files/SonomaWings/Chute+clinic/
Vince
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