Emergency Parachutes

Jay Honeck

Jay Honeck

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Jun 6, 2008
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Ingleside, TX
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Jay Honeck
Holy crap, these things are expensive. I was expecting hundreds, not thousands, of dollars.

Can anyone recommend a good supplier?
 
If you look around you can find them used for less. That said they just tend to decrease linearly in their price with an expected 20 year lifespan.

At the end of the day though - the one thing you never want to think about is - "Will this parachute work?" You NEED to have 100% confidence that your parachute will always work so that you can properly make decisions. Spend however much money it will take for you to feel that way.
 
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Allen Silver has always been friendly to me. Call him, he often has pre-owned (not "used") chutes that haven't made it on his website that can be had for discounted prices. He takes ~$100 off the list price for each year in service as it is his strong belief that they should be replaced every 20 years.

http://silverparachutes.com/
 
I,'ve bought three rigs from Dan Tarasevich of Paraphernalia over the years, and they are all great. You need to pay attention to the harness type so buckles don't end up under the seat belts and hurt under negative G. I also like quick ejectors- easier to get in and out, especially if you land in water. I had the quick ejectors placed so they didnt end up under a belt. Dan will do all of this for you, including colors of the rig. Finally, the size of the container makes a huge difference in comfort. If part of your back is unsupported it can get very uncomfortable quickly. He's at OSH every year.

Every time I exit the plane I think of it as a practice emergency egress- canopy, belts, egress, and remove chute outside of plane. Also, no change, pens, coins, glasses in anyone's pockets to jamb controls. Look in the tail and under the seats before each flight to confirm.

Also, do you have dual latching acrobatic belts in your plane like those from Hooker? You don't want to end up inverted with your head stuck through the canopy when a belt or latch lets go. You need to feel like you're part of the plane when doing acro, and a five point harness really helps in this regard.

Of course, good spin training is essential- recognition and recovery from upright, inverted, accelerated, flat spins, etc in both directions.

Good luck and have fun- there's nothing like it!
 
You think those are expensive, look at a sport rig, or god forbid a tandem, seen those go for 15k!

When you get a rig be sure to get a square (ram air style) canopy, you can steer and flare those, get a round and you're going where ever you go and be ready to PLF when you hit the ground else wise you might learn what a tib/fib is!

Also be sure it come with a fresh repack and mark your calendar for when it is due for a repack (180 days, must be done by a master rigger, who can be found at most any DZ), might have a few rigs on barnstormers or look for "pilot parachutes" on dropzone.com
 
NineThreeKilo said:
You think those are expensive, look at a sport rig, or god forbid a tandem, seen those go for 15k!

When you get a rig be sure to get a square (ram air style) canopy, you can steer and flare those, get a round and you're going where ever you go and be ready to PLF when you hit the ground else wise you might learn what a tib/fib is!

Also be sure it come with a fresh repack and mark your calendar for when it is due for a repack (180 days, must be done by a master rigger, who can be found at most any DZ), might have a few rigs on barnstormers or look for "pilot parachutes" on dropzone.com
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I don't think I'd recommend a square canopy unless that person got some training and actually did some practice jumps. Then by all means, a square canopy is far superior. A round chute is maybe not as maneuverable and you might break a bone but it will more than likely save your life. Square vs round is much like the debate between twin vs single--without training and proficiency, the second engine of a twin is only sure to get you to the scene of the accident.
 
you might also check the classifieds on Van's Air Force as I understand a lot of guys buy parachutes for their flight test work and then sell them there.
 
Witmo said:
I don't think I'd recommend a square canopy unless that person got some training and actually did some practice jumps. Then by all means, a square canopy is far superior. A round chute is maybe not as maneuverable and you might break a bone but it will more than likely save your life. Square vs round is much like the debate between twin vs single--without training and proficiency, the second engine of a twin is only sure to get you to the scene of the accident.
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There is no debate. He can fly a plane, he can fly a square parachute. First time jumpers solo square parachutes. If he is worried about it are two models, one is detuned a bit(longer brake lines.) Round parachutes are garbage.
 
Unless you've had some skydiving experience, you may want to stick with a round (actually conical). Wouldn't hurt to go to a reputable DZ and learn how to do a PLF or even go for a tandem jump. Or, ask whomever sells the rig on their opinion. A square will take some training and experience- do you want to take the time to learn how to jump solo, turn, flare, and land, and keep current? If not, a round and knowing how to do a PLF might be a better option.

Canopies also have limitations on deployment speeds, weight, min altitude, etc. A reputable dealer will be able to answer these questions.
 
Jay Honeck said:
Holy crap, these things are expensive. I was expecting hundreds, not thousands, of dollars.

Can anyone recommend a good supplier?
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http://www.parachuteshop.com/

Not all chutes have a 20 year life limit. Call the folks above and talk to them about your plane, seating type, your height/weight, etc. They sell both new and used chutes. I prefer seat chutes to backpack chutes but the choice is usually dictated by how the plane was made.
Dave
 
marcoseddi said:
wait is this to have in the plane just in case and you jump out=?
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I'm talking about individual emergency 'chutes for Mary and me.

Methinks we will do some shopping as OSH. I'm still flabbergasted at the cost. When I add up the cost of materials, I'm in the low hundreds. Double that for labor, now I'm at $500-$600.

The rest must go to the lawyers...
 
I just assumed the experimental community just sewed up their own chutes :)
 
jmp470 said:
And why does the Cirrus repack cost so much again?
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Earlier Cirri (Cirrus's?) weren't replacement friendly but the later models were redesigned so that it's possible to get to the chute/rocket without doing lots of sheetmetal airframe work. To answer your question, the Cirrus canopy is larger for one thing and if you take into account the rocket recert you end up costing $$$$. That's my guess.
 
ClimbnSink said:
There is no debate. He can fly a plane, he can fly a square parachute. First time jumpers solo square parachutes. If he is worried about it are two models, one is detuned a bit(longer brake lines.) Round parachutes are garbage.
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I know lots of people who can fly one airplane but would be deadly in something else, much less a square parachute.
 
Jay Honeck said:
I'm still flabbergasted at the cost. When I add up the cost of materials, I'm in the low hundreds. Double that for labor, now I'm at $500-$600.

The rest must go to the lawyers...
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Or the testing and certification process. "Approved" chutes are TC'd or TSO'd. That costs money. Just like with aircraft.
 
AcroBoy said:
Unless you've had some skydiving experience, you may want to stick with a round (actually conical). Wouldn't hurt to go to a reputable DZ and learn how to do a PLF or even go for a tandem jump. Or, ask whomever sells the rig on their opinion. A square will take some training and experience- do you want to take the time to learn how to jump solo, turn, flare, and land, and keep current? If not, a round and knowing how to do a PLF might be a better option.

Canopies also have limitations on deployment speeds, weight, min altitude, etc. A reputable dealer will be able to answer these questions.
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Talk to any of the dealers referenced in this thread. They are all reputable. It's much easier to land a large square than a round. It is against the Basic Safety Regulations (BSR) to let a student jump a round anymore for a reason. A fun jump and class is highly encouraged :)

On the seat versus back discussion, they are separate rigger ratings. Back rated riggers are at most drop zones. Seat ratings are rare and it may be harder to find someone to do the inspection & repack. Depends on your local situation. Your local rigger will have opinions worth listening to.

Yes, they can be expensive.
 
NineThreeKilo said:
Also be sure it come with a fresh repack and mark your calendar for when it is due for a repack (180 days, must be done by a master rigger, who can be found at most any DZ), might have a few rigs on barnstormers or look for "pilot parachutes" on dropzone.com
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Serious question:

What purpose does this serve (other than contributing to the $$ economy)?
 
Jaybird180 said:
Serious question:

What purpose does this serve (other than contributing to the $$ economy)?
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Presumeably a certified parachute rigger would do a slightly better job than you or I of stuffing it into a pack. I presume its done every 180 days to make sure nothing starts growing in it, or that mice take up residence, or the material becomes stiff and prone to tangling on deployment...
 
Shtf he jumps out lets the plane crash and him n wifey float down posting twitter tweets
 
Brad Z said:
Presumeably a certified parachute rigger would do a slightly better job than you or I of stuffing it into a pack. I presume its done every 180 days to make sure nothing starts growing in it, or that mice take up residence, or the material becomes stiff and prone to tangling on deployment...
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I can buy this one.
 
NineThreeKilo said:
Also be sure it come with a fresh repack and mark your calendar for when it is due for a repack (180 days, must be done by a master rigger, who can be found at most any DZ), might have a few rigs on barnstormers or look for "pilot parachutes" on dropzone.com
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Doesn't have to be a master rigger. A senior rigger can also do the repack.

Ryan
 
Jaybird180 said:
Serious question:

What purpose does this serve (other than contributing to the $$ economy)?
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It is mostly a hold over from when parachutes were made out of less durable material. With modern parachute materials, you can safely go much longer than 180 days. I wear a parachute when I fly skydivers and I would be comfortable with it being repacked every year or two. If I remember correctly, the Cirrus parachute is only repacked every ten years.

Ryan
 
Brad Z said:
Presumeably a certified parachute rigger would do a slightly better job than you or I of stuffing it into a pack. I presume its done every 180 days to make sure nothing starts growing in it, or that mice take up residence, or the material becomes stiff and prone to tangling on deployment...
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That's the understatement of the year, before a jumper can get their A license they have to pack a rig, even after 1000s of jumps they will pack their main HOWEVER their reserve (a pilot rig is just like a reserve) will be packed by a rigger, it will have their seal on it showing it has not been tampered with. Reserve pack jobs take WAY WAY longer then a main, the attention to detail is redicioulus, think our rigger charges less then 100 bucks, pack it poorly youre going to pack yourself line twists, maybe a line over and guess what, you can't cut away and go to your reserve! They are checked every 180 days for the same reason as the annual on a plane, they are nylon, they can mildew if something spills on them, stuff happens over time and wear ya know! Also can you say ramp check? Don't be cheap, pay the rigger or don't bother buying a rig.

The round vs square, get a square PERIORD. AFF student jump a square on their FIRST solo jump, ain't a big deal, we however DON'T and WON'T let a student jump a round at our DZ (not that we have a round anyways!)

With canopies its all wing loading, sq footage divided by your exit weight, that pilot rig ain't coming with a Velo 98! It's a HUGE docile square, you won't have a issue, want to turn left pull the left toggle, right pull the right toggle, flare pull both.

If you think you're paying too much take a close look at a ram air canopy, these are built really well, they are basically a multi cell ram air pressurized wing and their margin for error is ZERO.

I'd recommend a back mounted square, standard buckles, softie makes some good ones.
 
NineThreeKilo said:
That's the understatement of the year, before a jumper can get their A license they have to pack a rig, even after 1000s of jumps they will pack their main HOWEVER their reserve (a pilot rig is just like a reserve) will be packed by a rigger, it will have their seal on it showing it has not been tampered with. Reserve pack jobs take WAY WAY longer then a main, the attention to detail is redicioulus, think our rigger charges less then 100 bucks, pack it poorly youre going to pack yourself line twists, maybe a line over and guess what, you can't cut away and go to your reserve! They are checked every 180 days for the same reason as the annual on a plane, they are nylon, they can mildew if something spills on them, stuff happens over time and wear ya know! Also can you say ramp check? Don't be cheap, pay the rigger or don't bother buying a rig.

The round vs square, get a square PERIORD. AFF student jump a square on their FIRST solo jump, ain't a big deal, we however DON'T and WON'T let a student jump a round at our DZ (not that we have a round anyways!)

With canopies its all wing loading, sq footage divided by your exit weight, that pilot rig ain't coming with a Velo 98! It's a HUGE docile square, you won't have a issue, want to turn left pull the left toggle, right pull the right toggle, flare pull both.

If you think you're paying too much take a close look at a ram air canopy, these are built really well, they are basically a multi cell ram air pressurized wing and their margin for error is ZERO.

I'd recommend a back mounted square, standard buckles, softie makes some good ones.
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Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I now know why I've never seen anyone get out of an RV wearing a parachute. It's sad that the lawyers and the FAA have turned a fairly basic, yet important, safety device like an emergency parachute into an uber-expensive PIA to obtain.
 
Brad Z said:
I just assumed the experimental community just sewed up their own chutes :)
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They could probably make them out of old bed sheets and fishing line stuffed into an old backpack.

Dave
 
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Jay Honeck said:
Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I now know why I've never seen anyone get out of an RV wearing a parachute. It's sad that the lawyers and the FAA have turned a fairly basic, yet important, safety device like an emergency parachute into an uber-expensive PIA to obtain.
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It ain't all the lawyers, some of it is the pilot/parachute crowd is ignorant and only served by a couple of companies, and part of it is you are underestimating the cost of materials and manufacture. Non approved parachute systems similar to pilot rigs cost about the same. Only difference is they work better.
 
I have no knowledge on this subject so forgive my ignorance. Is there a BRS option for experimental aircraft or is the weight trade off or cost just not worth it?
 
I worked construction for a while in high school. When the guy I worked for found out I had started flying he said "When you have a choice between a parachute and an extension cord, choose the extension cord.... It will always hang up on something." :D
 
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