Parachute Training

PARACHUTE TRAINING MAY 2013 Jonathan Pote recalls a session from the past On Wednesday eight fortunate members joined Sev at PTSU for an excellent two-hour session of training. He covered a very comprehensive syllabus in detail too great to record here but I will try to outline the salient points.

Firstly ‘pre-flight’ your parachute as if your life depended on it. It may, and that is the only reason you are wearing it. Firstly the repacking date. This not only tells you when it is due to be packed, but also when it was last packed. The longer ago that is, the more chance of a defect. Do it systematically, with the parachute itself as your crib. Open the Velcro to check the pins are not only inserted but would pull free easily when it matters. Tuck away any loose material or it may snag. Make sure there is no chemical contamination (oil and urine are both possible) and that it has been stored in a dry place. Check the swage on the rip-cord handle. If the handle comes free, you are dead.

Fully satisfied it is serviceable (with a more experienced person helping you if needed) then put it on. The time the harness needs to be correctly fitted is when the parachute opens (which it does with considerable force). This is not a lot between too tight for comfort and too loose for safety, but there is a compromise degree of tightness. Remember that when it opens, the pack decompresses and the straps will loosen a little. Route the belly strap correctly. The Velcro is there merely to tidy up the loose end, not secure it. Make sure it is correctly routed through the buckle and will tighten under strain. Tuck away loose strap ends as these can potentially snag in the cockpit as you try to exit in a hurry. Worse still, if you include one in your vice-like grip on the handle, you will not be able to pull it far enough! Just once, get someone to try and pull the parachute off over your head to check the harness is tight enough. The green parachute is a worse offender here, and you may be surprised how easily it comes off. He did a demo on this, he had the side straps quite loose but the chute otherwise done up correctly. He bowed forward, kinda how you might if you were tumbling as you left the aircraft. The chute went over his head and landed on the floor in front of him, essentially completely separated from him. There was an open mouthed stunned silence. There is no problem with clipping the PLB into the chest strap and it is no use left in the glider.

Baling out. You have just one chance to get it right. At 1000’, the lowest realistic height to try, you will hit the ground ten seconds later if the canopy has not opened. Once the parachute is open, you will have about thirty seconds from 1000’. How you get out is your problem, and not even RNZAF pilots are taught a definite method. It is VERY good practice to treat every time you get out of a glider on the ground as a practice bail out. It will be harder, as the canopy is still on and there is no adrenaline explosion, but you can become familiar with bringing your legs back, pushing up on the cockpit sills, and exiting smoothly, realising how the wing gets in the way. You will also learn not to sub-consciously undo the parachute harness as well as the restraining harness. This has been done by professional pilots who then fell to their death and in the RAF it is mandatory to exit light trainers still wearing your parachute to drum this in. What to do once you are out was the purpose of our training session. Once out you WILL tumble, so roll into a ball as you find the handle and pull it immediately. Any delay rapidly uses up your height and increases the speed (and thus force) at which the canopy opens. Remember LOOK GRIP PULL (actually it is a push away from you). The grip includes both hands with at least one thumb through the handle. It must not include a loose leg strap end blown up by the slipstream. You should have “everything together” as the saying goes – be rolled up in a ball as you go out. Emergency parachutes open faster than sports versions for obvious reasons and a straight or arched back can be – and has – been broken by incorrect posture. Flailing limbs can tangle in lines, so ‘small is beautiful’. Any loose fitting clothes or strap ends will blow in the slipstream and be a problem. The PLB might hit you on the chin, but at least you have it with you. The pilot chute is spring loaded for faster deployment but even so may go between your legs as you tumble. Do not let go of the handle – you may have to pull it again. Having said all that, it is not nearly as simple as it may seem. Experience shows that the successful bale-out rate is far below 100%, and the culprit is the canopy. Sadly, it does not come away cleanly or predictably, side-hinged canopies being worse than front-hinged examples. Since the 1980s, DG and LS sailplanes have been fitted with Roeger Hooks which help considerably. If you want to maximise your chances, read the article below. Follow the link at the bottom to a very good summary “Parachute prepared?” as well. http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/roegerhaken-e.html

The Descent. The most important factor is your height. This may seem pretty obvious, but the reason to emphasise this is that for the last thousand feet or so you must concentrate on a proper landing stance to the exclusion of all else. Again, experienced jumpers have been hurt by being distracted and landing unexpectedly. Steering can be complex and varies with canopy type. If you own a parachute, then see it repacked and discuss steering and other details with the chap doing it. If you use a club parachute, then probably all you can do is experiment if you have time. DO NOT attempt to steer an improperly deployed canopy and do not forget to get ready for the landing in very good time. If the canopy forms two lobes because some lines are over the top of it, pulling on the lines to the smaller lobe might help, but again landing takes precedence. Landing with you back arched as you look up at the canopy would be a disaster.

The Landing. You MUST BE READY for this in good time. Forget about steering from about a thousand feet up. If collision with a building or whatever looms, DO NOT TRY TO FEND OFF. Pull in your arms, bend your neck and make a ball of your upper body. Yes it will hurt, but less than if you try to fend off. Ideally you should drift into wind but face or twist your feet crosswind, legs slightly bent and feet not flexed down. Your back should be slightly bent with the chin down a little. Elbows should be locked in so you are as compact as possible. Make the impact roll you over onto your side (we were able to practice this on soft mats, but the ground is too unforgiving for practice except for a jump off a low platform to get the leg bend correct, but not rolling over). If being dragged, and 10 – 15 knots will do that, grasp a big handful of rigging lines and haul them in to collapse the canopy. Landing in water is a problem but not a disaster. Release the harness as soon as you are in the water (height judgement over water is tricky. Some harnesses have quick release clips on the risers so know your parachute). Do not struggle as you will get entangled. You can breathe through a canopy if you raise a bit above your head, so systematically get yourself free from underneath it (any wind will almost certainly prevent the canopy settling over you). A parachute is in no way a buoyancy aid, but equally does not drag you down. If flying near or over extensive water you should have a life jacket on. To lock this into your memory, do you know a bit about - Inspection - Fitting - Time verses altitude - Bailing out and canopy deployment - Canopy control - Landing - Canopy Problems - Landing emergencies (trees, wires, buildings) - Wind and water FINALLY, take heart. Knowing a little and obeying the basic rules actually results in a lower injury rate than thinking you know a bit and trying to do too much.