I just spoke with the president of Rigging Innovations and in response
to your claim that the ram air chute is designed to take about 800' to
open, this was part of his response: "When we certified the P-124 in
1996 it was only necessary to measure the opening time. The TSO standard
called for opening in less that 3 seconds from pack opening to inflated
canopy. There was no practical method to measure the altitude loss.
Today we have newer technology and the current TSO calls for less than 3
seconds OR less than 300 ft altitude loss."

I don't believe I'm giving up 500' by wearing my P-124.

Dan

On 6/8/2017 7:08 AM, Craig Reinholt wrote:
I have a new Softie. It is less comfortable than my previous National 425.
Regarding a ram air chute, they are designed to open softly and they take about 800' to fully open. An emergency round chute is designed to open quickly in 300'-350'. Is your momentary comfort worth that 500'?

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Dan, 5J