Was hoping to get a bit of expertise here. I'm in the market for an
emergency bailout chute for flying in my Pitts S-1D. The top US contenders
seem to be National and Softie but with no experience in the field, and
parachutes not exactly being the kind of object you can try on for size in
the shop, I don't really know what to look for and what to avoid.

I'm 6 ft. and 200 lb. I used a "Mini-Softie" backpack in the S1 ("C" fuselage,
"S" wings) that I flew for several years, and was satisfied that it was the
best fit for that airplane.

When I switched to an S-2B, I bought two Wedge Softies (also backpacks), which
are thicker at the bottom than at the top. The S-2B has good legroom, the Wedge
leans me back a bit and I have more distance from face to inst. panel. Again,
the right choice; it's very comfortable, even for 10 hr. flying days.

BUT....the Wedge doesn't work for me in the S-1, because the latter is very
short on legroom. If I were 3 or 4 inches shorter, it would be a different
story, and the Wedge would be OK. It might also be OK in a "long fuselage" S-1S
or T. But I think the D is short.

Some folks like the "chair pack" which has a flap below the butt to help hold
the chute in place during negative G. I don't find any problem with the
straight backpack or the Wedge here, at least not up to -5 g's, which is about
all I ever do.

My Mini Softie had the pelvis-bruising buckles, which I thought were OK, so I
ordered the Wedge's that way. After I started flying serious advanced, the
bleeding started bothering me so at repack time, I had Dan convert my favorite
Wedge to the aerobatic harness. Problem solved.

If you can, borrow chutes from friends to try, or if you are close to a
parachute shop, fly in to visit. Dan at Paraphernalia in Arlington (WA) has
been more than accomodating to me. It's only about 220 NM from home for me, so
stopping in isn't difficult. Go to a nearby contest and you'll find 20 to 50
pilots with every conceivable type of parachute, and they'll probably all be
willing to advise and help. Especially the big ones (pilots, that is)...it's a
battle for all of us!

Doug Sowder