Emergency Parachute questions

Interesting post Peter. Good tip on the shoulder straps. I'd like to add
one thought in here, which you and others might like to seriously consider.
Bail out procedures. To my way of thinking, it could do you a world of harm
to undo your belts and push off your shoulder straps BEFORE opening your
canopy. If the aircraft was out of control, a likely reason for bailing
out, you may find yourself wedged into the canopy or in an odd position that
would not allow you to reach or open the canopy. I bail out of my Pitts all
the time..... in my mind. I practice over and over again so I don't have to
think about it if the time should ever come. I always open the canopy as
the first step in my sequence.

So far I haven't worried about my headset, as I don't have a chin strap, but
when that happens I'll have to have some kind of disconnect. You are right
about the velcro on a chinstrap-- pulled on the shear even 1/2" wide is
incredibly strong stuff!

Cheers,

al.

"Peter Ashwood-Smith C-GZRO" wrote in message
om...
Having had precicely one incident in which I had to 'try' to get out
of my Pitts very quickly (on the ground) I can add some interesting
'additional variables'

Make sure your headset is setup in such a manner that it can come
free easily too. I had an incident on the ground last summer where I
ran my smoke system to show off for a photographer. I shut the engine
down too quickly and still had some smoke fluid in the exhaust and of
course got a small fire under the plane. Nothing that caused any
damage but all of a sudden I look up and people are running in all
directions waving madly and yelling 'FIRE' .. well .. I released all
the buckles, slide the cockpit back jumped out of the plane, only to
have my head held back by the headset and cables. Not too dangerous
given I was not moving very fast but had I been in the slipstream it
could have been pretty violent and I guess could break your neck etc.
That chin strap held tight even as I tried to yank the thing off.

The other thing I discovered was that the shoulder straps provide
sufficient friction even when unbuckeled that when you try to stand up
they will actually prevent you unless you push them off your
shoulders. Try it some time. Just sit in the plane with all the belts
undone but the shoulder harnesses lose over your sholders ... now try
to stand up ... LOTS of resistance.

So .. add to your list:

Detach your chin strap on your headset and/or make sure it is
very weak and will break away easily. A folded over strap of velcro is
pretty damn strong!
If I were building an experimental, my headset jacks would push in
vertically instead of horizontally to allow them to pull free in the
case of a baleout.

Push the shoulder straps off each shoulder! Infact bungges or
elastics to do this may not be a dumb idea.

ALso .. don't run your smoke system on the ground unless you keep
the engine running for a minute or so afterwards to blow any remaining
oil out of the pipes. Also don't throttle back with the smoke system
on while on the ground!
Oh ... and don't let line guys put 100LL in your smoke tank .. don't
laugh I've stopped more than one.

By the way .. as an interesting aside ... the only person watching
that reacted properly was my 11 year old son who ran away from the
plane to the hanger to get a fire extinguisher.

Cheers and fly safe,

Peter


A good habit to get into is to exit the airplane following each flight
while
still wearing the parachute. You will find that it catches on something
until you learn the proper body position for clearance. If you have to
exit
in an emergency, the learned body position will make it easier, although
you
certainly will be dealing with additional variables!


BJC
Formerly S-1S w National 360


"ShawnD2112" wrote in message
k...
Jay,
Was in a similar situation and just this weekend took delivery of a new
Sortie seatpack chute. I didn't know anything about parachutes, didn't
want to become an expert, so I figured I was not a good candidate for
buying a used one. Also I didn't really want to trust my last-chance
piece of equipment to something I didn't know the full history on.
With a
bailout rig, there's no redundant system in case it fails. It cost me
$1,500.00 but I felt it was one piece of equipment that was worth not
scrimping on.

I phoned Softie and spoke to Jim, explained the kind of flying I do and
what my knowledge base was (none!). He talked me through all the types
of
rigs and the things I needed to consider. It took about 3 or 4 calls
with
various questions and dimensions of myself and the airplane to get
sorted
what I wanted. I haven't used it yet...wait, let me rephrase that...I
haven't worn it yet in the airplane, so I don't know if it all fits in
the
seat pan and I can get in and out of the airplane with it on, but so
far
so good.

I'd give Softie a call just as a place to start. They were really
helpful
and down to earth. Good luck whichever way you go!

Shawn
"Jay Moreland" wrote in message
newsXbrd.172979$HA.168018@attbi_s01...
I need advice on a pilot emergency chute. I am only a pilot and know
nothing about parachutes. I need an emergency parachute because I will
be
doing aerobatics in a Pitts-like biplane: required by FAA. My weight is
#140. The altitude I will be landing if I am unlucky enough to need to
use
the chute is 5400 feet. I am considering purchasing a used parachute
that
I would have inspected and re-packed regularly by a professional Master
rigger.

Is buying a 10 year old parachute like a Security, Softie,
Strong...etc
going to be significantly less safe than a brand new parachute?
(Assuming
it checks out as OK by the Master rigger)

Is there anything to watch out for?

Are there any special tests that I need to have done on a used
parachute
to know that it is still safe?

If the red-line on the aircraft is 180kts, should I worry about the
parachute being rated to only 150 knots or should I assume that I will
slow down to terminal velocity in an emergency and will only need the
150
knot capability?

What other considerations should I think of?