Of parachutes and things

I've been looking for a chute for my citabria - 7ECA. I spoke to Alan
Silver yesterday. He was very nice and explained alot to me about
chutes in the citabria. I'll need to modify my seat back to use a
backpack chute but it sounds worth it.

Some of you may have seen the ad's of pilot standing next to a
demolished citabria. He barely made it out. Alan told me that he had
trouble getting the door off. He pulled the hinger pins successfully
but didn't realize that he needed to push the bottom of the door out to
get it into the slip stream where it will be blown back. According to
Alan the guy had chosen to practice at around 6500AGL. He struggled
with the door for so long that if he had been even a few hundred feet
lower, he might not have made it. Scarey.

The reason he needed to get out was because part of the rear seat came
foward and fouled the rear stick.

I hope I got that story straight.

Dave
7ECA

Martin Hellman wrote:
"ShawnD2112" wrote in message news:AnZDc.1369$Dq1.851@newsfe6-win...

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.


I fly a motor glider with a Paraphenalia Softie, with the "diaper
packed at the bottom" which is how my rigger calls packing it fatter
at the bottom and thinner at the top (as mentioned by an earlier
poster).

As others have recommended, talking to other Pitts owners is clearly a
good move, making sure to compare body sizes. Maybe one of them will
even lend you his chute to try out, on the ground at a minimum.

Other thoughts: My rigger installed an air bladder in the lower back
area that I can pump up for lower back support. Highly recommended. I
pump it, leave it for a while and release the pressure. A kind of slow
massage that seems to keep my back from getting stiff from being in
one position for many hours. Probably less of an issue in aerobatic
flying than soaring since you'll probably run out of fuel before your
back gets sore.

If you're in the San Francisco area -- and maybe even if you're not --
you ought to try Silver Parachute Sales. Alan Silver runs it and is an
excellent rigger who will treat you right both on initial sale and
repacking. He's based near the Hayward airport, just across the bay
from SFO. I know lots of glider pilots who send him their chutes for
repacking even though there are other, closer riggers. His telephone
is 510-785-7070.

Hope this helps and have fun with the Pitts.

Martin