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Ernie,
I think Jim was telling me about you. He mentioned making one special for a C when I spoke to him last week. He suggested I go for a seatpack since I'm sitting on about 4" of cushion at the moment. Only being 5 10" I've got a bit of headroom to play with. Which harness rig did you go for? How satisfied were you with their customer service? How comfortable is your rig during aerobatics? Thanks for the tips, Shawn "Ernest C. Byars" wrote in message om... "ShawnD2112" wrote in message news:AnZDc.1369$Dq1.851@newsfe6-win... Was hoping to get a bit of expertise here. I'm in the market for an emergency bailout chute for flying in my Pitts S-1D. The top US contenders seem to be National and Softie but with no experience in the field, and parachutes not exactly being the kind of object you can try on for size in the shop, I don't really know what to look for and what to avoid. I'd appreciate any tips anyone out there could provide. Are there any European models that anyone has any experience with? Obviously comfort and space in the cockpit are major considerations. Thanks! Shawn Shawn, I just bought a softie chute for my Pitts S1C. It is a special one made for the Pitts S1. It is a seatpack in the shape of a wedge. Its not listed on their web site but they will make you one. I'm a big guy and the S1C is the smallest Pitts. If it works for me in my plane it should work for you in yours. Call Dan or Jim at Parapania and ask about it. Good Luck, Ernie |
#2
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"ShawnD2112" wrote in message ...
Ernie, I think Jim was telling me about you. He mentioned making one special for a C when I spoke to him last week. He suggested I go for a seatpack since I'm sitting on about 4" of cushion at the moment. Only being 5 10" I've got a bit of headroom to play with. Which harness rig did you go for? How satisfied were you with their customer service? How comfortable is your rig during aerobatics? Thanks for the tips, Shawn "Ernest C. Byars" wrote in message om... "ShawnD2112" wrote in message news:AnZDc.1369$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. 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'd appreciate any tips anyone out there could provide. Are there any European models that anyone has any experience with? Obviously comfort and space in the cockpit are major considerations. Thanks! Shawn Shawn, I just bought a softie chute for my Pitts S1C. It is a special one made for the Pitts S1. It is a seatpack in the shape of a wedge. Its not listed on their web site but they will make you one. I'm a big guy and the S1C is the smallest Pitts. If it works for me in my plane it should work for you in yours. Call Dan or Jim at Parapania and ask about it. Good Luck, Ernie Shawn, I am very satisfied with their service. Dan said he would take the chute back if I was not happy with it. I don't think you will find much better service than that. If you can use a 4" cushion you won't have a problem. I was sitting on a 2" cushion before. With the wedge seat pack I can even move it foreword to sit lower than a 2" cushion. My plane is open cockpit so if I sit too high I am out in the slipstream. If you have a canopy you should be able to sit higher than me. I am 5' 11" so that gives you another inch to work with. You may not even need the wedge option. I like the wedge because I can adjust my height in the cockpit by moving the chute foreword or back. I went for the standard harness instead of the aerobatic harness. I asked Jim this question. What is the disadvantage of the aerobatic harness? His answer, the disadvantage of the aerobatic harness vs. the normal is it takes more time to put the aerobatic harness on. The plus is the normal harness may be uncomfortable during extended negative G maneuvers if your seat belts go across the quick releases. Negative G maneuvers may cause the quick releases to press hard into your thighs causing pain or even bruises. My seatbelts did not interfere with the quick releases so I opted for the standard harness. They provided me a chute to try out before purchase. I initially wanted the aerobatic harness but the standard harness was comfortable. So I ordered the standard one. I don't think a chute will ever be as comfortable as a cushion though. But the added safety factor is a real plus when you are doing maneuvers for the first time or in the event of an airframe failure. I hope I have answered some of your questions. If I can be of more help please let me know. Ernie |
#3
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You certainly have answered some questions for me, Ernie. Thanks very much.
I wish I could try one on before buying but being in the UK makes it a bit inconvenient. However, Jim said they'd keep working until I was happy, no matter how many times I had to send it back to them for refitting or whatever. You can't argue with a deal like that. Cheers, Shawn "Ernest C. Byars" wrote in message om... "ShawnD2112" wrote in message ... Ernie, I think Jim was telling me about you. He mentioned making one special for a C when I spoke to him last week. He suggested I go for a seatpack since I'm sitting on about 4" of cushion at the moment. Only being 5 10" I've got a bit of headroom to play with. Which harness rig did you go for? How satisfied were you with their customer service? How comfortable is your rig during aerobatics? Thanks for the tips, Shawn "Ernest C. Byars" wrote in message om... "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. 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'd appreciate any tips anyone out there could provide. Are there any European models that anyone has any experience with? Obviously comfort and space in the cockpit are major considerations. Thanks! Shawn Shawn, I just bought a softie chute for my Pitts S1C. It is a special one made for the Pitts S1. It is a seatpack in the shape of a wedge. Its not listed on their web site but they will make you one. I'm a big guy and the S1C is the smallest Pitts. If it works for me in my plane it should work for you in yours. Call Dan or Jim at Parapania and ask about it. Good Luck, Ernie Shawn, I am very satisfied with their service. Dan said he would take the chute back if I was not happy with it. I don't think you will find much better service than that. If you can use a 4" cushion you won't have a problem. I was sitting on a 2" cushion before. With the wedge seat pack I can even move it foreword to sit lower than a 2" cushion. My plane is open cockpit so if I sit too high I am out in the slipstream. If you have a canopy you should be able to sit higher than me. I am 5' 11" so that gives you another inch to work with. You may not even need the wedge option. I like the wedge because I can adjust my height in the cockpit by moving the chute foreword or back. I went for the standard harness instead of the aerobatic harness. I asked Jim this question. What is the disadvantage of the aerobatic harness? His answer, the disadvantage of the aerobatic harness vs. the normal is it takes more time to put the aerobatic harness on. The plus is the normal harness may be uncomfortable during extended negative G maneuvers if your seat belts go across the quick releases. Negative G maneuvers may cause the quick releases to press hard into your thighs causing pain or even bruises. My seatbelts did not interfere with the quick releases so I opted for the standard harness. They provided me a chute to try out before purchase. I initially wanted the aerobatic harness but the standard harness was comfortable. So I ordered the standard one. I don't think a chute will ever be as comfortable as a cushion though. But the added safety factor is a real plus when you are doing maneuvers for the first time or in the event of an airframe failure. I hope I have answered some of your questions. If I can be of more help please let me know. Ernie |
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