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#21
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About the negative stuff; the only reason I mentioned it was for you to
make sure whatever harness you bought was comfortable on the negative side of things. The aerobatic harness is usually much more comfortable in this respect. One thing to keep in mind if you're going to be doing formation in a Pitts, and unfortunately it's not a very pleasant thought :-) Remember, if you DO make hard contact and have a wing failure, the flying wires will probably hold on the top wing and the wing will literally beat you to death before you can get out....so don't get too close!! :-)) Dudley "ShawnD2112" wrote in message ... Dudley, Sound advice. Negative stuff isn't the reason I've decided to get a chute. I've done a bit of negative but I'm staying away from any of the real stuff until I get some inverted spin training. No, what's really made me decide were two things. One is that I've started doing some basic formation work with a mate. While we're taking it slow and investing in some training, there's always the risk of something going wrong and someone's airplane touching someone else's. It's that scenario that makes a chute seem like a good idea. I've also got a bit of a phobia about fire in the cockpit. The other thing was a long term re-evaluation of the risks. When I first started flying the Pitts, I thought about a chute but initially ruled it out (they're not required for aerobatics in the UK, and, in fact, a lot of guys don't wear them). I ruled it out because I figured that to open the canopy, exit the aircraft, deploy the chute, and get one swing in before hitting the ground, I'd need to be about 2,000 feet up. Well, when competing andpracticing, I only ever got up that high at the tops of aerobatic maneuvers, not during the bulk of my flying. So, I figured, if I rarely fly high enough for a chute to work, what are the chances of being able to get that altitude if I needed it? Pretty slim, I reckoned, so I thought a chute was a comfort factor more than a real safety option. Now, that all said, I'd feel like a real tit if I found myself with an unflyable airplane and no means to get out of it. So screw all that misguided analysis above, I'm getting a bailout chute. I guess this is a case of experience and age teaching one a bit of wisdom? It seems silly to deny myself an option based on some flawed logic applied in the hangar. Thanks for the tip on the Softie. I'm going to give them a call tonight. Cheers, Shawn "Dudley Henriques" wrote in message link.net... "Dudley Henriques" wrote in message ink.net... Forgot to tell you. Whatever you buy, try it on first and make at least one flight in it with the Pitts. Don't baby the flight either. Take it out sustained both ways and see how it feels, especially inverted. Do a half roll, stabilize there and just hang for a bit and feel it on your back. You'll know if it's going to do the job for you. Dudley |
#22
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Cheers, Dudley. As if I didn't have enough things to worry about!!
Spent Sunday briefing and doing a small bit of formation work with a former Red Arrow pilot. If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, as least my log book will show that I flew in formation with a former Red Arrow! I couldn't get the grin off my face while it was happening. I think I'm going to enjoy working with this guy! We went through a lengthy brief down at the local pub (where all briefings should be held, if you ask me - very civilized approach to flying, that!) where we discussed my mate's and my intentions, background, and set out our stall together. We put together a basic framework of our work then went into the details of safe formation flying to include communications, formation placement, joinup and break basics, essentially all the safety and practical issues associated with the business. Thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a lot to take in. Some of it we knew, most of it we didn't and even the stuff we knew we weren't entirely sure how to apply. Talking to a guy who does it for a living (he still flies Jags) was an eye-opening and extremely motivating experience. On the parachute side, have decided on a Softie after talking to thier man, Jim, for quite a while last week. He's going to make up a seat pack rig for me with an aerobatic harness, based on your advice about the location of the hardware (thanks for that, by the way) It's also become time to replace the surplus bag I've been wearing for 3 years. I've looked at Flightsuits in California but are there any other shops where guys in the community tend to go for good quality and good prices? Any tips, as with the parachute advice, greatly appreciated! Hope you had a good 4th weekend! Cheers, Shawn "Dudley Henriques" wrote in message ink.net... About the negative stuff; the only reason I mentioned it was for you to make sure whatever harness you bought was comfortable on the negative side of things. The aerobatic harness is usually much more comfortable in this respect. One thing to keep in mind if you're going to be doing formation in a Pitts, and unfortunately it's not a very pleasant thought :-) Remember, if you DO make hard contact and have a wing failure, the flying wires will probably hold on the top wing and the wing will literally beat you to death before you can get out....so don't get too close!! :-)) Dudley "ShawnD2112" wrote in message ... Dudley, Sound advice. Negative stuff isn't the reason I've decided to get a chute. I've done a bit of negative but I'm staying away from any of the real stuff until I get some inverted spin training. No, what's really made me decide were two things. One is that I've started doing some basic formation work with a mate. While we're taking it slow and investing in some training, there's always the risk of something going wrong and someone's airplane touching someone else's. It's that scenario that makes a chute seem like a good idea. I've also got a bit of a phobia about fire in the cockpit. The other thing was a long term re-evaluation of the risks. When I first started flying the Pitts, I thought about a chute but initially ruled it out (they're not required for aerobatics in the UK, and, in fact, a lot of guys don't wear them). I ruled it out because I figured that to open the canopy, exit the aircraft, deploy the chute, and get one swing in before hitting the ground, I'd need to be about 2,000 feet up. Well, when competing andpracticing, I only ever got up that high at the tops of aerobatic maneuvers, not during the bulk of my flying. So, I figured, if I rarely fly high enough for a chute to work, what are the chances of being able to get that altitude if I needed it? Pretty slim, I reckoned, so I thought a chute was a comfort factor more than a real safety option. Now, that all said, I'd feel like a real tit if I found myself with an unflyable airplane and no means to get out of it. So screw all that misguided analysis above, I'm getting a bailout chute. I guess this is a case of experience and age teaching one a bit of wisdom? It seems silly to deny myself an option based on some flawed logic applied in the hangar. Thanks for the tip on the Softie. I'm going to give them a call tonight. Cheers, Shawn "Dudley Henriques" wrote in message link.net... "Dudley Henriques" wrote in message ink.net... Forgot to tell you. Whatever you buy, try it on first and make at least one flight in it with the Pitts. Don't baby the flight either. Take it out sustained both ways and see how it feels, especially inverted. Do a half roll, stabilize there and just hang for a bit and feel it on your back. You'll know if it's going to do the job for you. Dudley |
#23
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"ShawnD2112" wrote in message ... Cheers, Dudley. As if I didn't have enough things to worry about!! Spent Sunday briefing and doing a small bit of formation work with a former Red Arrow pilot. If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, as least my log book will show that I flew in formation with a former Red Arrow! I couldn't get the grin off my face while it was happening. I think I'm going to enjoy working with this guy! We went through a lengthy brief down at the local pub (where all briefings should be held, if you ask me - very civilized approach to flying, that!) where we discussed my mate's and my intentions, background, and set out our stall together. We put together a basic framework of our work then went into the details of safe formation flying to include communications, formation placement, joinup and break basics, essentially all the safety and practical issues associated with the business. Thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a lot to take in. Some of it we knew, most of it we didn't and even the stuff we knew we weren't entirely sure how to apply. Talking to a guy who does it for a living (he still flies Jags) was an eye-opening and extremely motivating experience. On the parachute side, have decided on a Softie after talking to thier man, Jim, for quite a while last week. He's going to make up a seat pack rig for me with an aerobatic harness, based on your advice about the location of the hardware (thanks for that, by the way) It's also become time to replace the surplus bag I've been wearing for 3 years. I've looked at Flightsuits in California but are there any other shops where guys in the community tend to go for good quality and good prices? Any tips, as with the parachute advice, greatly appreciated! Hope you had a good 4th weekend! Cheers, Shawn "Dudley Henriques" wrote in message ink.net... About the negative stuff; the only reason I mentioned it was for you to make sure whatever harness you bought was comfortable on the negative side of things. The aerobatic harness is usually much more comfortable in this respect. One thing to keep in mind if you're going to be doing formation in a Pitts, and unfortunately it's not a very pleasant thought :-) Remember, if you DO make hard contact and have a wing failure, the flying wires will probably hold on the top wing and the wing will literally beat you to death before you can get out....so don't get too close!! :-)) Dudley "ShawnD2112" wrote in message ... Dudley, Sound advice. Negative stuff isn't the reason I've decided to get a chute. I've done a bit of negative but I'm staying away from any of the real stuff until I get some inverted spin training. No, what's really made me decide were two things. One is that I've started doing some basic formation work with a mate. While we're taking it slow and investing in some training, there's always the risk of something going wrong and someone's airplane touching someone else's. It's that scenario that makes a chute seem like a good idea. I've also got a bit of a phobia about fire in the cockpit. The other thing was a long term re-evaluation of the risks. When I first started flying the Pitts, I thought about a chute but initially ruled it out (they're not required for aerobatics in the UK, and, in fact, a lot of guys don't wear them). I ruled it out because I figured that to open the canopy, exit the aircraft, deploy the chute, and get one swing in before hitting the ground, I'd need to be about 2,000 feet up. Well, when competing andpracticing, I only ever got up that high at the tops of aerobatic maneuvers, not during the bulk of my flying. So, I figured, if I rarely fly high enough for a chute to work, what are the chances of being able to get that altitude if I needed it? Pretty slim, I reckoned, so I thought a chute was a comfort factor more than a real safety option. Now, that all said, I'd feel like a real tit if I found myself with an unflyable airplane and no means to get out of it. So screw all that misguided analysis above, I'm getting a bailout chute. I guess this is a case of experience and age teaching one a bit of wisdom? It seems silly to deny myself an option based on some flawed logic applied in the hangar. Thanks for the tip on the Softie. I'm going to give them a call tonight. Cheers, Shawn "Dudley Henriques" wrote in message link.net... "Dudley Henriques" wrote in message ink.net... Forgot to tell you. Whatever you buy, try it on first and make at least one flight in it with the Pitts. Don't baby the flight either. Take it out sustained both ways and see how it feels, especially inverted. Do a half roll, stabilize there and just hang for a bit and feel it on your back. You'll know if it's going to do the job for you. Dudley I thought that little "tidbit" about the flying wires would get a Grin out of you!! :-) It's true though. Getting out of a Pitts after an upper wing failure is REAL serious stuff!! Anyway, it's funny you should mention having a briefing at a pub. Believe it or not, when we were on the display circuit way back when, almost all of the pilots would get together late at night in some diner or bar somewhere and hash over programs and routine changes. I remember spending an entire all nighter one weekend at a diner in Falls Church Virginia with Art Scholl and two of the Thunderbirds. We were working on Art's inverted ribbon pickup in the Chipmunk. He wanted to make some changes and enter it from a modified tailslide. We worked it all out after eating about a dozen hamburgers washed down with copious amounts of coffee. He did it the "new way" the next afternoon. About the flight suit; you can get them made up custom, which might not be a bad idea. Be careful about the material. Nomex is an option, but you might not be as prone to a cockpit fire as I was in a P51 or a Bearcat! :-) I remember damn near roasting to death in my flight suit. All of your display flying will probably be done in the summer when it's hot as heel out on those wide open concrete ramps...not to mention cramped up in the Pitts cockpit :-) I'd opt for something "cool" in a flight suit. Where to get a good one is a toss up really. My wife made mine up for me. You might want to contact the Arrows and find out who makes theirs, or give Ray Hanna a call. Almost anyone in the business will have a handle on who's doing the custom work these days in flight suits. It's funny. I remember there was a lady in Pensacola who used to do all the sewing on the Blue Angel flightsuits for the team. Man, was SHE one busy lady!!! :-) I'm sure you can come up with something over there. As I said, the best place to get information on things like this is right inside the community itself. Don't be shy! Call um!! :-))) Dudley |
#24
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"Hot as hell in the summer"??? You've not spent much time over here in the
UK, have you, Dudley? It briefly (and I mean for a couple of hours) got to 100 degrees F one August day last year and that was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK. The Brits didn't know what to do with themselves in the heat! It rarely gets much above 85 even in the dead of summer so that kind of overheating issue isn't really a problem here. I've currently got a lightweight Nomex surplus USAF suit, and I'd like to duplicate it, but it desert sand to match my airplane. While fire may not be as great a threat in the Pitts, that fuel tank sitting right over your legs tends to put thoughts into one's head. Good tip about asking the community. Most guys around here seem to wear surplus RAF suits. Anyway, off to work in glorious sunshine. It's a real effort not to call in sick and go fly today! Shawn "Dudley Henriques" wrote in message nk.net... "ShawnD2112" wrote in message ... Cheers, Dudley. As if I didn't have enough things to worry about!! Spent Sunday briefing and doing a small bit of formation work with a former Red Arrow pilot. If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, as least my log book will show that I flew in formation with a former Red Arrow! I couldn't get the grin off my face while it was happening. I think I'm going to enjoy working with this guy! We went through a lengthy brief down at the local pub (where all briefings should be held, if you ask me - very civilized approach to flying, that!) where we discussed my mate's and my intentions, background, and set out our stall together. We put together a basic framework of our work then went into the details of safe formation flying to include communications, formation placement, joinup and break basics, essentially all the safety and practical issues associated with the business. Thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a lot to take in. Some of it we knew, most of it we didn't and even the stuff we knew we weren't entirely sure how to apply. Talking to a guy who does it for a living (he still flies Jags) was an eye-opening and extremely motivating experience. On the parachute side, have decided on a Softie after talking to thier man, Jim, for quite a while last week. He's going to make up a seat pack rig for me with an aerobatic harness, based on your advice about the location of the hardware (thanks for that, by the way) It's also become time to replace the surplus bag I've been wearing for 3 years. I've looked at Flightsuits in California but are there any other shops where guys in the community tend to go for good quality and good prices? Any tips, as with the parachute advice, greatly appreciated! Hope you had a good 4th weekend! Cheers, Shawn "Dudley Henriques" wrote in message ink.net... About the negative stuff; the only reason I mentioned it was for you to make sure whatever harness you bought was comfortable on the negative side of things. The aerobatic harness is usually much more comfortable in this respect. One thing to keep in mind if you're going to be doing formation in a Pitts, and unfortunately it's not a very pleasant thought :-) Remember, if you DO make hard contact and have a wing failure, the flying wires will probably hold on the top wing and the wing will literally beat you to death before you can get out....so don't get too close!! :-)) Dudley "ShawnD2112" wrote in message ... Dudley, Sound advice. Negative stuff isn't the reason I've decided to get a chute. I've done a bit of negative but I'm staying away from any of the real stuff until I get some inverted spin training. No, what's really made me decide were two things. One is that I've started doing some basic formation work with a mate. While we're taking it slow and investing in some training, there's always the risk of something going wrong and someone's airplane touching someone else's. It's that scenario that makes a chute seem like a good idea. I've also got a bit of a phobia about fire in the cockpit. The other thing was a long term re-evaluation of the risks. When I first started flying the Pitts, I thought about a chute but initially ruled it out (they're not required for aerobatics in the UK, and, in fact, a lot of guys don't wear them). I ruled it out because I figured that to open the canopy, exit the aircraft, deploy the chute, and get one swing in before hitting the ground, I'd need to be about 2,000 feet up. Well, when competing andpracticing, I only ever got up that high at the tops of aerobatic maneuvers, not during the bulk of my flying. So, I figured, if I rarely fly high enough for a chute to work, what are the chances of being able to get that altitude if I needed it? Pretty slim, I reckoned, so I thought a chute was a comfort factor more than a real safety option. Now, that all said, I'd feel like a real tit if I found myself with an unflyable airplane and no means to get out of it. So screw all that misguided analysis above, I'm getting a bailout chute. I guess this is a case of experience and age teaching one a bit of wisdom? It seems silly to deny myself an option based on some flawed logic applied in the hangar. Thanks for the tip on the Softie. I'm going to give them a call tonight. Cheers, Shawn "Dudley Henriques" wrote in message link.net... "Dudley Henriques" wrote in message ink.net... Forgot to tell you. Whatever you buy, try it on first and make at least one flight in it with the Pitts. Don't baby the flight either. Take it out sustained both ways and see how it feels, especially inverted. Do a half roll, stabilize there and just hang for a bit and feel it on your back. You'll know if it's going to do the job for you. Dudley I thought that little "tidbit" about the flying wires would get a Grin out of you!! :-) It's true though. Getting out of a Pitts after an upper wing failure is REAL serious stuff!! Anyway, it's funny you should mention having a briefing at a pub. Believe it or not, when we were on the display circuit way back when, almost all of the pilots would get together late at night in some diner or bar somewhere and hash over programs and routine changes. I remember spending an entire all nighter one weekend at a diner in Falls Church Virginia with Art Scholl and two of the Thunderbirds. We were working on Art's inverted ribbon pickup in the Chipmunk. He wanted to make some changes and enter it from a modified tailslide. We worked it all out after eating about a dozen hamburgers washed down with copious amounts of coffee. He did it the "new way" the next afternoon. About the flight suit; you can get them made up custom, which might not be a bad idea. Be careful about the material. Nomex is an option, but you might not be as prone to a cockpit fire as I was in a P51 or a Bearcat! :-) I remember damn near roasting to death in my flight suit. All of your display flying will probably be done in the summer when it's hot as heel out on those wide open concrete ramps...not to mention cramped up in the Pitts cockpit :-) I'd opt for something "cool" in a flight suit. Where to get a good one is a toss up really. My wife made mine up for me. You might want to contact the Arrows and find out who makes theirs, or give Ray Hanna a call. Almost anyone in the business will have a handle on who's doing the custom work these days in flight suits. It's funny. I remember there was a lady in Pensacola who used to do all the sewing on the Blue Angel flightsuits for the team. Man, was SHE one busy lady!!! :-) I'm sure you can come up with something over there. As I said, the best place to get information on things like this is right inside the community itself. Don't be shy! Call um!! :-))) Dudley |
#25
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"ShawnD2112" wrote in message ... "Hot as hell in the summer"??? You've not spent much time over here in the UK, have you, Dudley? It briefly (and I mean for a couple of hours) got to 100 degrees F one August day last year and that was the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK. The Brits didn't know what to do with themselves in the heat! I keep forgetting you're over THERE :-)))) Anyway, good luck with the flight suit. When you pick the color, remember on the display circuit, you're eating on the fly most of the time and that mustard from those damn hot dogs can really stain you up in a hurry. No matter how hard you try, you always seem to end up with a large blotch on you just about the time kids are lining up to get an autograph :-))) Dudley |
#26
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"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
ink.net... "ShawnD2112" wrote in message ... "Hot as hell in the summer"??? You've not spent much time over here in the UK, have you, Dudley? I keep forgetting you're over THERE :-)))) Anyway, good luck with the flight suit. When you pick the color, remember on the display circuit, you're eating on the fly most of the time and that mustard from those damn hot dogs can really stain you up in a hurry. No matter how hard you try, you always seem to end up with a large blotch on you just about the time kids are lining up to get an autograph :-))) We don't have hot dogs either. And I think the Red Arrows would complain if you wore a copy of their red flight suits to catch the ketchup from the bacon sandwich. You could put on a brown one and use HP sauce. Or a yellow one and have a bacon and egg sandwich without the sauce. Paul |
#27
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"ShawnD2112" wrote in message news:AnZDc.1369$Dq1.851@newsfe6-win...
Was hoping to get a bit of expertise here. I'm in the market for an emergency bailout chute for flying in my Pitts S-1D. The top US contenders seem to be National and Softie but with no experience in the field, and parachutes not exactly being the kind of object you can try on for size in the shop, I don't really know what to look for and what to avoid. I'd appreciate any tips anyone out there could provide. Are there any European models that anyone has any experience with? Obviously comfort and space in the cockpit are major considerations. Thanks! Shawn Shawn, I just bought a softie chute for my Pitts S1C. It is a special one made for the Pitts S1. It is a seatpack in the shape of a wedge. Its not listed on their web site but they will make you one. I'm a big guy and the S1C is the smallest Pitts. If it works for me in my plane it should work for you in yours. Call Dan or Jim at Parapania and ask about it. Good Luck, Ernie |
#28
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Ernie,
I think Jim was telling me about you. He mentioned making one special for a C when I spoke to him last week. He suggested I go for a seatpack since I'm sitting on about 4" of cushion at the moment. Only being 5 10" I've got a bit of headroom to play with. Which harness rig did you go for? How satisfied were you with their customer service? How comfortable is your rig during aerobatics? Thanks for the tips, Shawn "Ernest C. Byars" wrote in message om... "ShawnD2112" wrote in message news:AnZDc.1369$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 |
#29
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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 |
#30
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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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