Parachute Clinic Comments
There were 18 pilots at this clinic. We did 9 hrs on Saturday and 6 hrs
on Sunday. To say that I was surprised by the sheer volume and breadth of
knowledge which we were exposed to is a severe understatement, and I know I
speak for every one of the pilots who had not done one of these clinics before.
.Some of the pilots had done several of these clinics - I can see why. At $50
it was a great value.
Betty Pfeiffer is a World-renowned expert on parachutes, esp. chutes for hang gliders,
(Quantum Chutes). Even the US Army’s Special Forces uses her chutes.
Betty had a huge number of stories, accounts and descriptions of deployments
that she had personally archived, and a lot of video footage that left us all
stunned. Some of it was shocking. Did you know that your life could depend
upon the type and strength of rubber bands you use to pack your chute, that a
single misplaced stitch could result in your chute exploding into shreds upon
deployment, that if your chute was manufactured before 1990, (and in some cases
well after that) it is quite likely to have some serious defects in design and
construction, that without a correctly placed swivel of the right design in the
bridle line, you may end up with a completely wrapped up chute if you deploy at
more than a few hundred feet, that if your chute gets damp, changes in the
cross section of the nylon fibers may render it less functional, unless it is
dried with the lines under the correct tension? These were just a small sample of the things that can go wrong,
and Betty documented every single one of these cases.
We all did at least 3 or 4 practice deployments, with BOTH hands, whilst
hanging up in a control frame and being spun and jerked around (not even CLOSE
to what will happen to you in the real thing).
We learned the importance of how and where to throw the chute, and what
to do after you have thrown it, and practiced climbing into the control frame
afterwards - not easy when you are spinning fast - and finding your hook knife.
You don't have a hook knife? Good luck then when you come down under
canopy in a 25mph wind! (or in water!!) (Hook knives cost about $15) Pilots have survived the breakup of their
gliders and the subsequent parachute descent unscathed, and then been seriously
injured when they were dragged for considerable distances by their chute. I personally witnessed a scary example of
this last summer, when a pilot was dragged for over half a mile through rocks
and scrub after a deployment, by a wind gusting to over 30 mph. He either didn't have a hook knife, or
dropped it!
(In the practice I got my hook knife out, but sliced right through the cord!)
We learned how poor "clover leaf" deployment systems are, and how a
modern deployment bag hugely increases your chances of a successful deployment,
(despite some European chute manufacturers' refusal to use them), why older
Kevlar-to-nylon lines can fail, why never to remove the plastic coatings from
your wires, why a chest mounted chute is safer than a side mounted one, why the
cut of the material in your chute will affect its rate of descent and
stability, why folding a chute in a "Z" manner with folds placed one
on top of another, is less safe than folding it in a sideways fashion, why
covering the bridle and mains in a sewn cover designed to rip free could kill
you.
We learned the importance of mental imagery in practicing an emergency
deployment. We practiced deploying
without a control frame to hang on to, and what happens when you come down
without one (how do you hang - landing on your head is NOT good). We practiced getting out of the harness when
you are hanging up a tree, or on high-tension electrical wires - HAH! Try it in your garage - it might save your
life.
Obviously I cannot even begin to go into all the stuff we learned. But I do
have a couple recommendations:
1 - Attend a parachute clinic if you possibly can.
2 - If your chute was manufactured before 1990, and perhaps later (find out
why!) do yourself a favour, and use it to cover your car, but not as an
emergency chute. A brand new, state of
the art, chute costs about $500. Is
your life worth that much? A good
coffin costs more than that!
We all hope we never have to use our chutes, but if you do, you'd better have
done everything possible to ensure it works.
Leo
We also learned that we don't really know how extensively systems other
than High Energy have been tested. I
think the fact that Special Forces has ordered 1500! Quantums speaks volumes. There was also stuff to learn for those of
us with rockets. I think mine is good for at least two more years. I was happy to find out how to test it
without firing it.
We practiced launching unhooked too. I
was surprised how many pilots were able to climb into the control bar with all
their gear on.
CW
Thank you Leo and Charley for your comments. I could not agree more. The information imparted by Betty was
priceless. For 16 years I have been
flying with a parachute that has many flaws in both design and
construction. I realized that in time
of need, the likelihood of my equipment failing was very high. Out of 6 negative features on parachutes,
mine had 4. I was stunned.
We also talked about harness construction.
I was alerted of a flaw in the design of my BRAND NEW harness. The more you know before you buy, the better
off you are. There are many things beyond the obvious to consider prior to
purchasing a piece of safety equipment (yes, the harness is part of your safety
equipment), such as having continuous webbing-to- webbing construction,
encompassing the pilot, is essential.
Betty has a wealth of knowledge and I encourage everyone to attend a clinic as
soon as you can.
I also wanted to point out that Betty brought a helper with her. Allen Silver is a committee member for the
PIA (Parachute Industry Association).
The goal of this group is to have standards set up for the manufacture,
training, and use of hang gliding parachutes.
Betty is a pioneer in this field and we were extremely fortunate to have
her provide this training.
Albert