So, my wife is in a class for her job at a local community college. It urns out the instructor is a Nam era HALO guy. He finds out my wife is a jumper. They talk, he asks her if she wants his old HALO rig which his wife has been bugging him to get rid of. She tells him she's not interested but thinks her husband (me) would be. Semi long story short, I'm now the owner of a vintage 1971 PC. I've got it at Dave DeWolf's loft to see if the reserve is airworthy and if so get it in the air. SO, I have a few questions:
1. Does anyone know where I can get a packing manual for it? 2. I know I'll be pounding in, so other than a real good PLF, is there any other tricks to do on landing? 3. How does one spot for a PC? (The plane will be an Otter)
I just looked at my Para-Commander Handbook for the first time in decades. That's the book all of us got for information on packing, flying and landing the PC. You sure nobody at Maytown has one for you to peruse?
Basically you fly directly over your intended landing area at your expected opening altitude (and most would say spot for your reserve) and throw a couple WDI's out the door. Have the plane circle while keeping your eye on them until they land. Your jump run should be where the WDI's landed to your landing point (where your released the WDI's over). From the time you pass over the WDI's on the ground on jump run, start counting until you reach your landing area (lets say it took 10 seconds to go from WDI to your target). Your exit point will be 10 seconds (example) PAST landing area, so you will be upwind of your target. This technique works well for hop and pops. If you are going up to full altitude, find out what the uppers are doing and factor the push you will get in freefall to your WDI spot. I'm sure there is an old jumper around that can give you a hand.
On a side note, the reserve may be airworthy, but it's probably not something you would want to be taking to terminal. Does it have a diaper? What kind is it? 26' Strong LoPo's have a good reputation as round reserves.
(This post was edited by SEREJumper on Oct 24, 2009, 5:56 PM)
The advanced method of landing is to hook turn into the landing, which gives pendelum motion. For your first time just fly straight in and expect to stand up the landing; PCs don't really "pound in"...
Agreed. This is a misconception by people who entered skydiving after rounds had completely left the scene. Unless you're pretty heavy, the only rounds that pound you in are military-style canopies like airborne or pilot bailout rigs use - what we call(ed) "cheapos". (I did have a few stand-ups under cheapos back when my weight was 135 and my knees were 19 years old.) But the highly modified rounds of the paracommander class can give you very nice stand-up landings. Not like a square, but you're not pounding in, either.
(This post was edited by Andy9o8 on Oct 24, 2009, 9:12 PM)
You will need to resist the urge to "flare". Open high and see what that does up there. You will find that by closing the steering slots by pulling just a few inches of toggle that your rate of descent will slow down a little. Watch the front skirt. In full flight it will be flapping back towards the center. When you are coming straight down it will be blown out towards the front. When you stall the canopy, a non-event unless you're close to the ground, it will rock back and descend faster but nothing like a square.
Wearing the rig you now know why we called them "Kelvinators". (an old brand of refrigerator) That shit's big, clumsy and heavy.
Wait for a day when the winds are light, and get a good spot. Land into the wind. I used to always use the back risers to land. Reach up as high as you can, and do a chin up on them about eight feet above the ground.
I liked French Jump boots for jumping rounds. I've bruised my heels more than once when I tried jumping tennis shoes and other boots.
I only weighted about 140 lbs. back in the 70's. Most landings were standups then. I tried jumping a PC a few years back. I'm almost 40 lbs. heavier now. I stood it up, but my Frenchies absorbed a lot of the force, on that landing.
i would pull down about 6 to 10 inches on my rear risers just before landing like maybe 6 ft. off the ground. did anyone else do this?
yes, I sure did... providing that you have some penetration.... which will not be the case ,,, if it's at allll breezey.
in a windy day, you could be backing up, in which case a slight ( 30 to 45 degree turn to one side or the other..) can better set you up for the " feet and knees together,,,elbows in, slightly sidewards PLF " that you could NEED to do...
made over 900 jumps on a french papillon...
sometimes would cross my arms, grab as high as i could on the rear risers, and then pull up,, WHILE twisting 180 under the canopy, soas to land running, facing 'backwards' while the canopy was still facing 'forwards'.. pulled it off many many times.... One time,,,,, i landed and did the straightforward 'chin-up move',, and the left riser,,,,,CHINK.... came right off the harness,,, IN MY HAND>!!! i was left, standing there, with one entire side of my main,,,, attached to me,, by my grip....
whoa.... !! the rig had R3's, a "bastardization of the old shot and a halves",,, and the one side, had somehow, undone it's velcro, between when i stepped off the cessna, at 3,500 feet, threw 3 backloops, opened, and flew the canopy descent...never noticed it while under canopy... NOW a part of my post - deployment 'adgenda' , includes a goood.. visual LOOK at each of my 3 rings, and the nylon loop, which holds the yellow release cable...to be sure, that all is in order...
If the OP Does jump the PC, expect one thing, for SURE!!!.. the toggle 'pressure' will be sooooo low!!!!! that you'll think the steering line disconnected from the canopy.... very very light .. in fact, i don't believe that the term 'toggle pressure' even came into being,,, until after ram airs came around....(Can any others here, chime in about if that term was talked about in the earlier days of the Para-Commander and other "high performance" rounds..)???
PCs and cheapos as i remember , feel as though your steering line, is connect by ONE stretchy little rubber band.... very different from what you'd be used to... under a square
have fun, wear a good helmet,,, not a frappe hat... could be best not to take it to terminal right away, and give yourself some cushion wth your pull altitude.... ALLOW for that , in your spotting.....\ What sort of riser releases are on that Pioneer Container??? what sorta reserve?? and what sorta reserve handle??? If the gear is deemed airworthy, then it sure can be jumped... enjoy
jmy uspa 9452 a 3914 d 12122
(This post was edited by jimmytavino on Oct 26, 2009, 3:41 PM)
Futhermore--for opening it would be a real good idea to pull stable and 45 degrees head high or more. Expect a very solid opening shock. Again practice your PLF's before jumping a PC.
Throw your WDI at your intended OPENING altitude. The red and black russian model PC is a regular in the water at Skydive New Mexicos water boogie; oddly its labled (in magic marker) HALO 1.
. If she's bigger than you don't even go there
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BEER
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