Emergency parachute

[RTB 0]

What type of emergency parachute would you recommend for use in a Twin Otter? It will be intended for all our pilots, of which most do not skydive. They would like it to be thin. Would a round be most common in this application?

[masterrig 1]

You might check with Butler Parachute, Strong Enterprises, Rigging Innovations or Para-Phernalia (Softie). Any one of these companies can help you with sizing and what would suit your pilot's needs. Rounds or squares are available with emergency harness-containers. Butler Parachute can really 'fit' both the pilot and aircraft. All these manufacturer's make a thin style, comfortable system. Hope, this helps.

Chuck

Chuck

[councilman24 36]

Square parachutes in pilot rigs are usually reserved for pilots who are jumpers also. The exception is the Aviator by Rigging Innovations which is designed to be landed hands off. Paraphernalia usually requires a tandem or some other kind of ram air experience but then you can put in pretty much whatever square you want. If the pilots are "mature" meaning middle age fat, Paraphernalia offers the Preserve V, rated at I think 270 lbs and 150 knts. This can land the big guys softly. Speed would be higher if testing was finished.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[GravityGirl 0]

You can call Allen Silver of Silver Parachute Sales & Service at 510-785-7070 for a "Softie". [email protected]

He services a lot of glider and aerobatic pilots and he really know his stuff.

Of course it wouldn't hurt to let him know that Bonnie sent you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[riggerrob 563]

You raised two questions: your first question asks seat pack or back pack?

Your second question revolves around round versus square canopies.

First off: Twin Otter pilot seats were originally designed for bulky, military surplus seat packs. If you install a modern civilian seat pack, you will need to fill at least half of the seat pan with a cushion.
Modern seat packs are made by Butler, Para-Phernalia and Strong.

Better yet, fill the entire seat pan with a cushion and issue your pilots with back packs.
The key factor in deciding on seat versus back packs is whether there is ANY spare leg room.
Even an inch of spare leg room will allow them to wear lighter, simpler, more comfortable back packs. The ONLY way to measure spare leg room is to sit pilots in the cockpit and play with seat adjustments.
Modern back packs are made by Butler, Para-Phernalia, Rigging Innovations and Strong.

Your second question raises a long and loud debate over round versus square parachutes for Pilot Emergency Parachutes (PEP).
Old-school pilots learned 30 years ago that round parachutes are best. They believe that any parachute landing that only breaks an ankle is a good landing. They consider any form of bail-out training a nuisance.
So don't waste your time trying to tell them anything new, just equip them with modern 26 LoPo canopies made by Butler, FFE, NAA, Strong, etc. If you have any compassion for other riggers, you will avoid military surplus rounds or anything built during the acid-mesh era.

The down-side of equipping pilots with round parachutes is that hardly any skydiving instructors know how to teach their proper usage. For example, I may have done my first 70 jumps on round parachutes, but have not jumped one since 1986. I am so hopelessly uncurrent on steering round parachutes that I shouldn't be teaching it.

New-school pilots might listen if you tell them that large square parachutes are so reliable, soft-landing, etc. that civilian students have been using them exclusively for the last 20 years. New-school pilots should be equipped with large (230 -330 square foot) reserves, similar to those issued to first-jump students. New-school pilots should also get a half-hour lecture on the basics of steering square parachutes.

In conclusion - if there is any spare leg room - I would steer Twin Otter pilots towards back packs containing large square parachutes.

I will freely admit my bias - after packing a thousand rounds into PEPs - I packed most of the P124A/Aviator prototypes, assisted with most of the TSO C23D test drops, done 5 live jumps on P124A-290 canopies and wrote the packing manual for the Aviator series of pilot emergency parachutes.

Rob Warner
FAA Master Rigger
Butler Parachute Systems: rigger emeritus
Rigging Innovations: rigger emeritus
Para-Phernalia: rigger emeritus

[RTB 0]

Thanks for all this good information.

//r