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hajnalka

Paper reserve seal

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Greetings :)
I have a rig in my loft that had a kind of sketchy reserve repack that was not the safest, in my opinion. Specifically when I popped the reserve, the PC just fell over and didn't launch. This was a 2002 Javelin and it only had 12" of bridle with the PC. The rest was under flaps. Not good.

It had a very strange seal on the reserve pin, made of paper with some printed words, and also writing in ink that looked like it might be a certificate number. I also believe strongly it was pencil-packed last in 2010; the data card indicated a city very near me but I don't recognize the ID or sig -- and I know most of the riggers in my area -- plus no lead seal was a giveaway.

When the rig owner left it with me, he indicated that he was from somewhere in Europe where it is legal for the rig owner to pack his own reserve with no rules or regs.

I plan to educate the rig owner, but am curious if anyone has seen anything like this before, especially the paper seal?

We have a busy weekend on tap so forgive me if I don't respond to this thread before Monday (when I can also probably post pics) ... also, I hesitated to post, but tend to err on the side of safety and education.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Take care,
Dawn

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Hi Dawn,

I have seen those paper Seals on a few occasions this side of the atlantic. they are commen in Eastern europe and Russia. check if the no you see fits his licence no,that might shed a light on it.
and the Rig owner is correct by saying it is legal for people to pack there own reserves >:( we had that rule here in Ireland until about 3-4 years ago. if the owner packed it and he didnt have a riggers ticket, he was the only one who was allowed to jump it. i proposed that this rule be changed and was glad when it did.:)did you inspect the closing loop when you poped it? was it by any chance very long? and with a 2002 javelin i close the 2 side flaps first then store the whole bridle under the RPC. so i agree it sounds like the bridle was incorrectly stored or the spring is knackerd?

hope everything goes well in you educating the rig owner;)


Rodger

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strife

or no seals at all in here not sure if its only some Packer As that dont use a seal.

no nopt just Packer A's many many riggers do not use any seal at all in OZ
You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

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Several riggers in the U.S. have used and may still use paper seals. For a while PIA rigging committee was looking at paper/laminate seals. We now have an FAA letter with an opinion that a rig change would be needed to use a paper seal and not use your seal press. Although I found a couple that would work well, Australia uses them, I abandoned the effort for now.
I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

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Thanks for the info, everyone.

I no longer think it was pencil-packed; suspect it was packed by the owner using this paper seal that evidently comes from someone else in Lithuania (Google translated the text.)

But my education efforts increase: when I looked at it again today, found much of the PC bridle stuffed down underneath the reserve freebag, between the FB and pack tray. Multiple lines were stuck to the FB velcro. The actual canopy didn't look packed at all, just stuffed in the FB.

Would the reserve have worked? Maybe, but this pack job was not exactly giving it the best chance, IMO.

Best,
Dawn

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Several riggers in the U.S. have used and may still use paper seals.



I hope not.

If they are, they probably need to be aware that the lead seal issue was firmly addressed as lead seals are mandatory.
It is actually now part of Federal Order 8900.1.

See Paragraph 5...


MEL
Skyworks Parachute Service, LLC
www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com

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I have also got some rigs with paper seals for repack coming from Russian jumpers being now in Germany or Belgium.

There is also a tendency in Europe to use - and that is what I now do - instead of lead seals, nylon ones (just same diameter and shape than the lead seals). They have in my opinion some advantages : no pollution when thrown away after opening, a better printing capability - the symbol is more easily readable and remains so all the time, it allows me to change the color of the seal each year, making possible, at first glance, to see that the rig has been packed in the right interval of time and finally, they are cheaper to buy and more easily available than the lead seals.

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Before this notice we had hope that if a manufacture put a non lead flexible seal in their manual (and Ted, before he died was ready to) that it would be legal under the manufacturer's instructions. This notice seems to supersede that possibility.

I have been able to use my current press with a laminate label machine tape to 'emboss' my seal code into a flexible seal. This met the implied use of a seal press but allowed a printed non flexible seal. Oh well. This order is why I've abandoned efforts to implement a flexible seal in a U.S. manual.

Also there is a plastic seal that we know now how to use (may be the same one above) that compresses like a lead seal. In my mind these would meet this order but obviously your FAA inspector may vary.
I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

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Also there is a plastic seal that we know now how to use (may be the same one above) that compresses like a lead seal. In my mind these would meet this order but obviously your FAA inspector may vary.



Terry, Unless the plastic ones are coated with lead, I do not see any wiggle room.

"ASIs should understand that § 65.133 is interpreted as meaning that the certificated parachute rigger must seal the parachute with a lead-type seal."


MEL
Skyworks Parachute Service, LLC
www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com

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