Hackeys 'stretching' away from pilot chute

[pchapman 261]

Occasionally I find a main pilot chute where the hackey handle is half an inch or more away from the pilot chute material, instead of being tight up against the PC.

The attachment tape hasn't actually stretched, but the knots inside the top of the PC have shifted, allowing more tape to pull out from inside the PC.

Jumpers don't always recognize the problem or notice it slowly worsening.

Any comments on this issue, and how others fix it?

I'm not familiar with all pilot chute design variations, but one common style uses a complex knotting system for the center line support tapes that also hold the hackey on, that can slip. It's a very traditional method but does sometimes cause problems over time.

Sometimes I've supertacked the tapes together just inside the pilot chute so they don't pull out of the two slots often found at the top of the PC. That seems a simple fix at least for the medium term, until the supertack knots loosen!

One can just redo the centerline tape knots. I've even put the center line tapes under the sewing machine to sew them together just short of the adjusted knot, to keep the knot from slipping down too much in the future. But since one can't easily to sew right next to a knot, I still do the tacking just inside the pilot chute.

I'm not trying to re-hash the issue of hackeys vs. freefly handles vs. plastic tube handles. But I don't like handles that are dangling away from the pilot chute. More snag hazard, more opportunity for the handle to be flapping around in the wind, dislodging the pilot chute or being harder to find.

(There's even one brand's freefly handle that is basically on the end of an inch long tape, rather than being attached at both ends of the handle right to the pilot chute. Don't like that one.)

I don't have any great photos, but this shows the issue -- big separation between PC and handle:

[inline hackey_handle_stretched_tape.jpg]

An example where the knot seemed tight but still left a lot of slack for the hackey, so I tacked the tapes:

[inline hackey_handle_stretched_tape--knot_inside_and_tacking.jpg]

[faulknerwn 36]

Installed a brand new pilot chute on a rookies fresh-bought rig last weekend. One of the experienced jumpers noticed his pilot chute didn't collapse and was trailing. Looking at it in the packing room, the knot went straight through and there was an 8-10 inch gap between the hacky and the pc. We stitched it together to fix that!

[Alexg3265 0]

I had this issue with my old pilot chute. I was able to loosen the knots and re-tighten them against the inside backing. Then under the knot, I pulled the two tapes together and just put a few zig zag stitches, (kind of a half bartack), to lock the knot from working its way down. That lasted another 150 jumps before I scrapped the whole PC bridle and bag. The bag was patched, the pilot chute fabric was no longer trustworthy. I made a new assembly and it's been all good with the tack under the knot. Aerodyne tacks them in a similar place. I can take pictures if anyone wants them.

I was that kid jumping out if his tree house with a bed sheet. My dad wouldn't let me use the ladder to try the roof...

[hackish 8]

I've seen it a few times before. Fixed in the ways already mentioned. As for cause I think it has to do with those who step on the hackey and pull hard to collapse the pilot chute.

-Michael

[councilman24 36]

As above, retie, stitch, etc. If knots hard to untie you can always cut the hackey off and replace it with new one. Not sure what all I've done but seem to not have the problem much anymore.

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