"Who" invented "what" in skydiving?

[Andy9o8 0]

JerryBaumchen

Hi Lee,

Quote

When were the first AAD's made?

IMO this is getting into splitting hairs.
I only considered those made specifically for sport use.
Back in the '60's, Gary Patmor was doing a lot of work modifying some military openers for sport useage. They were available but really never did catch on.
For an AAD, Steve Snyder is the man.
Jerry Baumchen

Didn't the Russians have a simple and pretty reliable AAD which was basically a wind-up timer.. wind it up like a music box, insert the safety pin attached to a static line connected to the plane... Jumper away pulls the pin, the winder unwinds for, say, 10 seconds and it activates on the main. .... ?

[skydiverek 54]

Andy9o8

***Hi Lee,

Quote

When were the first AAD's made?

IMO this is getting into splitting hairs.
I only considered those made specifically for sport use.
Back in the '60's, Gary Patmor was doing a lot of work modifying some military openers for sport useage. They were available but really never did catch on.
For an AAD, Steve Snyder is the man.
Jerry Baumchen

Didn't the Russians have a simple and pretty reliable AAD which was basically a wind-up timer.. wind it up like a music box, insert the safety pin attached to a static line connected to the plane... Jumper away pulls the pin, the winder unwinds for, say, 10 seconds and it activates on the main. .... ?

KAP-3, developed in the 1930s, I believe.

[JerryBaumchen 1,046]

Hi Andy,

Quote

Didn't the Russians have a simple and pretty reliable AAD which was basically a wind-up timer

As Bartek says just below your post.

Although it was sort of a military AAD first, then fitted to sport gear.

And, again splitting hairs, I only considered the stuff available here in the good ole US of A.

Jerry Baumchen

PS) Who knows, maybe the Bolivians had one before Steve Snyder developed his.

[SkySpice 0]

chuckakers

Leonard Morehead - Bryan, Texas

Leonard invented a process dubbed "Leonardizing" in which a tired old F-111 canopy can be given a second life with a coating he developed. He charged $1 per square foot and it worked.

Well... I saw a number of those tired old Leonardized canopies blow up on opening shortly after the treatment. That tired old fabric just couldn't take the stress of being zero-porosity again.

[SkySpice 0]

Andy9o8

***Leonard Morehead - Bryan, Texas

Leonard invented a process dubbed "Leonardizing" in which a tired old F-111 canopy can be given a second life with a coating he developed. He charged $1 per square foot and it worked.

Did it differ much from saturating it with Scotchgard or silicon spray?

He kept his formula a secret. But if you looked up the Mil-Spec for zero-porosity nylon, you could see all the ingredients, if not the proportions of each in the mixture.

He would hang up the canopy, and then spray it with the liquid mixture using a paint sprayer.

[dpreguy 14]

I think Jeff Johnston get the credit for actually inventing the over the shoulder "pro pack" method; but as to the naming of it as "Pro Pack"... I defer to the other posters, although I suspect that was Jeff Johnston too.

Before that we all 'flat packed'.

[chuckakers 369]

Andy9o8

***Leonard Morehead - Bryan, Texas

Leonard invented a process dubbed "Leonardizing" in which a tired old F-111 canopy can be given a second life with a coating he developed. He charged $1 per square foot and it worked.

Did it differ much from saturating it with Scotchgard or silicon spray?

Yes, by a big margin. This stuff made the fabric behave like extra crispy zp. He sometimes had to tweak sliders to accommodate changes in opening characteristics after treatment. As far as I know there were never any major issues with treated canopies.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[keithbar 1]

skydiverek

******Hi Lee,

Quote

Didn't the Russians have a simple and pretty reliable AAD which was basically a wind-up timer.. wind it up like a music box, insert the safety pin attached to a static line connected to the plane... Jumper away pulls the pin, the winder unwinds for, say, 10 seconds and it activates on the main. .... ?

KAP-3, developed in the 1930s, I believe.

is this what the Air Force Academy uses on the main for their first jump students? just wondering

i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .

[mark 102]

keithbar

is this what the Air Force Academy uses on the main for their first jump students? just wondering

USAFA uses FXC-12000 on student mains.

Mark

[riggerrob 558]

Hank Asquito (sp?) curved pin
George Quilter - direct bag deployment
George Quilter - spiral spring pilot chute

[stayhigh 2]

RSL?
who did that?

Bernie Sanders for President 2016

[jerolim 7]

KAP 3 had 2 modes.

Mode 1) You set activation altitude to 4000 meters, and it will pull ripcord (spring loaded main), after 5 seconds when pin is removed. Pin was usually connected to aircraft's static line anchor point with long line.

Mode 2) You set activation altitude to (let's say) 800 meters, you can remove pin in plane, it will count down to 1 second, and stop.
Then you can jump, and after falling below 800 meters, KAP will continue counting for 1 second and pull your main ripcord.

[erdnarob 1]

You're right, however as I wrote it, Domina Jalbert didn't have in mind an airfoil to be used as a parachute. Thanks for your list. For Bill Booth now, in 1975 at Kendall Miami Glide Airport DZ, I tried, on the ground only, his new piggyback system. See the picture taken by Bill Booth himself. This rig didn't have already the three rings but instead a fork release system. See the little yellow tabs (near the connection between risers and harness) to be pulled laterally for cut away purpose.
You can also see the belly pocket for the throw away PC and the special reserve handle.

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[dpreguy 14]

Invented the RSL?- don't know, but the "Stevens System" was the earliest system that was well known. A nylon strap was external and went to the belly mounted reserve handle.

Who Stevens was, I don't know, but would be easy to ferret out

[wmw999 2,116]

Stevens was Perry Stevens, a California jumper and rigger in the 60's. It was called the Stevens Cutaway System in those days.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[JerryBaumchen 1,046]

Hi Wendy & Walt,

Quote

Perry Stevens, a California jumper and rigger in the 60's

At that time ( mid 60's ), Perry was working for Security Parachute Co. Actually, the CrossBow rig had an RSL and was on the market before Perry got his setup going for students with gut packs.

Jerry Baumchen

[wmw999 2,116]

Now that I didn't know. Among many other things

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[darkwing 4]

erdnarob

Steve Snyder is the inventor of the slider for Ram Air parachutes.

This is contrary to my memory. I recall many years ago, before Snyder died, that it was widely acknowledged that Yarbenet invented the slider and I don't recall Steve Snyder disagreeing. I freely admit my memories may be flawed. Even if you are saying Snyder adapted it from rounds to squares that is not my recollection.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[accumack 13]

Snyder didn't invent the slider but he did pilot chute controlled reefing of squares top reefing and bottom reefing along with the OSI wrap on the delta 2 parawing.

[riggerrob 558]

The first patent for a slider was circa 1945 (Floyd Smith?).
But it was several more decades before Ballistic Recovery Systems figured out that a slider needed vents to work with a round parachute.
Garry Douris told me about some of the "E ticket" rides he had while testing BRS prototypes with a Cessna 150. Gary said that they figured out the round canopy within less than a dozen test drops, but it took dozens more to perfect the deployment system: vented slider.

[talon2 0]

SOS (Single Operation System) David Smith , Parachutes Australia.Sydney Australia.

[highspeeddirt 0]

in 1970 , Steve Snyder came up with a single point release for conventional rigs with a belly wart. his design was rather complicated using several cables .it never went past the prototype stage however. Earlier, in the early 60's there was an article in Skydiver Magazine about a jumper who had converted 2 shot capewells that could be released with the pull of a handle mounted on the chest strap.

[Deyan 31]

RiggerLee

Who did do the first tuck tabs? As I recall Javelin as an example was already using then on their riser covers when Talon still had Velcro riser covers.

If we are talking only about riser cover tuck tabs, I think the first one was the Atom from 1989. I could be wrong.

Keep 'em coming

"My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

[Deyan 31]

jerolim

KAP 3 had 2 modes.

Mode 1) You set activation altitude to 4000 meters, and it will pull ripcord (spring loaded main), after 5 seconds when pin is removed. Pin was usually connected to aircraft's static line anchor point with long line.

Mode 2) You set activation altitude to (let's say) 800 meters, you can remove pin in plane, it will count down to 1 second, and stop.
Then you can jump, and after falling below 800 meters, KAP will continue counting for 1 second and pull your main ripcord.

I hope you don't mind if I correct some info.

Yes, KAP-3 or PPK-U AAD has 2 modes. Time and altitude.
In order to use the time mode, you have to set the altitude scale higher than the altitude you will be jumping from. Any altitude higher will do the trick. We were setting them on 3500 m. and 2 seconds for the PEP's. That way, the aneroid will not block the trigger. You can set that timer anywhere between 5 and 2 seconds. Once you leave the plane and the safety pin has been pulled, after the selected time passes, the trigger releases the spring.

If you want to use the altitude mode, you have to set the altitude scale under the altitude you will be jumping.
Once you leave the plane ( and the safety pin has been pulled) the timer will start counting down from 5 seconds, but the aneroid will stop it somewhere bellow 2 seconds ( for most units that will be between 1,2-1,5 seconds). Once you pass the selected altitude (ASL), the aneroid will release the timer,and in about 1,2-1,5 seconds, the trigger will release the spring. ( about 36 kg pull force )

I guess I still have a paper copy of the original manual in Russian if you are interested

"My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

[talon2 0]

Not the same game .....SOS was patented for use on piggybck systems .......Frapp Wraps then 3 ring