Demonstration Reserve Packing Practices during 1970s

[EJU 3]

I'm conducting research and am attempting to ascertain how reserve chutes used for simulation and demonstration purposes were usually packed during the 1970s during the era of manually removing the reserve chute from its canopy. Specifically, how common was it for the shroud lines to be daisy chained so that the demonstration reserve chute could easily be put back in the canister, versus simply packing the lines and chute back in the canister, versus packing the demonstration reserve chute as if it were being prepared for an actual jump?

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

Are you referring to "training dummy reserves"?

That is, a training tool that is a real chest mount reserve container, that is set up to make it much easier to pack because it will be used repeatedly.

My understanding is that the more elaborate ones were actual round reserve parachutes that had several panels removed. The lines were just laid in the bottom, not daisy chained or anything like that.

The students had to learn a 'scoop and throw' technique to deploy the reserve, this setup allowed them to learn how to toss out the canopy. The lines didn't matter all that much.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[riggerrob 558]

Scoop-and-toss deployment - of chest reserves - was dictated by the wimpy pilot-chutes used before MA-1 was introduced.

Ground training (e.g. suspended harness) practice reserves were usually old reserves sewn or wired together. Sewing the canopy kept them in the “flaked” stage of packing.
Cords or wires bound suspension lines together.
Often a few gores and lines were removed to reduce volume and speed re-closing.
Discarding pack-opening bands also speeded re-closing.

With all those modifications, many schools sewed large red ribbons on the outside of (ground only) chest containers and wrote “ground training only” around the outside.

[EJU 3]

Quote

wolfriverjoe

Are you referring to "training dummy reserves"?

That is, a training tool that is a real chest mount reserve container, that is set up to make it much easier to pack because it will be used repeatedly.

My understanding is that the more elaborate ones were actual round reserve parachutes that had several panels removed. The lines were just laid in the bottom, not daisy chained or anything like that.

The students had to learn a 'scoop and throw' technique to deploy the reserve, this setup allowed them to learn how to toss out the canopy. The lines didn't matter all that much.

Yes precisely, a training dummy reserve used for scoop and throw demonstration purposes.
I appreciate your response. My understanding is that often times the lines and canopy were simply laid back into the canister as you've stated. Other instructors apparently opted to daisy chain the lines to make it that much easier to lay back into the canister. I've been trying to get an idea of how prevalent each of these practices was--i.e., 50/50, or 75/25, etc.
Thank you again.

[EJU 3]

riggerrob

Scoop-and-toss deployment - of chest reserves - was dictated by the wimpy pilot-chutes used before MA-1 was introduced.

Ground training (e.g. suspended harness) practice reserves were usually old reserves sewn or wired together. Sewing the canopy kept them in the “flaked” stage of packing.
Cords or wires bound suspension lines together.
Often a few gores and lines were removed to reduce volume and speed re-closing.
Discarding pack-opening bands also speeded re-closing.

With all those modifications, many schools sewed large red ribbons on the outside of (ground only) chest containers and wrote “ground training only” around the outside.

Good to know. Thanks.

[wmw999 2,120]

I worked at a dz that used, if I remember, containers with enough line and canopy to be convincing, but not enough to actually look like a parachute. I was the rigger, so I never actually had anything to do with them. Something on the order of half a canopy folded, with enough lines to get the idea of throwing in a direction.

They were pretty ratty-looking, and very well marked.

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)

[obelixtim 100]

We had one, the container was painted yellow. The lines were fully stowed in bands, because part of the reserve drill was to throw the canopy, then pull the lines out of the stows and feed them out.

Where the canopy was "S" folded into the container, the deployments were messy, because once the container was opened, often the canopy would just fall out in a big mess.

To alleviate that, we roll packed the canopy, just rolling it up from the apex like a toilet roll. You had a much firmer grasp on the canopy, and it deployed in a much more orderly manner. (Easier to repack too)

I was glad we switched to cutaways with pilot shot reserves.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[chuteshack 4]

at Ripcord ParaCenter(in NJ) we used a 24 ' twill in a 28 ft container . BUT it was packed normally,justnot as carefully as an airworthy reserve. And it was a full canopy,not one that was all cut up.

[377 20]

In 68 we used a surplus chest container spray painted red. Lines were not daisy chained but stowed in the bands (but not so carefully as a real reserve pack job). Canopy was a 24 ft twill.

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.