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Parachutes Australia Airforce reserve TSO or not

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Hi, 

I have gotten mixed answers to this question so I wanted to ask here. Hopefully someone who owns one of these can chime in or a rigger who has experience with them

I was told that the TSO may be written in a way that some riggers will pack it and others will not. 

Another source told me it has a TSO and there is no problem. 

The one I'm looking at was manufactured on 1999 if that makes a difference

Anybody have any experience with this?

 

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Thanks Deyan! 

I just checked the manual and this is a quote

"The Airforce Reserve Parachute has a service life of 20 years from the Date of 
Manufacture stamped on the Parachute Canopy (whether used or in storage), due to the 
natural degradation of the textiles used for its manufacture."

I'm still curious about the original question if anyone else has more info.

 

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Here's what the manual says:

Quote

 

The Airforce Ram Air Reserve Parachute Canopy has been tested to the requirements of the Civil Aviation Authority, Civil Air Order 103.18 Equipment Standards – Emergency Parachutes.

To demonstrate compliance with CAO 103.18, the United States Federal Aviation Administration, Technical Standard Order T.S.O – C23 (b) was used as the specification.

Parachutes Australia has the authority to identify the Airforce Ram Air Reserve Parachute Canopy with Civil Aviation Authority CAO 103.18 markings. The Airforce reserve meets the requirements for a Low Speed Category Parachute and is limited to use in aeroplanes up to 150 miles per hour.

 

TSO-C23b was superseded by C23c in 1984.  When was the Airforce Reserve tested and certified?

--Mark

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Quote

The Airforce Ram Air Reserve Parachute Canopy has been tested to the requirements of the Civil Aviation Authority, Civil Air Order 103.18 Equipment Standards – Emergency Parachutes.

To demonstrate compliance with CAO 103.18, the United States Federal Aviation Administration, Technical Standard Order T.S.O – C23 (b) was used as the specification.

Which makes it sound like it is not actually TSO'd (although I can't tell for sure from this info). It sounds like they used the TSO list of requirements, and did drop tests etc. to satisfy Australian requirements. That could be reassuring to an Australian customer. BUT... the gear wasn't actually entered into the US TSO system. Nor is there any sign that an Australian part 103.18 certification is automatically accepted as equivalent to a TSO by the US.

Then you get into the issue, "But what if one is talking about a PA rig that was a license built copy of a US TSO'd Rigging Innovations rig?" That's certainly worth something to a jumper, but if it isn't actually produced in a TSO approved production facility, then it still can't count as having a TSO even if the design is TSO'd.

(As a similar example, for one Canadian rig that was TSO'd, it was done through Transport Canada according to bilateral agreements with the FAA, so the FAA accepts it. So it has a real FAA TSO. Then the production plans and facility were approved & inspected so that it was run on a TSO approved production line. Years later, the company owner gave up the formal TSO certification as he wasn't selling many to the US anyway, so it wasn't worth the money to pay for the inspections the Canadian authorities were doing for the production line. A jumper can be reassured that the design actually went through all TSO tests which were accepted by the US, even if a current production rig doesn't actually have a TSO. An earlier rig could be jumped by a US resident, but the current ones can't.)

Correct me if I'm wrong about TSO'd production lines -- I'm a bit hazy on that aspect and what formal terminology applies. 
 

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(edited)
4 hours ago, pchapman said:

Years later, the company owner gave up the formal TSO certification as he wasn't selling many to the US anyway, so it wasn't worth the money to pay for the inspections the Canadian authorities were doing for the production line. 

Hi Peter,

Al did not give up the formal TSO certification, he still holds it.  What he does not have is the annual inspection approval of his facilities by Transport Canada.

Jerry Baumchen

 

PS)  I 'think' that the FAA's position is that a TSO-authorization is valid until surrendered or revoked.

Edited by JerryBaumchen

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Thanks Jerry.  That gets at the 'terminology' issue I had -- how to describe something where the design has a TSO but a particular item, although built to the TSO plans, isn't TSO'd because it wasn't built through production facilities currently approved to build that TSO'd design...

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1 hour ago, pchapman said:

 because it wasn't built through production facilities currently approved to build that TSO'd design...

Hi Peter,

That is exactly it.  For many, many years the FAA went all over the world inspecting mfg facilities.  Now, to save money I would think, they 'sub' it out to the national aviation organization in whatever country the mfr is located.

Jerry Baumchen

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PA has a service life on some equipment, the Airforce reserve is TSO’d and has the same life limits as the US- providing the rigger is prepared to certify its airworthy, there is no in service limit. Check the Parachutes Australia website. The other source for information is the Australian Parachute Federation website asf.asn.au/equipment/parachutes Australia. Cheers.

 

PA BRAND DESCRIPTION
 
PART NUMBERS
 
 
SERVICE LIFE
26 ft Lopo Reserve Parachute
 
P008 ( )
 
 
Indefinite
Aerolite Reserve Parachute
 
P015
 
 
Indefinite
X300 Reserve Parachute
 
P004
 
 
Indefinite
X228 Reserve Parachute
 
P003
 
 
Indefinite
Hobbit Reserve Parachute
 
P010
 
 
Indefinite
Airforce Reserve Parachute
 
P036R ( )
 
 
Indefinite
Hang Glider Backup Chute
 
P030
 
 
 
Indefinite
 
 
Talon 3 and Talon FS Dual Pack & Harness Systems Serial Number 10533 onwards
Container: 4111(2) Harness: 5111(2) Assembly: S025
Indefinite
Telesis Dual Pack & Harness System (all models)
 
 Container: 4113(2) Harness: 5113(2) Assembly: S026
 
   Refer SB9502 rev.3

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1 hour ago, ChrisHoward said:

Does anyone out there remember a little thing called "Google"? A quick search turns up this: http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgTSO.nsf/MainFrame?OpenFrameSet Seems like a good place to start. The Airforce Reserve is not listed among PAs other TSOs.

Well yeah but it takes time.  Thanks. One can use the awkward web interface there, or download / extract / filter the MS Access database as I did. The only Parachutes Australia items to show up are:

 
ArticleNumber
6111-( )    [# my edit: that's the Talon 2 licensed copy#]
P15
Pigmee S-7 Piggyback
Thinpack Parachute Assy S5 and P8
Tandem dual pack S18
Slimpack S3 Trimpig S11
Slimpack II S3
S15

The Talon 2 is under C-23c category B, the rest under C-23b. 

As you were finding, this does confirm our suspicious that the Airforce reserve isn't TSO'd. As we already know from the bulletin, its life is now considered indefinite.

So unless I missed something, an Airforce reserve of any age is jumpable in the US by visiting Aussies, visiting Canucks ("we don't need no steenkin' TSO"), but not resident 'Muricans.

 

 


 

 

 

 

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(edited)

One thing that I find that trips people up (myself included) is the terms "tested to TSO specifications" such as "TSO C23D tested" and "receiving FAA TSO authorization", the latter being required for being legal in the US and the former being useless as far as US legality is concerned. 

Unless there's a treaty with another country regarding foreign authorizations translating to an effective TSO authorization. 

It appears the Airforce Reserve does not have a US TSO authorization from the database search (though the model numbers in the database are... weird.) Whether its Australian certification translates to an effective TSO, I don't know. But I would assume at least at this point that it's not legal for a US citizen or foreign resident to jump in the US unless a treaty document can be verified (I couldn't find anything with a quick search). 

Edited by shadeland

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On 3/18/2019 at 9:54 PM, richwilk said:

PA has a service life on some equipment, the Airforce reserve is TSO’d and has the same life limits as the US- providing the rigger is prepared to certify its airworthy, there is no in service limit. Check the Parachutes Australia website. The other source for information is the Australian Parachute Federation website asf.asn.au/equipment/parachutes Australia. Cheers.

 

PA BRAND DESCRIPTION
 
PART NUMBERS
 
 
SERVICE LIFE
26 ft Lopo Reserve Parachute
 
P008 ( )
 
 
Indefinite
Aerolite Reserve Parachute
 
P015
 
 
Indefinite
X300 Reserve Parachute
 
P004
 
 
Indefinite
X228 Reserve Parachute
 
P003
 
 
Indefinite
Hobbit Reserve Parachute
 
P010
 
 
Indefinite
Airforce Reserve Parachute
 
P036R ( )
 
 
Indefinite
Hang Glider Backup Chute
 
P030
 
 
 
Indefinite
 
 
Talon 3 and Talon FS Dual Pack & Harness Systems Serial Number 10533 onwards
Container: 4111(2) Harness: 5111(2) Assembly: S025
Indefinite
Telesis Dual Pack & Harness System (all models)
 
 Container: 4113(2) Harness: 5113(2) Assembly: S026
 
   Refer SB9502 rev.3

APF web site now a .com address. :)

https://www.apf.com.au/apf-members/equipment/equipment

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