Tempo Reserve worth keeping ?

[theQ 1]

It happens that I bought a rig with a Tempo in it. I have to admit I don't know about it. I am here to be enlighten.
Anything I should know before I decide to keep it ?

Anticipated thanks!
 

Edited December 16, 2021 by theQ

[gowlerk 2,013]

They are generally considered to be good reserves. Younger people who know nothing about them will often say they aren’t. The resale value is relatively low, but definitely not zero. Every year I repack a couple dozen at least. People I know who have landed them seem to like them.

[theQ 1]

2 minutes ago, gowlerk said:

They are generally considered to be good reserves. Younger people who know nothing about them will often say they aren’t. The resale value is relatively low, but definitely not zero. Every year I repack a couple dozen at least. People I know who have landed them seem to like them.

Thanks a lot! I use PDRs before. I ask my dear rigger to have a look at its state before I take it in a plane :-) 
Much appreciated! 

[MickPatch 51]

Had a ride on a 15 year old Tempo this year, opened superbly well (5 months and 26 days since repack) and floated me down beautifully. 

Repacked and ready for when it is next needed.

[RiggerLee 61]

Perfectly good canopies. Open well. Land well. But they do come in two different versions. If you get the chance to jump if you might note on the card whether it is a "r" or "l" varrent.

 

Lee

[skydiverek 60]

 

The ones made after 2001 had reinforcements. Production ended 2003, I believe.

[DougH 270]

7 hours ago, RiggerLee said:

Perfectly good canopies. Open well. Land well. But they do come in two different versions. If you get the chance to jump if you might note on the card whether it is a "r" or "l" varrent.

 

Lee

 That is going to go over the heads of people that haven't been jumping for more than 10 years at least.

Edited December 17, 2021 by DougH

[pchapman 271]

Except for the last couple years of production (as noted above), they don't have spanwise reinforcement. They aren't regarded as the kind of modern reserve one would want if regularly at freefly speeds, even if the certification basis was reasonable (TSO C23c Category B =  254lbs, 150kts).  I can't recall exactly -- I think even that spanwise reinforcement was just folded over & sewn material, not separate tapes like on 'modern' reserves.  'Good' but not 'great'.

Like other older style reserves, they weren't meant to be highly loaded.  -- e.g., one manual of theirs suggests a max wing loading typically around 1.1 lbs/ft sq.

As for the "L or R" joke, some did have a problem with built in turns. Subtleties in how one canopies are sewn can create that problem, and the company didn't have a complete handle on that. Normally not a big problem, but someone inexperienced might hold a bunch of brake to counter the turn and then pound in a bit because they didn't have as much flare left.

So in general, nothing wrong with them as a general purpose reserve, but not in the class of a PD-R or Smart etc.

 

[riggerrob 581]

I have packed hundreds of Tempo reserves and at least a dozen were deployed during emergencies. All but one user reported that they opened fine, flew fine, turned fine and landed fine.

The only user who complained about his Tempo not flying straight, started with a student harness that was adjusted (for height) asymmetrically. Not the fault of either his main or reserve canopies.

The last couple of years of Tempo production had span-wise tapes sewn onto the bottom skin.

[SkydiveTemple 2]

Great reserves. They open great, fly like a main with great flair. The company was bought out and are now made under the name SMART reserves, with some slight changes. I'd own and jump one any day, in fact am looking for a 210 now! PISA the parent company makes great parachute, locate in S. Africa..

 

[weldingninja41 12]

I have a tempo 170 in my rig right now. It's 20 plus years old. I had it pull tested before I went to rigging school and got my own ticket. I have 3 rides on this reserve. 2  cutaway malfunctions and a total nothing out in a wingsuit where I had to go straight to reserve. It flew great had very good flair. It's is also the smallest canopy I have ever flown. I landed standing up and on target all three times. 

[gnasher70 1]

On 12/16/2021 at 9:15 PM, MickPatch said:

Had a ride on a 15 year old Tempo this year, opened superbly well (5 months and 26 days since repack) and floated me down beautifully. 

Repacked and ready for when it is next needed.

How long would you continue to repack a Tempo or how long is it safe to repack  . I had a ride on my Tempo 150 at Hinton when it was 15 years old. That was 7 years ago. Should I be thinking about a reserve shopping trip ? 

[gowlerk 2,013]

15 minutes ago, gnasher70 said:

How long would you continue to repack a Tempo or how long is it safe to repack  . I had a ride on my Tempo 150 at Hinton when it was 15 years old. That was 7 years ago. Should I be thinking about a reserve shopping trip ? 

My wife has a Tempo 150 from 2001. Yes, I still love her and yes I still repack it for her. Actually I pack several Tempos for a few customers. Including 6 or so 250s in our student rigs. There is no time limit to the airworthiness of nylon parachutes. There may be reasons for you to consider a new reserve, but age is not one of them.

[MickPatch 51]

Tempo did not put a life limit in their canopies so technically there is no official retirement age for them.

 

If I am doing a repack on a canopy over 25 years old though I will expect to perform a tensile test on it, if it hasn't had one in the previous two years.

[sundevil777 98]

43 minutes ago, MickPatch said:

Tempo did not put a life limit in their canopies so technically there is no official retirement age for them.

 

If I am doing a repack on a canopy over 25 years old though I will expect to perform a tensile test on it, if it hasn't had one in the previous two years.

Didn't PD stop doing tensile tests when a reserve is sent in for recertification?  My understanding was that within the rigging community (of which I am not a member) there was agreement about too much risk for unintended damage or whatever.

Edited October 27, 2023 by sundevil777

[weldingninja41 12]

On 10/27/2023 at 2:03 PM, sundevil777 said:

Didn't PD stop doing tensile tests when a reserve is sent in for recertification?  My understanding was that within the rigging community (of which I am not a member) there was agreement about too much risk for unintended damage or whatever.

Pd is the only company who does this. I sent in a pd176 that still had 13 boxes left on rhe label. Came out of a rig that had been stored for 09 years. They gave me the world famous " Failed Permeability Test". And "X'ed" out the label deeming it not airworthiness. But they did offer me 150 dollars off a brand new one. Since I've become a rigger I have seen this same answer to two other reserves sent to pd. Last I checked nylon fabric is made of nylon fabric. The same nylon is used on main canopies that get jumped hundreds if not thousands of times and are constantly in the sun on jumps, and they work just fine for Years and years jump after jump. But a reserve that has been ridden 1 time and spent its life away from the sun and all the wear and tear from daily jumping had a limited shelf life. It's a money grab. Period

[Veis 27]

19 minutes ago, weldingninja41 said:

And "X'ed" out the label deeming it not airworthiness.

Interesting. Is it possible to get a report on what criteria it was determined by, as for a technical inspection of the system by a rigger?

[gowlerk 2,013]

42 minutes ago, Veis said:

Interesting. Is it possible to get a report on what criteria it was determined by, as for a technical inspection of the system by a rigger?

PD uses a machine not available in the field to test the porosity of the fabric. Most canopies sent to them seem to pass the test and are then approved for a varying number of further repacks and or jumps. 

[Veis 27]

5 hours ago, gowlerk said:

PD uses a machine not available in the field to test the porosity of the fabric. Most canopies sent to them seem to pass the test and are then approved for a varying number of further repacks and or jumps. 

Even I have the porosity-machine and I can compare the fabric with the reference piece, it's not a problem. The methodology and additional criteria for their assessment are more interesting (the suitability of the reserve as a whole, not only the permeability at some individual points).

[sfzombie13 316]

serious question:  will pd do that if i send a main in for a line replacement?  i have an old pd 210 that needs new lower brake lines but do not want to lose my canopy this way.  they could offer me $150 of of a new one but i only paid $100 for this one.  that is the main reason i am jumping a raven 2 instead of this one with the other reason being it is a yellow replica of the green and purple one in my reserve tray.

[faulknerwn 38]

6 hours ago, sfzombie13 said:

serious question:  will pd do that if i send a main in for a line replacement?  i have an old pd 210 that needs new lower brake lines but do not want to lose my canopy this way.  they could offer me $150 of of a new one but i only paid $100 for this one.  that is the main reason i am jumping a raven 2 instead of this one with the other reason being it is a yellow replica of the green and purple one in my reserve tray.

Lower brake lines are an easy fix and I would get a local rigger to do it.  I would bet PD would want to ground your canopy.

[JerryBaumchen 1,168]

7 hours ago, sfzombie13 said:

serious question:  will pd do that if i send a main in for a line replacement?  i have an old pd 210 that needs new lower brake lines but do not want to lose my canopy this way.  they could offer me $150 of of a new one but i only paid $100 for this one.  that is the main reason i am jumping a raven 2 instead of this one with the other reason being it is a yellow replica of the green and purple one in my reserve tray.

Hi 13,

Send it here for a new line set:

Pete Swan

813 Harbor Blvd., Suite 188

West Sacramento, CA  95691

209-366-3712

[email protected]

Jerry Baumchen