instersting finds...

[micro 0]

... in a small aviation display in the ft. wayne intl. airport...

pics 1-3 japanese wwIIchest mounted parachute. get a load of the early "hackey"

I miss Lee.
And JP.
And Chris. And...

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pics 4-7 japanese wwII back mounted rig... much more traditional looking

I miss Lee.
And JP.
And Chris. And...

[Zing 2]

Pretty neat stuff. I worked for a fellow who owned quite a collection of oddball parachute gear, including a rig that looked amazingly like the backback in your pictures. It was complete except for the ripcord and contained a round silk canopy I'd estimate at 20 to 22 foot. The rig and canopy were well constructed equipment.

Zing Lurks

[JohnRich 4]

Very neat stuff. Thanks for posting those photos.

I guess the kamikazis didn't bother with all that bulky parachute gear...

[riggerrob 558]

Fascinating!
That reminds me of a Russian Air Force surplus seat pack that an American (civilian) owner of a Yak aerobatic plane asked me to repack.
The similarity is in the last flap over the pilot chute. It looks like it has elastics/bungees along the edges to open the flap once the ripcord is pulled. Then the wind is supposed to grab the pilot chute, etc.

We had a LENGTHY debate.
He claimed that since it was an original piece of equipment from the Yakovlev factory, that any FAA Rigger should be glad to repack it.
I countered with observations about the slack pack-opening-bands, rusty hardware and KAP-3 that had not been tested in more than a decade! I noticed those discrepencies during a quick external inspection ... never stretched the canopy out, much less open the sleeve, drogue, etc.
We never did agree on that parachute.
I think what miffed him the most was a mere "technician" refusing to back down!

[Zing 2]

Well, on a trip tp Japan I met a fellow who was trained as a Kamikaze pilot. He actually went on three missions, but his flight failed to locate a suitable target and they returned to base. He commented on the irony that he wore his parachute on all his missions. The atomic bombs ended the war before he was dispatched a fourth time.

Zing Lurks

[BlueSBDeath 2]

That belly wort looks like an old "Bird" reserve.

Very cool stuff, looks very inovative for its day, and close to our current designs.

Thanks!!!

Arvel

BSBD...........Its all about Respect,

USPA#-7062, FB-2197, Outlaw 499

[kkeenan 13]

Very cool ripcord handle.

Kevin

_____________________________________
Dude, you are so awesome...
Can I be on your ash jump ?

[riggerrob 558]

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That belly wort looks like an old "Bird" reserve.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sort of ...
The difference is that Jerry Bird's reserve containers were sewn shut along the top edge and the (ripcord???) handle was sewn to the front, bottom edge. To activate a Jerry Bird reserve, you grabbed the handle and pulled/peeled it towards your chin.
Jerry's reserve were held closed by Velcro. I suspect that this was our first lesson in the finite life of Velcro.

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