What is this canopy? Old heavy 5 cell

[pchapman 261]

This isn't like Howard White's threads -- while I have my own guess I don't actually know the answer.

The canopy is a 5 cell that uses heavy fabric and is lined with 550 cord. Before it was taken out of a garbage bag I thought I was looking at a Para Commander.

The photos show:
-- a crossport that it lined with binding tape - as an example of how massively heavily the thing is constructed

-- large flares for line attachments

-- a seam along the center line, going to the trailing edge, that reduces the airfoil thickness to zero over the last foot of chord - as if to separate the left and right side control surfaces

Origin: A Canadian demo team, canopy sponsored by Belvedere cigarettes.

[Beatnik 2]

The 550 should actually be Type IV and the crossports sewn up like is what was done on the Para-Sleds. You can see where the tail was sewn together.

[mccurley 0]

At the old Port Severn drop zone, were I did my first jump, we had 3 PCs and one Para Plane Sled that were sponsored by Belvedere Tobaco.
I did my first PC jump on one of them.
The Sled had ropes and rings and had to be packed different for terminal then for sub terminal.
We watched Steve West plummet one autumn day as the Sled streamered in a complete bag lock, while Steve struggled with his ski gloves to be able to cut away the shot 1/2s and deploy the belly wart.
He landed in a tree off the DZ.
On the way to go recover him and the gear we met a helpfull Duck Hunter who had seen the desent and led us to Steve.
The hanrness and container were still hung up the tree he had landed in.
The helpfull duck hunter proceeded to shoot the tree down with several well placed shots.
On the way back from there we discovered Steve's discarded glove and found the kicker plate from the reserve.

Anyway if it's the same canopy, we had it on the DZ in 1974 and the damn thing used to mal about 1 in 4 jumps.

Watch my video Fat Women
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRWkEky8GoI

[pchapman 261]

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At the old Port Severn drop zone, were I did my first jump, we had 3 PCs and one Para Plane Sled that were sponsored by Belvedere Tobaco.

That Para Sled is what I must have, from a small stash of stuff I got indirectly from retired Coldwater DZO Frank Arko cleaning out a few items.

The attached photo isn't all that useful, but it shows the whole canopy loosely laid out on its side rather than just a little piece of it as in the earlier photos.

Nice story about Steve West. I apprenticed with him as a rigger after the last rigging course he gave before he went in.

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the damn thing used to mal about 1 in 4 jumps.

Doesn't scare me at all... because I'll probably give it to Beatnik!

(It has a slider now, so that should change things.)

[skypuppy 1]

If you're going to give it away, I wouldn't mind it myself....

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[skybill 19]

Hi pc,
"Sled!!!!!" 'Back in the early 70's at Otay, Mokie Martin showed up with one. It flew like an out of control F-4 on landing final with only one side of flaps deployed!!!! He left skid marks in the dirt like the above mentioned F-4 also!!! Foaming the runway wouldn't help!!

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[Beatnik 2]

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The Sled had ropes and rings and had to be packed different for terminal then for sub terminal.

I think you are thinking about the Para-Plane and to be more specific the Para-Plane Cloud. The Para-Sled was originally designed for subterminal openings only. The rings and ropes went through a few different designs but none of them really worked properly on that parachute.

[mccurley 0]

No I am pretty sure it was a sled we had.
For packing, if toy were going to terminal you had to basically close the bag, puttin a bit of a slip knot in the closing stows.
It took the higher velocity of terminal snatch force to be able to pull the lines out of the loop.
If you packed it this way and dumped sub terminal as in clear and pull, there wasn't enough force and it streamered.
If you packed it the other way and jump terminal it was so hard as to cause injury to the pilot.
Steve west did the streamer thing.

Edit to add "but that was a long time and many many brain cells ago"

Watch my video Fat Women
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRWkEky8GoI

[mccurley 0]

Did you happen to inherit a Cobra from him, White front, red sides, and multi colour Churchwindow at rear.
This was built for my Dad, who sold it to me after he broke both his ankles on it (I think he was doing me a favour)
I sold it to Frank when I bought my Strato Cloud from Eddie Grimm.
If you have, and ever put a jump on it I'd love a picture.

Watch my video Fat Women
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRWkEky8GoI

[pchapman 261]

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Did you happen to inherit a Cobra from him, White front, red sides, and multi colour Churchwindow at rear.

Haven't seen that one.
Skypuppy has jumped a Cobra that came from Frank Arko, but it was plain red and white. From Frank I got a hold of a few old reserves, a couple Mk 1 PCs, and a PS-06, some of which might get sold or traded around. I've got a line on some other old timers' stuff from elsewhere too, a couple Top Secret rigs with Stratostars, but I don't personally need them. Skypuppy also got one of the Belvedere PC's through 'Froggy' Lalonde.

I wasn't dealing with Frank directly, so it isn't clear to me whether he really was clearing out the last of his stash from the old DZ, or whether there's some other gear somewhere.

The Para Sled is the most interesting find, so between I, Skypuppy, and Beatnik, we may get it airborne again. Figuring out a bag and container for it will be interesting, given its huge volume.

[mccurley 0]

Just be carefull on flaring for landing.
On a couple of occasions watching it come in (never jumped it myself, was too junior) it dived to the right as it was flared.
On one occasion, it was a guy from the army, first name Murray I think, hit so hard on his right side it broke the side of his motorcycle helmet.
I was right behind the landing an I swear the side of the canopy hit the ground almost the same time as he did.
So be aware.

Watch my video Fat Women
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRWkEky8GoI

[howardwhite 5]

This is a Sled, no?
I think it's from Jerry Schrimscher's photo album, which J now has. I scanned some stuff from it when I was in Raeford in May.

HW

[Beatnik 2]

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No I am pretty sure it was a sled we had

According to the manual it only had one way to pack it and it says in there that delays greater than 5 seconds are not recommended. I don't believe they fixed it because the company went under not long after the production of the sleds.

[Beatnik 2]

I don't believe that is a Sled Howard. The Sled's lines were pretty short and had a split tail. You can see the difference in the photos attached.

That my be an early Parafoil. They had really long lines, flares on the bottom and was a solid canopy with no split. But I am sure you know all that.

[Beatnik 2]

Let me know if you guys are planning on jumping it. Sleds have a problem with built in turns and flare like crap. My Para-Plane flares better than it. There is no much of a glide and it takes a long time for it to respond. This is not a chute to play with unless you are really ready for it. I landed mine, the all yellow one before I relined it and unmodified some of it and it came in hard. I was told that was one of the only times they could hear all five points of contact in a PLF.

The Sleds were never designed to have a slider either. I jumped one with and you might as well not even have used it at all. The line lengths, since the outsides are longer than the inners has the slider pushed down the lines. It makes for a fast opening.

[Niki1 1]

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This is a Sled, no?
I think it's from Jerry Schrimscher's photo album, which J now has. I scanned some stuff from it when I was in Raeford in May.

HW

I think the Sled was a flat canopy. That is, it had no "cathedral". When it's side packed, the outside lines should be longer than the middle lines.

Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done.
Louis D Brandeis

Where are we going and why are we in this basket?

[WGore 0]

The damned things opened hard as hell to. We had a demo when they first came out and it was full flaps and just get out of the prop blast before you pulled. It was a novelty but there weren't too many volunteers for more than a couple jumps on it.

GUNFIRE, The sound of Freedom!

[howardwhite 5]

On second thought, you're right; the tail on the Sled is different. But I don't remember the "bulge" in the tail on the Parafoil.
Back to the books.

HW

[PeteS 0]

I'm thinking Volplane. Not a lot of detail of the lower surface, though.

[pms07 3]

Sled, think 5 cell...

[dks13827 3]

I got a new Para Sled in 1974... jumped it 20 times, no malfunctions but it opened squirrely quite often. It got burns and tears quite a bit so I sold it to Rick Powell in Oklahoma. Rick cut the rings and ropes off and used it subterminal only. It was fun to fly though !!

[howardwhite 5]

Definitely not a Volplane. I have one in my garage and jumped it a lot.

HW

[lekstrom10k 0]

My only jump on a sled was a mal on a cross-bow and the rip cord never got to clear the housing. I recall almost the whole trailing edge had steering lines attached. The tail was split at the C/L about 5or6 inches up. At least 6 lines to each toggle and extremely long cascades. This might help in Identifying that canopy. It was brought to the DZ by a whuffo as payment for a debt by the alledged owner. It remained un-packed in a box under the counter for years after