what bailout rig is this ?

[piisfish 135]

I should unhang it to inspect closer if there are any makings...

this seat rig was apparently still in use in 1972

the silk of the canopy is in pretty good shape, minus 1 small hole

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[JerryBaumchen 1,064]

Hi Nic,

I was going to say Tiny Broadwick Special; but then I saw the German placard.

You're on your own.

JerryBaumchen

[piisfish 135]

the paper is in german and french, it is a swiss military gear check card.

will definitely try to have a much closer look this weekend

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Krip 2]

Quote

I should unhang it to inspect closer if there are any makings...

this seat rig was apparently still in use in 1972

the silk of the canopy is in pretty good shape, minus 1 small hole

Hi

Nice find I wonder if beatnick has one of those.

Silk canopy

Bailout rig still in use in 1972

I wonder how long its been since someone actually jumped it. Wag a lot earlier than 1972

One Jump Wonder

[lodestar 0]

KInda looks like a chastity belt !

[piisfish 135]

Quote

KInda looks like a chastity belt !

a mix between that and a close stool

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[pchapman 262]

Ooh, ooh, [sticking hand up] I think I might know!

I'll guess it is an Italian Salvator brand seatpack rig.

First the joking response:
If it wasn't Tiny Broadwick, it would be Kate Paulus, the German equivalent!

But seriously:

The rig has that Germanic / European big belt around the stomach style, common into WWII.

On the shiny metal pilot chute cap or whatever it is, I can make out the end of a word, "TOR" at the bottom (once one has rotated the pic 90 right), as in "SALVATOR" with the word at the top perhaps being "PARACHUTE".

Over here in North America we don't hear much about all the early European brands, like Thornblad, Autoflug, RH series, Heineke, Heico, Schroeder, Kostelezky, etc

I know this stuff only because I read German and bought a copy of "Sicherheit und Rettung in der Luftfahrt" (Safety and Rescue in Aviation) by Ruff, Ruck, Sedlymeyer.

Edit: I'll post more once I scan & translate some info on the Salvator.

[piisfish 135]

it is indeed written Salvator PArachute on the spring loaded PC cap

same PC onTHIS BACK PARACHUTE we are getting loser
add : VIDEO of a jump with a Salvator Back model (notice the apparent absence of legstraps )

add : Swiss website on flight gear used in switzerland with the back model, and reference to the seat model

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[pchapman 262]

The excerpt from the book below finds the Salvator rig very poor, when evaluated by the German Luftwaffe. Clearly the design had improved by the time it was introduced in Switzerland, as shown in piisfish's links.

OCR'd and roughly translated by Google and I:

Quote

Salvator Parachute

The Italian Salvator parachute rigs were characterized by an attractive form, and had a lightweight and comfortable feel. Many high officers of the German Air Force were thought well of them, and from time to time, called for its introduction into service. Consequently, the parachutes were repeatedly subjected to thorough testing program. The results were not greatly encouraging, as the mentioned advantages were overcome by the disadvantages. An introduction to the German Air Force therefore never happened.

The harness consisted of a wide belt to hold the main forces, which were transferred in the height of the lower ribs on the body, as well as two narrow leg and shoulder straps, which should prevent falling out. The hanging angle in the harness was unfavorable. Either the belt slipped up to under the armpits or down to the lower waist. This risk was especially true when the belt was not tightened tight enough, which wasn't always the case in practice for reasons of comfort. The lock of the main belt was attached to short metal "ladder rungs", the strength of which were exceeded several times in test drops.

Without special packing tools (a threaded spindle), the canopy could not be accommodated in the small container. The pack was closed with a hemp cord. Activation was done manually or by a knife on a line, that severed the hemp cord in the manner of a cigar cutter.

The unusual design of the pilot chute system was necessary because of how the container was designed to be closed. In the course of testing several crashes occurred, which were clearly related to the pilot chute and pack closure design.

The unique aspect of the Salvator parachute was in the construction of its silk canopy. The lines did not lead over the top of the canopy as later became common, but ended at the edge of an apex vent, which was encircled by a rubber ring.

At rest, this ring had a diameter of about 40 cm [16"]. During canopy inflation, forces on the suspension lines caused the rubber ring to stretch, creating an apex vent of up to one meter in diameter. Due this elastic vent, the shock forces on opening were to be reduced. Load measurements showed an exceptionally fast rise of the load, then a large drop, and then a repeated sharp increase in the forces.

Despite the special design, no significant differences in maximum loads could be found, compared to the German 30 I and 30 II S 24 parachutes. However, there was a danger due to low temperatures at high altitudes, or due to long storage time, or due to airdrops at high speeds, that the rubber ring would break. This resulted in an apex vent size of 1 m and a greatly increased rate of descent of about 10 m/s [33 fps]. If one calculates, we can see that the same speed is achieved with a jump of 5 meters [16 1/2'], a height that even for an experienced jumper will be at or beyond the limits of his physical abilities to withstand without injury.

The benefits of slightly lower opening force could not offset the disadvantages of a possible rubber ring failure and poor harness. Therefore the Salvator parachute was not introduced into service.

[Sicherheit und Rettung in der Luftfahrt, Ruff, Ruck, & Sedlmayr, 1990, p 89-90, translated]

The "manual" opening of the pack closure isn't clear. Perhaps to improve on the original system, the version with a knife at the end was introduced.

The world's first closing loop cutter, manually activated?

Piisfish's links help a bit with understanding the design, but the whole pilot chute / container flaps / pilot chute cap / closing loop cutter system is still unclear to me.

The description of the opening forces suggest that the rubber ring at the apex vent was a very strong one, restricting any stretching until loads had built up a lot, and only then stretching to relieve the pressure at the canopy apex. Maybe that feature was later dropped.

The awkward harness with thin leg and shoulder straps and huge belly strap was retained I see. Surprising that they kept using them in Switzerland in their Buecker trainers for so long.

Nice bit of history piisfish!

[piisfish 135]

more pics 0179 = opening handle (with seal)
0180 = locking of the chest "strap"
0181 = I suppose expiry date of the packjob ... july 72

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[riggerrob 558]

There was a lot of (fascist) political pressure - from Benito Mussilini on Adolf Hitler - for the German Luftwaffe to adopt Slavatore style parachutes.
Most Luftwaffe aircrew wore Irwin style PEPs, while German Fallschirmjaegers (paratroopers) wore Salvatore style harnesses up until 1944.
The Salvatore harness caused a lot of ankle, knee and arm injuries to fallschirmjaegers. It also limited their personal load to pistols and hand grenades. Many fallschirmjaegers were shot while trying to retrieve their long guns from cannisters ... that were dropped separately.

Late in the (Second World) War, fallschirmjaegers tried to adopt an Irvin style harness, but production was limited and they did not jump into combat during the last year (1945) of the war.