This post is not about the malfunction and subsequent reserve ride the student had. It’s about the reserve itself being out of date in a very busy student operation. The student performed his emergency procedures well is response to a main malfunction and landed safely. When the equipment was gathered back in the hanger it was discovered the reserve was out of date. The gear board showed the reserves next due date as sometime in October 2007. However, the packing card showed the reserve had expired by over a month. Instructors look at the board as a reference to determine which rig is appropriate for the student. Of course both instructor and student should look at the packing card before the jump, but in the rush to get a student on the load the dates on the board are trusted. There has been alleged evidence in the past that student gear at Skydive Orange in Virginia has allegedly been pencil packed and that it occurs with some frequency. One can only hope that they stop allegedly operating below the radar and raise the professional standard of the student operation, allegedly.
