General Use & care of Emergency Parachutes

Your parachute is fairly rugged but it is not indestructible and we recommend the following basic steps as the minimum care that it should be given. Remember that your parachute is an important piece of survival equipment that may be called upon to save your life:

Avoid exposing your parachute to the sun unnecessarily. Do not leave your parachute in the aircraft, even if the aircraft is stored in a hangar. High temperatures such as found in car trunks and trailers can cause the rubber bands holding the suspension lines in place to melt and fuse to the lines.

Check your aircraft cockpit for sharp objects, exposed nuts and bolts, levers and any other items that could tear or puncture your parachute. Be especially aware of things that could cause you to hang up during an emergency egress. Remove or cover these items with tape to protect your parachute.

Avoid letting your parachute come in contact with acid; car trunks with traces of battery acid are particularly hazardous areas for a parachute. One drop of acid can turn your entire parachute into dust if left unchecked.

Store your parachute in a cool, dry place when not in use.

Have your parachute inspected, and repacked more often in extremely dusty areas as fine dust can seep into the pack and damage the fabric much like sandpaper.

Keep your parachute away from grease, oil and fuels which can attract and hold dirt and grit.

Although nylon parachutes are not harmed by moisture itself, a damp, dark environment such as the packed parachute will allow mildew to form, which will eventually harm the parachute fabric. Therefore, avoid excessive moisture; if your parachute becomes wet it should be aired and repacked.

When in doubt about the condition of your parachute or its care, contact a NZPIA parachute technician, or the manufacturer.

Preflight Inspection

Before each flight your parachute must be inspected as follows:

  • Check for any obvious damage, tampering or disturbance to the pack or harness.
  • Check your packing data card for legal repack date. The CAA Rule 91.707(3) requires that parachutes used in civil aircraft be repacked every year by a Parachute Technician.
  • Check the ripcord pins to see that the pins are securely inserted through the loops with the tips exposed at least 19mm.
  • Check that the ripcord cable moves freely in the housing and that the ripcord handle is securely seated in the pocket.
  • Check all the hardware for corrosion, bent or missing parts and damage.
  • Check that the harness is not twisted or misrouted.

Fitting and Wearing an Emergency Parachute

After completing the above preflight you are ready to don your parachute for use:

Loosen the leg straps sufficiently to allow you to snap them into position and stand erect. If your parachute is equipped with "Quick Ejector" snaps on the leg straps make sure that the release lever is firmly seated against the body of the snap. You should feel a click as the release lever passes over the detent balls that hold it in place. Unless firmly seated, the Quick Ejector release lever can be easily snagged on the aircraft or seat belt and inadvertently opened.

Fasten the chest strap buckle (or thread the chest strap through the friction adapter) and tighten it only enough to prevent the harness from falling off of your shoulders or shifting around excessively. Do not over-tighten the chest strap. The main lift web of the harness (the vertical part of the harness running down your chest) is designed to take the opening shock of the parachute. The chest strap is designed only to help keep you in the harness; if you tighten the chest strap excessively you will transfer some of the opening load into the chest strap, which is not designed to accept a load in that manner. Stow the excess chest strap webbing under the elastic keeper provided.

Tighten the leg straps until they are snug while standing erect and stow the excess under the elastic keeper. This adjustment will feel slightly looser after you sit down in the aircraft and the leg straps may be further tightened in the cockpit if desired.

If present, tighten the diagonal and/or horizontal back straps so that the pack is snug against the back.

Mentally review your egress procedures.

Mentally review your emergency egress decision criteria.

Make a mental note of the location of the ripcord handle and the leg and chest strap release hardware.

You are now ready for flight.

Using the Parachute in the Aircraft & in Flight

When entering the aircraft remember that you are wearing your parachute and adjust your movements accordingly. When buckling into the seat - fasten seat belts and shoulder harness over the parachute harness! You must be able to release from the aircraft restraint system without unfastening any part of your parachute harness.

Remember the following points:

  • If your aircraft has a manufacturer's recommended emergency egress procedure - memorize it and be able to do it in the dark, upside down, and inside out. Go over your emergency procedures until you can do them automatically! Remember that there may not be time to stop and think what you must do to get out of the aircraft in an emergency.
  • If your aircraft has no published emergency egress procedure, devise one of your own and practice it until you can do it automatically.
  • Never loosen or remove your parachute in the aircraft while in flight.
  • If you must make an emergency exit, get completely clear of the aircraft before pulling the ripcord.
  • Know your procedures and practice them often.
  • Mentally review your emergency egress criteria.
  • Always remember the three most useless things to a pilot:

* Airspeed you don't have * Altitude above you * Runway behind you *

Act Accordingly!

After jumping clear of the aircraft, put your legs together, look down at the ripcord handle, reach in with both hands and pull the handle sharply out away from your body. Your parachute should be fully open within 2 to 3 seconds after you pull the ripcord. After your parachute opens you should look around and get your bearings.

All canopies installed in an emergency parachute system should be steerable; however, you may have one of several steering methods on your parachute. When you have your parachute assembled or repacked ask the Parachute Technician to explain the steering system that is installed on your parachute. The basic principle to remember when steering your parachute is that turns are made by pulling down on the rear riser (or control line) on the side to which you wish to turn; i.e. pull down on the left rear riser for a left turn and the right rear riser for a right turn. Turns should be made by pulling the riser down 300mm to 450mm; when you are facing the desired direction, release the riser to stop the turn. Some parachutes do not necessarily turn faster with increased control deflection - you may find that only 150mm to 300mm" of control deflection is necessary for the fastest turn rate.

If your parachute is equipped with a 4-line release steering modification, there will be a red (or yellow) lanyard safety tied to the connector link on each rear riser. To activate the release, reach up and grab the tail of the lanyard and pull down sharply. This will release the centre four lines in the rear of the canopy, allowing air to vent out of the canopy in an orderly manner. The air venting out of the canopy to the rear causes the canopy to move forward, reduces its oscillations, and allows you to steer the parachute using the rear risers or the control lines. Some canopies have separate steering lines made from a contrasting colour of suspension line. These will be readily apparent when under the canopy - use them to steer the canopy. Other canopies may have yet another type of control toggle or mechanism; if you are not sure what is installed in your parachute, ask your rigger.

Most canopies installed in emergency parachutes have a forward speed of approximately 4 to 6 KTS. This allows you to manoeuvre slightly to avoid obstacles on the ground and to face into the wind for landing. Turning the parachute causes it to oscillate slightly and should be avoided near the ground because the oscillations will increase your rate of descent (in some cases significantly) and raise the risk of injury during landing.

Landings

Landings should be made facing quartering slightly into the wind, which will minimize your ground speed and reduce the chances of injury upon landing. To prepare for landing, you should have your feet and knees together, toes pointed slightly down, knees slightly bent (not locked!) with legs tensed (about the same tension as needed to bounce up and down on the balls of your feet just slightly off the ground).

Before touchdown, you should be looking at the horizon (not at the ground) and steering the canopy with small corrections to maintain your heading until your feet touch the ground. At touchdown, tuck your chin down on your shoulder and bring your elbows in against your side, then roll in the direction of your ground travel to spread the force evenly across your legs, hips and shoulders. Remember that the most important part of your landing preparation is Feet and Knees Together!

Dragging

If you land in high wind conditions and are dragged, reel in one or two suspension lines hand-over-hand until the canopy collapses. This can be done in a matter of seconds. After the canopy collapses, disengage yourself from the harness. A good quality hook knife, or the "Jack" safety knife, is an excellent idea. Get one and know how to use it if you expect to fly in high wind conditions.

If your parachute is equipped with riser releases (one of several different types), learn how to inspect, maintain and use them.

Water landings

If you fly over water regularly, you should have proper flotation gear on board the aircraft. In general, personal flotation devices are worn under the parachute harness so that the parachute harness can be removed without removing the flotation device. In all cases, if you have any doubt about the operation of your flotation gear, obtain expert instruction relevant to the particular item you are using.

Some flotation devices cannot be safely inflated underneath the parachute harness. For these types, do not inflate your flotation device until after you are in the water and have gotten clear of the parachute. In general, before entering the water, face upwind and unfasten the chest strap (except for cross chest harness like the Security); however, the leg straps should never be released in the air! As your feet touch the water, take a deep breath but do not try to stay on the surface. As you enter the water, you will sink several feet below the surface - before surfacing, remove the parachute harness and swim, underwater, straight ahead as far as you can before surfacing. This should place you clear of the canopy and suspension lines, which will float on the surface for a few minutes.

If dragged in the water, use the same technique described earlier to deflate the canopy. Remember - do not try to fight the water or your parachute; take a deep breath as your feet hit the water, remove the parachute underwater and swim away from the canopy before surfacing. If you become entangled with the parachute lines or fabric, disengage yourself very carefully and slowly as flailing about will only increase the extent of your problem. After you are clear of the parachute use normal water survival techniques. Panic and fatigue cause drowning - stay calm and conserve your energy.

Tree Landings

Put your feet and knees together and prepare for a ground landing as you will probably go all the way through the tree to the ground. Cross your arms in front of your face with your hands placed in opposite armpits with the palms facing outward. Turn your face to one side and bury it in your arms to protect it. Put your feet and knees FIRMLY together to avoid straddling a branch. If suspended in a tree, wait for help if at all possible, otherwise use extreme caution in releasing from the harness to avoid falling or choking yourself on part of the parachute.

Power Line Landings

Power lines are an extremely hazardous place to land and should be avoided if at all possible. If a power line landing is unavoidable, throw away the ripcord if you are still holding it, face into the wind and prepare for a ground landing. Put your arms above your head to make yourself as thin as possible and turn your head sideways to protect your face as much as possible. Avoid touching more than one wire at a time and do not grab at the wires as you pass by (it takes two wires or one wire plus a ground to get zapped so avoid all contact with any of the wires if possible). If you do get hung up, do not attempt to get down and do not allow anyone to help you until the power has been cut off in the lines. Nylon will conduct electricity at very high voltages so don't become part of a grounding path in your haste to get down. Tree landings and downwind landings are generally less hazardous than power line landings.

NOTES:

The above information is provided as a brief, and very general, guide, for the use and care of your parachute. It cannot and does not cover every possible situation you may find yourself in. It should not be considered a substitute for formal survival training and parachute jumping instruction.

The primary cause of unsuccessful emergency bailouts and ejections is waiting too long to make the decision that you must leave the aircraft! By nature, aviation is an activity that is very unforgiving of mistakes in judgment and human or mechanical failure. Each individual must recognize that he is ultimately responsible for his own fate when he takes to the air; enjoy yourself but remember that indecision and complacency can kill.

Select your parachute technician with care - your life is in his hands. The parachute technician has a moral responsibility to the user of a parachute to aid that person in understanding his parachute and its use. You should actually pull the ripcord yourself before each repack. You are entitled to be comfortable in your own parachute; however, a sloppy repack (while safe) may be very uncomfortable. If you notice a significant change in the way the chute looks or feels and you don't like it, ask the parachute technician to try again. There should usually be no charge for this rework (your pack date won't change either since this is only a partial repack).

After any use, your parachute must be thoroughly inspected for damage and repaired as necessary. In addition, the manufacturer would appreciate notification of any emergency use of its products.