Here's the story on the National Parachutes we've sold for the last 28 years.
They are lightweight and comfortable and while
some details have changed they are the same basic
design/size/weight in all that time
The factory considers a life of 20 years is
reasonable and won't repack them after that but
your rigger can inspect the parachute and can
return it to service if it is in his/her opinion
revealed to be in airworthy condition as THERE IS
NO LIFE LIMITING AD ON NATIONAL
PARACHUTES.
National parachutes also come in 4 canopy sizes
to suit all weights of pilots. The N360 is
suitable for up to 75 Kg pilots, the N425 up to
95Kg, the National Flat to 100Kg and the N490 to 110Kg.
While National chute packs are available in
Navy, Black and Red we recommend the Black or
Navy as the colours seem more durable.
The condition of the parachute depends on use and
care. In a 7 day commercial operation it is
doubtful if a parachute will last 20 years. In
private operation where the thing is unlikely to
do more than 2000 hours in actual use and you
keep it in a bag until ready to wear
and put it back in the bag after wearing it will
likely be fine. Consider also that the parachute
may be stored in a dry cupboard for some years of
that time and is probably flown for only half the
year or a bit more. Hard calender life limits are stupid.
Yes, probably parachutes aren't taken seriously
enough by glider pilots. Is there any proper
training done, like before the first lesson in a
glider? We've seen people wearing National chutes
where the leg straps weren't tightened and the
chest strap was a "chin" strap.
Too bad about your head when you pull the ripcord
but your headless body should make it to the ground just fine.
Also asked competition pilots what they will do
if they hear a bang and the glider pitches down
and doesn't respond to the elevator. The first
went and bought a new parachute and rehearsed the
bailout procedure and admitted he hadn't paid any attention to that before.
The second was a real smartarse and laughed it
off by making a joke of it to cover up his lack of forethought and preparation.
Do remember that bailing out of a damaged glider
is "attempted suicide to avoid certain death".
The US military reckoned the ejection seat in the
F-15 saved the pilot's life 75% of the time it
was used. The outstanding Russian K36D seat was better at 93%.
I'm pretty sure gliding is somewhere between those numbers.
Mike
At 05:41 PM 10/25/2017, you wrote:
Point taken.Â
I have the highest regard for Nigel
Brennan. If he says the chute is ok I am happy to wear it.
On Wed, Oct 25, 2017 at 6:28 PM, Ron Sanders
<<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]> wrote:
Do you mind if i forward your comments to Mr
Nigel Brennan who re packed and inspected the chute??
Ron
On 25 October 2017 at 13:52, DMcD
<<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]> wrote:
>>Hi guys, do not bother sold in 6 minutes!!
Lets hope the buyer does not have to use it!
Hang glider parachutes have a slightly harder time than glider
parachutes, partially because the pack is less dense and lets in more
UV, though many parachute manufacturers wrap the parachute inside a
foil folder to help protect it. The fabric is also degraded by sweat
and other factors. Some fabric and some colours degrade much faster
than others too. What colour is your chute? Is it nice and bright so
it can be spotted easily in the air or on the ground or have you ever
looked?
I don't think most of us take parachutes particularly seriously
enough. For example, your parachute size should be related to several
factors, including your age and weight. Most parachute sizes are for
young people weighing an ISO standard 75 kgs who can jump off a 4
metre wall and not suffer any injury. And you?
The older you are and the heavier you are, the larger the area of your
canopy needs to be. Of course, there's a trade off in that larger
canopies open more slowly, so the older you are, the higher you need
to be to safely deploy your canopy.
I guess it is like Harley riders. They wear poor quality open face
helmets to protect poor quality brains.
"I'm a licensed rigger. In my experience, the life will be limited primarily
by how much direct sunlight, dust, and grit the parachute sees. If you take
good care of the canopy and container, and keep the system out of the direct
sunlight, it'll last quite a while. Other responders have suggested a
practical life span of 15-20 years, and that's not too bad a range, IMHO.
However, if the system has been abused, it could be unusable after just a few
years.
Pay attention to the harness too, as it tends to suffer from abrasion and from
the pilot's sweat. It's not that unusual to
see harnesses and containers that
become unusable before the canopy."
"In the UK the parachute manufacturers and riggers are not allowed to
re-pack parachutes over 25 years old. ie once over 25 years, you have to
throw it away...... in any event most parachutes that age that I have
seen are big, heavy, and very uncomfortable to wear. "
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