Para-commander packing

[propblast 0]

Terry,
I was just wondering if my emails went through?

Propblast

[jackwallace 3]

Back in the 70's I was jumping at Raeford. This Russian guy landed, strung out his rig, pulled the sleeve over it and jammed it in his rig. No tension, no flakeing, no folding. I asked him does it work like that? He said: I not buy it! He had around 15k jumps. I figured if it it worked for him, who am I to argue. I never had a mal like that, just burned the stabilizers a little.

U only make 2 jumps: the first one for some weird reason and the last one that you lived through. The rest are just filler.
scr 316

[chuteless 1]

I packed according to the manual for the first few jumps, and after that I would speed pack the Para-Commander. Simply put, you drive a tire iron into the ground, and get a bit of tension from someone on the container/harness, and the just flake the canopy as fast as you can, as though you were checking something out. Drop the whole thing onto the ground and pull the sleeve over it. Its rather bulky, but squeeze the air out as you pile the whole thing on the backpack, close it up, put the pins in a go for a jump. A good speed pack can be done in 6 minutes, and it gives a very fast, hard positive opening. You can take it as low as you want to, and it opens with a thunderclap . The best chute ever made, and the most fun to use for a low demo. Scares the hell out of all onlookers.

[erdnarob 1]

I have jumped a Para-commander Mark 2 for a couple of years and a Jumbo ParaCommander as well once.

I still have the booklet : Para-commander owner's manual from the manufacturer : Parachutes Incorporated (PI)
Orange Massachussets 01364

Here are the pages from 23 to 35 about Para-commander packing. The rest of the booklet concerns general knowledge and maintenance of the Para-commander. The booklet has 40 pages.

Please, everybody interested, download those 6 documents.

BTW, I have the American Papillon Owner's manual too. I bought one in 1975.

erdnarob

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[JerryBaumchen 1,372]

Hi Andre',

Quote

Para-commander owner's manual from the manufacturer : Parachutes Incorporated (PI)

How about we make that say: Para-commander owner's manual from the manufacturer : Pioneer Parachute Company



JerryBaumchen

[erdnarob 1]

Hi Jerry
I have reproduced word for word what was written on my manual at the end cover. But since you mention Pioneer which I have visited in the 70s at Elligton, Connecticut, they indicate in the manual that Pioneer was the manufacturer and that the first public view of this canopy has been made at Orange Massachussets Parachuting Center in 1962. I jumped at Orange in 1975 and 1979. In 1975, I made my first 12500 ft high jump with Lew Sanborn D1 in the Cessna on the way up. Lew signed the jump in my logbook afterward. Lew signed again my first jump from the Boeing 727 at Quincy Ill. in 1992. It was the first time that people were allowed to jump a Boeing 727. Exit at 155 mph
Here is a copy of the page 2 and 3 of the Para-commander manual. I guess Parachute Incorporated (PI) founded by Lew Sanborn and Jacques Istel was responsible to edit this manual.

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[erdnarob 1]

Correction : Pioneer Parachute Company was located at Manchester Connecticut, not at Ellington. Sorry.

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[JerryBaumchen 1,372]

Hi Andre',

It says: '. . . brought . . . '

Actually, Pioneer bought the rights to the design principle.

I think PI was playing a little loose with words.

JerryBaumchen