Reserve canopy's durability

[omerimsky 0]

may somebody answer my question: how long a reserse canopy's durability is?
for instance, would a 17-year old reserve canopy be used?
thank you...

[rasmack 0]

I have a '90 PD-R in my rig. Haven't heard any complaints from my rigger.
(OK OK, so that's only 16 years...)

HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227
“I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.”
- Not quite Oscar Wilde...

[kenneth21441 0]

This all depends on how well it was taken care of and if it still meets the specs from the manufacture.
Ive seen some canopies as old as 20 years still in use and some as old as 15 years that cant be used.

But also take into accountthat nylon does degrade with time.

Best bet to have it inspected by the manufacture or a rigger to make sure the canopy is within the limits.

Kenneth Potter
FAA Senior Parachute Rigger
Tactical Delivery Instructor (Jeddah, KSA)
FFL Gunsmith

[rigger_john 0]

Quote

But also take into accountthat nylon does degrade with time.

Where does this come from? All the evidence I have seen indicates that parachutes are damaged most from handleing. Then from use, and expousre to UV, and time by itself has little or no effect on nylon

_________________________________________

Nullius in Verba

[riggermick 7]

Quote

Quote

But also take into accountthat nylon does degrade with time.

Where does this come from? All the evidence I have seen indicates that parachutes are damaged most from handleing. Then from use, and expousre to UV, and time by itself has little or no effect on nylon

If you wait several thousand years it will eventually break down without any outside influences. Maybe that is what he is refering to.

Mick.

[diablopilot 2]

Quote

Quote

Quote

But also take into accountthat nylon does degrade with time.

Where does this come from? All the evidence I have seen indicates that parachutes are damaged most from handleing. Then from use, and expousre to UV, and time by itself has little or no effect on nylon

If you wait several thousand years it will eventually break down without any outside influences. Maybe that is what he is refering to.

Mick.

Of course when you've been in the sport as long a Mick, that becomes a real concern.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[omerimsky 0]

thank you for your great contribution!

i hope i will not have to be wait a thousand years to take a new one

[omerimsky 0]

hi riggermick! how are you?
do you think that the reserve canopies which are achieved the Parachute Canopy Fabric Pull Test can be used regardless of their age? if you give some advice i would be appreciated..
thank you...

[riggermick 7]

If you wait several thousand years it will eventually break down without any outside influences. Maybe that is what he is refering to.

Mick.

[riggermick 7]

Quote

hi riggermick! how are you?
do you think that the reserve canopies which are achieved the Parachute Canopy Fabric Pull Test can be used regardless of their age? if you give some advice i would be appreciated..
thank you...

I'm not sure what you mean by achieved. Do you mean archived by chance? I feel that a pull test is always valid regardless of the canopys age.

Mick.

[sabrelover 0]

PIA and PD pull tests are a quick way to gauge fabric strength.
However, I wonder about some round reserves from the acid mesh era that have been pull-tested nine times per year. Every time you pull test fabric, you weaken it a little.

[TrickyDicky 0]

The reserve in my old rig is now 17 years old, and no complaints.
It even flew fine at 15 years old

UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

[omerimsky 0]

Hi ! mick,
can I use expert cypres in Mach III Alpha reserve canopy ?
Any trouble . . . ! ?
thanks
ömer

[lilchief 1]

In Norway reserves cannot be used any more when they are 20 years old.

It might be conservative, but it's a clue on how old it could be and still be safe.

"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return." - Da Vinci
www.lilchief.no

[billvon 3,049]

>But also take into accountthat nylon does degrade with time.

Some other issues:

With a very old canopy, the odds that you will have missed a service bulletin along the way increase. Also, newer designs have the benefit of decades more R+D than 20 year old designs.

[kenneth21441 0]

I guess I needed to spend more time on spelling it all out. In reference to the fact that nylon degrades with time.

In this I mean that every time you pack a parachute it is being worn (is that why PD has a chart to keep track of the repacks on the data plate), not including the UV light that the nylon is exposed to durning the years.
this does not even take into account if there is still a manual or if there are any needed changes.

Kenneth Potter
FAA Senior Parachute Rigger
Tactical Delivery Instructor (Jeddah, KSA)
FFL Gunsmith

[Cloudi 0]

Quote

Also, newer designs have the benefit of decades more R+D than 20 year old designs.

Huh?

Kim
Watch as I attempt, with no slight of hand, to apply logic and reason.

[rigger_john 0]

Quote

I guess I needed to spend more time on spelling it all out. In reference to the fact that nylon degrades with time.

In this I mean that every time you pack a parachute it is being worn (is that why PD has a chart to keep track of the repacks on the data plate), not including the UV light that the nylon is exposed to durning the years.
this does not even take into account if there is still a manual or if there are any needed changes.

And when I said . . .

Quote

parachutes are damaged most from handleing. Then from use, and expousre to UV, and time by itself has little or no effect on nylon

_________________________________________

Nullius in Verba

[billvon 3,049]

>>Also, newer designs have the benefit of decades more R+D than
>>20 year old designs.

>Huh?

Modern gear builds on everything that's been learned over the past 20 years. We know now that you have to set grommets really well, that 3 ring geometry is important, that riser reinforcement is a good idea, that spanwise reinforcement tapes add strength, that velcro wears out and sometimes does not get replaced. New gear takes all that into account, whereas some older gear did not.

[Cloudi 0]

Thanks for elaborating. I guessed that's what you meant, just wanted to be sure.

Kim
Watch as I attempt, with no slight of hand, to apply logic and reason.