Pilot Chute Differences

[theplummeter 15]

I'm in the process of changing canopies and have my container torn apart right now. I have been borrowing rigs from friends or using student gear at the dropzone and recently got a good look at a Precision kill line pilot chute. The bridle is much thinner than the one on my container (mine has no label so I'm assuming it's the one that came from Velocity). It's much smoother to cock and easier to fold when packing the pilot chute. Mine seems large and crunchy by comparison. Both are kill line ZP and 28 inches.

I guess I'm wondering if it's worth the money to replace right now and how others, specifically Cazer, compare to the Precision. My rigger has said the current pilot chute is airworthy, but it can't hurt to think about replacing it either.

[theonlyski 8]

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I'm in the process of changing canopies and have my container torn apart right now. I have been borrowing rigs from friends or using student gear at the dropzone and recently got a good look at a Precision kill line pilot chute. The bridle is much thinner than the one on my container (mine has no label so I'm assuming it's the one that came from Velocity). It's much smoother to cock and easier to fold when packing the pilot chute. Mine seems large and crunchy by comparison..

The bridle or the PC?

If your kill line has a bunch of jumps on it, it's not uncommon for them to be a little more difficult to cock. As for the PC, if it's a ZP, they last a long time. Most people order ZP pilotchutes nowdays.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
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[theplummeter 15]

The bridle is the "crunchy" part. It's difficult for me to describe the differences but it's almost like his bridle is vectran or spectra and mine is dried out dacron. My bridle is much wider and thicker.

[jakee 1,498]

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I guess I'm wondering if it's worth the money to replace right now

Well that's up to you, innit?

Sounds like there's nothing actually wrong with it, so the only question is whether you want to spend money on a different type of bridle you prefer handling during packing.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Divalent 137]

I'm no expert (at all!) on this stuff, but it seems to me there isn't a possible safety issue here (e.g., if the kill line breaks, your PC still works, but just doesn't collapse after closing). And it strikes me as something you inspect every time you pack and can have it done at any time (as opposed to something in your reserve compartment). Worse case is you have to make a few jumps with a non collapsable PC until your rigger gets the time to install a new one. (Or you make do with something you've decided you just don't like until your rigger can get to it.)

Personally, I'd invest the money in more jumps; but that's just me. (And if this is a starter rig, how long before you trade up?)