Loading to the limit

[atsaubrey 0]

I have purchased a military MT-1XX rig with the 370 ft2 canopies. These rigs/canopies are rated to 360 lbs @ 150 knots. My question is this...how many people load their equipment to the max? One of the riggers doing the work on my rig showed some concern about me loading it to the full 360 lbs. He didnt say dont jump it...just some concern with someone loading the equipment to the max rating. should i be concerned or jump till my hearts content? "Scotty's accident (although not anything due to equipment) really has me thinking maybe i should give the sport up. Should i be concerned? Will this big bitch take care of me?

"GOT LEAD?"

[NightJumper 0]

We use the MT-1XX for our SAR team and load them to the max all of the time (over 500 tactical jumps). I jump one with a 75lb canine and ruck sack. We did send them to Para Flight to be inspected prior to use since they were given to us by the military.

[riggerrob 643]

Your rigger was just urging caution.
Junior jumpers should never load parachutes to manufacturer's maximum recommended weight limits because they lack the skills required for consistent soft landings.
On the other hand, by the time you have 500 jumps on the parachute, you will have the skills, but the F-111 fabric will start to "tire" and the parachute will not land as softly.
In comparison, Strong tandem equipment is rated for 600 pounds suspended weight, but I don't know any civilian tandem instructors who routinely jump at those weights. My experience had been that exceeding 450 - 480 pounds is harder than I am willing to work.

[mjosparky 4]

The canopy I gave you has very few jumps on it and will take your out the door weight without problems. If the reserve is in good shape you will be OK.
Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[billvon 3,008]

>should i be concerned or jump till my hearts content?

I would say both. Overloading gear can lead to a few problems:

-Overweighting a system stresses it in two ways: it increases freefall speed, which adds stress during opening, and it increases stress during opening due purely to the additional weight. This has become a factor during freeflying, since most gear is not designed to deploy at freefly speeds, and reserves have blown up when deployed at the higher speeds.

-Adding weight can increase required maintenance on gear, since many wear items are worn faster by higher opening speeds and heavier loads.

That being said, many people do overload/exceed the limits of their gear without serious problems, providing they maintain it well. Most skydiving gear is tested well outside its operational limits, so there's a bit of margin (although you can't rely on it.) It does add an element of risk, but especially if you are simply loading it to its design limits (i.e. not exceeding the recommended limits) it's not a massive decrease in safety. Primarily it's just something to keep in mind if you gain 20 pounds, or are considering if you should put off that line-set replacement for another 30 jumps or so.

>Scotty's accident (although not anything due to equipment) really
>has me thinking maybe i should give the sport up.

That's up to you. If you jump long enough, you will see friends of yours die right in front of you. Usually it will be due to a mistake they make, but sometimes it's due to someone else's mistake, or even no mistake at all (i.e. gear failure.) It would be a good idea to decide now if you are willing to deal with that if and when it happens.

[mjosparky 4]

Quote

>should i be concerned or jump till my hearts content?

I would say both. Overloading gear can lead to a few problems:

The MT-1X and the MC-4 rigs are tested to standards far above those of most sports gear.
Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals