Canopy manufacturers who market/sell to the the military

[andrewstewart 0]

Does anyone know which canopy manufacturers market and sell their sport products or dedicated products to the military? (and which dont).

What do people feel about giving money to companies who are involved with that type of market?

Just wondering.

- A

[Samurai136 0]

Sunpath, Performance Designs, Atair all make products for the military.

I jump sunpath's javelin(s) and have a PD reserves and main canopies are built by PD.

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What do people feel about giving money to companies who are involved with that type of market?

Actually it is the sport skydiving market that is piggy backed on the military market. If you had a choice of who you were selling gear to who would you pick? 1)A customer who's estate may sue you if they are hurt or killed or a customer who has limited/no right to sue?
2)Would you like a customer who orders product in specific colors one at a time and complains a lot or a customer who orders hunderds or thousands of rigs all at once and doesn't care if the gear is black or OD Green?

Ken

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[indyz 1]

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Does anyone know which canopy manufacturers market and sell their sport products or dedicated products to the military? (and which dont).

Atair Aerospace, Flight Concepts, Strong Enterprises, and others. The Golden Knights use Javelin containers. I'm sure many other manufactures pursue military contracts.

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What do people feel about giving money to companies who are involved with that type of market?

Doesn't bother me. It doesn't bother me that the Dow Chemical Company makes napalm, either, although the use of napalm a la Vietnam does.

[quade 4]

How do you feel about using the internet?

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[andrewstewart 0]

Just to be clear, I'm not passing judgement. I am actually legitimately interested in people's opinions on the topic as it just occured to me.

I know that some people won't work for Boeing and so on. I certainly take your point Quade about the Internet, as many technologies have their roots in what were first military applications.

I suppose I was interested to know if there was anyone who actively sought out specific manufacturers who weren't involved in military sales specifically, on personal ethical grounds.

- A

[LouDiamond 1]

Para Flight makes a majority of the HALO rigs, canopies, O2 systems,containers and other accessories for military HALO operations that are actually used by the military. All other manufactuers may make a military line but that doesn't mean it is in use by the US military. Civillian equipment is used mainly by instructors and parachute teams and is purchased in the same way that you purchase your gear, which is designed for sport application only .

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[Shark 0]

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How do you feel about using the internet?

Well, I wish Gore would come out with Internet 2.0!

[NightJumper 0]

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Does anyone know which canopy manufacturers market and sell their sport products or dedicated products to the military?

Jump Shack (AKA Parachute Labs.) makes the Nighthawk and Blackhawk military canopies. They also make military tactacal containers and tandem systems.

[Chrisky 0]

If that a person was consequent, it shouldn't even use the Internet, as it evolved from the DARPANET.
The Internet is the only good relic of the cold war.
EDIT: Ok, i'll read ALL posts before posting myself! Sorry

The mind is like a parachute - it only works once it's open.
From the edge you just see more.
... Not every Swooper hooks & not every Hooker swoops ...

[docparafrog 0]

You have got to be kidding.....How do you feel about GPS, VORTAC, VOR-DME, Air traffic, and most new advances in science/ medicine. Only a fool would not use important advances simply because they were developed or used by the military.

[mjosparky 4]

Just about every major equipment manufacture both in the U.S. and around the world produce something that is sold to the military. Para-Flite, as Scott mentioned, has almost quit the sport market. It is owned by a European company, Airborne Systems. Airborne consists of Irvin-GQ, AML, Para-Flite, Irvin and Irvin-Canada. They make everything form cargo air delivery systems to canopies for ejection seat head boxes.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[Kolla 0]

Complete Parachute Solutions caters to the military market, with fairly "sporty" set ups, although adapted to the needs of the military (including search & rescue teams).

http://www.cpsworld.com/

Blue Skies Magazine

[nightjumps 1]

Virtually every manufacturer of every country pursues not only U.S. military contracts, but other international military contracts as well.

I feel fine about giving them my money for two reasons, 1) I'm not buying a rig in support of their military contracts, I'm giving them my money for my rig, 2) more folks jumping anywhere in the world means more future skydivers, which means more folks to jump with, which means more boogies, which means more turbine aircraft, which means...

[Jimbo 0]

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2) more folks jumping anywhere in the world means more future skydivers, which means more folks to jump with, which means more boogies, which means more turbine aircraft, which means...

More folks jumping also means more feedback to the manufacturers, also a Good Thing.

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[andrewstewart 0]

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You have got to be kidding.....How do you feel about GPS, VORTAC, VOR-DME, Air traffic, and most new advances in science/ medicine. Only a fool would not use important advances simply because they were developed or used by the military.

No, I wasn't kidding. I don't think it was an unreasonable question to ask, and I'm sure there are people out there who do everything they can not to give money to those companies. Calling those people a fool for that decision seems harsh.

[sburkart 0]

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Para-Flite, as Scott mentioned, has almost quit the sport market.

Speaking of Para-Flite, Buy-it-now!

No Advertising in the Forums

[tribalflyer 0]

Check out CPS - http://www.cpsworld.com/

[sdctlc 0]

I think you will find most of the companies that make sport gear are involved in some way with militatry or similar contracts. I dont believe that the sport market alone will support a company to produce and conduct R&D on parachuting equiptment.

To address your second question, it does not bother me in the least either. I think if you dig around with almost any industry thhey are going to be involved in some way with something that you may not be pleased with or are against.

Scott C.

"He who Hesitates Shall Inherit the Earth!"

[firediver 0]

well lets see....I'm not in a japanese territory, nor one ruled by Nazi Germany, nor by a muslim extremist. I can vote, my wife and daughter can too, as well as drive and show their face in public. So, yeah, I'm ok with supporting businesses that deal in military contracts. Good damn thing they do too. Sometimes bad decisions get made, but I have the choice to live in freedom or to choose not too somewhere else. I'm ok with it.

Skydiving isn't scary;...but clowns...CLOWNS are scary!

[kmcguffee 0]

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What do people feel about giving money to companies who are involved with that type of market?

The military isn't "bad", it's a necessity. It provides security for the country and serves as a deterrent to foreign attacks. It can be used in a "bad" way or for "bad" purposes. I wouldn't boycott something just because they sell to the military. That seems extremely stupid.

"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin

[docparafrog 0]

You are so right, calling people foolish is a little ...harsh. I think your idea about not using a sky diving product simply because the military is some how involved is extremely stupid.

Your sky diving is made possible by the sacrifice made by people serving in the military. You need to think about what you are trying to say and find the proper place to say it, this is not it. This is not an anti military web site.

[skybytch 273]

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This is not an anti military web site.

It's not a pro military website either. He has every right to post his opinion here, just like you and I do.

Since this is the Gear and Rigging forum, let's try real hard to keep the thread from going off into the realm of politics. Thanks.

[mjosparky 4]

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This is not an anti military web site.

It's not a pro military website either. He has every right to post his opinion here, just like you and I do.

Since this is the Gear and Rigging forum, let's try real hard to keep the thread from going off into the realm of politics. Thanks.

Isn't his question by it's very nature in the realm of politics and not about Skydiving gear or rigging? jmho

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[skybytch 273]

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Isn't his question by it's very nature in the realm of politics and not about Skydiving gear or rigging? jmho

Good point.

[quade 4]

And that's how I got hooked into responding to Shark the way I did, then I posted the message, read it and realized where I was, so I edited on a little front message to the Mod Squad to have them move it to Talk Back. In retrospect, I should have had them move the entire thread.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver