Russian Paracommander

[Hammitt 0]

I started in 73 and as you said had about 50 jumps on cheapo's before I purchased a used PC. It was in a style rig with a 26' navy coni with a four line release. Pretty much a hot shit rig at that time. I bought a pair of Para boots, but didn't really need them. I had Andy Werbeck short line it for me after I had about 50 jumps on it and started wearing nike's instead of the para boots.

I weighed about 170 and usually did nice tippy toe stand ups as long as the wind wasn't too high. I did have a few back up landings when the winds came up, which was normal for Yolo in the afternoon, and as was said in one of the other responses, that's why we wore hard hats back then.

It's funny how jumping rounds made a pretty good spotter out of you.

[stratostar 5]

The point was not to give some kiddie a thrill, it was so Steve could stand in the landing area and watch to see if said kid pounded in or not, it don't take a rocket engineer to decide a pounding or not a pounding, comp pc's land like shit you better be in the pit! That is what it was made for..... This one has a mod to "see" if it will fly like a MK-1, sure sound like a good time for a "test pilot" to me......






Hey kid, hold my beer and watch this while I video...

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[SteveSwann 0]

I'm about 165 lbs out of the shower, DZ is at sea level and I used to standup my old Mk11 most of the time.
Think I'll leave it until the autumn though -- a bit too hot, bumpy and breezy around here at the moment for other than a square.
I'll bang on the French boots and it'll be deja vu all over again.
I'll let you know how it goes.

[SteveSwann 0]

I'm probably going to put the Russian PC into a new Telesis built to accomodate a new 300 Parfoil 2000 a mate of mine has ordered. Hope it fits. A question about locating the steering toggles on the risers. They used be on the back of the front risers -- running directly up into the centre of the canopy. Anyone had any experience or problems with locating them on the back of the rear risers? I'm told the Russians used to have them there on the UT-15s.

[pchapman 279]

I've had no problem with toggles on rear risers on one PC (as I mentioned earlier that I did). There's some rubbing of the 550 cord on the riser, as it goes from the back towards the center of the canopy where all the brake cascades are. It made sense (less rubbing) to route them to the inside of the risers rather than around the outside.

It seems no big deal if one is only putting a handful of jumps on it per year. Still, it's a simple rigging job to put a couple rings and velcro on the back of the front risers.

[edit] I checked my photos from this summer when Beatnik jumped his original UT-15 canopy & harness system for the first time. It has the toggles on the back of the front risers, FWIW.

[JerryBaumchen 1,354]

Hi Peter,

Quote

put a couple rings and velcro

Why Velcro? It is a ram-air 'thing' and was not used on P/C steering lines/risers.

I would just install the rings; they have very little or no tension on them during opening and/or flying.

JerryBaumchen

[pchapman 279]

You're right Jerry. For a more authentic old style, you need hard toggles of some sort, like thick dowel, right?
And then what was traditional, stow them in an elastic keeper band?

[JerryBaumchen 1,354]

Hi Peter,

A dowel about 3/4" diameter always seemed to work. Also, 5/8" worked; don't go larger IMO.

No stowing, just let them dangle. Actually, they did not dangle, just stayed in place or with very slight tension, if the brakes were adjusted correctly.

JerryBaumchen

[SteveSwann 0]

Toggles on PCs and all high performance rounds were always stowed in elastic keepers in our part of the world. In fact, a fatality at a Sydney drop zone in 1970 was down to an unstowed toggle. See attached telegram (now that's a blast from the past) from the then Australian Parachute Federation national safety officer.

[Bob3 0]

I realize this is an ancient thread but I just have to know... does anybody remember how the jump went??

C-14885

[SteveSwann 0]

Bob – sadly the jump never happened. I had already dislocated my left shoulder in freefall three times in the two years leading up to all this, as well as twice under canopy when it popped out at about 1,000 ft. I had major shoulder reconstruction surgery and, after going through a couple of years rehab, I went back jumping despite my surgeon's advice. I was only doing hop and pops on my square - no rw as that would just pull the shoulder out again.
I actually had the PC out at Lower Light DZ and packed for a test fit into a tandem rig on the day when I dislocated it again – on landing my square in the pit. I decided it was too risky to go on jumping and sadly gave it away. The Russian PC is still in my garage and I'm aiming to get someone younger to give it in airing some time.