First Rig Safety

[riggerrob 643]

JohnMitchell

******Get a reserve with at least one ride on it! that way you know it works! ahhahahahaha

For sale: reserve canopy, only used once, has some stains.

"never been opened"

.................................................................

That is so sick and twisted!

Many years ago, I was helping a rigger apprentice pack a Phantom into a Warp III container. I noticed several identical stains on the canopy. The stains were reddish and resembled little devil's heads ..... horns and all.
The apprentice explained that he had bought the rig from the widow of a guy who "bounced!"

[JohnMitchell 16]

Never forget it can happen. A good cautionary tale.

[riggerrob 643]

Another time, I was packing another Phantom into a Pilot Emergency Parachute. When I noticed some blood-coloured spots, I pointed them out to the customer and he replied "That's my blood."
Then he told a tale of snapping a wing off of a CAP aerobatic airplane and having the wing fold over top of the fuselage, shatter the canopy and whack him in the head. With the canopy gone, the route for bail-out was obvious.
He blamed the broken wing on a rough landing by a student at the flight school where he bought the CAP third-hand.

[JohnMitchell 16]

Some rigger got a nice bottle.

[jbrasher 1]

I would agree that an audible altimeter is a good addition.

The more points of reference you have (look at the ground, look at the altimeter, other people, etc) the better. Don't depend on just one thing.

You might try setting your audible altimeter 500' lower than your planned break off. Then if you hear it you know you're behind the curve. And you will be less likely to develop a dependency on it to tell you when to break off.

Red, White and Blue Skies,

John T. Brasher D-5166