Canadian guided parachute delivery solutions-

[smiles 0]

crosspost from chat@cspa

"auto deploying, GPS guided, square parachute that always flares fully while always landing into the wind"
http://www.mmist.ca/

the new Sherpa ManPack has all the features, accuracy and reliability built into a new compact system to autonomously navigate and steer a parachutist to his target.
With its built in servo motors this unit completely manages the flight profile, freeing the jumper up for mission management. After exiting the aircraft and normal parachute deployment the jumper connects the control lines to the steering toggles. The Sherpa ManPack initiates navigation after the activation pin is removed. Based on waypoint and wind information the Sherpa then calculates the optimal flight path for mission success.

During flight Sherpa ManPack continuously re-calculates the flight path based on updated winds speeds calculated from its GPS track over the ground. The hands free operation has the added benefit of minimizing the thermal exposure of the operators hands. The control line coupling to the steering lines allow the jumper to take over at any time.

The ability to navigate in any weather conditions and at night and place the jumper within 100m of this mission target ensures mission success.

Canadian MMIST company (Ottawa) placed ad in local paper:

"MMIST REQUIRES A Licensed B Parachute Rigger Candidate must have at least 5 yrs. of related exp., with packing & repairing ram-air & round canopies & their associated components. Canopies will range in size from 100-1200 sq. ft. Previous training exp erience is required. Ability to travel internationally is mandatory. Experience with international military organizations would be an asset. MMIST is an Ottawa-based company specializing in guided parachute delivery systems, including unmanned aerial vehicles. MMIST has recently doubled in size & expects this growth to continue. Please send resumes to: patricia@mmist.ca or fax 613-723-8925. "

SMiles

[mr2mk1g 10]

jeez when will the military realise that techonolgy will never replace proper training. Besides, the military would not let anyone jump this who has not also been trained to work the parachute should it malfunction.... so why have it?

I can see this package will be great for delivering air-droppable supplies and equipment, (if they can solve the whole connecting up the toggles problem) but what does it solve for inserting personel? Ok it frees your arms up to what... shoot? Your a sitting duck anyway - shoulda opened lower. Its not like you have to map-read, its got GPS, besides you shoulda got a better spot. Awww, you get cold fingers when you use the toggles... buy some damn golves!

[TheJokergs 0]

actually combat drops happen at about 750 to 500 feet . under a round canopie your not in the air very long, and at night its really hard to see paratroopers floating down to you, so sitting duck ain't the best description.

but i could see this as a useful device if they wanted to steer something big from a high altitude, maybe a truck or motorcycle equipment for special forces or something like that.

[mr2mk1g 10]

Yeah I know that.... thats exactly my point.

With this system you would have to be under an open canopy (a square not a round) much higher, otherwise there's no point to having it controlable and run by GPS.

Therefore with this system, you stick yourself on a big, slow ass canopy way up in the air. Why the fuck would you want to do that?

Combat drop under a round at 750 suddenly seems like a much better idea, esp when that system doesnt have a million $ worth of computer system guiding it about the sky to get shot at.

[Jimbo 0]

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jeez when will the military realise that techonolgy will never replace proper training. Besides, the military would not let anyone jump this who has not also been trained to work the parachute should it malfunction.... so why have it?

Think about the bigger pictures, sure, it's nifty that they built a parachute that can drop a man where he needs to be. Now they've got a parachute system that can drop almost anything where it needs to be, food, supplies, weapons, etc... Think they're going to put a human under a 1200 sq/ft parachute?

-
Jim

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

[mr2mk1g 10]

Can I quote myself?

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I can see this package will be great for delivering air-droppable supplies and equipment, (if they can solve the whole connecting up the toggles problem)...

[Blahr 0]

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The ability to navigate in any weather conditions and at night and place the jumper within 100m of this mission target ensures mission success.

100 meters? I wouldnt trust my life to something that couldnt even qualify for an A license

[gulaz 1]

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100 meters? I wouldnt trust my life to something that couldnt even qualify for an A license

100 meters is damn good, considering it controls a ram-air canopy, with a computer... Think about it, everytime you jump, you know what ground winds are like, and you can easily asses your drift. All it has to go by is how its moving over the ground, according to GPS... sure, it can make a good guess, but I dont think that 100m accuracy is too bad for a computer...

[riggerrob 643]

Sounds like this is the first man-rated auto pilot for a parachute.
.. and it sounds like it is more accurate than the guided parachute systems that Para-Flite, Pioneer, GQ Security, etc. have been developing for the last 20 years.
May be I will send them my resume. Hmmm!

[LouDiamond 1]

As riggerrob mentioned, this is an old project. Many companies have been trying to get this one to work for a long time. While this one differs in that it allows the pilot to fly HIS canopy hands free it sounds like it is based on the same concept as all the others. As to the question of it's practicality that is always up for debate but I will guess that if you think a pair of gloves is all one needs on real High Altitude HAHO then you have never done one from 24k or higher. No matter how much you have on, your hands will always get cold and your legs go numb. One of the ways we used to get around it and be able to use our hands and steer was a simple "JOE" fix. Once under canopy we would attach a carabiner to each toggle that had a piece of tubular nylon on it and place our feet in the "stirrups". This allowed us to make minor corrections or stay on heading while working a NAV board or just warming out hands.

As for the other systems, I have used one that allowed you to control a bundle canopy while you were under your own canopy all the way to the ground and land relatively close to the parachutist. The landing part was always the interesting part as was the beacon mode which would call the chute right to the beacon, sometimes crushing it or causing people to run around to avoid the bundle.

I don't think there will ever be a fool proof version of this IMO. As for just using it to drop /guide bundles goes I think the big problem is what happened when we dropped supplies to the Kurds. Once they figured out there was food and goodies on those things falling from the sky they would run to them as they descended and subsequently a few of them landed on people. The retro rockets issue is another story unto itself, they fire to soon and you have a pallet of stuff falling from a pretty good height and the contents either explode all over the place or are damaged and useless. The opposite is they fire too late and the same thing happens.

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