Safety Line
Howdy
all,
42 cutaways this year to date! With a sport like ours, which is extremely gear dependent, and with most malfunctions caused by human error and not failure of the equipment, I find it difficult to understand why more attention is not paid to packing and maintenance of our gear.
History has shown that a malfunction of the main parachute is usually caused by packing errors, lack of gear checks or bad body position at the time of deployment.
Lets look at our stats year to date
Of the 42 cutaways, 28 are directly attributable to packing errors. 16 were packed by the people concerned i.e. own pack jobs and 12 were packed by other persons. 3 were due to the lack of gear checks prior to exit and one was due to body position.
With a little attention to detail, we should be able to eliminate a large proportion of our incidents. That’s a great result for doing something that we should already be paying attention to. I have attached a checklist for you to work through when inspecting your gear.
For those that use packers make a point of packing/ inspecting your own gear once in a while. Lack of gear checks before climbing on board and before exit is just irresponsible and stupid as you not only place yourself at risk but the aircraft, pilot and the other jumpers as well.
Well maintained serviceable gear should give you peace of mind when you exit through the door and allow you to concentrate on and enjoy your skydive.
Read through the checklist below and apply it to your gear –
How did you measure up?
Maintenance
Main
pilot chute handle secure
pilot chute fabric crisp and seams intact
pin smooth and securely attached to bridle
pilot chute collapsing system in good condition
top grommet on deployment bag not warped
stitches holding stow band loops not ravelled
pilot chute attachment point to canopy secure
no fabric damage or broken stitching
stitching on line attachment points and cascades secure
no damage to lines, especially steering lines at cascades and brake locking loops
no damage to slider material
slider grommets not warped, bent or worn through
no corroded or cracked metal connector links; links snug; connector link protectors intact
cloth connector links correctly assembled and not worn
no rust on rings or other hardware on risers
Brake System
no corrosion on keeper ring
stitching and webbing not worn
no strains on elastic keeper loops
Velcro on toggles not worn
toggles securely knotted
Harness and Container
no fabric damage or broken stitching
all Velcro still clings (riser covers, riser retainers, main pin cover flaps, leg strap pilot chute bridle mating)
grommets not deformed
remove cutaway cables and wipe clean (especially with hard cable housings)
reserve cable swage (ball on end of cable) secure
pilot chute pouch undamaged; elastic good
replace main closing loop (make extras while you’re at it)
reserve closing loop not worn; rigger should replace
Packing
brakes stowed
lines straight and untwisted
lines remain in centre of canopy throughout pack job (especially D and steering lines)
slider all the way up to stops and positioned correctly
rubber bands in good condition and the correct size
line stows the correct length and tight
enough line slack between bag and risers
closing loop in good condition and the correct length
washer present at knot of closing loop
collapsible pilot chute cocked
pilot chute bridle routed correctly
slack in bridle above pin so pin extracts freely
pilot chute folded correctly (per manufacturer’s instructions)
The Gear Check (Back to Front, Top to Bottom)
Reserve
AAD on
pin in place
closing loop in good condition
RSL routed correctly
seal and thread intact
ripcord moves freely through housing
Main
main pin seated in closing loop
pilot chute cocked (check window)
pilot chute bridle routed correctly
closing loop in good condition
pilot chute securely in pocket
pilot chute handle accessible
3-Ring Release
rings free of corrosion
only one ring through another
loop through smallest ring only
loop in good condition
loop goes through riser and then grommet at end of cable housing, then cable goes through the loop
Harness and Extras
chest strap threaded correctly through hardware
ripcord and cutaway handles in view, secure and easily accessible
leg straps and harness not twisted
leg straps threaded correctly through hardware and cinched tightly
all excess webbing stowed
altimeter zeroed
audible altimeter set
A list of rated parachute technicians is attached should you wish to avail of their services:
Name |
Phone No. |
E-Mail |
Rating # |
|
| Chris Dales |
082-414-4797 |
info@parachutesystems.co.za |
RM1E |
Master Rigger/Evaluator |
Ian "Boss Doug" Douglas |
083-680-5085 |
bossdoug@iafrica.com |
RM3E |
Master Rigger/Evaluator |
Gavin Abroue |
082-784-0879 |
gavinabroue@lantic.net |
RM6 |
Master Rigger |
Casper Greijling |
082-381-1991 |
Fax: 051-402-1622 |
RS7 |
Senior Rigger |
Kobus de Klerk |
082-335-3208 |
pianko@intekom.co.za |
RM8 |
Master Rigger |
André de Klerk |
082-335-3208 |
pianko@intekom.co.za |
RM9 |
Master Rigger |
Steve Bartels |
082-894-0794 |
saly@mweb.co.za |
RS16 |
Senior Rigger |
Wolfgang Gebetsroither |
082-254-0664 |
wolfgang@cyberpro.co.za |
RP30 |
Reserve Packer |
Long Pete Mauchan |
082-888-9681 |
lp@skydivecapetown.za.net |
RS32 |
Senior Rigger |
Manuel Cordeiro |
083-252-8720 |
manny@icarus.co.za |
RS55 |
Senior Rigger |
Andrew Doncaster |
084-506-8119 |
andy@offroadcrossing.co.za |
RM62 |
Master Rigger |
Erik Vliegenthart |
083-472-5448 |
erik@verticalsports.co.za |
RM68 |
Master Rigger |
Mark Elliott |
083-324-5695 |
mark@epe.co.za |
RP70 |
Reserve Packer |
Donavon Crerar |
082-882-9188 |
dcrerar@iafrica.com |
RS73 |
Senior Rigger |
Robert Verner |
083-653-3192 |
robv@iburst.co.za |
RP79 |
Reserve Packer |
Hardus Visser |
082-722-1153 |
vvissie@hotmail.com |
RP80 |
Reserve Packer |
Michael Nyman |
083-784-9966 |
michael@skydivekzn.co.za |
RP81 |
Reserve Packer |
Vernon Kloppers |
072-214-6040 |
vernon@skydivedurban.co.za |
RS83 |
Senior Rigger |
Francois Goosen |
082-924-0662 |
sky@wol.co.za |
RP85 |
Reserve Packer |
Safety remains everybody's
concern!
Mark Bellingan
National Safety & Training Officer
