Why the holes in the chute?
- Thread starter beasly
- Start date
With the C-9 round canopy chute, its known as a 4-line release. Prevents the chute from oscillating or swaying, and allows some form of steering, although not as much as a sport chute would have. Only time you wouldn't perform the 4-line release to open the panels would be for any kind of chute malfunction thats noticed when one goes through the step of checking the canopy following deployment.
beasly
Well-Known Member
So, the holes are a deliberate decision by the jumper?
This brings up the subject of checklists...jumpers have em?
As explained previously.
For us in jets, post-ejection, the checkist was pretty standard:
Canopy (check for condition/malfunctions)
Visor (helmet visor down or up)
Mask (disconnect from visor and CRU-60 and discard)
Seat Kit (deploy it on its lanyard to drop below you)
LPUs (inflate if wearing them and going into water)
4-Line release (initiate if no chute malfunctions)
Steer (to a good landing point)
Prepare (to land, get sight picture, prepare for PLF)
beasly
Well-Known Member
Awesome....
one by one...if you feel like explaining...
1. Canopy (check for condition/malfunctions)
haven't you just ejected and are now in a parachute?
My guess is probably not and this is what you are supposed to do just before you cr-p your pants and pull the "whatever".
2..
3...
4..
5..
6..
7..
8 what is a PLF?
The explanation is whats between the ()! You planning on bailing out from an ejection seat jet anytime soon?
1. check for malfunctions of the chute itself.....a line over, broken lines, broken panels, etc....anything that will prevent you from doing the four-line release.
2. helmet visor, down if you're going to go into trees, up or down if not
3. Mask, discard. Dont need it cutting your face with its buckles, etc.
4. Seat Kit, deploy it so its no longer resting against your body and so it hangs 20' below you; also serves as an indicator of when the ground is coming up when it touches down.
5. LPU, life preserver. Self explanatory
6. Four line- do it if no canopy malfunctions as mentioned above. Otherwise don't. No need to put more holes in canopy.
7. Steer- Self explanatory. Put yourself into the wind if possible and land in somewhere good.
8. Prepare- if you're going to go into trees, through powerlines, into water. Parachute Landing Fall once you impact.....fall correctly so as to spread out the impact forces. Basically, impact and roll through it. Unlike square chutes, you can't steer and flare to a nice walk when you touchdown. A PLF takes care of the impact forces.
jrh
Well-Known Member
MikeD explained it from a military perspective.
In the civilian sport jumping world, the common checklist after deployment is, "It's there, square, and steerable." At least those were the checks I was always taught.
"It's there" = It actually deployed. Sounds obvious, but there are certain malfunctions which might prevent the canopy from even coming out of the bag.
"It's square" = No lineovers, broken lines, etc. that would noticeably deform the canopy.
"It's steerable" = The jumper can turn in both directions and has enough control authority to flare and make a safe landing.
Pretty basic, but if you can't answer "yes" to those three statements, it's probably time for the reserve canopy to come out.
The Fez
Analog Millennial
You're going to have to worry more about the SPORTS acronym than Canopy, Visor, Mask, Seatkit, LPU..., nowadays brother.
fish314
Well-Known Member
That only matters if you make it to the ground!
(SPORTS is the acronym to clear a malfunction in your pistol.. SLAP the magazine in to make sure it is seated properly, PULL the upper receiver to eject a jammed round or enable one to OBSERVE that the chamber is clear of obstructions, RELEASE the upper receiver to chamber a new round, and squeeze the TRIGGER. I forget what the last "S" stands for, though).
fish314
Well-Known Member
Also, if you eject and the first step "canopy" isn't going well... there is no reserve chute to fall back on. If "canopy" isn't happening, you've got your whole life left to figure it out!
Thats the bare-facts truth right there!
The Fez
Analog Millennial
Hacker15e
Who am I? Where are my pants?
To be fair, the holes in that chute are NOT a 4-line release -- those are either blown out panels or panels taken out to provide the same purpose as a 4-line release (keeps oscillation down and provides some forward thrust.
A 4-line release results in a non-circular-shaped base to the chute, and a slight ballooned-out portion at the back of the canopy.
A 4-line release results in a non-circular-shaped base to the chute, and a slight ballooned-out portion at the back of the canopy.
Mach.12
Well-Known Member
That's a -1B or -1C model. The hole in the top is to allow air to escape and keep the chute upright. The holes in the back are for forward movement. They're not blown or you would see the torn strips flapping. If I remember from my jumpmaster days both the -1 models have about 12??? knots of forward thrust (no wind) and are steerable by toggles that you pull to change the shape of the chute. The difference was that the -1C model had some sort of coating that allowed for a slower decent speed and I think made it more effective in rain. The more common T10 model (which only has the hole on top) has 5 or 6??? knots of forward thrust and is not really steerable, but you can pull a riser to change your body's orientation to the ground to say, prevent a backward landing or to try to land on the opposite side of your weapon. Can't speak for the use in other services, but these are static line chutes in the Army, meaning there is a line that actually pulls your main chute out within a four second count from 1000AGL at about 100 knots indicated; that's in training. Never jumped in combat, but heard war stories of the Rangers bailing at 400-500 AGL over Panama and the 173rd jumping at 600 over Iraq. If you hit four thousand and havent felt the opening shock, then you pull the reserve and hope for the best. Back in the old days when I was in an airborne unit, the only folks using the -1 model were special units (Special Forces, Long Range Surv, Combat Camera etc) who did not do as many mass tactical (battalion sized) operations...can't have a couple hundred privates over the DZ trying to steer themselves around in order to prevent mid-air collisions the T10 was used so that generally everyone decends on a uniform course. Also the T10 has a faseter decent speed so you get more guns on the ground quicker.
Also, one of the things you don't see in this picture it the 100lbs of rucksack and weapon strapped to the jumper. Which is why paratroopers are a special breed.
Also, one of the things you don't see in this picture it the 100lbs of rucksack and weapon strapped to the jumper. Which is why paratroopers are a special breed.