If you are going to do what Don has written below, I would highly suggest
that you follow Don's and Rich's suggestions to go thru a parachute jump
course and make a tandem jump before "trying out" your emergency reserve.

2500 feet above the ground in free fall isn't a very good place to learn
how to deal with malfunctions.

If you want to feel that you are getting something for your repacks, I
would suggest that you "practice" with your parachute rigger when you
bring the reserve in for re-packing. Every time I take my emergency
reserve in, I go thru the actions that I would do if I had to bail
out, including actually pulling the rip cord, and safely getting out
of the parachute once on the ground. (release chest strap, then leg straps)
Releasing the straps in the other order could spoil your day on a windy day.
(the chest strap could get stuck under your throat)

My rigger (Alan Silver) has come up with scenarios like you broke your
arm on bail-out, so you have to do everything with the other arm. Then,
(at least in Alan's shop) it's always windy on landing, so you have to
know how to deflate the parachute on landing. (Grab one side of the
shroud lines and keep pulling them in)

In flying we do all kinds of things to maintain our currency, it makes
sense to maintain the currency of the bail-out proceedures also.
(although jumping with only an emergency reserve isn't something I want
to do unless forced)

Edward Zager Focke Wulf 149JZ

In article <fmZp8.7531$ml2.596183@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net>, "don mayer" <donibird@earthlink.net> writes:
|> Many pilots have asked this same question Bob. If you really want to bail
|> out of an aircraft and try your chute, I would suggest a large open area
|> field preferably just plowed, far away from reporting eyes, it makes for a
|> softer landing. Use a dual airplane, i.e. Citabria, take the door off, have
|> the back seat pilot hold the aircraft steady, upwind of the landing area,
|> and jump. Your altitude should be around 2,500 feet. Pull the ripcord as
|> soon as your clear of the aircraft. I am assuming the chute your using is
|> steerable, land into the wind, feet and knees together. I have had only two
|> pilots do this (I forget their names) , and both did just fine. The
|> parachute works. This must be called an emergency jump, otherwise if it is
|> intentional you must wear a dual parachute system.
|>
|> Round parachutes of every description were used from the 1950's to the early
|> 1970's. Granted we would carry a backup chute, but that was mostly because
|> the non rigger jumper packed his own chute and not a Parachute Rigger. With
|> about 500 jumps on a round chute, I had problems on just one jump, a line
|> over, and I landed ok. It was when I started into the early high performance
|> canopies that I had to use my reserve more often than I wanted to.
|>
|> Make sure after you land to gather up your chute very carefully and it must
|> be keep clean or the rigger will not pack it again. Good luck.
|> --
|> Don Mayer
|> Parachute Shop
|> Pepperell, Ma 01463
|> 1-978-433-8550
|> E-Mail: donmayer@parachuteshop.com
|>
|> "Rich Stowell" <rich@richstowell.com> wrote in message
|> news:77e002cf.0203291857.1bbde8ef@posting.google.com...
|> > Bob Esser <esser@nrl.navy.mil> wrote in message
|> news:<3CA4D18F.2030907@nrl.navy.mil>...
|> > > Since I am getting into aerobatics, I will be looking into buying my own
|> > > parachute at some time in the near future. This is a good and necessary
|> > > expense. However, I would like to get more than just peace of mind out
|> > > of the repacking costs every 120 days. What I would like to do is be
|> > > able to jump with the chute just before the expiration. I think this
|> > > would make me a bit safer since I would have confidence in the chute and
|> > > be experienced in actually jumping.
|> > >
|> > > The problem is, most of the aerobatics chutes are reserve parachutes
|> > > only and apparently not recommended to jump in. I find this a bit
|> > > bothersome since their sole purpose is to save your life by jumping with
|> > > them.
|> > >
|> > > Are there rigs that allow dual use as a light duty recreational
|> > > parachute and as a full time aerobatics safety parachute?
|> > >
|> > > I am not looking to do precision jumps, just land in the general
|> > > vicinity of the DZ. I noticed that even aerobatic chutes are sometimes
|> > > advertised as having controllability.
|> > >
|> > > Maybe I am just hoping for too much, but, if I buy and maintain a
|> > > parachute, I would like to at least use it.
|> > >
|> > > Thanks for any suggestions.
|> > >
|> >
|> > > Bob Esser
|> >
|> >
|> > The problem is this:
|> >
|> > When skydiving, you jump with two chutes -- a main (which you can
|> > repack yourself afterwards) AND a reserve chute (which must be
|> > repacked every 120 days by an approved/certified rigger).
|> >
|> > As you noted, the chute you wear in an aerobatic airplane is a reserve
|> > chute only. No main chute as part of the package. No intentional
|> > skydives with it because there is no back-up.
|> >
|> > In fact, if you really think about it, in an aerobatic airplane the
|> > airplane itself is your "main," and so if you have to cut away from
|> > your main, you have one and only one shot left -- the
|> > reserve/emergency chute.
|> >
|> > I'd recommend taking a tandem jump or even an accelerated free fall
|> > (AFF) course to see what it's like to bail out of an airplane, use the
|> > chute. etc. In that case, you will have two chutes on your back --
|> > main and reserve -- vs. the reserve only as your aerobatic "emergency
|> > chute."
|> >
|> > In some cases, you can--with appropriate training--get an
|> > "emergency/aerobatic" reserve chute that is rectangular/ram air chute
|> > (instead of the basic round canopy), fully steerable. But you'd still
|> > only have one chute in the bag...
|> >
|> > Rich
|> > http://www.richstowell.com
|> >
|>
|>

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