RESERVE PARACHUTE REPACK
Annual Reserve Repack Thursday 7th Feb 2019 7.00pm - 10.00pm
ANTRIM FORUM, Lough Road, Antrim. BT41 4DQ
One of the highest attendances ever to the repack - 22 eager pilots with sore knees next day after grovelling around on the floor consulting manuals, scratching heads and folding canopies and lines after a practice deployment from a swinging, spinning rope suspended from the rafters!
Why do we do this?
1.Familiarise ourselves with the position of the reserve handle
I recommend on every flight, that you take 2 seconds to locate and grab the reserve handle, this will create muscle memory, and in the event of having to throw, it will make things much easier
2.Prevent velcro lock
Velcro can in some cases bond together, if it hasn't been separated for a long period of time
3.To check, when handle is pulled, that pins/plastic tabs disengage and the reserve and inner bag is hanging from the handle
If pins/plastic tabs don't release, then reserve will not deploy. On some occasions pulling the handle, the inner bag will come away from the reserve, this results in either reserve left in reserve compartment(bad) or the reserve been deployed(not as bad).The reason you want to have reserve and inner bag hanging from handle, is so you can throw the reserve away from the paraglider, to prevent any entanglement
4.Throw
If your glider is spinning around you, aim to throw behind the trailing edge of the glider, it is the action of throwing which deploys the reserve, remember to let go of the reserve handle! you can assist the opening of the reserve by tugging on the bridle. (You will have the opportunity to practice throwing your reserve parachute, hanging from a long rope attached near the roof of the centre).
5.Once your reserve is open, disable your glider to prevent entanglement with the reserve
By repacking your reserve, you will become more familiar with it, you understand how it works. Hopefully you will have more confidence in it. You may come across unknown problems, Why is it stained? did my harness get a soaking at anytime, should i have checked the reserve, let it dry out and repack it again.
When you pull the handle, does the reserve release smoothly? or do you have to really pull to get it to release, maybe its worth checking what is preventing the smooth release.
This event is a chance to practice deploying your reserve, as above. If you're not happy, repack and deploy again, talk to others who may have more experience in this field.
Handy things to have for a repack:
Reserve parachute handbook
Harness handbook
strimmer wire
Long shoelace
adjustable wrench
elastic bands
Your normal flying gloves and helmet for practice deployment.