buzi 0 #1 October 6, 2006 I was just told by a tandem instructor (not a rigger) that the material on reserves deteriorates after a while (he said something 10 repacks), and that they should be replaced after about 5-6 years (repack in canada is ervery six months). I haven't since talked to my rigger, and was just curious if any one has input. Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewEckhardt 0 #2 October 6, 2006 Quote I was just told by a tandem instructor (not a rigger) that the material on reserves deteriorates after a while (he said something 10 repacks), and that they should be replaced after about 5-6 years (repack in canada is ervery six months). I haven't since talked to my rigger, and was just curious if any one has input. Thanks PD requires their reserves to be sent in for a factory inspection & permeability testing after 25 uses or 40 repacks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tonto 1 #3 October 6, 2006 PD requires their reserves to be sent in for a factory inspection & permeability testing after 25 uses or 40 repacks. I started jumping in the days before ZP, and we did 100's of jumps on that type of canopy. I think 10 repacks is a bit paranoid. tIt's the year of the Pig. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Martini 0 #4 October 7, 2006 Your tandem instructor friend is absolutely correct! Please send me your five year old reserve for correct disposal. I will as a good faith gesture send you fifty dollars to go towards the purchase of a new reserve of any manufacture. Really I would suggest that as a conservative approach you should send me your reserve after two years. I will inspect it and when I find it unairworthy I will give you eighty dollars so that you can get a new one. Sometimes you eat the bear.............. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buzi 0 #5 October 7, 2006 Really I would suggest that as a conservative approach you should send me your reserve after two years. I will inspect it and when I find it unairworthy I will give you eighty dollars so that you can get a new one. Thank you for the great offer, I will also talk to other at my home DZ. I'll send mine tomorrow. You can't always believe what you see and you hear........ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
g2gjump 0 #6 October 7, 2006 your five year old reserve is worth way more than that $50 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buzi 0 #7 October 8, 2006 Quote Thanks Kurt, for you I'll give my reserve and main for $102(since my main has about 700 jumps on it). I'll also pay the shipping, since it is the right thing to do. No really I know that "Martini" was joking about the $50 thing, anyways thanks for looking out for others Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Calvin19 0 #8 October 8, 2006 I jump a reserve. mine has about 400 jumps on it. still works great. original lineset and all. -SPACE- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #9 October 8, 2006 Wow! That is by far the strictest standard I have ever heard of for reserves. PD says to send their reserves back to the factory for inspection after 25 depolyments or 40 pack jobs. The Canadian Army keeps reserves on the shelf for up to 24 years. In Southern California, we used to retire tandem reserves after 20 jumps. Some European civil aviation authorities or parachute federations mandate a "life" of 10 or 12 or 15 years. There are few rigid standards for reserve "life"in North America. When I tried to raise the question with CSPA's Technical Committee - last winter - they were deliberately vague and reluctant to write any hard "life"limits on sport parachutes. Rather, reserves are more likely to be retired after 15 or 20 years because they are not longer fashionable. Rob Warner CSPA Rigger Instructor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
g2gjump 0 #10 October 8, 2006 I knew he was joking. I didn't know if you knew. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlindBrick 0 #11 October 10, 2006 Quote I was just told by a tandem instructor (not a rigger) that the material on reserves deteriorates after a while (he said something 10 repacks), Somewhere in Poynter's it mentions that a test has indicated that repacking increases the porosity of reserves. On some of the test canopies, after 12 repacks, porosity increased to the point that the canopies no longer met spec as reserves. -Blind"If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JustChuteMeNow 0 #12 October 10, 2006 Here are my two cents that I gleaned from working at Strong Enterprises for awhile. We tested all of canopies that came in for a recertification on a machine that specifically measured the porosity/permeability of a reserve or a main. For what its worth, the amount of repacks seemed to have no correlation to airworthiness. Sun damage and the amount of use (ie jumps) seemed to be the biggest factors.Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZigZagMarquis 9 #13 October 10, 2006 Quote Quote I was just told by a tandem instructor (not a rigger) that the material on reserves deteriorates after a while (he said something 10 repacks), Somewhere in Poynter's it mentions that a test has indicated that repacking increases the porosity of reserves. On some of the test canopies, after 12 repacks, porosity increased to the point that the canopies no longer met spec as reserves. -Blind Okay... but... where exactly in Poynter's does it say that. If you can dig it back out, I'd appreciate it... Volume, Chapter, Page... of course, finding something in that book can be like trying to locate Amelia Erhardt... Anyway, the reason I ask is I'd like to see if there's any "context" to that statement... as in, are they talking about F111, Ripstop, Tafida... ????? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZigZagMarquis 9 #14 October 10, 2006 Quote When I tried to raise the question with CSPA's Technical Committee - last winter - they were deliberately vague and reluctant to write any hard "life"limits on sport parachutes. Can you say, "Liability?" Quote Rather, reserves are more likely to be retired after 15 or 20 years because they are not longer fashionable. Thank God for that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fcajump 164 #15 October 12, 2006 Quote Quote Quote I was just told by a tandem instructor (not a rigger) that the material on reserves deteriorates after a while (he said something 10 repacks), Somewhere in Poynter's it mentions that a test has indicated that repacking increases the porosity of reserves. On some of the test canopies, after 12 repacks, porosity increased to the point that the canopies no longer met spec as reserves. -Blind Okay... but... where exactly in Poynter's does it say that. If you can dig it back out, I'd appreciate it... Volume, Chapter, Page... of course, finding something in that book can be like trying to locate Amelia Erhardt... Anyway, the reason I ask is I'd like to see if there's any "context" to that statement... as in, are they talking about F111, Ripstop, Tafida... ????? I remember this coming up in a discussion on why PD went to their policy, but have yet to find it in Poynters... JWAlways remember that some clouds are harder than others... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewEckhardt 0 #16 October 12, 2006 Quote I jump a reserve. mine has about 400 jumps on it. still works great. original lineset and all. Sure, although you're not silly enough to load it over a pound per square foot. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
