djta0707 0 #1 August 1, 2008 so i was asked the question the other day. what is the time frame you can go on a main repack. i have never thought of that because i hope to repack mine on a pretty regular basis. so i thought about it and decided that it if you have to repack your reserve every 120 days so should be the same for a main.But is that true because the main does not have anything complex about it like the reserve. no electronics,no nothing. i do not have a sims but got on uspa and looked at one there. i can not find the answer to that question. being that said What is the time frame between repacks on a main or is there any? any help would set my mind to ease. thank yall Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
millertime24 8 #2 August 1, 2008 If I know I wont be using my main for an extended period of time (say 4-6 months) Ill cut it away, put the risers togeather and rubber band them, and stuff it into a garbage bag untill I'm ready to use it again.Muff #5048 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #3 August 1, 2008 (Unless something changed I'm ignorant of) . . . It's almost the same as a reserve, except for who can do it. The main has to be packed within 120 days of its use and can be packed either by a certified rigger or the person making the jump on that particular rig. And I'll anticipate your next question . . . Yes, it is technically illegal to give your rig to a packer who isn't a certified rigger, or who isn't under the direct supervision of a rated rigger, for a main pack job. However, here's where the big loophole is in the FARs. If you don't have a FAA issued ticket the feds can threaten you over there's only a very small chance anything will happen. They can send anyone a letter that says they are willing to settle the matter for a certain sum of money, but if you ignore it, they'd have to take you to court in order to get an enforceable judgment against you. And only in the most egregious matters will they do that . . . NickD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkeenan 14 #4 August 1, 2008 From a practical point of view, there have been mains (and reserves) that have been successfully deployed after 20+ years in a pack. There is no requirement to record or track the packing dates of a main, so no real way to check the repack cycle. I hate packing, so if it's in there, I'm sure as hell not unpacking it unless I'm in freefall. Or maybe if I see a wiggling rat tail sticking out of the container when I pull it out of the closet. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Unparagoned 0 #5 August 1, 2008 Aren't you suppose to repack the main after a reserve repack anyway? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tombuch 0 #6 August 1, 2008 120 days as per FAR 105.43(a) The main parachute must have been packed within 120 days before the date of its use by a certificated parachute rigger, the person making the next jump with that parachute, or a non-certificated person under the direct supervision of a certificated parachute rigger. Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #7 August 1, 2008 >> Aren't you suppose to repack the main after a reserve repack anyway?Not really, but you'd never repack a reserve with a main still in the container . . . If nothing else it would prevent a rigger from inspecting that portion of the container. NickD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kefran 0 #8 August 1, 2008 erhhh ... generally i'll pack my main after each jump no ? -------------------------------------------------- I never used 2 rocks to start a fire ... this is called evolution ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #9 August 2, 2008 Rubber bands start rotting after a couple of years in Southern California. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SmoothAl 0 #10 August 2, 2008 Quote erhhh ... generally i'll pack my main after each jump no ? That was my thought as well... I'm figuring they mean if it's been sitting in the bag for an extended period of time. Got it! SA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samurai136 0 #11 August 2, 2008 Quote 120 days as per FAR 105.43(a) The main parachute must have been packed within 120 days before the date of its use by a certificated parachute rigger, the person making the next jump with that parachute, or a non-certificated person under the direct supervision of a certificated parachute rigger. +25 Although there are examples of parachutes functioning correctly after 20yrs in the container, the rules exist for a reason.ZP, "main", parachutes tend to conform to their "shape" the longer they are packed in the container. There is a potential for the ZP material to adhere to itself over a period of time. Usually this means a longer opening sequence during deployment. Example: pull a main out after packing (or during packing) and it tends to 'puff' up laying out on the floor. It wants to inflate. Pull a packed main (for 115 days) out of the D-bag... it tends to lay there on the floor like a brick... usually it will inflate but there are no guarantees... Regular deployments make the material "remember" it wants to fly. The longer it spends packed the less it remembers... kind of like being a current skydiver. "Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian Ken Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #12 August 2, 2008 Please do yourself a favor...buy a SIM and read it until you know it like the back of your hand.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tombuch 0 #13 August 2, 2008 QuotePlease do yourself a favor...buy a SIM and read it until you know it like the back of your hand. That's always a good suggestion. In this case the questioning jumper had a curious question that is buried in the SIM, but really tough to find unless you know where to look. At 38 jumps (as listed on the profile), he probably doesn't even know where to begin looking. Buying a SIM and reading it front to back certainly helps, and I would never discourage that, but a beginner is just being exposed to so much material, it sometimes helps more to ask the question out loud, be told what the answer is, where it is, and why it matters. This site is an awesome resource for seeking that kind of foundational knowledge. And with some luck, this jumper may turn out to be one of the top instructors in the country some day, and when little God-Frog wannabes are asking questions, hopefully he will be able to offer solid answers and context, and then point to the SIM as the source of all the world's knowledge.Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #14 August 2, 2008 Also, it's not 100% appicable to 100% of jumpers on this site. (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beer 0 #15 August 2, 2008 QuoteAren't you suppose to repack the main after a reserve repack anyway? You can just cut it away and reconnect the risers after the repack. Why waste a perfectly good pack job? Learn to be happy. You can't be there for anybody else in life if you can't learn to be there for yourself. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #16 August 2, 2008 >>You can just cut it away and reconnect the risers after the repack.Bad advice. I can't tell you how many times I've seen that go wrong . . . NickD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Unparagoned 0 #17 August 3, 2008 QuoteQuoteAren't you suppose to repack the main after a reserve repack anyway? You can just cut it away and reconnect the risers after the repack. Why waste a perfectly good pack job? When I asked my rigger a few years ago about needing to repack the main, he said he's never reconnected the main incorrectly before on reserve repacks. I guess it's just one of those things, which 99% of the time will be fine, but it's not that hard to spot that 1% of the time when a mistake has happened. Anyway at my dropzone it's more like a rule that you should repack the main before jumping it, some reserve repackers even add a note onto the rig reminding you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djta0707 0 #18 August 3, 2008 i sat down at my local dropzone this friday and read the sims. there is alot of useful info in there and i will be getting one. finding info you need fairly quickly is hard to do. why is there no index? i did find where it did say that the main repack was 120 days. thank yall for the useful information Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #19 August 3, 2008 >>finding info you need fairly quickly is hard to do.Just one of the reasons the sims is called the big blue sleeping pill . . . NickD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SansSuit 1 #20 August 4, 2008 Quote >>finding info you need fairly quickly is hard to do.Just one of the reasons the sims is called the big blue sleeping pill . . . And just for the record, SIM is singular. Skydiver's Information Manual. Peace, -Jeff.Peace, -Dawson. http://www.SansSuit.com The Society for the Advancement of Naked Skydiving Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
