Do skydivers pack their own chutes?

If you’re just starting out learning to skydive, or if you’re joining us for a tandem jump as a one-off, you won’t pack your own parachute. Instead, your instructor will pack their own, or they’ll use a member of our highly experienced and fully qualified parachute packing team.

How does a parachute bag work?

Parachutes open in staged deployment sequence. At the appropriate altitude, the main parachute is extracted from a pouch on the bottom of the skydiving container by a small auxiliary parachute called a pilot chute. As the pilot chute inflates, it creates enough drag force to extract the main parachute.

Who can pack a main parachute?

certified parachute rigger
The main parachute may be packed by a certified parachute rigger, a person under the supervision of a certified parachute rigger, or by the person who intends to use the parachute.

How long can a parachute stay packed?

180 days
The FAA considers 180 days to be the maximum time that ANY (main or reserve) parachute may remain packed. After that is must be inspected and re-packed.

Is it easy to pack a parachute?

While modern skydiving containers feature reserve parachutes that are packed and sealed by professionals, an improperly packed main canopy is still incredibly dangerous. For the experienced skydivers, the packing process typically takes about 10-15 minutes.

Can you repack parachutes?

4 Answers. Yes, parachutes need to be repacked regularly. The length of the interval depends on the material of the parachute and is between 60 and 180 days.

How many times can a reserve parachute be packed?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that the reserve parachute be inspected and repacked every 180 days (whether it’s used or not) by an FAA-certified parachute rigger. In the event of a malfunction, the jumper jettisons the main parachute by pulling the cutaway handle.

How does a reserve parachute work?

The RSL is connected to the main parachute via a riser on the skydiving gear. The other end of the RSL is connected to the reserve ripcord. When a skydiver is in an emergency, they will “cut away” their main canopy. The RSL then assists the jumper with the reserve deployment.

What is a parachute bag called?

Container – that backpack thingy that skydivers wear… it’s called a container. Skydiving containers hold a main parachute and a reserve parachute.

How much does a parachute cost?

Although a complete kit of parachutes can run about $2,000 at the low end (used) to $10,000 at the high end for a new, state-of-the-art kit, if you plan on doing a lot of jumps over the next few years, you can save some money this way. Jump in lower-cost areas.

How reliable is the reserve parachute?

The answer: Hardly ever. According to the USPA (which collects and publishes skydiving accident statistics), about one in every one-thousand parachutes will experience a malfunction so significant that actually requires the use of the reserve parachute.