The official title was
“Parachute Packing Maintenance and Aerial Delivery
Course”. It is part of the Quartermaster School,
located at Ft. Lee, VA. To attend you must be a qualified
parachutist – for the US Army that translates into a
graduate of Jump School. I state this because not only the
11th Airborne Division attended. In my class,
1955, there were only 3 from the 11th Airborne
Division, there were several troopers from the
82nd Airborne Division, the Marines, and several
foreign countries. I think the Navy, Coast Guard and Air
Force also occasionally sent personnel to Rigger
School. Note that most of the pictures included to
illustrate this discussion were taken of actual operations
in the 11th Parachute Supply & Maintenance
Company rather than at Rigger School.
The course consisted of
three major parts with a duration of three months. Subjects
included:
I.
Parachute
Packing:
Troop
Type
Free Type
Aerial Delivery Type
Organizational
Type
II.
Aerial Delivery:
Basic Aerial
Delivery Subjects
Aerial
Delivery Container Rigging
Special Aerial
Delivery Techniques
Aerial
Delivery Kit Rigging
Aerial
Delivery Operations
III.
Airborne Equipment Maintenance:
Basic Sewing
Machine Operation
Inspection
Procedures, Classification and Special Purpose Sewing
Machines
Advanced
Maintenance Subjects
I. PARACHUTE PACKING
Parachute Packing, that
which was dear to your heart, was very intense. We learned
to untangle a parachute (you were not always careful when
you rolled-up your chute and placed it in the bag). We
learned to inspect chutes to insure that they no structural
defects (tears, oil stains, frayed cloth, etc.). We packed
all types parachutes, even those worn by aircraft crews and
the large chutes used in aerial delivery or Heavy Drop. In
the 11th Abn. PS&M Co personnel parachutes
were packed by the Parachute Packing Section.
Shown at left is a T-10
parachute that is laid out on a pack table and is being
prepared to inspect and pack by the Rigger, E Kirby. The
T-10 had a 28-foot diameter. The T-7A reserve parachute had
a 24-foot diameter.
If a suspected defect is
found (at any stage during the packing) the parachute is
taken out of the packing process and sent to Maintenance
Section (which is discussed later).
Suspension lines and
harness must be untangled, canopy straight and tied
at he end of the table.
Here a Rigger is
“folding” the panels. When this task is
completed the folded panels will be on both sides of
the suspension lines that go from the harness to the top of
the canopy. There is a “channel” down the
center of the canopy that is made by two stacks of
suspension lines. It is very difficult to keep all the
“silk” out of the channel and the less silk in
the channel the more the trooper will feel the opening of
the chute. During a jump, as the chute is pulled from the
bag by the aircraft anchored static line the
“channel” provides a path for the air to flow
through and when it hits the small hole at the top of the
canopy the air flow is restricted and the canopy will start
to inflate it.
On the left we see Rigger
VK Anderson (left) completing the “stuffing”
the canopy into the deployment bag. That’s like
trying to put 2 pounds of “you know what” into
a one pound bag. Rigger AP Hughes, in the T-shirt, is
closing the deployment bag. It is tied with a strong cord
which is broken by your body weight as you fall and the
pull of the aircraft via the static line during a
jump.
At this stage Rigger, D
Patsis, is storing the suspension lines on the back pack.
If the lines are not properly stored they could get tangled
or wrap around the trooper as they are pulled from off the
deployment bag . The static line is tied to the apex
of the canopy by a cord that is strong enough not to break
until the parachute is fully pulled from the deployment
bag, suspension lines and risers fully deployed and air has
started up the channel and the canopy is in the process of
inflating.
After the packing is
completed it must have a final inspection by a pack
supervisor. The actual inspections are made by the Rigger
who packed the parachute. From the time the Rigger first
touches until it is put on the inspection he is continually
looking for defects or anything that might cause a problem
during it use is a jump. Here Sgt. R Bates performs that
task.
Note that a Rigger is
required to stand ready to jump any parachute that he has
certified to be ready for use. As part of an Inspector
General (IG) inspection parachutes are taken from the
storage bins, and the Rigger who last signed its log book
is told to jump it. Failure to do so was a Court Martial
offence.
After the packing and
inspection are completed the chutes are stored in bins
until they are ready to be loaded onto trucks and
transported to the airfield for issuing to those luck
ones.
FINAL TEST
After learning to pack many
types of parachutes we had our final test. It consisted
of:
-
Letting your
“buddy” do anything to your parachute that
might make it difficult to pack. Like turning it
inside-out, tying knots in the suspension lines, doing
things to the risers and harness.
-
Under a time limit we had
to:
-
-
Make the parachute
ready to pack.
-
Give the parachute a
complete inspection.
-
Pack the parachute
and sign its Log Book.
-
Perform the “final
test”. That is, go jump the parachute that you had
packed.
-
It was rumored that if
you could turn-in your chute at the drop zone you
passed!
In my case I had finally
got the parachute untangled and was in the process of
inspecting it before packing. I noticed a lot of
“runs” all over the canopy, like on a
woman’s (or some guys) stockings. I called over one
of the instructors and said that the parachute should be
condemned. He agreed and said he wanted the pack supervisor
to see it. The pack supervisor, a M/Sgt., looked at the
canopy and said it would “probably” be OK and
to let me jump it. At the time it sounded like a good idea
since I did not want to repeat the entire process again.
That was on the ground a couple of days before the actual
jump! In the airplane I started having second thoughts, but
its was too late – I did certify it. The chute worked
- I actually got an “opening shock” because of
my excellent packing. However, it did have a blown
panel.
This is the drop zone
(DZ) we used at Rigger School. On “jump
day” the class in the Packing Phase would jump their
chutes and the class in Aerial Delivery Phase would drop
equipment they had rigged. The DZ was surrounded by trees
and had some very wide and deep ditches, as shown at the
left. There were also a lot of briers, which probably
caused all the runs in my canopy.
We got back to our barracks
area just as the Battalion fell out for Retreat. One of our
guys had taken a smoke bomb from the DZ and threw it into
the troops who were at attention. It was fun to watch the
confusion and the fire trucks. Then came the MPs.
Parachutes – Start to
End
Each of you participated at
the start and end of the packing process.
The start of the packing
process is the kit bag with the parachute you placed in it
after drying your parachute and or shaking out any debris
in the drying tower.
At the end of the packing
process is when you took your used parachute (successfully
we hope) to the Drying Tower to dry it and/or shakeout any
debris.
Yes, to the Rigger its just
another cycle in the never ending story of parachute
packing.
PARACHUTE JUMPING
SEQUENCE
Putting it altogether we
have what each of you experienced many years ago.
Here we see a Rigger (JK
Lovin) being rigged by Rigger RE Larque. Each jump began
with the issuing of a main parachute and a reserve
parachute. After putting on our parachutes you were checked
by a Rigger. The steps of the Rigger Personnel
Inspection is shown later following the section on
Parachute Maintenance.
Then it was the Army Way
– Hurry Up and Wait, as we waited to board the
C-119.
Shuffling to the door with one hand on
our static line. About to take the longest step
ever.
Out the
door into the slip stream. “Hitting the
Silk”.
AIRBORNE! All the
Way!
View from the ground at Gablingen DZ.
Joke
Caption:
“Hey,
quit pullin’ the risers, you’re making the
rigger nervous.”
Shown below is the view I
had of Ft. Campbell during a drop. What caught my attention
was the trooper in the upper center of the picture.
Remember when
the leg straps were not in the correct place?
A sight dear to all
trooper’s heart.
THANK YOU
RIGGER!!!!
(Even a Rigger thanks the
Rigger.)
After a peaceful descent we
come back to reality as the ground approaches.
The trooper at left
prepares to make a PLF – Parachute Landing
Fall.
Its always good to be BACK
HOME! Shown below is some of the various stages of getting
back on the ground - that part of every jump that makes it
a really great jump..
After collapsing your
parachute, hopefully being given a tour of the DZ while
still attached to your harness in the prone position, you
took it to the turn in point where they were place in Kit
Bags and loaded onto trucks for the trip to the Drying
Tower for drying and/or shakeout.
PARACHUTE OPENING
SEQUENCE
The Jumping Sequence is
familiar to all paratroopers. It is something that made us
stand apart and also gave us working class an extra $55
each month. Did you ever wonder what took place between
when you “hooked up” then took that long step
and when you looked up and saw that beautiful canopy? A lot
happened during that short period of time - about 10
seconds.
When you hook your static
line to the cable in the aircraft you are actually
anchoring yourself to the aircraft via the parachute
harness and parachute pack (bag) you are wearing. You have
on a harness with risers that are connected to the
suspension lines. The suspensions lines are attached to the
canopy. At the apex of the canopy the static line is tied
to the static line with a piece of strong cord.
The static line has a loop
for the cord to pass through. The static line is also
permanently attached to the parachute bag . At the left you
can see the static line, parachute bag, and the apex of the
parachute. If the Rigger had the harness on and had jumped
the parachute this is about what you would see as the
parachute started to inflate.
Below you see the suspension lines partially extended.
We are a little ahead in the sequence. As you step out the door you
are caught in the prop blast and are pushed back and
gravity is pulling you down. The aircraft is going in
opposite direction at about 115 knots. It doesn’t
take long until you have used the entire length of the
static line which is attached to the anchor cable of the
aircraft. At that point you start pulling out the
suspension lines from the parachute bag. In the above right
picture you can see the suspension lines being pushed into
loops on the bag.
The harness is to the lower left corner.
As you continue to fall the aircraft is pulling out the
suspension lines until they are fully extended. Then the
forces of the aircraft and gravity break to cord that was
used to close the parachute bag. Although it requires a lot
of force to break the cord you don’t feel it. Next
the canopy is pulled out of the bag until it is fully
extended and in the picture on the left above. Air has
already started going up the channel made by the folds of
the panels. At this point resistance starts to build since
the inflated canopy is acting as an anchor with you hanging
under it. But, it is no match for the force of the aircraft
that is moving away and the cord that attached the canopy
apex to the static line is easily broken. The parachute bag
and the static line are pulled away, still attached to the
aircraft anchor cable where you “hooked up”.
You are attached to the parachute via your harness and
hopefully you see the picture above left.
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