Last Saturday 8th November the Ulster Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club organised a day where we learned to pack our own reserve parachutes under the expert eye of Bill Morris who trains BHPA packers.
The purpose of the event - in Bill's own words:
“Learn
how to pack your own reserve and how to use it. The day will consist of
a talk on reserves showing deployment examples, a full demonstration of
how the reserve works followed by a detailed demonstration of how to
repack. Pilots will then have the opportunity to repack their own
reserve under supervision. ”
The course at the
Brownlow Centre in Craigavon (BT65 5DL), which was FREE to club members,
was very well attended and it was also good to see pilots from the IHPA
who made the journey to Craigavon.
We were not disappointed. Bill's expert advice and information showed
that packing your reserve parachute is a fairly simple procedure but
there are vital elements that you must get right if it is to deploy
successfully. Aside from techniques that are common to all reserve
'chutes, different makes have their own particular variations and these
were all demonstrated and practiced.
Bill had lots of video of
reserve deployments, including those following mid-air collisions and
talked us through all of them, pointing out the important points to note
in each. He emphasised that it is wrong to think that in a low level
situation you are too low for a successful deployment - modern canopies
open fast and even if only partially open before arrival on the ground
you will still be slowed down. You are never "too low to throw". Other
myths about reserve 'chutes were similarly discussed and explained.
This was one of the best events organised by the club and thanks must
go to those members of the committee who organised it and to Bill
Morris and to those members and friends who attended.
