Parachute Repack

Jaybird180

Jaybird180

Final Approach
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Jaybird180
Parachutes....all of them require a repack at regular intervals. Not just BRS parachutes, but also the ones where a guy jumps out of a perfectly good airplane - FOR FUN!

The question is: Why? Wasn't it done right the first time?
 
Think some is from the old days when they jumped silk, guess moisture could pose a issue.

I view it as a annual for my rig and at 50ish bucks for a reserve repack it ain't the end of the world.
 
Jaybird180 said:
Parachutes....all of them require a repack at regular intervals. Not just BRS parachutes, but also the ones where a guy jumps out of a perfectly good airplane - FOR FUN!

The question is: Why? Wasn't it done right the first time?
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Check for deterioration and contamination or damage.
 
They are done right the first time. But like James said, treat it like an annual or a vehicle inspection. Keeps everything fresh, inspected, aired out, etc. Moisture is definitely an issue that causes problems. One skydiving discipline is 'swooping' i.e., diving your canopy to gain speed then leveling out and skimming the ground. Like a low pass in a plane. Sometimes it is done in water. Sometimes you crash in the water and your rig gets wet. A friend of mine was a swoop competitor. Her rig got wet at some point, she had a malfunction, and her reserve failed to deploy properly and she died. A contributing cause was the fact that her reserve has gotten wet.
 
I feel the same way about flight reviews. Didn't my CFI train me right the first time? The DPE signed me off so he must have.
 
James331 said:
Think some is from the old days when they jumped silk, guess moisture could pose a issue.

I view it as a annual for my rig and at 50ish bucks for a reserve repack it ain't the end of the world.
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Then why is the interval for BRS 10 years!!!? Methinks that 10 years is:
1- a bit much time between routine inspections
or
2- a financial exit strategy for the owner's $$$ with a BRS airplane (ie Cirrus)
 
Jaybird180 said:
Then why is the interval for BRS 10 years!!!? Methinks that 10 years is:
1- a bit much time between routine inspections
or
2- a financial exit strategy for the owner's $$$ with a BRS airplane (ie Cirrus)
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I would imagine a cost-benefit analysis was done when making up that time interval. 10 was probably the max the feds were willing to let it go. Shorter duration would have made the benefits of a BRS cost prohibitive (or even more so than currently).
 
I'd also guess that being inside of an airframe the chute is much more well protected from moisture and the elements than say a chute worn on the body that may be hauled around, left in a garage, in the rain, whatever. If it's sealed up in its own little composite compartment it's quite well protected. Even so after 10 years, **** happens. Also the BRS chutes use explosive charges to deploy, and explosives do break down over time.
 
Fearless Tower said:
I would imagine a cost-benefit analysis was done when making up that time interval. 10 was probably the max the feds were willing to let it go. Shorter duration would have made the benefits of a BRS cost prohibitive (or even more so than currently).
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Cost of BRS is what, $1000 a year? I don't really find that prohibitive for the level of insurance it buys, actuall I consider it a savings over having a twin, it's the purchase price of the equipped planes that was prohibitive to me, and the fact that Cirrus planes see pretty heavy depreciation.
 
StinkBug said:
Even so after 10 years, **** happens. Also the BRS chutes use explosive charges to deploy, and explosives do break down over time.
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That's a good point. The BRS repack may be a lot more about the explosives than the chute itself.
 
Henning said:
Cost of BRS is what, $1000 a year? I don't really find that prohibitive for the level of insurance it buys, actuall I consider it a savings over having a twin, it's the purchase price of the equipped planes that was prohibitive to me, and the fact that Cirrus planes see pretty heavy depreciation.
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You saying it is only $1000 to do the 10 year on a BRS? I don't think that is the case.
 
StinkBug said:
I'd also guess that being inside of an airframe the chute is much more well protected from moisture and the elements than say a chute worn on the body that may be hauled around, left in a garage, in the rain, whatever. If it's sealed up in its own little composite compartment it's quite well protected. Even so after 10 years, **** happens. Also the BRS chutes use explosive charges to deploy, and explosives do break down over time.
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Yeah, I think the BRS repack is more about the rocket than the chute. I think the 10 years is the life limit on the pyrotechnics which really surprised me because in most applications where pyrotechnics are used in a safety of life roll, typically you see them expire after 3 years.
 
Henning said:
Yeah, I think the BRS repack is more about the rocket than the chute. I think the 10 years is the life limit on the pyrotechnics which really surprised me because in most applications where pyrotechnics are used in a safety of life roll, typically you see them expire after 3 years.
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:dunno::confused::confused:
 
In the older cirrus aircraft ,the re pack is more like 20 grand ,which includes all the fiberglass work ,as the hull has to be cut to get to the chute.
 
frfly172 said:
In the older cirrus aircraft ,the re pack is more like 20 grand ,which includes all the fiberglass work ,as the hull has to be cut to get to the chute.
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Exactly.

How many Cirrus would have sold if you had to pay 20 grand every 1-3 years?

Not many at all. I think the 10 year repack is a compromise.
 
frfly172 said:
In the older cirrus aircraft ,the re pack is more like 20 grand ,which includes all the fiberglass work ,as the hull has to be cut to get to the chute.
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Do you have to go through that process every time, or did they come up with a mod to do at the first repack to give it the later model style access?
 
The newer aircraft where modified to avoid the fiberglass work.
 
So, like the 1980's American automakers, they weren't expecting their planes to last more than 10 years?
 
Fearless Tower said:
You saying it is only $1000 to do the 10 year on a BRS? I don't think that is the case.
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I think the common figure discussed is 10 AMUs fore a Cirrus BRS 10-year repack. I read $1k as being a per-year amortized cost.
 
UngaWunga said:
So, like the 1980's American automakers, they weren't expecting their planes to last more than 10 years?
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Pretty much, or at least to provide a good parts and service profit center every decade. In the car business parts and service is where the real profit lies, I'm sure the MBA management team looked at that.
 
The PR rating from the FAA is one of the better ratings you can get, if you live near the jump club, you can make a pretty good living doing repacks. The Master rigger can actually manufacture new chutes. plus the repairs to ultra lights and kites.
My old PR friend was making about 70-80K out of his basement. But these guys are getting fewer and fewer.
 
Tom-D said:
The PR rating from the FAA is one of the better ratings you can get, if you live near the jump club, you can make a pretty good living doing repacks. The Master rigger can actually manufacture new chutes. plus the repairs to ultra lights and kites.
My old PR friend was making about 70-80K out of his basement. But these guys are getting fewer and fewer.
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Uhhh, nope.

50-70 bucks a repack every 180days.

Patching or re lining rigs,

Never seen a rigger build a rig from scratch or repair a kite.

I'm sure some riggers make 70-80k rigging, just doubt it's a large number.
 
James331 said:
Uhhh, nope.

50-70 bucks a repack every 180days.

Patching or re lining rigs,

Never seen a rigger build a rig from scratch or repair a kite.

I'm sure some riggers make 70-80k rigging, just doubt it's a large number.
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When you are smart, have sewing machine, you can do about any thing. My old rigger friend made kites, and made more money with them than re-packs. He did interiors too.

Knowing how to sew, and do it right is an art. and a highly paid one.
 
Tom-D said:
When you are smart, have sewing machine, you can do about any thing. My old rigger friend made kites, and made more money with them than re-packs. He did interiors too.

Knowing how to sew, and do it right is an art. and a highly paid one.
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Especially if you can sew sails.
 
For the BRS in my plane, the cost is currently $1,800 for a repack and new rocket every 10 years. So, $180/year. The major benefit is that my wife said with a whole plane parachute, she was for plane ownership. Otherwise, she was against buying in or flying in a GA plane.
 
dnhill said:
For the BRS in my plane, the cost is currently $1,800 for a repack and new rocket every 10 years. So, $180/year. The major benefit is that my wife said with a whole plane parachute, she was for plane ownership. Otherwise, she was against buying in or flying in a GA plane.
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What plane is this????!??!???
 
dnhill said:
For the BRS in my plane, the cost is currently $1,800 for a repack and new rocket every 10 years. So, $180/year. The major benefit is that my wife said with a whole plane parachute, she was for plane ownership. Otherwise, she was against buying in or flying in a GA plane.
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People fear what they don't understand, Cirrus markets to folks who still think airplanes fly on a mixture black magic and rich privligage.
 
James331 said:
People fear what they don't understand, Cirrus markets to folks who still think airplanes fly on a mixture black magic and rich privligage.
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And they are doing very well doing so. I was talking with a cirrus rep in my FBO a while back and asked him about sales numbers. When compared with new Bonanzas, Mooneys, and Cessna Corvalis, they sold almost 7 Cirrus for every one of the others sold (that's combined). There are a lot of wives who will fly in a plane with a chute, but not one without. Call it marketing to the uneducated if you want, but I'll call it smart, both marketing and design.
 
James331 said:
People fear what they don't understand, Cirrus markets to folks who still think airplanes fly on a mixture black magic and rich privligage.
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Which is why they sell more SEL GA planes than all the other manufactures combined. It's not really them though, the difference is you. You deny the risk exists, or is so limited that you will not be negatively impacted. Reality shows that isn't based in evidence as the entire spectrum of pilot types including the "gods of aviation" have gotten themselves into fatal situations that a parachute would have saved them from. Either that or you just accept the risk like I do, but I don't believe that considering your continuous disparaging verbiage on the subject which is typified in self delusion. I accept the risk although will typically mitigate it with 2 engines, but I would love to have a BRS, because I know full well that I **** up, and that ****ed up things happen, and that BRS buys options, I love options.

The SR-22 is more valuable on the market than the Corvalis, or whatever it is now, because people can get their wives and family to go because it has a BRS. For most people that leave GA, that is a major factor and why the Cirrus line dominates the small market there is.
 
Henning said:
Which is why they sell more SEL GA planes than all the other manufactures combined. It's not really them though, the difference is you. You deny the risk exists, or is so limited that you will not be negatively impacted. Reality shows that isn't based in evidence as the entire spectrum of pilot types including the "gods of aviation" have gotten themselves into fatal situations that a parachute would have saved them from. Either that or you just accept the risk like I do, but I don't believe that considering your continuous disparaging verbiage on the subject which is typified in self delusion. I accept the risk although will typically mitigate it with 2 engines, but I would love to have a BRS, because I know full well that I **** up, and that ****ed up things happen, and that BRS buys options, I love options.

The SR-22 is more valuable on the market than the Corvalis, or whatever it is now, because people can get their wives and family to go because it has a BRS. For most people that leave GA, that is a major factor and why the Cirrus line dominates the small market there is.
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Well said
 
I think I wrote about this in a previous post.


Cirrus repack is $15,000 on the 10 year old model!
 
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