Capt. Ken's comments

By Ken Armstrong

SAFETY
Military jet pilots, aerobatics pilots, and aviators in general who fly under conditions that could result in catastrophic airframe failure (and that really includes all of us) wear emergency parachutes.
Structural disintegration of an aircraft can happen under unforeseen circumstances and therefore we are all under the influence when it comes to a potential, unanticipated break up.
Many factors can contribute to an inadvertent break up and pilot error is the most likely possibility. Surprised? Overcontrolling when pulling out of a high "g" dive is perhaps the most common.
Never happen to you because you only fly IFR or VFR on perfect days? During IFR flight the inadvertent decoupling of the autopilot or even an interrupted crosscheck can lead to an unusual attitude such as a steep nose down or inverted dive.
By the time the pilot catches the smoothly entered diversion from level flight he/she may well execute the control pull back of the decade and the possible departure of the tail or wings – thereby terminating all lives on board.
Couple this event with all the other possible reasons for a structural failure (including maintenance errors and corrosion) and you may not wish to fly again.
Realistically, good maintenance and sound piloting minimize the potential for an aircraft folding up – but there is an additional safety factor that you can employ to maximize survival – a parachute.
I obtained my first parachute 34 years ago in a trade for my over/under .22/20 gauge shotgun. In those days I was flying sport parachutists off the military base at Namao (Edmonton) on the weekends. (Flying heavy helicopters professionally five days a week wasn’t enough aviating for me).
Potential failure of the tail was a possibility with five jumpers exiting the Cessna 182 during each drop as an accidental deployment could take out the tail. Moreover a jumper could get tangled on the stabilizer virtually eliminating any controllability during an inadvertent opening of a chute whilst in the cabin. Senior, concerned jumpers tactfully suggested a chute would be prudent.
That bulky military surplus product was replaced with a semi sport-jumping rig about two decades ago. So, what should you do about an emergency chute? Since I am not a broad-based expert on parachutes, this dissertation should only serve as an introduction – please seek additional advice before buying.
You will need to consider costs and parachute capabilities. After considering your budget limits, you will need to decide on a seat pack or a backpack based on the aircraft you will fly.
Generally, the backpack is preferable for most aircraft (other than those that were designed to be flown with seat packs – namely many military aircraft).
Next you will need to decide on a round canopy (considered old fashioned by jumpers) or a rectangular canopy which is more flyable in the hands of a trained individual. Will you only use the chute in an emergency or will you be jumping it for pleasure.
I suggest the latter so you will be comfortable with departing an aircraft as too many pilots with chutes, but no training, stay with a crippled aircraft – ostensibly because they are afraid to jump.
I prefer a slim line back pack (about four inches thick) as it can be a challenge to fit into some of the amateurbuilt cockpits with their minimalist cockpits designed to cheat drag with narrow and tight proportions. Even then, I must leave the chute behind quite often as the depth from the back of the pack to the forward limit of my belly interferes with full control movement – be sure to check for your applications.
There are many other factors to consider such as controllability of the chute, quality of quick releases, rip cord placement and opening characteristics. Other advanced equipment will open your chute automatically at a preset altitude in case you forget or are perhaps injured. It isn’t cheap – but neither are funerals.
On that note, I’d like to tell you why I took the jump course many years ago. The RCAF neglected to teach its jet pilots the full characteristics of their ejection equipment and how to land with a parachute – and likely for good reason.
The chutes were high porosity chutes which means they allow a lot of air to flow through them and this resulted in a rate of decent of approximately 34 feet per second (about 30 miles an hour). Sport chutes of the day were half that with a vertical rate of 17 fps.
The military chutes were high porosity as they needed to be capable of opening at extremely high speeds without blowing apart. I only know of one pilot who ejected without breaking an ankle, leg or back. Mind you, their lives were saved.
Therefore, it seemed practical to me to learn how to control a chute so I could turn into the wind for landing (minimize the speed I would be dragged at over the ground obstacles) and to learn how to land in a manner that would preclude injury. May I suggest at least a basic jump course for those of you planning to purchase a chute as well?

FOR FUN
After thousands of hours flying jets, helicopters and transport aircraft, my first "real" flight was under the miniscule wing of a hang glider hurtling down Big White Ski Area’s heavily moguled expert slope.
My instructor miraculously skied straight down that hill controlling the wing’s angle of attack by manipulating the trailing edge. This precluded me killing myself on my first "free flight."
The plunge was such a rush; I was hooked on basic flight. Flying under that tiny wing taught me that minimalist flying allows us to more closely approximate birds.
My first parachute flight continued that pursuit and now on Christmas day I am waiting for the clouds to slide away and the winds to moderate so I can make my first free fall from 13,000 feet above Zephyrhills, Florida.
Sport jumpers do not consider what we do in airplanes as flying – they call it riding – and I can understand their point of view. Since the days when I dropped thousands of skydivers at Namao, the world has changed and Linda and I are absolutely enthralled with the flying skills of these aerial ballet artists.
The latest rage is vertical diving and you would have to see these advanced jumpers in action to appreciate their ability to control all axis while they plunge towards the terra very firma at 180 mph while cavorting in advanced "dance" routines during their head first plummet.
Another advance is the joining of arms to legs with fabric wings which reduces the rate of decent while increasing forward speed. This isn’t as easy as it sounds and a number of "test-pilot sky-divers" have given their all during flight testing.
Current state of the art chutes allow jumpers to fly at speeds up to 60 mph under their chutes to increase "penetration" into the wind. These high performance canopies also allow some rather spectacular maneuvering we would typically label as aerobatics.
Elliptical wings and zero-porosity fabrics, as well as new suspension line technologies have given the 'canopies' exponential leaps in performance over the past 20 years. The downside is a much higher injury/fatality rate for sport jumpers who push the performance limits.
Folks living on the Skydive base "Dropzone" at Zephyrhills during the winter are immersed in a somewhat Canadian environment – if you don’t count the weather.
The general manager is transplanted from Newfoundland (although his accent has evaporated) and the club is currently using three de Havilland Twin Otters – with their Canadian PT-6 turbines. My jump instructor, Mick is from Ontario and we are camped out in a Boler trailer from the same province.
This operation believes in the AFF (typically called PFF-Progressive Freefall at the few places that use this technique in Canada) whereby a student begins training with a free fall from 13,000 feet AGL – with two instructors "hovering" in the air along side to ensure all goes well.
Another technique is the tandem jump where the instructor and student are harnessed together to one large parachute (with a back up safety chute of course). Still other organizations, such as the one I initially trained at, believe static line jumps are the correct route for training. In this case, the ripcord is attached to the aircraft and opens automatically when the student jumps – similar to most military operations.
The basic training to obtain the American 'A' license costs about $1800-$2000 US and takes about ten days and seven levels of training that begin with approximately six hours of ground school. Once an individual has the qualifications, he can jump at any of the registered clubs as this license is recognized by all the advanced countries.
The costs and training programs are similar in Canada – however most of the activity occurs during our summer. What better way than to train in Florida during the winter and have the additional benefit of escaping our winter wonderland?
The instructors at Skydive City have more than 50,000 jumps to their credit and have all ratings such as US, Canadian and British association qualifications. The facility is quite large with camping, and full amenities to turn a winter holiday into a glorious experience.
There is even a parachute harness manufacturing facility on the grounds (The city has three harness manufacturers, two rigging shops and a Tony Suits-suit manufacturer).
The airport facility also boasts an Internet café and a snack bar that provides full food services. The bar opens at dark when sky skydiving activities cease. Having said that, I must add that an evening is set aside for night dive qualifying from time to time and the event is most entertaining for spectators as divers plunge with strobe lights and glowing chemical lights to help them navigate amongst each other.

DIVING TO CONCLUSIONS
I believe many pilots involved in a broad spectrum of flying pursuits should consider an emergency parachute and that jump training is a wise and pleasurable experience. Afterwards, it is quite possible you will want to pursue free fall sky skydiving, as it’s a maximum blast and quite addictive. Many of the divers keep coming back because it is the maximum fun they can experience and they apparently get the same adrenaline rush every time they exit the cargo doors.
For more information, you can contact Skydive at info@skydivecity.com or visit their website at www.skydivecity.com
Their address is POB 1599 Zephyrhills, FL 33542. Phone and fax numbers are (813) 783-9399 and 782-0599

Ken Armstrong has enjoyed 14,500 flight hours on more than 350 fixed and rotary wing aircraft. He provides aviation consulting/training services and flies his Diamond Extreme motor glider out of a grass strip near Victoria, B.C.