this is EXACTLY the reason the FAA put required pack intervals on pilot
emergency parachutes....
if it were 'recommended" you pay 50 bucks every 120 days to repack your
parachute as opposed to being an FAA "requirement" (meaning you are in
violation of a regulation) would you?......and if you didn't do what was
"recommended" every 120 days..would you at 1 year? or two.....or??
You might......not everyone would....... now let's look at this also from
the parachute manufacturers point also..... would your widow call the local
TV ad for a lawyer in the event you didn't do what was "recommended"
it's not personal.....and it's not my regulation.but if we agree to the
rules to get a pilots certificate, with all the baggage that comes along
with it, we have in fact, said we understood and would comply with the
regulations.....some of which actually do make sense..
tim

Wings & Wheels
www.wingsandwheels.com

"Mark Zivley" wrote in message
. com...

Also, I was told by a few pilots that they are using parachutes as a
cushions in a glider.

While this is a quote that is occaisionally heard, it's not meant to be
taken literally. It usually means that although the chute is there to be
called upon in an emergency, the odds are that during the flight it will
only serve the purpose of being a cushion. It doesn't necessarily mean
that the chute is not being worn in the proper manner or that it is out of
re-pack.

Realize that in many gliders if you chose not to wear a parachute, you
would probably need to use some sort of a seat cushion in order to sit in
the glider comfortably. Which would you choose.... cushion, or a
parachute?