At 23:57 05 December 2008, HL Falbaum wrote:

wrote in message
...
Squares are better. The detuned RI Aviator descends slower than a
round without doing anything. A small amount of training and the
options go way up. Square reserves are not new, and I'm certain that
there have been more square reserves deployed than round reserves.
Figuring that squares have been the standard for twenty years and the
number of jumps done over the last twenty years compared to prior
history. It may take awhile but I'd guess that once a couple of more
pilot rig manufacturers go to squares round parachutes will rapidly go
extinct. The reserve in my pilot rig is the same as one used by
skydivers, I doubt that the pilot rig business will be able to justify
round parachute production for a handful of outdated units sold. IMO
Buying a new round in 2008 is silly.

Well-this brings up a question--.

I have no firsthand experience or statistical evidence to support this,
but---
I inquired of my rigger (Red Payne, Flight Concepts International,
Norcross
[Atlanta} Georgia, USA) about getting a square reserve/emergency chute. I

told him that price was not a factor. I just wanted the best
survivability

and protection from injury.
He said I should stick with my round chute. If you are injured in the
accident or in egress, and can't "fly" the chute properly, you'll be
worse

off with a square emergency chute. Red makes TSO'd reserve and regular
skydive chutes and is an "old timer", so I paid attention.

My question thus is---what do y'all think if you have to jump, partially

incapacitated, but able to get out and pull the ripcord.

Hartley Falbaum
Georgia, USA



I wanted a square chute because they are considerably thinner and I needed
leg room. When I mentioned it to a friend who soars and also jumps, he told
me exactly the same story. If the plane is broken and you have to jump, you
may be broken too. The round chute will get you down safely, even if all
you can do is pull the cord.

Brian Bange