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what thread is used for the keelpockets for line containment? IE attatching it to the Canopy.?

what thrad for PCs?

Also, has there been any ideas in making a pilot chute useing ZP/mash/binding tape WITHOUT useing a sewing machine?
what tape is used in the PC ZP? what webbing for the center lift line in the PC?

All of the shit i have i think will work just fine, but my sewing machine is getting kinda tired, and the whole point of this is to try something new and different.

CH

Hey Calvin,

For what it is worth:

I have been reading a series of articles on building your own hot air balloon

In there the idea of using glue/expoxy to bind nylon together was mentioned. The author then cited Dan Poynter's Parachute Manual and said that type of seam binding had been tried and tested. The results were that it reduced the strength of the nylon.

Keelpockets? As in tailpockets? In that case E thread.

E thread for PC.

Binding tape for PC.

No webbing is used in PCs.

Good luck using glue instead of stitches

Thanks!

the webbing in PCs i was talking about was the center lift line, it looks like binding tape, just wanted to make sure. i have no binding tape, so that will get here when i order it. E thread, good. my weeny machine will handle that. thamks. as for glue, i had no ideas besides sewing, moslty just curious. I have used cyanacrolate to bind fabric together in hanggliders, but usualy for non-critical places, or where a machine cannot be used due to thelocation of the stitch. i use cyanacrolate glue to stop thread from unweaving. the glue is pretty nice. andf yes, i was talking about the tailpocket. keelpocket, whatever. sorry.

Thanks!

I've seen a BASE PC in use with the Seattle crew that has no centerline. It's constructed (by one of their local riggers) as a hemisphere, rather than a flat circle, which makes the centerline optional, per the manufacturer. If you were to do that, of course, you'd be a test jumper, with all the small print that entails.

Isnt that on every BASE gear label that we already jump?

A hemispherical PC has problems that i can see already, and a few benefits.

Hemi PC-

BAD- not as much drag for fabric surface area due to projected surface area, if packed weird, depending on the size of the pc it could make for a long throw out arc, maybe it wouldnt all come out.

GOOD- the PC would be deeper, so it would occilate much less, there would be nothing on the inside of the pc to snag for a second on the fabric of the zp.

The "Para-Innovator" by Hank Aschiutto (sp) was my first BASE PC's (ca 1988). 16 gore hemi. Quite stable, definitely over a pound and quite a handful.
Take care,
space

Atair have done some experiments in building ZP canopies without sewing - search for posts by "cobaltdan" for more info.

Keelpocket = tailpocket makes way more sense than tarp = canopy

A tarp is so much more than a canopy...

also, the pocket is lockated on the keel of the canopy. (centercell, on top of the center rib) and i would get the tailgate and tailpocket mixed up. so i made up a new word.

You should consider calling that little round parachute a Bridle Chute. Tenacious B decided that was a more descriptive name, and is now in the process of bribing jumpers all over the world to adopt the term.

dude, what is a pilot chute? do you mean bridalchute?

Yeah, it was known as "The Hank Anchor". I still have a couple of them around here someplace.

359

this was a meshless pc correct? as in there was ribs that led to the canopy? in a spoke fashion?

Negative. It has ribs made of tape, but there is large hole mesh stretched between the ribs.

i request a picture.
I have seen and used bailout rigs with a meshless pilot chute, that had no openings, it is hard to explain, i am going to try to find a pic of one on google image. these bailout rigs were 40s military, and later converted to civilian sailplane/aerobatic bailout rigs.

there has to be a good story behind that.
i request an explanation

didnt bail out. sadly.

before i started base hardcore we jumped some sketchball old rigs for fun. 28' military rounds were among them