Which Way Does This Go?

by Jan Meyer

Has anybody ever asked you to pincheck a throw-out system? Whether or not you jump a throw-out yourself, the bridle line routing on someone else's throw-out may be significantly different than the bridle line routing you may be familiar with.

A throw-out's a throw-out you say? Well, maybe so, but the manufacturers may disagree with you. The pilot chute in tow problem starts with bridle line routing, or rather, mis-routing.

Table 1 lists bag orientation in the container, bridle line routing out of the container and flap closing order for most manufacturers. Bridle line routing and flap closing order depend on the orientation of the bag within the container. This orientation is listed twice under the Lines at and the Bridle line at columns.

The table shows 4 rigs with the lines on top and 8 rigs with the lines stows at the bottom of the container. There's more than one way to do it. Make sure you do it right on your rig. Make sure you teach it right. If you don't know, ask or refer to the manufacturer's packing manual. It's a good practice to get people who jump the same rig and deployment system you do, to pincheck your gear.

a) The names Pull out and Throw out refer to two different deployment methods. They are misnomers because both systems require you to pull out and throw out the pilot chute. There are regional variances as to what name refers to which method.

In this article Throw Out refers to a deployment system with these characteristics:

• the handle attached to the top of the pilot chute
• the pilot chute is packed in a pouch separate from the main container
• a curved pin closes the container

Originally published in Sport Parachutist's Safety Journal V1, #3 Sept/Oct 1988.
©Copyright 1988, 1996-1999 by Jan Meyer. Republished with permission.