Posted: 4/14/2003 5:20:53 PM EDT
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Any Younger Paratroopers out there? I was watching "mail call" just now, and they had a thing on parachutes. Three things crossed my mind: 1) When did they change to a T-10D, and how does it differ from a T-10C 2) When did they change the style/type of static line snap hook and why? 3) why was my old squad leader (Ssg Styron) from division, a black hat at Benning, and why, after 12+years is he still a ssg? I hope it was just really old footage! |
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Quoted: Any Younger Paratroopers out there? I was watching "mail call" just now, and they had a thing on parachutes. Three things crossed my mind: 1) When did they change to a T-10D, and how does it differ from a T-10C it change around a year ago maybe a little more. It only differs in the new universal static line. 2) When did they change the style/type of static line snap hook and why? The changed it because it was more costly to have 2 different types of static lines (one for the c-17 and one for the others). Plus while at Green ramp some times the Aircraft will change at last minute, so instead of changing parachutes just add or subract the 5 foot universal statc line extention.(takes less than 2 min per chute to add or subtract) Now for the snap hook it elminated the saftey wire and lanyard. It now is a double snap, snap hook if you see it, it will make sence. 3) why was my old squad leader (Ssg Styron) from division, a black hat at Benning, and why, after 12+years is he still a ssg? I hope it was just really old footage! I just hope it was old footage.......lol |
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thanks. I didn't realize that the static line had to be longer for a C-17. They didn't exist when I got out in 92 (as far as I knew anyway) That reminds me, there was a bunch of our guys who went to Hondo in 88, just before I got to the unit. They jumped with the hondurans, and got to wear Hondo Jump wings. They said that they jumped from c-47s and had to have a longer static line. |
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Early on with the C-17 they had some problems with canopies collapsing due to the wierd airflow around the plane. If you take an airplane that grosses out 260,000 lbs heavier than a C-141 and make it fly at the same speed it will have a lot more turbulence in its wake. I've been out for a couple of years now, but I'd say it's a safe guess that the longer static line is due to that, allowing the jumpers to be farther away from the airplane before the chute opens. Sideline: I was at Pope as a C-141 Flight Engineer in the mid- 80s. This Airborne guy walks up to me and brags, "I get $75 a month to jump out of this airplane!" I answered, "I get $150 to stay in it!" |