Jumpers and riggers

twistedsquid · 08-08-2015, 13:03

Does one know who packed their chute? Researching Dad's 1964 malfunction. He says he never knew his rigger. What's the relationship? Curious.

JJ_BPK · 08-08-2015, 13:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by twistedsquid

Does one know who packed their chute? Researching Dad's 1964 malfunction. He says he never knew his rigger. What's the relationship? Curious.

I only go back to 69, but all chutes and reserves were tracked, by serial, date, who, & where they come from.

Unlike hil's server...

I doubt very much that data is still available. The AAR is probably also long gone.

**The Reaper** · 08-08-2015, 14:23

As long as I was jumping, the riggers have always signed off on the log books each parachute and reserve carried.

After a bunch of 7th Group riggers pissed hot, I always checked to see if the one I got had any of their names on it.

I think the JAG did, too.

TR

**Joker** · 08-08-2015, 15:12

As most of my jumps were with 3/7 and we had our own riggers, yes.

The log book is attached to the 'chute and a supervisor had to inspect the key areas/phases of the packing process and the rigger packing it and supervisor both sign it upon completion.

On an airborne op that I wasn't on, in A-1/7, they were going out to Utah for a high altitude drop zone. The C130 develop an inflight emergecy right after take off, had to dump the fuel, and make an emergency landing at Pope. They unloaded the 'chutes in the rain and stored them in the B-team's latrine. A 7th Group Sr NCO rigger had to look them over before they could be used. When he laid his hand on the first 'chute he felt the riggers tool inside. He popped the 'chute open and said that whoever would have jumped that 'chute would have been a towed jumper. As they were T-10s, and Group did not have those, they came from the 82d. The 82d picked up their equipment and, I was told, repacked every 'chute packed by that rigger and supervisor touched. The jumpin' junkies had a bunch of problems in the late 70s-early 80s.

CW3SF · 08-08-2015, 15:22

I always looked at the log book to see who packed my chute (part of my pre-jump routine). If i ever had a malfunction (I didnt), i wanted to know who to go look for.

cedsall · 08-08-2015, 15:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by twistedsquid

Does one know who packed their chute? Researching Dad's 1964 malfunction. He says he never knew his rigger. What's the relationship? Curious.

As others have mentioned, there is a logbook on both the main and reserve that contains the name of the rigger who packed the chute.

As far as relationship, luck of the draw. Twenty years ago (I assume it's still about the same today) you walk up to the back of a truck, a guy hands you a parachute and reserve. You can look in the logbook and you may know the rigger who packed your chute, maybe not. In some units I knew most of the riggers by name, in others, it's just a name in the logbook.

BTW, that's the process for static line. I believe HALO jumpers pack their own (full time dope on a rope here...)

miclo18d · 08-09-2015, 06:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by cedsall

BTW, that's the process for static line. I believe HALO jumpers pack their own (full time dope on a rope here...)

HALO chutes are packed at the rigger shed by riggers. After the first jump you pack your own until you're done jumping then your chute goes to the rigger shed unpacked and will be inspected and packed by a rigger.

There is always a rigger at a HALO jump and you also have to have checks intermittently at certain stages before closing the chute just like the state line chutes would be checked.

glebo · 08-09-2015, 13:41

Well, as long as I didn't see "Mickey Mouse" on the log, I though it'd be ok.

When I was in the 1/509th in the late 70's, the riggers and cooks were the most ones busted for ..."recreational drugs"... Heroin, Coke, Hash, etc, etc...

Last hard class · 08-09-2015, 16:12

As I recall, there was a rigger on Bragg in the eighties who was inserting a wire in with the 85 Lb test so the chutes wouldn't open. I believe 2 or 3 made it past some jumpmasters before he was caught.

LHC

Oldrotorhead · 08-09-2015, 17:02

delete

cedsall · 08-09-2015, 17:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Last hard class

As I recall, there was a rigger on Bragg in the eighties who was inserting a wire in with the 85 Lb test so the chutes wouldn't open. I believe 2 or 3 made it past some jumpmasters before he was caught.
LHC

In 1980 there was a jump in the 82d where a CPT had a total malfunction caused by a cut static line. As I recall, the story was the static line was cut through the inner folds with just a bit of cloth left on the outside so it wouldn't stand out during the JMPI. The CPT was fresh out of jump school and didn't have the SA to deploy his reserve.

That event shut down jumping for a couple of weeks while the riggers checked every parachute on FT Bragg. I recall the division started placing packed chutes into a sealed cloth bag that was opened by the jumper.

I think they charged a rigger but weren't able to convict him because of the random method used to issue the parachutes.

Here's a link to a thread over at armyparatrooper.org from a fellow who says he was a JM on that jump:

http://www.armyparatrooper.org/dropz...is-static-line

2018commo · 08-09-2015, 18:06

Alvin Williams