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USAF Back Style Parachute TO's ?


rje71
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Anyone happen to have a old TO for any of the USAF Back style parachutes ? B-20, 22 ect ... Trying to put the one I have had for many years back together correctly but I am not sure how the container is attached to the harness via the straps and snap fittings ...

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I do. Are you looking for the chapter on the chute with an automatic opening device or nonautomatic opening?

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mohawkALSE

For the 22 series the container should be sewn and not removable from the harness. Not sure on 20s as I don't have one but I thought it was similar to the 22. What time frame is that TO from?

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The BA 20 does not have an automatic opening device, all the others in the series do. I wasn't exactly sure what rje71 was referring to by "container attaches to the harness" either. How is the canopy packed into the deployment bag, where does the locking loop fit into all this, does tacking the risers together count as sewing, etc.??? I figured I would just start with the basics and go from there to see what he needs. The TO is from the late 90's.

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mohawkALSE

To me "how the container is attached to the harness" sounded like how the USN NB series back chutes have a separate back container assembly the chute is packed to that attaches to the harness via straps and buckles etc. I think the B-12 series might even have a harness that could be removed, but from what I recall on my BA-22 the harness on those has the container portion on the back sewn and tacked to it. Mine is currently in storage so I don't have access to it right now. Does your TO cover packing them too? Or it just an overview of their setups etc? Id love to get mine back together someday. I have a mid 60s and early 70s AFR/AFM manuals that cover the basic setups of the various types of USAF back chutes and other flight and survival gear.

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An NB-8 is the most common Navy back style chute. The simplest way to rule in or out a Navy chute is, does the canopy have water pockets around the skirt? Or, Air Force chutes have a red 4-line release lanyard and Navy chutes use gray. You are correct that the BA series of chutes has the harness and pack as a single unit, but I can understand the way he worded his question, when you look at an unpacked chute there are straps and flaps hanging out everywhere... I feel sure we can get him headed in the right direction when he responds back to all this. The TO I have is titled "Operation, Inspection, Maintenance, And Packing Instructions For Emergency Personnel Recovery Parachute (Chest, Back, Seat Style, And Torso Harness) With Illustrated Parts Breakdown".

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Hello all, sorry for the late response ! I will get some pictures posted of the harness and container, that I have, but it looks just like this one. it has a strap at the top that has snaps on ( the standard " Pull the Dot " ) button and i think it secures to the rear of the harness somehow but I can not figure out how it connects to the harness. The back bad is sewn to the harness but it is pretty evident at least to me that the container attaches from the webbing straps and snaps to the harness.

 

 

Image_PC_108_600.JPGImage_PC_111_600.JPG

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That is an Air Force chute and while I am no expert on them, I suspect it is a BA 20 nonautomatic chute based on the "D-Ring" rip cord rather than a blast handle. Send me a PM with your email address and we will work out getting you the packing information!

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RWW,

 

Will do and thank you ! , that sounds about right as well as I googled BA20 after you shared the designation and it led me to the T-33 which I know the chute I have was actually used for ANG T-33 flights in the early to mid 70's ..:)

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mohawkALSE

That would make it a B-20 wouldn't it being non Auto release? Wouldn't an ejection seat aircraft be equipped with an ARR like the F-1B or were the T-33s to old school and I'm thinking to far ahead? I know the BA-22 (which is different than this chute obviously) I have came from a NATO E-3 AWACS unit and it was all decked out with the ARR, which it had a FXC 11000 according to the ARR log book it still had. Never saw another BA-22 with one of those, they usually have the Scot type. Unfortunately my ARR, O2 cylinder, URT-33 and the SRU-16 were all removed when surplussed. I only got the chute stuff, harness, logs and CRU bracket.

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I never gave it any thought... I suppose you are right. It would make sense, B for Back and A for Automatic. The chapter in the TO simply refers to it as Back Style Parachute Assembly (Nonautomatic) Part No. 50C7024-20.

 

The BA-22 I have is complete and includes the automatic survival kit actuator for use with the CNU-129 survival kit. As best I remember, it does have a Scott opener.

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mohawkALSE

The Scott is the one that has that weird foil looking disc on the housing. The FXC was a long metal tube, similar to ones the USN used in their auto ripcord chutes. I'll have to look in my AFR and AFM manuals I got recently on Flight Clothing and Equipment. The AFR was from 1964 and the other is from 1972 or so and went from a AFR to AFM and they show the chutes and what they're made up of. Was the first time I saw the designation PCU-4 for the Capewell rise releases.

 

That actuator you speak of is part of one of the survival kit V/D rings right? I think on the RH side. When I bought my BA-22 at OSH years ago, mine was mint issued, then surplussed as no longer required. It was still in its original chute box and all. My buddy got the other one for sale and his was NOS never issued never setup. His was the same price but I liked mine came with the CRU bracket and my connector links had the red rubber end covers as well as my risers tacked. He eventually traded his to a guy that had a BA-22 from Northrop that had one of the actuator V/D rings on it for the seat survival kit. Id assume it was from a F-5 or T-38 they used with a CNU kit.

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Both the Scott & FXC openers were "long metal tubes". The F1B opener was a "box". Below is a picture of the opener in my chute:

 

 

post-177224-0-87883400-1528120249_thumb.jpg

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This shows the all the "stuff" attached. The blast handle rip cord, PLD hardware pocket, & automatic opener arming handle W/ gold key on the left. And on the right, the beacon antenna, lanyard to disarm the beacon, CRU 60 bracket, bail out bottle hose, "green apple", and the survival kit actuator.

post-177224-0-73762000-1528120870_thumb.jpg

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mohawkALSE

Very nice you have a Blast handle type. Mine is the usual T shaped horizontal pull. The FXC 11000 is a total straight tube, there is no square with that foil like part to it like the Scot has above the tube. And correct, the F-1's are a total box with those wind up mechanisms. Does yours just have the PLD pocket but not PLD installed? Mine never had one installed but I bought a NOS PCU-10 PLD for it that I still have in the bag. Not sure if Ill ever get it installed on the BA-22 or get it put on my PCU-15 torso harness. Is the URT-33 still installed in yours on only has the antenna? The flex antenna is still attached in my harness.

 

Someone is selling some surplus FXC model 11000 ARRs on ebay like mine had installed at one time. My harness still has the nylon strap that held the arming knob. It was from the 80s so Ill assume this model was replaced by the Scot. Here is the FXC pic:

 

post-11373-0-51843500-1528166755_thumb.jpg

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The PLD is installed. You are looking at it in the last picture I posted. It is a PCU-10/P in place of a back pad.. The webbing from it is tacked to the left wing and up the lower side of the left shoulder strap. If you look close, you can see where it goes into the top of the hardware pouch. The beacon, bailout bottle, and SRU-16/P are all there. Below is a picture of how the webbing is run and tacked to the harness:

post-177224-0-89373000-1528172041_thumb.jpg

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mohawkALSE

Copy, I see it now looking again. I didn't notice the webbing going in the hardware pocket the first time I was looking at the pics. Do you have any logs on your chute or know where and what aircraft it was used in that it has the blast handle and the CNU actuator? As I said in a previous reply, my chute was a NATO AWACS E-3 unit in Germany. Mine has the chute log, the ARR log, and the equipment record of what was installed etc. Also had the yellow tag commenting "No Longer Required" I'll assume that meant they stopped carrying them on the jets whenever that was. I wish I had pics of it, my harness is the regular sage stuff, but the pack, the original backpad and such are a darker almost OD green.

 

Not trying to get off topic but isn't it funny how the OV-1 RSSK PLD is compared to how the USAF installed them on harnesses. Its only held on via 3 velcro straps (seat pad), those little zippers (thigh pads) and 1 snap. Nothing really heavy duty like the 4 snaps and tacking all over on the USAF setups. No real hardware pocket, just pull the snap strap and pull the hardware out. I haven't been able to fully understand the USN PLD, as from what I read they only attach it via 550 to the dropline in their RSSK kits. My OV-10 Bronco had one in the kit. They have 2 metal spring clips on the container of the PLD but they dont mention in the NAVAIR about using them to attach to anything, just the 550 cord.

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  • 3 years later...
phantomfixer

Does anyone have a copy of the TO for the BA series parachutes, I am not sure if it is a 18, 20 or 22

What I am looking for is how the deployment bag is packed and pinned

 

 

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phantomfixer

Excellent info… still reading through the deployment bag packing..

if I’m reading it right, only part of the canopy is stowed in the bag, the bag is placed and flaps folded, and the bottom secured, then the top part of the canopy is folded and stowed in the pack the pinned…(?)

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  • 2 months later...

My apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but would anyone know of a source for a ripcord grip guide (part number 57A6082) to fit a BA-18 assembly fitted with a blast handle ripcord? I've tried Bells Aviation / Flighthelmet.com with no joy and can't find one anywhere else. Photo attached for clarification.

Ripcord Grip Guide 57A6082.jpg

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