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19th SFG T-10 Rig.....


pzjgr
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Here is an interesting T-10 rig I picked and will probably keep for myself, just because its complete and cool....the unit of record on the record book is 19th SFGA...only 1 repack date in it, 1970....unit was Airborne Detachment.

 

I think it had been messed with at some point, because the packing tray wasn't properly closed, and when I opened and pulled the D-bag, the S-lines weren't stowed properly....so I unstowed them, stretched them out in my garage...the canopy looked like it was properly long folded and stowed in the D-bag, so I didn't bother pulling it out, I just properly restowed the S-lines...in the pics you can see I haven't yet finished the D-bag pack, I will have to tuck the last of the S-lines, then tie off the closing links and the s-line cover before I put it back in the packing tray.

 

Since I have no real rigger tools, you can see my half a$$ed packing paddle in the closing loops, and my "improvised" rigger hook! They work....

 

It is an older T-10....the D-bag has a manufacture date of 1965, I'll have to check the packing tray....the harness is an older one too, with a bang box...the whole thing is cotton duck, so this is an old school T-10.

post-2803-1240237815.jpg

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Oh, and the canopy is old school too....no anti-inversion net on it.

 

I was tempted to pull the canopy out to look it over, but since I don't have a nice 20' long packing table, and packing it on the driveway is hard on the knees, I figured I'd leave well enough alone with the canopy. But, as the bottom of the canopy goes in last, its easy to see there is no anti-inversion net on it. I am not exactly sure when they started putting the nets on the canopy, but I am guessing the late 70's, 80's....

 

If you are into Airborne Ops and stuff....find yourself a complete rig, and learn to pack it...it is an interesting experience....

 

I originally taught myself to pack with a WWII German RZ-20 rig...packing the T-10 is not a whole lot different. The same general technique is used for folding the canopy. Oh and if you want to drive yourself crazy try untangling a mass of suspension lines that have been loose and jammed into a carrying bag for who knows how many years!

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Francis Marion

That's a real sweet acquisition there. I know some 19th SFG riggers that used to use surplussed parachutes to do static line base jumps into the Snake river just out side of Twin Falls, ID. I'll talk to a rigger I work with here and see if he can give us a time line for parachute features. One thing is certain, that dial-a-death harness has been out of service for a very long time.

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Here are some pics of the finished pack job....Although thanks to the kindness of RTS I do have a hard copy of the packing instructions on the way....

 

post-2803-1240499107.jpg

 

post-2803-1240499117.jpg

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Very nicely done, now all you need to find is a matching reserve...and I think Cobrahistorian has a weapons case to go with that available...

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Very nicely done, now all you need to find is a matching reserve...and I think Cobrahistorian has a weapons case to go with that available...

 

Yeah, I would like to find a nice old school reserve cute. I actually sold of a complete T-10 Reserve last year, but it was a newer one with a nylon cover, and it was a training relegated one too (It was spray painted red over the front, then someone sprayed it OD again)...I believe the red spray paint means it was relegated to a training aid, correct?

 

Anyway, I will be on the look out for a correct reserve.....

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Yes, red paint was used to ID training or dummy chutes. Definitely a nice find-looks all matching for the period. Depending on how worn the harness is, you should find some blue stenciling on the seat portion that would have a DOM or DOS on it. Last "bang box" I used was in '87 in ABN School; all three point harnesses after that. If you are interested, check the metal hardware, most will have mfr & date codes (ex: Fc62).

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Francis Marion

I got a chance to talk with the rigger on my team about this. He is a 19th SFG Rigger although after this chute. He says they stopped using the Dial-a-death harness about the same time they added the anti-inversion net, likely around '74-'75. He also claims that the anti-inversion net was designed by a 19th SFG rigger. Since the name is listed on your log, I'll get the guys name to see if you have a real piece of history.

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Yes, red paint was used to ID training or dummy chutes. Definitely a nice find-looks all matching for the period. Depending on how worn the harness is, you should find some blue stenciling on the seat portion that would have a DOM or DOS on it. Last "bang box" I used was in '87 in ABN School; all three point harnesses after that. If you are interested, check the metal hardware, most will have mfr & date codes (ex: Fc62).

 

 

 

"Bang box" in 1987? Where did you go to jump school?

 

I went to Ft Benning in 1986 and we had T-10s, I recall that is all we were taught

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I got a chance to talk with the rigger on my team about this. He is a 19th SFG Rigger although after this chute. He says they stopped using the Dial-a-death harness about the same time they added the anti-inversion net, likely around '74-'75. He also claims that the anti-inversion net was designed by a 19th SFG rigger. Since the name is listed on your log, I'll get the guys name to see if you have a real piece of history.

 

Thats some really good info, thanks much, it is much appreciated. It'll be interesting if there is any connection with the name..to me it looks like Montana, or Montasa, something like that, the date obviously is 27 Oct 1970, and the unit of record appears to be ABN DET....Airborne Detachment, although I don't know how much that narrows it down!

 

I do appreciate the digging!

 

Mike

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Yep, Ft Benning, 1987, T-10 chute. I jumped one and remember the class because they stressed the safety clip. Only made one jump with one, rest were with the three point harness. I remember several others had the boxes too. I also remember jumping with the steel pot though I never was issued one after jump school.

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  • 8 months later...
Last "bang box" I used was in '87 in ABN School; all three point harnesses after that.

 

OK, I don't mean to dredge up an old post for the fun of it but I wanted to correct myself on this. I have jumped the bang box harness and I did go to Ft Benning's Jump School in '87. The replies made me think about it though and I stand corrected. I was jumping civilian chutes not long before I went to Jump School so I apparently miss-recalled the events by merging them together. After researching T-10 harness mil-specs, looking through my "year book" from Jump School, and finding my civilian jump log book, that is my conclusion.

 

I apologize if I misled anyone on the point that the Army may have been using the bang box harness for training in 1987. It wasn't my intent and there is no excuse for the error. Now where did I put those Ginkgo Biloba pills.

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Since this discussion just came back up, and I had never read it before. As I recall we did start seeing the new harnesses in the mid-70's. In fact at some point actually had mixed chutes on jumps, some guys T-10, others MC1-1's. This was bad! A lot of mid-air collisions. The army figured it out and put a halt to that. Also, I believe the British were using the Anti-Inversion Nets prior to the US adopting them. The nets made a phenomenal difference when jumping the old/short C141. Just about eliminated a lot of malfunctions. It was nothing to see a bunch of Mae West's and reserves in the air. SKIP

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  • 2 years later...

I made a number of jumps with the 19th SFG in the mid to late 60's, and we always jumped steerables...never standard T-10s. I don't know the official nomenclature was, but I always put them down as T-10-S ( they had 1 very large eyebrow cut out) in my jump log.

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