[Previous entry: "The Rigger Rant and Rave is Back!"]
[Next entry: "Vigil Upgrades Static Electricity Protection"]

An FAA parachute rigger certificate is nothing more than a license to learn and no where was that more evident than during my recent trip to Eloy, Arizona, to take a 10-day master rigger course.

I’ve served as the drop zone rigger for a large skydiving operation outside of Atlanta, Georgia, since 1998. I’ve inspected and packed more than 1600 emergency parachutes and have done countless repairs, but I felt like a rookie relearning the basics of rigging on my first day of Sandy Reid’s course at Rigging Innovations.

While most rigging courses are held over the winter, Sandy runs a year-round rigging school: the U.S. Academy of Parachute Rigging. After holding my senior rigging license for several years, I decided it was time to get my master rating in an attempt to keep major repairs in-house as well as get some hands-on training on some of the sewing machines I don’t currently have in my loft.

The master rigger course is held concurrently with the senior rigger course for the first few days. This serves as a refresher course for the master rigger candidates on rigging basics as well as an in-depth look at the FAA regulations.

I found the “senior rigger” portion of the master rigger course to be just as informative as the later “master rigger tasks.” USAPR instructor “Weird Wayne” is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to sewing machines. After working with him for a few hours, it was amazing to me that my sewing machines back home even worked at all. Wayne’s tips on thread tension, timing, correct needle type/size, bobbin maintenance and overall machine repairs has already been a godsend in the loft. Wayne spent a day with the senior and master candidates on different techniques of canopy patching and repairs.

Sandy has a complete range of machines, including drop feed, needle feed and compound feeds. Machine types I worked on included double-throw zigzags, double needles, walking foots, harness machines and bartackers. It was amazing how much easier and cleaner my repairs became when I started using the right machine for the job!

Major container and harness repairs were the focus of the second week as the master candidates worked on harness replacements, harness resizing and harness repairs. We also spent a lot of time on container flap, stiffener and binding repairs and replacements. Sandy helped the master candidates with measuring and template techniques as well as predicting material shrinkage from the amount of stitching on harness webbing.

Following the practical and oral testing with the local Designated Parachute Rigger Examiner, the now Master Riggers spent the last day of the course learning tips and tricks specifically about the Rigging Innovations line of containers. I had a chance to pack the smallest Voodoo and Talon FS containers as well as pack up an Aviator emergency parachute system with a square reserve. Over the next few weeks, I will give an in-depth review of those harness/container systems.

I can’t recommend this course enough for those senior riggers looking to add that master rigger rating. It is so obvious that Sandy loves teaching the tips and tricks of the rigging trade. And at the same time he picks his candidates brains on how they think a repair should be done or different tips and techniques they have learned over their rigging career.

I left the U.S. Academy of Parachute Rigging a more confident and thoroughly trained rigger. My knowledge base grew exponentially thanks to the quality instruction and well-run course. And at the end, I was officially a master rigger. You can’t beat that.

If you’re interested in applying for the senior or master rigger course in Eloy, contact Sandy at 520-466-2655. The course web site is www.uspar.com.