Keep an Eye Out | Reserve Flaps

Published on Friday, July 14, 2023

Keep an Eye Out | Reserve Flaps

A rigger returned this gear to its owner with the reserve flaps closed in the wrong order. Closing the flaps in the wrong order can prevent the reserve parachute from deploying during both high- and low-speed malfunctions. The rig owner didn’t notice the mistake, but fortunately a fellow jumper performing a preflight gear check did.

Your reserve parachute is your last chance to land safely in case of a main-parachute malfunction, so it makes sense to learn the order in which your rig’s reserve flaps should close. Even riggers can make mistakes, so check the manufacturer’s instructions for your specific system to ensure it is configured correctly.

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Photo by Felicia Sturgeon

From left: Marco Waltenspiel, Matt Leonard, Marco Fürst, and Max Manow are all smiles during a tight angle jump over Skydive City Zephyrhills in Florida.

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