In parachute means of the type adapted for stowage in a parachute container including a parachute canopy, having the usual gores and a skirt, and suspension lines that connect the skirt to risers on a jumper's harness, the improvement comprising:
- a flexible panel having a base portion with side edges and a free upper edge and a cover portion with side edges and a free lower edge, said flexible panel being shaped and sized so that it is foldable along a transverse line dividing its base portion from its cover portion to place the base portion and cover portion in superimposed relationship with their corresponding side edges in substantial juxtaposition for predetermined distances from said transverse line;
- said flexible panel having a front face and a back face and said improvement including means securing the base portion of the panel, back face down, to the outer surface of said canopy to hold said base portion substantially flat thereagainst when the canopy is inflated, said cover portion being free of attachment to the canopy so that it can be folded up over said base portion along said transverse line;
- said parachute means including yieldable fastening means for yieldably fastening the cover portion of said flexible panel in its folded position over said base portion, the yieldable fastening means being adapted to yieldably hold the cover and base portions in folded relationship and serving to maintain said corresponding side edges of the folded base and cover portions in relatively close proximity for said predetermined distances to thereby provide a pocket-like pouch therebetween when the parachute means is stowed in said container;
- the base portion of said flexible panel being fastened to said canopy so that its side edges straddle a radial seam between adjacent gores of the canopy, and said transverse line runs substantially perpendicular to said radial seam at a predetermined distance from the skirt of the canopy;
- said improvement being adapted to cooperate with the other parts of said parachute means so that the latter can be made into a compact parachute assembly shaped and dimensioned for stowage in said parachute container by the steps of;
- forming said canopy into a compact elongate shape adjacent the back face of said panel with the skirt of the canopy at one end of the elongate shape and the apex of the canopy at the other end, the elongate shape being of a conventional configuration for parachute packing purposes in the sense that all of said suspension lines are brought together at its skirt end, the width of said flexible panel being such that the sides of said elongate shape are spaced inwardly from said corresponding side edges of the base and cover portions of the panel at least for said predetermined distances;
- folding the skirt end of the elongate shape back so that the folded end of the said shape coincides substantially with the position of said transverse line;
- grouping said suspension lines into a rope-like bundle;
- folding the cover portion of said flexible panel over the folded skirt end of the elongate shape;
- folding said rope-like bundle of suspension lines to zig-zag configuration across the folded cover portion of said flexible panel and releasably fastening the folds of said rope-like bundle in position against the flexible panel and folded canopy skirt, the fastening being accomplished by means of at least part of said yieldable fastening means and said at least part of said yieldable fastening means including said zig-zag configuration of the rope-like bundle and a plurality of fastening means engaging the opposite folds of the zig-zag configuration to cooperate with the rope-like bundle to confine the folded skirt of the canopy between the cover and base portions of said panel, said plurality of fastening means being yieldable to release the folds of the rope-like bundle in sequence in response to substantial pull on said rope-like bundle;
- and
- doubling the elongate shape back on said folded panel to make the assembly compact;
- whereby when the compact assembly is released for deployment in an airstream by a jumper using the parachute means, the drag on the compact assembly stretches out the folded portion of the elongate shape that is outside of the folded flexible panel and also stretches out said risers to exert pull on the rope-like bundle of suspension lines, and the pull on the rope-like bundle of suspension lines releases the zig-zag folds of the rope-like bundle from said plurality of fastening means in sequence to release the folded skirt from the flexible panel to permit the pull of the stretched suspension lines to unfold the folded skirt and turn the skirt into the airstream with subsequent inflation of the canopy, the airstream air being prevented from blowing directly into said pocket-like pouch of the folded flexible panel prior to release of the folded skirt therefrom and thereby causing a risk of premature release of the rope-like bundle of suspension lines from said fastening means, and premature inflation of the canopy, by virtue of the fact that the width of the folded end of said flexible panel exceeds that of the folded skirt and the further fact that said yieldable fastening means holds said corresponding side edges of the folded base and cover portions of said panel in said relatively close proximity for said predetermined distances prior to said release of said folded skirt.