BASE Rigging Skills

Course Outline

Day 1:

Introduction:  Lecture, 1 hour

Assembly:  Practice, 1 hour

Instruction and practice on assembling base systems from stock components.

Inspections:  Practice, 3 hours

Students will learn to fully inspect BASE systems, including line checks, damage identification and damage tracking and maintenance.  Discussion of which repairs can be made at home and which will require professional repair.

Materials:  Lecture, 1 hour

Discussion of appropriate materials, ratings and specifications, and sources for purchasing materials for parachute use.

Materials Testing:  Practice, 2 hours

Destructive pull testing of various parachuting materials to evaluate quality and discuss pull forces and directions.

Day 2:

Sewing Machines:  Lecture, 1 hour

Introduction to characteristics and operation of home sewing machines.

Sewing Machine Introduction:  Practice, 3 hours

Basic operation of sewing machines including threading, bobbin winding, needle replacement, and setting of stitch pattern.  Students will sew basic stitches and boxes for practice.

Velcro Replacement:  Practice, 2 hours

Replacement of simple velcro for toggles, and discussion of shrivel flap velcro replacement.  Shrivel flap velcro replacement demonstration.

Basic Patching:  Practice, 3 hours

Sewing of basic patches on new material.

Day 3:

Intermediate Patching:  Practice, 4 hours

Sewing of more complicated patches, with discussion of patching on seams, and identification of which patches require more advanced skills.

Lower Control Lines:  Practice, 2 hours

Practice construction and installation of lower control lines, with discussion of different styles of brake settings.

Bridle Construction:  Practice, 2 hours

Construction of BASE bridles.

Day 4:

Line Sets:  Lecture, 30 minutes

Where to purchase line sets, discussion of constructing line sets and advantages of purchasing full line sets from manufacturers.

Line Set Installation:  Practice, 4 hours

Installation of factory line sets to re-line canopies.

Stash Bag Construction:  Practice, 4 hours

Construction of basic stash bags from templates.

All work will be done on home sewing machines, and sewing machines will be available for purchase at the conclusion of the course.