The various construction, attachment and combination methods of emergency parachutes and harnesses for hanggliders and paragliders have led to the situation that the safe operation of any emergency parachute in combination with any harnesses can`t be guaranteed.

Demands have been made from many different sides to remove the existing legal exception of emergency parachutes and harnesses from the requirement of periodic checks every 2 years. The DHV sees no necessity at present for this decisive measure. But, as a minimum to avoid problems caused by constructional incompatabilties, the following instruction for a mandatory compatability-check was issued according to Austrian and German aviation law

• Any combination of an emergency parachute and a harness are to be rechecked by the manufacturer of either the parachute or the harness when combined with one another for the first time. This check should guarantee the safe release of the rescue parachute from in-flight position.

This order becomes effective from 01.01.1998. From this date each new combination of safety equipment and harness must be checked before first use.

The order for the check is not valid if the attachment to the harness or the first positioning in the harness container occurred before 01.01.1998.; in these cases a recheck is strongly recommended. The order also does not apply if the combination is has been given a certificate.

Gmund, 13. November 1997

Martin Jursa - Head DHV - OeAeC Technical Dept.