The term “loft” comes from earlier times when the area
used to pack and maintain parachutes was usually situated
in the aircraft hangar above the aircraft. Hence, the
term “loft.” The name has continued to this day and is
synonymous with the parachute workshop.
Under 14 CFR, subsection 65.127(b), a rigger must have:
“Suitable housing that is adequately heated, lighted, and
ventilated for drying and airing parachutes.” Under 14
CFR, subsection 65.127(d), the rigger must have:
“Adequate housing facilities to perform his duties and to
protect his tools and equipment.” All of this only makes
sense in that the properties stipulated are those that are
best suited for storing and maintaining parachutes.
Although these regulations have been in effect for over 40
years and were originally intended to apply to parachutes
with organic fibers in them, they still apply today. From
the practical side, keeping yourself and the parachute
warm promotes efficient work habits. Good lighting means
that you can properly inspect the parachute. Ventilated
means that the parachute is properly dried before packing.
Keeping your tools clean, dry, and serviceable means that
you can do the correct job on the parachute.
Most individuals have been to automotive garages where
there was oil on the floor and parts strewn everywhere. In
contrast, modern professional garages sometimes look like
hospital facilities in their cleanliness and organization.
Where would you take your car? The same is true with the
loft, as depicted in figure 6-83. A clean, organized, and welldesigned
loft inspires customer confidence in the rigger’s
ability to work on the parachute.
The loft facility houses the sewing machines and other
equipment over and above the hand tools that all riggers
should have. A full-service loft will have the following
areas:
1. Packing and inspection area. A main part of the loft
layout is a suitable packing area. According to 14
CFR, subsection 65.127(a), the rigger must have: “A
smooth top table at least 3 feet wide by 40 feet long.”
Technically this is still required, and is used primarily
for round canopies. However, with today’s
square parachutes, the accepted practice is to pack on
the floor on a suitable covering such as carpet. If the
rigger is packing round parachutes, a packing table is
a necessity as it makes the rigger’s job easier and
more comfortable. If there is no packing table, then
there needs to be an open area big enough to lay out
the square parachute. While not expressly required,
most lofts will have a canopy hanger [Figure 6-84]
for inspection, airing, and assembling square canopies.
Along with the canopy hanger, an assembly and
inspection table [Figure 6-85] is extremely useful.
It
allows the harness and container to be assembled to
the canopy without laying it on the floor. The assembly
table allows the correct distance from the floor to
mate with the canopy and provides an ideal storage
area for the packing tools, wrenches, other equipment,
and materials needed for assembly.Figure 6-86 shows
a complete layout of the canopy hanger and layout
table.
2. Work area including layout tables and sewing
machines. The work and layout tables are ideally 4 x
8 feet for optimum space usage. Any canopy layout
can be done on the packing table. The work tables
should be adjacent to the sewing machines for minimum
walking distance between them. Many lofts will
have a small table along the walls against which the
sewing machines are placed. This allows storage of
materials and other items needed during the sewing
operation. The right end of the sewing machine table
is placed against this table so that the left, or open end,
is available to lay canopies or containers on.
3. Harness table and machines. Because of the
nature of harness work, there are many specialized
materials and tools unique to harness work. The
table [Figure 6-87] will house the hot knife, hot
glue gun, templates, and rulers. The harness
machine should be adjacent to the harness table for
maximum efficiency.
4. Cutting table. The cutting table is used for cutting
canopy fabric for canopy repairs, para-pak or
Cordura® for container repairs, or for cutting anything
for general manufacturing. Ideally, this cutting
table will have a glass surface for use with a hot
knife. One of the best designs utilizes a 4 x 4 feet
glass surface that is hidden below a wooden cover
that can be removed when needed and protects the
glass when not in use. This table serves dual duty as
a work table. [Figure 6-88]
5. Metal working area. It is important to segregate the
metal working area from the rest of the loft. Because
of the nature of the work, metal working creates considerable
contamination with metal shavings and
other particles injurious to parachute fabrics. The
metal working area will have drills, grinders, swaging
tools, Nicopress® tools, and other tools needed
for repairing or overhauling metal components. [Figure 6-89] The grommetting area [Figure 6-90]
should be adjacent to the metal working area, since
several of the tools used to remove grommets will be
found there. The grommet machine or handsets are
kept in this area. Parachute containers or other parts
needing grommets are brought to this area for work.
6. Office area. The office area will handle the administrative
and record keeping functions of the loft. It
will have a desk, file cabinets, library or bookshelves,
telephone/fax machine, and computer. All
work orders will be processed through here.
7. Materials storage area. The storage area may be a
separate room, a pegboard [Figure 6-91], or cabinets
on the walls where thread, tapes, and webbing are stored. Rolls of fabric may be stored under the work
or packing tables or on wall racks.
All of the above may be practical for the full-time professional
loft, but for the individual rigger there may be certain
space constraints. Many riggers take over their garage,
which makes a perfectly suitable loft with some cleaning
and remodeling.
