Interesting Snow.
Wouldnt that be something if a Cooper canopy had been found but incorrectly disregarded due to Cossey's incompetence, negligence or malfeasance?
A 24 ft canopy would not likely be used an emergency main, especially in an NB 6 or NB 8 rig. Too small a pack volume for those containers and a high descent rate, especially with a heavier jumper.
24 ft ripstop military canopies were, however, widely used as skydiving reserve canopies. They were small, dirt cheap and skydivers were willing to accept a high descent rate in return for lower jump weight and small reserve pack volume. High pack volume in a chest reserve made it harder to go forward towards a formation, the big chest reserve acting as an air brake.
24 ft twill canopies were widely used as dummy reserves for training as they were essentially worthless.
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