SAF shares photos, sheds more light on stringent parachute-packing process via Facebook post

Peace of mind knowing that the person who packs the parachute has to jump with it.

Belmont Lay| January 13, 02:01 AM

Having addressed online speculation claiming that the packing of parachutes was outsourced to foreign contractors, the Singapore Armed Forces has taken an additional step to put the public's mind at east by shedding some light on how the process is carried via a post on Facebook.

According to the SAF, each parachute is packed by one packer, a role assumed by a Singapore Technologies (ST) staff, while the checker role is that of an SAF Rigger.

To ensure that packer and rigger carry out their duties from start to finish and to prevent any doubt whatsoever, there are no changes in personnel throughout the packing process.

Moreover, SAF Riggers adopt a parachute-packing process that comprises seven sequential stages.

At the end of each stage of the packing process, the packer will call for a check by the SAF Rigger, who ensures that the parachute is packed correctly.

The SAF Riggers also conduct safety inspection for each stage before allowing the packer to proceed to the next stage of the packing process.

One of the riggers featured is 3WO Shirley Ng, who is an SAF Rigger of the Aerial Delivery Wing, SOTSC.

She is also a certified Master Rigger and jumped with the Red Lions at our National Day Parade in 2014.

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Shirley Ng is an SAF Rigger of the Aerial Delivery Wing, SOTSC. She is also a certified Master Rigger and jumped...

Posted by The Singapore Army on Tuesday, January 12, 2016

 

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supervision by 3WO Shirley, our SAF Rigger, in the packing of the parachutes.

Posted by The Singapore Army on Tuesday, January 12, 2016

 

It was also revealed that the process and rigger certification is overseen by a Master Rigger and that many of the staff from ST were former SAF Riggers themselves.

This was a fact made known in a news article from June 2013, where it was revealed that the 20 riggers employed by the SAF then were all women and they had to at least make one jump with a parachute they personally packed.

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Commanding of the Aerial Delivery Wing, SOTSC, MWO Rickey Yeo, sharing the importance of safety procedures...

Posted by The Singapore Army on Tuesday, January 12, 2016

 

Here is the SAF's Facebook post:

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wonder why the elite Commandos have full confidence in our SAF Riggers?"There's no room for error...Their lives...

Posted by The Singapore Army on Tuesday, January 12, 2016

 

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