Reserve Repack (Pack Service)
The reserve repack is the mandatory recurring maintenance of a reserve parachute: a qualified person opens, airs, inspects and refolds the reserve to the manufacturer's manual. The interval is set by the manufacturer — APCO prescribes every six months for the Mayday series. Without a valid repack the reserve is not airworthy.
Also known as: reserve pack service · reserve maintenance · re-pack · repack interval
What happens during a repack
A certified repack typically covers five steps:
- Opening + airing — the reserve is unpacked and hung out for 24-48 hours. This releases fold adhesions caused by packing pressure and temperature.
- Visual inspection — fabric checked for UV damage, seam failure, tears. Bridle lines checked for deformation, knots and material fatigue. Apex construction checked for changes.
- Material test — on older reserves (5+ years) a tear-strength sample or bridle hardness test.
- Folding to the manual — strictly to the manufacturer’s instructions. APCO Mayday has its own folding instructions for Square, PP and G-MD.
- Repack card — date, workshop stamp, workshop ID, next mandatory date. This card is your maintenance proof towards insurance and association.
Mandatory interval
The interval is set in the manufacturer’s manual, not in the certification standard: EN/LTF governs the type approval of the reserve, not your maintenance schedule. APCO prescribes a repack for the Mayday series every six months by a qualified person, plus an annual airworthiness inspection — regardless of whether the reserve was flown or spent the whole season in its container. Additionally: after ten deployments send it to the manufacturer for inspection, and retire it after ten years at the latest. National rules of your association may add further requirements.
Two special cases:
- After a deployment — a repack is mandatory before further use. A deployment can cause bridle deformation and fabric stress that only a workshop can detect.
- After water/moisture — the reserve must be fully dried and refolded, otherwise mould and adhesions form.
What happens if you neglect it
A repack that is 2 years overdue is not “just formally expired” — it has real consequences:
- folds stick together through pressure + temperature. Opening delays of 0.5-1.5 seconds are measurably documented.
- sink rate rises for real by 20-50 % versus the datasheet if the fabric does not open cleanly.
- bridles fatigue invisibly — deployment risks increase.
- insurance cover lapses — DHV and private liability insurers often exclude claims if the repack card had expired.
Repack workshops in the DACH region
Repack workshops are spread regionally. Typical locations:
- Munich / southern Germany (workshop cluster)
- Stuttgart / Swabian Alb
- Vienna / Salzburg
- Switzerland: Bern, Interlaken
We coordinate repacks via the workshop in Taufkirchen — enquiries by mail to [email protected].
Common mistakes
- “I never deployed it, so I don’t need a service” — Wrong. Packing pressure and temperature stress the reserve even unused.
- “I pack it myself” — Also wrong. Only certified workshops may issue the service stamp recognised by insurers.
- “I’ll do it next year” — Insurers can reject a claim if the repack card had expired at the time of the incident.
- Choosing a workshop without manufacturer experience — APCO Mayday has its own folding instructions. Workshops without Mayday experience pack to a standard procedure, which can be suboptimal.
Where you will encounter it
- When buying a new reserve: the first repack card is included. Plan the appointment for the following year.
- When buying second-hand: without a complete repack history, the reserve is in doubt not legally airworthy.
- Before every season: check the repack card, book a service if needed.