G4 Owner’s Manual – 9a – Installing An Automatic Activation Device (AAD)

September 22, 20170

Installation of an AAD in a Mirage is OPTIONAL.  Install and use at your own risk.

If installing an AAD in a Mirage made before December of 2004, verify that the AAD cutter has been relocated to the No. 3 reserve container flap in compliance with Mirage Product Service Bulletin 12-04.

Initial installation of an AAD may be easier to accomplish before the reserve canopy has been installed.

Before installing an AAD, complete the following tasks:

  • Read and understand the notice concerning AAD installation in this manual.
  • Verify that the AAD model is on the Mirage “Authorized AAD List” contained in this manual.
  • Review and comply with any AAD manufacturer Product Service Bulletins that may be in effect.
  • Verify that AAD batteries and/or periodic servicing are “in date”, according to the AAD manufacturer’s guidelines.
  • Perform any checks recommended by the AAD manufacturer prior to installation.
  • Record the required data on the packing data card for the AAD.

 

NOTICE!

To the Owners, Users, and Riggers of Mirage Systems, Inc. products:

Install and Use an Automatic Activation Device (AAD) at Your Own Risk!

 

If you install an AAD in your Mirage, you are acknowledging the fact that sport parachuting (skydiving) is a hazardous activity and that there is a possibility the AAD may not operate as designed to save your life.

FAA Advisory Circular AC-105-2E, dated 12/4/13, permits the installation of Automatic Activation Devices (AADs) in approved parachute assemblies.

The approval to install an AAD by the FAA is based upon AAD operation not interfering with the normal functioning of the parachute.

An Automatic Activation Device (AAD) is an optional self-contained mechanical or electromechanical device whose design, manufacture, testing, and operational reliability are not regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

 

The FAA has not established Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS) or a Technical Standard Order (TSO) for AADs.

Likewise, there is no mandatory industry standard of testing or operational reliability established that all AAD designs must meet.

 

An AAD can fail to operate as designed for a variety of reasons.  Mirage Systems, Inc. cannot be held responsible for the operational reliability of an installed AAD.  Mirage Systems, Inc. does not design, manufacture, test, or guarantee AADs, and has no control over their maintenance or use in the field.  The functional reliability of an AAD was not tested during the TSO approval process of any Mirage harness and container assembly.

Installation and use of any AAD in a Mirage harness and container assembly is at the sole risk of the owner.

AADs are strictly backup devices and are not intended to replace training or timely manual execution of emergency procedures.

AADs may, or may not, initiate deployment at a sufficient altitude to allow the reserve parachute to open, depending upon various combinations of circumstances.

When using an AAD with a pyrotechnic cutter in your Mirage reserve container, the closing loop passes through the cutter assembly.  Cutting of the closing loop releases the reserve pilot chute to begin parachute deployment.  When initiated by the AAD, reserve parachute deployment is totally dependent upon the cutter assembly working as designed by the AAD manufacturer.

Users should be aware that there is a possibility that the closing loop may not be cut at all, the closing loop may be only partially cut through, or the closing loop could be trapped in the cutter.  Either of these failures could delay or prevent reserve parachute deployment.

There is also a possibility that a partially cut closing loop could fail later, causing a dangerous premature deployment of the reserve parachute.  At least one such incident has been reported.

If an AAD works as designed, it will not interfere with the normal operation of the reserve parachute.  However, Mirage owners should note that current designs of pyrotechnic cutters used in AADs do not include a “fail-safe” mechanism to guarantee that a defective cutter cannot interfere with the manual operation of the reserve parachute, as required in FAA AC-105-2E.  Trapping of the reserve closing loop within the AAD cutter could possibly interfere with the immediate release of the reserve pilot chute, even if the ripcord is manually pulled.

Owners and users of Mirage Systems, Inc. products are encouraged to weigh the potential hazards of installing and using an AAD against the potential consequences of not having an AAD installed, and to make their own decision, based upon the information contained in this notice, Mirage Product Service Bulletin, 06-11-2, dated 24 June 2011, and FAA Advisory Circular AC105-2E, dated 12/4/13 .

                                                       

 

Authorized AAD List

This list may be revised if new AAD models become available, or if current models become obsolete.

To prevent unauthorized field modifications that may invalidate the TSO, Mirage harness and container systems are manufactured with the components required for the installation of common AAD designs using pyrotechnic loop cutters.  This is permitted by the FAA in AC-105-2E, even though an AAD is not installed.

Mirage Systems, Inc. authorizes the installation of an AAD utilizing a pyrotechnic loop cutter based solely upon its operational compatibility with our harness and container system, and NOT the operational reliability of the AAD.  

Only AADs that have been evaluated by Mirage Systems, Inc. to determine their operational compatibility with our products may be installed.

Operational compatibility does not determine than an AAD will work as designed, but only that it can be installed and operated without further modification to a Mirage harness and container system.

 

Mirage Systems, Inc. determines the operational compatibility of an AAD based solely upon the following criteria:

  • The AAD will fit into the retaining pouch provided in the reserve container.
  • The electrical cables are sufficiently long.
  • The operating controls are accessible when installed.
  • The closing loop cutter will fit into the elastic keeper provided.

 

The following Automatic Activation Devices (AADs) utilizing pyrotechnic cutters have been evaluated by Mirage Systems, Inc. solely to determine their operational compatibility with Mirage G3, G4.1,2 and RTS harness and container assemblies, and are approved for installation:

 

Brand

Model

Manufacturer

CYPRES 2

One Pin (Student, Expert, Speed, Changeable, Wingsuit)

Airtec, GmbH

M2

One Pin (Student, Expert)

MarS a.s

VIGIL 1, 11, 2+

One Pin

AAD SA / NV

 

 

 

Authorization is NOT based upon the operational reliability of the AAD.  

If you have a question concerning the operational reliability of your AAD, contact the AAD manufacturer.

Check with the manufacturer of your AAD for any current Product Service Bulletins.

 

If you have questions about your Mirage, contact:

Mirage Systems, Inc.,
P.O. Box 820
Deland, FL, 32721, USA.
386-740-9222.