Ok so this one isnt mine but one I made for my Flight Equipment Officer as a going away gift. He is a B-52 pilot so he REALLY likes his! I have made many of these as gifts for military retirements, changes of command for commanders I liked, and close friends. Each one is different, and personalized with the individual's name embroidered at the head, and maybe a stencil too. this one has a "B-52 in a circle" stencil to resemble the peace sign.
I got the idea when I was deployed. I was walking thru tent city, and noticed a rope style hammock on the front porch area of one of the tents. Since I had about 10 unserviceable chutes and was looking for something to do with them other than trash, the idea was born. At that time, I made them on a "case by case" basis, and never went thirsty. And, since the weather was always nice where I was, I'd sleep in mine every night I had off duty. I was happy when I would see others using theirs.
The hammock is made from the gore of a B-52 deceleration parachute. Each drag chute has 48 gores, so when the chutes went bad there were plenty of hammocks that could be made. The gores were wider at one end and narrower at the other, so the "head end" of the hammock turned out a little wider. This is a good thing, since there is hardly any "squeeze"...I would cut the gore out, and save the suspension lines to make ends. I'd wash the gores to get all the jet engine exhaust off of them since they get really dirty. Then I'd buy some 1 1/4" PVC pipe and cut it to make spreader bars. Then, if I wanted to go the extra mile to make a nice presentation, I'd add cup holders, a magazine net underneath, and make a bag like bag chairs come in. Of course, I would do this all on "my time" and use my pocket change to cover the materials.
Mine is packed away in my pop up trailer, and its waaaay too hot outside to set it up, so I stole this pic from my FEO's facebook page! (Hope you dont mind, sir!) lol. Next time I'm out in the boondocks, I'll be sure to get some pics of mine to share with you guys. I know this is not nearly as elaborate as some of the hammocks I've heard you guys talking about, but I thought you'd all get a kick out of it. The spreader bars keep it from packing down small, but they really make a difference in comfort--I'd guess this one is as comfortable as any!
For reference, Here is a picture of a B-52 with the drag chute deployed. If you look at the lines, there is a little space in the parachute canopy between each line. That is one gore. The canopy material is slotted like you see in the hammock so that air can escape when the parachute is deployed. The chute is so big that it would rip itself apart if it didnt have this feature. Works good for a hammock too! lol
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