Silver Parachute Sales & Service is dedicated to providing in-depth, personal parachute service to aerobatic and glider pilots around the world. We specialize in emergency parachutes and are the largest dealer of the SOFTIE line of pilot emergency parachutes by Para-Phernalia, Inc. Silver Parachute Sales also offers complete rigging services including repack & recertification, major repair & alteration, as well manufacturing the AcroBelt five-point ratchet restraint system.
Allen Silver owns and operates Silver Parachute Sales &
Service in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been an FAA Master Rigger since
1974 and in 1991 was designated as a Parachute Rigger Examiner for the FAA.
Allen is past chairman of the Parachute Industry Association (PIA) Rigging
Committee. This is a worldwide organization that represents the parachute
industry.
Having spent 25 years with the California Air National Guard, Allen retired in 1991. Seventeen of those years were spent as a Survival Equipment Technician working with parachutes, life rafts and oxygen equipment. This background has been beneficial in obtaining contracts with NASA and other aerospace companies requiring services for sophisticated and specialized parachutes.
In 1962 at the age of seventeen Allen made
his first parachute jump in Southern California after watching the old
television series, Ripcord. He now has over 3100 parachute jumps as a sport and
professional skydiver.
For three seasons Allen performed a wingwalking/skydiving routine at airshows throughout the western United States with Eddie Andreini and his Super Stearman. After retiring from wingwalking in 1992 Allen remains on the airshow circuit as a skydiver. He recently returned to flying and has been logging time in a Super Decathlon and a Marchetti F-260. When he is not busy packing and maintaining parachutes, Allen enjoys jogging, hiking and bicycling.
His son, Darrin, is also involved in aviation. Darrin has over 2400 hours of flight time and has spent time as a Metroliner captain for a small freight airline. Darrin helps out at the shop when he isn't selling real estate or drawing the comic strip Flying High.