Ground testing Darkstar Jr - Concerns about chute packing

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KThomson

KThomson

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Hello,

I am ground testing BP charges for my Darkstar Jr. Using a Recon Recovery 30" chute and a 12" chute protector done burrito style, it's a tight fit but I get a good, energetic deployment with 1 gram of bp.

My concern is that the chute stays tightly rolled in the chute protector after deployment.

I only have about 10" of free space to work with and due to the diameter, the chute and protector are rolled pretty tight.

Should I be concerned or will this all just "shake loose" in the air?

Thanks,
Kevin
 
What is the weight of rocket after motor burn out? You may be able to step down to a Recon 20" The DS is a very tough rocket. With the 4 ear sections on the chute it adds a lot more drag. Plus with smaller chute you can use a 9X9 protector depending on protector brand.
 
I'm looking at around 4.5lb or so. Rocksim was showing some pretty fast descent rates with the 30 so I would be concerned about stepping down to the 20.

I was just thinking that if I attached the chute directly to the nose cone and attached the protector a few feet back on the harness that this would help pull the chute free.

Kevin
 
Last edited:
FWIW, I use a 42" Sphereachute in my Wildman Jr (same volume for the main as you I believe) and I ended up using a piston so I wouldn't have to use extra space for a protector. 30" seems small for this heavy a rocket but I'm not sure how the Recons are sized. That said, I don't recall ever having had an issue on other rockets where a protector caused a tangle if everything was packed carefully; a more common failure is part of the shock cord getting twisted around the bundle. Attaching the chute to the cone sounds like a good idea.
 
The 30" Recon is similar to a 28" Skyangle. This will be a tight fit for sure. It will come down at a good clip. That said, it is a tough rocket.

I have a Wildman Junior, and the last time or two I flew it I used a Top Flight standard chute. Worked fine and packed much easier.

Also, the burrito. I always tie the nomex to the harness, and attach my main at the nosecone. The nomex should be tied such that the parachute, when stretched to maximum length and attached to the nosecone, is completely clear of the chute. That way as it all unfurls the nosecone will pull the chute clear of the nomex. My two cents anyway.
 
One other thing sometimes if you just slide the protector through button hole and not secure it. the protector will slide up shock cord and up the shroud lines of the chute. Most flights I add a quick link to shock cord put protector button hole on to it and next use same quick link with a swivel attached to the chute lines.
 
I have a couple of Par36's. I'll try that with the protector on a quick link an appropriate distance down the harness and see how it goes. Testing is done for today, time for steaks.

Kevin
 
yea.... Chutes have a way of popping open pretty easily. Just keep the shroud lines neat. I wouldn't want to go any smaller on the chute. Sure the rocket can take it but that's just too fast to come down.
 
Due to lousy weather yesterday and overnight, I have not had a chance to try any of these ides or suggestions.

I did find what seems to be a pretty efficient way to fold the Recon 30 chute. Not sure if I am just rediscovering the wheel but I did not find much info on how to fold this chute style so I included photo and method below and would be interested to hear any pros/cons regarding this method and likely success of deployment and chute inflation.

1) Fold the chute over on itself to form three points.
20160530_113622[1].jpg

2) Fold left corner to right corner.
20160530_113645[1].jpg

3) Fold right corner down to bottom corner.
20160530_113700[1].jpg

4) Fold top to bottom.
20160530_113716[1].jpg

5) Fold bottom to top.
20160530_113738[1].jpg

6) Roll from side opposite risers.
20160530_113826[1].jpg


The advantage I found here was that it kept the full length risers on the long side of the chute when rolling and this kept the width of the finished package smaller.

Kevin
 
Yes that is the way to do it. You should send this method with pictures over to WM so he can post this on his site. It will be very helpful to all flyers.
Great job.
 
Well, finally had a chance to try out a few things. With the chute protector clipped to the harness a little bit further down than the chute reaches, and using the folding technique above, everything deploys nice and clean using 1.5g of BP.

Now I just have to get out to a launch.

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions everyone.

Kt
 
I've flown my Jr kits (Vindicator and Shape Shifter) with both a 30" Recon or a Sky Angle 36" many times. The Recon is a very tight fit but always had successful deployment with 1.2g of powder. I'm sure you'll have a successful flight. Let us know how it goes!

-brant
 
I launched my Jr on a H165 today and a 36" chute, and it drifted, and drifted and drifted. Sim says it probably got to around 1400-1500'. I got lucky that although it reached the treeline, it dropped into a small clearing instead of getting hung up in a tree.

Unless your field is very hard, I'd probably go with the 30" chute just to get a couple extra fps and hopefully spare yourself a long walk or worse. I sent a slightly heavier cardboard rocket down on the same 36" chute and it landed with no damage, so I'd have no worries on the Darkstar with a slightly smaller chute. Or else just use DD every time (my altimeter got soaked due to a very ill placed pond!) and run the bigger chute.
 
KThomson said:
Due to lousy weather yesterday and overnight, I have not had a chance to try any of these ides or suggestions.

I did find what seems to be a pretty efficient way to fold the Recon 30 chute. Not sure if I am just rediscovering the wheel but I did not find much info on how to fold this chute style so I included photo and method below and would be interested to hear any pros/cons regarding this method and likely success of deployment and chute inflation.

1) Fold the chute over on itself to form three points.
View attachment 292441

2) Fold left corner to right corner.
View attachment 292442

3) Fold right corner down to bottom corner.
View attachment 292443

4) Fold top to bottom.
View attachment 292444

5) Fold bottom to top.
View attachment 292445

6) Roll from side opposite risers.
View attachment 292446


The advantage I found here was that it kept the full length risers on the long side of the chute when rolling and this kept the width of the finished package smaller.

Kevin
Click to expand...
Thanks for this. I'm glad I found it before posting the question...
I've been trying to pack my Recon 30" in my Wildman Jr. in a way that I feel comfortable it will deploy properly. Now I know.
 

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