AlphaHybrids
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2009
- Messages
- 1,573
- Reaction score
- 97
I find that they have less drift, and per area of fabric they can carry more mass at a certain velocity. With the three pound rocket the descent rate is ~10 fps. I flew to 2200' twice this weekend and walked less than 300' for it both times.
Edward
What were the wind speeds? I had an apogee deployment at 6,400 ft and walked about 500 ft after a 5+ min decent and also had 5200 ft flight with DD deploy at 400 ft where I walked about 2,000 ft. It's about the surface and upper wind speeds much more the the chute.
Just telling us how far you walked doesn't tell us much.
The wind speeds were variable, but approximately 5-7 mph to the southeast. Of rockets launched at the same time and approximately the same size and apogee, I walked about 1/2 the average distance that they did to recover. I don't know their descent rates, but this did recover much slower.
Edward
So you're saying it was drifting down longer and slower but didn't go as far as other rockets?
The only way that is possible if if it has some forward speed going into the wind. If not, it will move with the air mass just like other chutes and if it takes longer to come down, it will move further with the air.
What I've found is that standard parachutes that oscillate then to not glide at all, other then going one way then the other which cancels each other out. So they tend to come down with zero total glide and slightly faster then the calculated values you would get based on chute construction. Chutes that glide and don't have a control mechanism tend to take off in a random direction. They may go off a long ways or they may come closer and closer to the pad. It is random and with enough examples, they will also average the same as a chute without glide.A spinning parachute would probably operate less in the oscillating and gliding descent mode, being a more stable performing parachute when compared to non-spinning parachutes which might develop a gliding descent mode and drift a long way. You obviously need to keep in mind that the holes etc lower the Cd etc, but yeah
Enter your email address to join: