L3 Chute Manufacturer Preferences

[fyrfytr310]

This has probably been discussed ad nauseam but I couldn't find record...

If cost is ignored and you have a 12' tall, DD, 45-70lb, L3 certification project on your hands, would you go for the Sky Angle XL/XXL or a Rocketman offering (with matching drogues and bags for either choice) and why?

 

[Worsaer]

None of the above, and I own them all. My choice would be a Fruity Chute Iris Ultra. They are much lighter, and take up much less space.


Credit where credit is due - they all work great!

 

[crossfire]

I wish we would have kept count of all the L-3s were done using our Standard Par120 chutes over the last 25 years. We have out Crossfire line that we have a CF144. They both fold up nice. I guess it comes down to your budget. Do you what to send $400 or $89. both will get the job done.

 

[GRIFFIN]

+1 on the TopFlite stuff. Gary had made me (2) 12' chutes and they are great. Can't go wrong.

 

[tim cubbedge]

None of the above, and I own them all. My choice would be a Fruity Chute Iris Ultra. They are much lighter, and take up much less space.

Exactly! That's my choice especially if you are limited on space!

 

[jd2cylman]

+1 on the TopFlite stuff. Gary had made me (2) 12" chutes and they are great. Can't go wrong.

Those are mighty small for a L3 aren't they... :wink: How about 12'... Just givin ya some grief... God knows I'm not perfect (but he usually promises not to tell...).

Adrian

 

[AfterBurners]

I wish we would have kept count of all the L-3s were done using our Standard Par120 chutes over the last 25 years. We have out Crossfire line that we have a CF144. They both fold up nice. I guess it comes down to your budget. Do you what to send $400 or $89. both will get the job done.

I AGREE!!

 

[webtech]

+1 for TopFlight, it's what I used. 8ft with a 37lb rocket

 

[fyrfytr310]

None of the above, and I own them all. My choice would be a Fruity Chute Iris Ultra. They are much lighter, and take up much less space.


Credit where credit is due - they all work great!

Thanks for the suggestion. I will add them to the consideration pile.

 

[fyrfytr310]

Exactly! That's my choice especially if you are limited on space!

Fortunately, I don't think space will be an issue, the build is going to be 10" ID.

 

[dixontj93060]

TopFlite is fabulous and is a super bargain--for sure would recommend, but one vendor not mentioned which I have used on two cert flights is Spherachutes--also a great option.

 

[Sailorbill]

None of the above, and I own them all. My choice would be a Fruity Chute Iris Ultra. They are much lighter, and take up much less space.


Credit where credit is due - they all work great!

+1 on the Fruity chutes. With a CD that is higher than everybody out there the Iris Ultra is the way to go. I used an 84" to recover my L3 bird, a 6" dia. 9' 6" tall 28 lb. Ultimate Endeavour. The chute will pack into a 4" air frame with ease.

 

[Worsaer]

+1 on the Fruity chutes. With a CD that is higher than everybody out there the Iris Ultra is the way to go. I used an 84" to recover my L3 bird, a 6" dia. 9' 6" tall 28 lb. Ultimate Endeavour. The chute will pack into a 4" air frame with ease.

The 84" Iris Ultra fits into the nose cone of my 5" L3 with gobs of room to spare. For me that was the benefit - smaller, more compact for the same performance of a larger, bulkier chute. Yes - they do cost much more, no argument there.


Sky Angle chutes are solid performers, and a good deal.

 

[mikec]

I used a Sky Angle on my L3. One significant advantage is that with only three shroud lines, it's very hard to get a tangle. But my L3 was a 4" rocket with minimal space, and you're less space-constrained.

 

[jmmome]

I used a Fruity Chute Iris Ultra for my L3. Really a nice chute. But I also have used Sky Angle Cert 3 drogue and Top Flight chutes, and have had great success with them. It really is personal preference.

And my mother-in-law makes great colorful chutes for me!

 

[cbrarick]

Sky angle. Stronger and more durable then most.

 

[Jarhead]

I own many of the brands mentioned above and they are all solid performers. My nod goes to Spherachutes. The fact that these are made to order and will be patterned to the flyers' specification allows for a certain uniqueness that sets the flight apart from the ordinary. My daughter recently flew her RW All American with a 72" red white and blue for her L2 and got many compliments on her recovery selection.
As you can tell I can't say enough good things about the product Julie makes.
There are less expensive parachutes out there that do the job very well but I am a Spherachute devotee.

 

[Rocketjunkie]

15' flare chutes. Cheap, even from rocketry vendors and surprisingly durable. I had a 40 lb. rocket coming in ballistic (no apogee event) when the main deployment charge fired. I thought the chute would be shredded but it was undamaged. The chute easily packs into 6" of 6" tube.

 

[AdAstraPerAspera]

I used a TAC9b myself. Solid chute, kinda heavy and bulky, but nearly bulletproof. I have had top flight chutes loose shrouds on high speed recovery, so I was looking for something beefy, and I found it. I used a military surplus guideform chute from aerocon for my nose, and something else I had lying around for my drouge, don't remember what, but probably a PML main for a smaller project. Space and weight were not an issue for me though, I had something like 2 ft of 6" tube for my main and the nose chute, and the nose chute took up maybe half as much space as the main. I had some room to spare.

 

[crossfire]

How high of speed? and how nigh off the ground? We have never had very many problems in 25 years. Maybe 5 times where a line came loose.

 

[AdAstraPerAspera]

Separation failure at apogee, main came out at the low alt setting, saved the rocket, but it ripped probably half the lines off. I still have the chute, I could pull it out and take pics if anyone is interested...

 

[AdAstraPerAspera]

I don't really fault the chute, but if I can get something better in my big birds, I will. Recovery is not the place to be cheap. That said, I tend to build heavy, not for altitude. I still use top flight and similar in the 36 inch and smaller sizes.

 

[AdAstraPerAspera]

I always thought of top flight as good for mid power, but as you get bigger, they become the brand you get when you can't afford anything better. I was surprised that Wildman carries them when Tim insists on only the best on so many other things, and shocked when I saw how many here seemed to love them, and even prefer them over other brands. I only bought big top flight chutes as a poor college kid on limited funds. After destroying that one badly, I saved up to get a better chute...

 

[KenRico]

I have a choice for the UDS .

Have a RRQ150 with the Fruity D-Bag or a RocketMan R-17 .

Chart on Rocketman website does not really reference it .. so hard to confirm its true characteristics

For Drogue (maybe 2) Have recon 24"

Thoughts ??

Kenny

 

[crossfire]

So your saying the rocket was coming in hot? I can tell you we have repaired almost every brand out there. Most of the time the panels blow out and your left with a big streamer. Go ahead and spend your big bucks for a chute and I can tell you under not so perfect deployment they will fail. I believe the lines may have come off but what kind of deployment was it? Years ago I watched a guys rocket come in hot and deploy about 50' off the ground. He later came over to me and said I want a replacement chutes this one is junk. I asked if the rocket that came in hot was his? He turned around and walked way. All chutes can fail if it costs $90 or $350. Its your choice what you want to spend.

 

[Worsaer]

So your saying the rocket was coming in hot? I can tell you we have repaired almost every brand out there. Most of the time the panels blow out and your left with a big streamer. Go ahead and spend your big bucks for a chute and I can tell you under not so perfect deployment they will fail. I believe the lines may have come off but what kind of deployment was it? Years ago I watched a guys rocket come in hot and deploy about 50' off the ground. He later came over to me and said I want a replacement chutes this one is junk. I asked if the rocket that came in hot was his? He turned around and walked way. All chutes can fail if it costs $90 or $350. Its your choice what you want to spend.

+1

Everything must be flown within its design limits.