anybody used a streamer for a drogue?

[jraice]

I want to use a streamer as a drogue on my 5.5" diameter 12.5-13.5# rocket. That is the weight after burnout. What would be a good size? Anybody used a streamer for a drogue before?

 

[jraice]

I was experimenting with a calc. and it said a 5" by 70" streamer would be equal to a parachute in the 24"-30" range. Sound about right?

 

[Ryan S.]

are you using noseweight? if not you can jut go droguless, or attatch a small AT chute to the rocket for a small drogue

 

[jraice]

I have no nose weight but I have a very heavy nose, I want a streamer but I dont know what size to make it, I read the calc wrong, it looks like I need a 6" by 75".

 

[JDcluster]

Ever try a wind sock ?? I saw someone use 1 a couple of years ago & it worked quite well.



JD

 

[RevKeith]

I've seen some use a long piece of mylar (2" X 120") as a drogue mostly for visibility. Not sure how much reduction in decent rate or stability it would provide. I think they used a space blanket to cut the mylar strip. It did make the rocket easier to see at 5000+ feet.

 

[Rocket Al]

At a Skybusters launch earlier this month, this rocket was launched, on a central 54mm J-540 Redline and air-starting two outboard 38mm I-357 Blue Thunders.
The rocket popped it's nosecone at apogee (4199', evn though it sim'd at 4200'....stupid Rocsim!) had an altimeter pop the main at 500', which took about 150 or 200 feet to deploy fully, and dropped this baby about 50 yards from the launch pad. And I think it may have weighed a bit more than 12 or 13 pounds. I'm just saying, I was very impressed.

Al

 

[pr_rocket04]

Ok, I'm really interested in this drogueless thing. Mainly because I discovered chute sliders (https://www.giantleaprocketry.com/products_recovery.asp).

Anyways, this might sound a little crazy, but I was thinking about what would happen using a main chute on the smaller end for my cluster project (24 and 29mm's) with a chute slider, also with a zipperless setup, and let it free fall to around 700' before main deploy. Total weight will be around 5lbs. I would think this could be achieved with some structural strength, I mean think about how sky divers deploy. I realize poping the nose adds some drag but I don't feel the free fall would impose too much of a threat on the recovery system. What do you guys think? Winds around here tend to make me think like this.

 

[wyldbill]

I've done both. I'd recommend a streamer if the rocket doesn't have a significant side surface area. I use a topflight I got on sale somewhere, works great.