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I read this article in the latest issue of SR and found it quite peculiar. The author claimed 20 years of success with elastic shock cords but was compelled to change them to nylon and kevlar to be "compliant" with Tripoli-MN and NAR. I see nothing in the NAR's safety codes that dictate choice of recovery materials.
So, the author proceeded to outfit his Estes and Aerotech kits with reinforced bulkheads, multiple screw eyes, tubular nylon, and quicklinks. This probably doubled the weight of the rocket. The strangest part was using two shockcords in parallel - one kevlar, one elastic. I never heard of this. The author then complained that the redundant shockcords are prone to tangling. Well, no kidding.
What am I missing here? Seems like way over-building for MPR birds. My 20 year old Aerotech Cheetah still has the original stock elastic strap tied to the cooling mesh baffle!
So, the author proceeded to outfit his Estes and Aerotech kits with reinforced bulkheads, multiple screw eyes, tubular nylon, and quicklinks. This probably doubled the weight of the rocket. The strangest part was using two shockcords in parallel - one kevlar, one elastic. I never heard of this. The author then complained that the redundant shockcords are prone to tangling. Well, no kidding.
What am I missing here? Seems like way over-building for MPR birds. My 20 year old Aerotech Cheetah still has the original stock elastic strap tied to the cooling mesh baffle!