Top Flight Chutes

[rfjustin]

Certed over the weekend with the Goblin. Used a 58” Top Flight chute and it was definitely too small. I’ll need a 70” next time.

Was the rocket damaged on landing on the 58" chute?

What is the exact weight of your 5.5" Goblin?

I'm asking because I recover a heavy fiberglass 4" rocket with a 58" TFR standard chute without issue all the time. I can share the specifics and weight of said rocket if you would like to compare notes.

 

[Arsenal78]

Just shy of 8lbs without motor. Rocket had minor damage to one fin and feels like some internal damage. Landed in a sod field.

You can’t really compare fiberglass kits and cardboard kits. Fiberglass can withstand higher fall rates without damage.

 

[rfjustin]

Just shy of 8lbs without motor. Rocket had minor damage to one fin and feels like some internal damage. Landed in a sod field.

You can’t really compare fiberglass kits and cardboard kits. Fiberglass can withstand higher fall rates without damage.

I'm talking about comparing weights only.

 

[Banzai88]

I usually use the descent rate calculator on the Fruity web site, matches all but one of my rockets actual descent performance based on RRC3 data. The Fruity calculator shows that your 8 pound rocket on a TF58 would be moving at about 22fps descent rate.

To me, that's way too fast for an 8 pound non-fiberglass rocket. In fact, I mostly land on grass and/or plowed field and 22fps is the TOP recovery speed that I use for my all-fiberglass rockets. For something the size of an 8 pound 5.5 inch conventional build, I would set up for no more than 15fps. If long walks or high winds are an issue, lower main opening (within reason) or use a chute release for pop-and-drop single deploy.

It's a good day when you can launch a rocket. It's a GREAT day when you can launch the same rocket twice in the same day because of no damage. I'll take a longer walk any day over a broken toy.

 

[Arsenal78]

I usually use the descent rate calculator on the Fruity web site, matches all but one of my rockets actual descent performance based on RRC3 data. The Fruity calculator shows that your 8 pound rocket on a TF58 would be moving at about 22fps descent rate.

To me, that's way too fast for an 8 pound non-fiberglass rocket. In fact, I mostly land on grass and/or plowed field and 22fps is the TOP recovery speed that I use for my all-fiberglass rockets. For something the size of an 8 pound 5.5 inch conventional build, I would set up for no more than 15fps. If long walks or high winds are an issue, lower main opening (within reason) or use a chute release for pop-and-drop single deploy.

It's a good day when you can launch a rocket. It's a GREAT day when you can launch the same rocket twice in the same day because of no damage. I'll take a longer walk any day over a broken toy.

I gave Top Flight the benefit of the doubt but I guarantee I will not go by those numbers ever again. Getting a 6ft chute for it soon after I cut the body tube off below the zipper.