Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Manufacturer: | Aerocon Systems |
Brief:
This a review of Aerocon's 36" and 66" white nylon chutes. I have been so impressed at their value that I had to write a quick review. At 6 and 12 bucks each, respectively, these are a great value! Both are surplus chutes liberated from mortars, flares, etc.
Flight:
The 36" chute is made from thin nylon and has nine 32 inch shroud lines made from 1/16 inch flat nylon. These are tied off and clamped with a metal brad. The ninth line is a reefing line that is attached to the middle of the canopy. Aerocon cites a book that states that a reefed chute can have the drag of a larger chute (44 inches in this case). I can't really vouch for that fact, but can say it works just fine, having flown it a couple of time is rockets such as my Estes Mercury Atlas. The chute comes with a cloth deployment bag and weighs 28 grams with that bag. I used a chute protector but did not use the bag.
The 66" chute is constructed from two panels of lightweight nylon. It is securely sewn and includes a 4" spill hole. It has a whopping 12 suspension lines, each 66" long. Aerocon states that these are 1/8 inch fiberglass and are fireproof. They feel like tubular nylon to me, but it doesn't matter much. The lines terminate in some larger tubular material, and there is one large loop to connect to. This one weighs 14 oz. with the 2 piece cloth deployment bag. It came inserted in the bag with the suspension lines folded neatly and secured with rubber bands. This picture isn't too good, but you can see additional photos, both in and out of the bag, on Aerocon's web site. I flew this chute one time on my Upscale Big Brute, which weighed about 8.5 lbs. at deployment. I didn't use the deployment bags, but left the lines folded and banded as delivered. It will never be as nicely packed again. The 66 inch chute worked great in this application.
Summary:
These chutes are very inexpensive and work well. The 36 incher is great for small rockets and as a replacement for the larger Estes chutes. The larger one is well built and will work on 4" airframes and up. I exceeded Aerocon's recommended weight, but it worked perfectly, nonetheless.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
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D.A.S. (May 26, 2003)