Drogue and pilot parachutes for staged recovery systems

The Drogue chutes is a parachute from Fruity Chutes with professional grade and dual-use market. Fruity Chutes drogue and pilot parachutes are small Classic Elliptical canopies sold as parachutes for staged recovery systems, made by Fruity Chutes of Monte Sereno, California. They are used in two roles: as a drogue that stabilizes and slows an airframe before the main canopy opens, and as a pilot parachute that pulls the deployment bag off a large main parachute.

The collection covers diameters from 12 inches to 48 inches. Each size is rated by a load at a descent speed of 20 feet per second, for example 0.5 lb for the 12 inch canopy, 1.2 lb for 18 inch, 2.2 lb for 24 inch, 3.3 lb for 30 inch, 4.8 lb for 36 inch, 6.5 lb for 42 inch and 8.6 lb for 48 inch. Compact versions are listed for the 12, 15, 18, 24, 30 and 36 inch sizes, with slightly different rated loads. For an integrator, the rated load shows which canopy suits the mass that the drogue stage carries.

The maker gives a sizing rule: the drogue or pilot parachute should have a diameter of about one quarter to one fifth of the main parachute. Smaller Classic Elliptical canopies are recommended as drogues for the larger Iris parachutes from the same maker. The maker also notes that descent rates predicted by a calculator are higher than real results because the airframe adds drag, so a smaller size than the simulation suggests is advised to reach the target descent rate.

Integration is mechanical: the canopy is connected through a harness or shock cord to the airframe and the main parachute, and it is packed in a deployment bag or ejected with the same system as the main canopy. The load path, line lengths and deployment sequence are set by the recovery system the parachute belongs to.

Typical applications are drogue stages for heavy UAV recovery systems, pilot parachutes for deployment bags of large main canopies, and stand-alone stabilization or recovery of smaller airframes, a use the maker also describes for small rockets.