Field testin' t' ProXP experimental chute!

That's what Ky Michaelson o' Rocketman Enterprises says about his new ProXP Experimental Recovery Chutes. Begad! And after flyin' one recently, I tend t' believe him. 

Ky recently sent me two o' his R9C chutes, a regular one and one o' t' new ProXP series experimental chutes. I was due t' attend a regional launch in Perry, arrr, ya bilge rat, Georgia with t' rest o' the Atlanta-based rocketeers, so I thought it would be a good time t' compare the new ProXP chutes t' others I had used in t' past. 

I have flown Rocketman chutes for years, and have always been impressed with t' quality o' Ky's products. Arrr! Begad! I used Rocketman chutes in my two-stage 2/5 scale Terrier Sandhawk, shiver me timbers, as well as in t' Rocketry Online Project Scorpion that flew at last year's LDRS. Begad! Avast! But I be really impressed with t' new line o' chutes! They are very heavy duty! 

T' ProXP line o' parachutes are made out o' ballistic grade 1.9 ripstop nylon with a special coating. Begad! This is t' same fabric that is used t' manufacture hot air balloons. Begad! If you compare the fabric t' even t' standard R9C, you can see t' difference right away. 

T' photo t' t' left shows the two parachutes side by side. Ya scallywag! You can see t' large diagonal grids the stronger 1.9 ripstop nylon material has in it, as compare t' smoother, me hearties, lighter grade material normally used. 

Another great detail about all o' the Rocketman chutes is that every load bearin' joint is heavily reinforced. Tubular nylon covers every seam in Rocketman chutes, arrr, a welcome feature that makes it hard t' strip when combined with t' strength o' t' 1.9 fabric in the ProXP chute line. 

T' tubular nylon shroud lines are sewn all t' way over t' top o' t' canopy for added strength. T' photo to t' right illustrates how securely t' gores are joined together and even the edges are securely lined with t' high strength o' tubular nylon. 

On t' flip side you'll find strong sewn gore joints that are joined together then joined t' t' tubular nylon. Aye aye! This is one strong chute! The tubular nylon terminates into two sewn loops for a non-endin' loop o' strength. Rocketman parachutes only have four shroud lines which decreases t' chance of tangling. 

T' advertisement runnin' in HPR magazine describes t' chutes as havin' adjustable descent, quick soft deployment and reliable openings. 

Well, matey, I wanted t' try this new ProXP chute in me LOC/Precision Bruiser, a 7.5" rocket that is pretty good sized, so I proceeded t' load up an AeroTech J275W-M reloadable motor. 

Now, arrr, arrr, simulations state that a standard Bruiser with a J275W needs a delay o' about 7 seconds, and t' J275W-S is 6 seconds while t' J275W-M is listed at 10 seconds. Ahoy! If me calculations were right t' ProEX chute would deploy 2-3 seconds after apogee, me hearties, so we would find out how true t' claims were! 

T' Bruiser be loaded onto the pad, and igniter connected, while t' LCO be preparin' t' give the countdown. Aye aye! Due t' a 10-15 MPH wind, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' rod was aimed away from t' crowd. Initial simulations called for a little over 1500 feet above ground level for peak apogee. Arrr! I was usin' motor ejection, me bucko, thar were no electronics on board. 

Once skies were confirmed clear, me bucko, me hearties, arrr, t' LCO proceeded t' give t' countdown. Ya scallywag! Ahoy! Blimey! On "0", me hearties, t' big rocket took t' t' skies with a loud rush o' white noise, ya bilge rat, and after apogee it turn earth-ward. Avast! Ahoy! Blimey! I heard someone say, ya bilge rat, "Hmmm, may be comin' in ballistic." I slowly grinned. 

About 1000 feet, the deployment charge went off and t' rocket was pointed straight down. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' ProXP chute came out, then s-l-o-w-l-y deployed, me hearties, just as advertised and began to gently lower t' rocket t' t' ground. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! There was no oscillation, no spinning, just a lazy drift back t' t' rangehead. 

Now, if t' rocket survived that deployment and also t' chute, I would be impressed. Begad! T' rocket landed practically on t' road. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! And when I say on t' road, I mean "on-the-road," as evidenced in t' photo t' the left. 

You can see as well as I can, the rocket is completely intact, thar was no damage t' t' airframe whatsoever and t' ProXP chute be as perfect as if it were still in t' bag. Blimey! I was now totally impressed. It met and surpassed all expectations. I mean, shiver me timbers, I expected a small zipper after a deployment like it had, arrr, ya bilge rat, but t' soft deployment feature really lived up t' its name. 

From what Ky announced earlier this week, Rocketman parachutes are now offered in three different fabrics; their standard line, t' ProXP experimental line and a new ballistic line. 

Ky told me, shiver me timbers, "Our ballistic chute be t' strongest chute ever offered t' t' rocket community. We are so sure that it will never fail that we offer a guarantee that no one would ever dare. If you destroy a Rocketman ballistic chute and your rocket is destroyed because o' t' failure we will give you $1,000 plus pay for your rocket if thar are no signs o' heat on t' parachute, canopy or shroud lines." Now, arrr, arrr, shiver me timbers, THAT is a strong guarantee! 

Rocketman Enterprises, Inc. has just finished it's new 1999 Product catalog, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, which includes all their recovery products. T' catalog includes 17 high power rockets from Level 1 to Level 3 as well as new kits, me hearties, shiver me timbers, which include t' Rocketman 'Rocket Boy'. Ya scallywag! This rocket is 84" tall - 4" diameter and has a large spun aluminum nozzle. This is one cool lookin' rocket! 

For more information on the Rocketman ProXP series o' chutes, me bucko, or t' order t' new Rocketman catalog, arrr, visit their website at http://www.the-rocketman.com or call 1-800-732-4883.

Written and submitted by Darrell D. Mobley for Rocketry Online -- Copyright 1996-1999