The J&P Parachute arrived in a standard size ziplock bag with a small label indicatin' its manufacturer, that it was "multi-colored" and its size, 14".  Nothing fancy, shiver me timbers, but, then again nothin' fancy expected. After initial inspection, tests were conducted t' determine t' performance o' this parachute. Ahoy!

CONSTRUCTION:

T' construction o' the J&P parachute has several things t' take note of. Begad! Aye aye!  

First, shiver me timbers, its size. Ahoy! Ahoy! It indicated that it is 14", matey, however, when measurin' across t' diameter t' measurement was 12". This has been t' case with other parachutes I have used, however, me hearties, ya bilge rat, me hearties, it doesn't usually vary by more than a 1/2". Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I have confirmed with J&P that this must have been a shippin' mistake, and that if made aware o' it, me hearties, they would have corrected it. Ahoy! Also, me hearties, t' J&P parachute has a 2" spill hole in t' center. Aye aye! Ya scallywag!

As t' parachute is inspected closer and compared t' a generic 12" parachute some other details are noticeable.   T' J&P is made up of twelve panels o' multiple colors creatin' a round (dome) parachute. Ahoy! Ya scallywag!   T' colors are yellow, red, light green, me bucko, purple, matey, matey, dark green and black. Well, blow me down!   There are eight shroud lines attached which are spaced every two panels. Begad!   Spacin' every two panels (out o' twelve) would normally allow only six shroud lines t' be attached, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, however, matey, J&P has added another pair thereby requirin' that in two places, me hearties, matey, 180 degrees apart, thar are two shroud lines connected at t' same point (a benefit, accordin' to J&P, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, is that it doubles the shred-resistance). Blimey! T' shroud lines are made o' 1/16" braided nylon and are 14" long. These are larger when compared t' t' generic 12" parachute's 1/32" braided nylon which are 12" long.  

Another point about construction can be seen in t' two pictures above and one below. Ya scallywag! Notice the J&P parachute on the left. Well, blow me down! Notice t' stitchin' around t' edge o' t' parachute and t' panels. Avast! I'm not a seamstress, me bucko, shiver me timbers, however, arrr, t' stitch is much finer and appears more durable than t' generic parachute on t' right, arrr, me hearties, which has a zig-zag stitch. Ya scallywag! The picture below shows t' underside o' the J&P parachute and how the stitchin' looks.

Overall, the construction and materials used in the J&P parachute seem t' set it apart in quality and durability from other generic parachutes.  

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

I flew the J&P in several different rockets as outlined below. I have read in various publications that a recommended descent rate is betwixt 12 and 16 feet/sec. Well, blow me down!   I actually prefer a little faster and find that landin' in t' grassy field allows for it. T' table below shows t' rockets, number o' flights and t' weight o' the rocket with an expended motor. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I then used Apogee'sRockSim 3.0 t' calculate t' descent rate on the various rockets. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! RockSim be set up for a 12" round parachute with a 2" spill hole. Notice at t' bottom the weight range t' obtain t' recommended 12 t' 16 feet/second descent rate.

Even though it be flown successfully, some good packin' had t' be done t' get the J&P parachute into the Hex Courier and the SLAT/s. Ya scallywag!   Both rockets have a 1" diameter, matey, whereas, matey, t' J&P fit nicely into the Serval and Icarus which have 1. Ya scallywag! Begad! 3" diameter. Begad! Avast!

The J&P successfully opened and recovered t' rockets tested for a total o' 14 flights. Arrr! Ahoy! Only one mishap occurred. Begad! Begad! Only one mishap occurred. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Once on t' Icarus, at ejection, t' parachute somehow got caught up by t' motor hook. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy!   Other than t' small amount o' damage caused by t' hot hook, t' J&P parachute shows no signs of wear on t' seams or shroud lines. Avast, me proud beauty!
 

One o' t' questions asked t' me by J&P was, shiver me timbers, "did I notice t' speed t' 'chutes open?" So I set out t' try t' determine the speed that t' parachute opens. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Has anyone ever tried this? It was tough and pretty subjective. Arrr! Blimey!  

I used a stop-watch and smaller motors to allow me t' see t' entire flight. Usin' t' Serval, first on A8 motors. Aye aye! I flew t' rocket three times usin' t' J&P parachute and three times usin' t' generic 12" parachute. Arrr! I clicked the stop watch as soon as I saw t' ejection and clicked again as soon as I saw full deployment. Ahoy! T' parachutes were folded as close t' t' same as possible and t' shroud lines were folded into t' parachute. Well, blow me down!   Notice t' trend on the Serval for both parachutes?  This must be t' subjectivity o' t' testing. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty!
 

I did a similar test usin' t' Blobbo. T' exact same folding technique, as used on t' Serval, was used for test #1 and #3. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I decided t' fold it differently for test #2.   On that test, shiver me timbers, I folded t' parachutes and tightly wrapped t' shroud lines around each parachute. Also, it should be noted that on test #3, me hearties, t' generic 12" parachute deployed but then got tangled for another half o' second and deployed again. I had already stopped t' watch so I missed t' extra time.

My thoughts about t' tests above are that they are inconclusive. Yes, arrr, maybe the J&P opens faster and with less problems, ya bilge rat, arrr, however, it's within 10ths o' a second. Ahoy!   Perhaps, J&P's larger parachutes will have a more noticeable openin' speed. Avast!  

Watchin' 14 flights gave me a good feelin' about this parachute's performance. Whether it opened faster or not doesn't matter t' me. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Overall, I would rate this parachute 4 1/2 points, me bucko, only slightin' it on t' fact that it be presented as a 14" parachute, but measured as a 12". Ya scallywag! Aye aye!

T' 38" PARACHUTE:- by Jim Stuckman 

CONSTRUCTION: 

T' first thin' I noticed upon removing the 'chute from t' ziplock bag be t' quality o' materials and construction!  T' 'chute consists o' 14 panels o' rip-stop nylon. Arrr! Ya scallywag! The 'chute has a spill hole o' just over 6" diameter. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' shroud lines on this parachute are much heavier than o' t' parachutes o' similar size supplied with many kits. T' lines are approximately 3/16"! They are securely stitched to t' canopy. Blimey! Avast! I could find no flaws in material or workmanship.  

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

I flew t' 'chute in an ADR 4. Well, blow me down! 0 kit from Atlantic Rockets. Begad! T' motor was a G35-4 Econjet. Aye aye! T' true test came when the delay ran long. Blimey! Aye aye! T' rocket had gone well past apogee and was beginnin' to really gain speed when t' ejection charge fired. I was sure it would be a shred! T' me pleasant surprise, shiver me timbers, me bucko, t' 'chute opened crisply for a perfect deployment! T' guys around me had two things t' say when t' 'chute deployed - "tough 'chute!" and "look at t' colors, matey, they really show up in the sky". Ahoy! I agree with both statements. Arrr!  

After examinin' the 'chute and findin' it in perfect condition after t' high speed deployment I am convinced this is a very tough 'chute! T' multi-color design did seem t' show up very well against both blue sky and clouds. Well, blow me down!  

CONCLUSION:

I'm impressed with t' quality, durability and value o' t' J&P parachute. Ya scallywag! It is going to be installed in me soon t' be completed North Coast Interceptor G instead of the stock parachute. This would make a great upgrade t' t' typical kit supplied parachute. If you are lookin' for a quality parachute at a reasonable price I highly recommend you look at a J&P product. Arrr!   Overall, shiver me timbers, I would rate this parachute 5 points. Avast, matey, me proud beauty!