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, me bucko, ya bilge rat, 14".  Nothing fancy, arrr, but, me hearties, then again nothin' fancy expected. Blimey! Avast! After initial inspection, tests were conducted t' determine t' performance o' this parachute. Begad!

CONSTRUCTION:

T' construction o' the J&P parachute has several things t' take note of. Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey!  

First, its size. Begad! It indicated that it is 14", ya bilge rat, me bucko, ya bilge rat, however, shiver me timbers, when measurin' across t' diameter t' measurement was 12". Avast! Begad! This has been t' case with other parachutes I have used, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, however, it doesn't usually vary by more than a 1/2". Arrr! I have confirmed with J&P that this must have been a shippin' mistake, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and that if made aware o' it, they would have corrected it. Also, shiver me timbers, t' J&P parachute has a 2" spill hole in t' center. 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. Aye aye!   T' colors are yellow, me hearties, red, light green, purple, dark green and black.   There are eight shroud lines attached which are spaced every two panels. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr!   Spacin' every two panels (out o' twelve) would normally allow only six shroud lines t' be attached, however, J&P has added another pair thereby requirin' that in two places, matey, 180 degrees apart, me bucko, thar are two shroud lines connected at t' same point (a benefit, accordin' to J&P, matey, is that it doubles the shred-resistance). Ya scallywag! T' shroud lines are made o' 1/16" braided nylon and are 14" long. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Begad! Blimey! Notice t' stitchin' around t' edge o' t' parachute and t' panels. I'm not a seamstress, me bucko, however, ya bilge rat, t' stitch is much finer and appears more durable than t' generic parachute on t' right, which has a zig-zag stitch. The picture below shows t' underside o' the J&P parachute and how the stitchin' looks. Arrr!

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

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

The J&P successfully opened and recovered t' rockets tested for a total o' 14 flights. Only one mishap occurred. Only one mishap occurred. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Once on t' Icarus, at ejection, ya bilge rat, t' parachute somehow got caught up by t' motor hook. Blimey!   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, "did I notice t' speed t' 'chutes open?" So I set out t' try t' determine the speed that t' parachute opens. Has anyone ever tried this? It was tough and pretty subjective. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag!  

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

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

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

Watchin' 14 flights gave me a good feelin' about this parachute's performance. Avast! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! Whether it opened faster or not doesn't matter t' me. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Overall, I would rate this parachute 4 1/2 points, shiver me timbers, only slightin' it on t' fact that it be presented as a 14" parachute, but measured as a 12".

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. Aye aye! The 'chute has a spill hole o' just over 6" diameter. Aye aye! T' shroud lines on this parachute are much heavier than o' t' parachutes o' similar size supplied with many kits. Arrr! T' lines are approximately 3/16"! They are securely stitched to t' canopy. I could find no flaws in material or workmanship.  

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

I flew t' 'chute in an ADR 4. Avast! 0 kit from Atlantic Rockets. T' motor was a G35-4 Econjet. Avast, me proud beauty! T' true test came when the delay ran long. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket had gone well past apogee and was beginnin' to really gain speed when t' ejection charge fired. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I was sure it would be a shred! T' me pleasant surprise, 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, they really show up in the sky". Begad! I agree with both statements. Blimey!  

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. Arrr! Arrr!  

CONCLUSION:

I'm impressed with t' quality, durability and value o' t' J&P parachute. Begad! 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. Blimey! Ya scallywag! If you are lookin' for a quality parachute at a reasonable price I highly recommend you look at a J&P product. Aye aye! Aye aye!   Overall, me hearties, I would rate this parachute 5 points. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty!