Parachute Attachment TIP

Awhile back I read a forum post about tangled shroud lines, asking how to untangle them.
You can eliminate some tangled lines by moving the parachute attachment point away from the nose cone.

With the nose cone so close to the shroud lines, the nose cone can pass through the open lines at ejection.
If you've ever seen a slow motion video of how violent an ejection charge can be, you would understand how the nose cone could get tangled in the lines.

Every low power kit instruction I've seen has you tie the parachute to the screw eye.
I'd suggest tying an overhand loop knot in the shock cord, one third the way down from the screw eye.

Attach the parachute's snap swivel to the loop and you are ready to go!


With the parachute tied on 1/3 the way down the shock cord, your rocket will fall in three separate parts, all tethered together by the shock cord. First to hit the ground is the tail end of the rocket, the nose cone and finally the parachute. This is the same way many mid and high power rockets are built for recovery.

If your rocket has a tower or tall nose cone, adjust the distance down the shock cord so the longer nose cone won't be banging against the body tube during descent.