I was curious about the large booster recovery.
A "hatch" releases the parachute at staging.
Notice there are a couple of pieces of recovery wadding protecting the top of the parachute from the flame of the sustainer motor.
In my single stage models, I've been using extra wadding wrapped around the bottom of a parachute for years. This is in addition to the wadding already in the tube.
Pictured at the right is red Quest wadding, crinkled up for easier use.
Cut a piece of sheet wadding down to about 3 1/2" square. Set the low end of the packed chute in the center of the square. Wrap the low end of the parachute with the wadding. Wrap the sides of the wadding up the chute.
It is important to cut the wadding square smaller. You want the wadding sheet to peel away from the parachute at ejection.
I use Deco-Puffs for wadding. They are the same thing as the Quest wadding, but can be bought a lot cheaper than anything sold for rockets. I have tested them and they are more flame retardant than Estes TP. I also like to make a "cup" around the folded parachute.
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