This is similar to a suggested recovery on the original Centuri Fighter Fleet Jets.
Alternative Recovery:
To have the jet recover horizontally and lessen the chance of fin or wing damage:
1. Glue the engine mount in so the engine hook is at the top, nearest the rudder.
2. Tie the nose cone onto the shock cord, leaving two inches of the elastic cord. Tie the parachute shroud lines to the end of the elastic.
3. Tie some excess shroud line (you will have some left over from the parachute assembly) to the engine hook. Then tie
to the shock cord at the balance point,
where the model hangs horizontally.
The string should be long enough to lay outside and down the body tube during boost. After the parachute and shock cord are in the body tube, the string will end up between the body tube and nose cone shoulder.
Hi, Chris,
ReplyDeleteWould a length of 10-15 pound test fishing line work better than regular shroud line?
Hi Ed,
DeleteI don't know about the fishing line - I use #10 Cotton Embroidery thread for all my shroud lines. Very strong - can't break it with a good sharp pull.
Good idea. I'll have to retrofit this on to my F104 and F18
ReplyDeleteMichael
Hi Anonymous,
DeleteBear in mind, the engine hook should be turned up so it is near the vertical stabilizer/rudder - 12 o'clock position. If tied to the engine hook in the 6 o'clock position, the model won't fall flat but at a slight angle. Still, it should prevent damage from a hard landing.
With the number of models by Centuri that had recovery system rigged so that the model recovers horizontally, I'd often wondered why Estes didn't seem to have any (aside from internal pods that are ejected like the Sky Dart or Scissor Wing Transport). Was this because of concern over zippering?
ReplyDeleteHi Naoto,
DeleteI associate the horizontal recovery with the Centuri Fighter Jets and their scale models with delicate towers. In this configuration you probably wouldn't get a zipper. Just don't use Kevlar for the string.