FinlanderSisu 0 #1 October 14, 2004 Can someone please tell me the difference of a pilot chute and a drogue chute? On my first tandem we threw out the drogue chute i think to slow us down, how is that different than soloing and pulling the drogue chute to pull the main canopy? Thanks and blue skies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dtpilot 0 #2 October 14, 2004 Im not to qualified to answer this question but I can certainly help you to understand. From what I know the drogue chute is designed to create more drag and lower your terminal velocity which is making your decent much slower and offers a softer opening. The pilot chute is thrown out to grab the wind and create drag to pull the canopy out of the container. When you are soloing you arnt pulling a drogue chute. If I am wrong someone correct me but I am just using basic physics for the reasoning. "Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!" -- Friedrich Nietzsche Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TALONSKY 0 #3 October 14, 2004 The drogue chute on a tandem does several things, first and foremost is lowers opening forces on the container and parachute system. Some great other advantages are increased stability in freefall and slow you down to around 120 mph (without drogue you would fall much faster). At deployment time the drogue will be release where it will then act as a pilot chute, deploying your main parachute. A pilot chute on a sport rig is use to deploy the main parachute when it is deployed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moth 0 #4 October 14, 2004 a drogue is used for tandems to slow the rate of desent when in free fall the tandem master then releases it by pulling another toggle and it then becomes the pilot chute for the main Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JonBonGraham 0 #5 October 15, 2004 Note that on a tandem system when the drogue is thrown, the container is still closed - it's slowing you down, not deploying your canopy. The tandem instructor then pulls another handle to release the drogue which can then act as an anchour in the sky and drag the main out of the container. On a sport rig, the pilot chute (looks similar to a small drogue) opens the container and deploys the main as soon as it is released (hopefuly!), so doesn't stay trailing behind the system in freefall. If you're still curious, I'm sure you could ask a tandem packer/tandem instructor/your instructor to show you on an actual tandem and sport rig at the DZ - the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask! John G Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
