Whatzit?

[JohnRich 4]

Attached are photos of a parachute gizmo that has been in my closet for years. I think I know what it is, but I'll keep my mouth shut and see if one of youse guys can identify this contraption.

Photo 1: You start out with a cardboard tube, 11" long and 5" diameter, sealed on one end and open on the other, split in half lengthwise, the two halves held together at one time by wraps of tape.

Photo 2: Inside the cardboard tube there is a small four-legged pilot chute packed in the sealed end.

Photo 3: Also inside the cardboard tube, and at the bottom end of the pilot chute bridle, is a fabric tube that looks like a fat sausage. This tube is also sealed at the top, and "open" at the bottom.

Photo 4: At the bottom end of the fabric tube, the mouth is pulled shut with break cord. A parachute is within, and the lines come outside the mouth of the tube and attach to two metal links. At the other end of the metal links are loops of steel wire cable, which have been snipped where they extended down to whatever the payload was.

So, can anyone identify what type of parachute this is?

[AggieDave 6]

Recovery system for some sort of large scale model rocket? Something like what is used for testing by labs and universities?

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[lucky508 0]

Mortar launched parachute flare. The links attached to the cable that suspended the flare in flight.

[377 21]

I've seen some sonobuoy and mine laying parachutes that looked similar, but not identical.

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[PROGRESSIVE 0]

Its from Ballastic Recovery Systems (BRS), that is mounted to an ultra-light aircraft.

Pete

[Amazon 7]

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I've seen some sonobuoy and mine laying parachutes that looked similar, but not identical.

377

I thought it was an elephant tampon

[Guru312 0]

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Recovery system for some sort of large scale model rocket? Something like what is used for testing by labs and universities?

This is my guess, too. What ever it is seems to be a prototype and is rather crudely made...at least in the attachment points. Beneath the tape, seen in the last photo, there seems to be two chain connector links. The cable has obviously been cut.

What ever it is it seems to have been modified for some other use than originally intended. It couldn't have been TSOd with the workmanship shown.

IMHO.

Oooops...I just read Amazon's guess. I'm changing my guess to hers!

Guru312

I am not DB Cooper

[JohnRich 4]

I think Lucky508 got it right in message #3. From my hazy memory of buying this thing over 10 years ago, I seem to recall that it was a parachute illumination flare. It does seem to be configured to fire from a mortar, with the cardboard tube like a sabot. But would that be from a ground mortar, or perhaps a mortar tube which dispenses it from an airplane? The steel cable below the links seems to fit with that scenario also, as the flare wouldn't burn through that during the few minutes it was alight.

It also looks like the payload has to be heavy enough to snap that break cord keeping the mouth of the deployment bag closed, in relation to the drag created by the pilot chute. Otherwise, the bag would stay shut and freefall to the ground.

I'm not sure this would be big enough for an ultralight recovery chute. It's only 5" diameter and 11" long. What's the cubic inch volume of that (215 cu. in.), and how big is the round parachute which fills that volume likely to be? Not big enough to lower a human and an ultralight to the ground safely, I think.

And if it's made crudely and cheaply, that may be another clue - perhaps something made by the thousands that only has to be used once, and upon which human life does not depend. A flare seems to fit that definition.

[PeteS 0]

I is a single use parachute, don't know exactly what for. I think they were 12' dia, I set up about 12 of them for a climbing expedition to Baffin Island last year. Leo Houlding got them off the internet and I had to do very little except make containers and static lines. They each delivered about 75 lbs of cargo.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8raH9SnqyGo

[Krip 2]

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I think Lucky508 got it right in message #3. From my hazy memory of buying this thing over 10 years ago, I seem to recall that it was a parachute illumination flare. It does seem to be configured to fire from a mortar, with the cardboard tube like a sabot. But would that be from a ground mortar, or perhaps a mortar tube which dispenses it from an airplane?

Hi JR

Almost "back in the day" We used to drop flares from C-130s (stateside). I'm guessing the OD of the complete aluminum flare container,was approx 6" dia and weighed maybe 50-70#, approx 2-3 long.

The C-130 had a removable flare tube launcher with a 30 degree angle sitting on the ramp. The launcher only covered about 180 degree's of the flare. To make loading aand unloading easier

The flares were launched by gravity from the launcher and activated by a steel static line cable. The static line activated the whole process that included a time delay gizmo prevent the flares from opening to close, to the plane.

We had 100's of flares on the plane for a mission. One time when I was getting short. We were returning to Luke AFB after a mission with our spare flares. I caught "the new guy" using a screwdriver and hammer in flight, trying to remove the bottom of a flare tube to get to the parachute.

We had a short in flight safety meeting with the new guy and was able to convince him it was in his best interest not to mess with that stuff while I was on the plane.

In summary it could be a parachute from a flare that was dropped from a airplane. Have you checked out the date on the pilot chute?.

One Jump Wonder

[piisfish 135]

5inch diameter ?? that would be perfect for an illumination grenade for 6'' howitzers (or thereabout, like the M109)...

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[airdvr 197]

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We had a short in flight safety meeting

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[jonstark 8]

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We had a short in flight safety meeting

...and I forgot what we were there for in the first place...

[JohnRich 4]

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In summary it could be a parachute from a flare that was dropped from a airplane. Have you checked out the date on the pilot chute?

The pilot chute has no markings on it. It is 24" square. I'd like to pull the larger chute out of its deployment bag, to see what it's like, but that would spoil the pristine nature of this item.

[BIGUN 1,059]

I think Lucky is close, but from my time with 2nd Armored Division (M109 155mm SP); it's size & dimensions "looks more like the innards" of the round shot from a 109 (155mm Illumination Round). It's is a hollow steel shell that looks like a standard 155 round. A steel base plug is held secured to the shell body by shear pins and twist pins, and a gilding-metal drive band encircles the projectile close to the base. The hollow shell interior contains the expulsion (ejection) charge, a canister assembly and a parachute assembly. A standard fuze was used, but with the time on the fuze established by the FDC. After it's shot, the base plate blows away at the time set on the fuze and starts the sequence at the height and distance for the desired time of the round to illuminate.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[Krip 2]

Hi JR

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I'd like to pull the larger chute out of its deployment bag, to see what it's like, but that would spoil the pristine nature of this item.

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Danger Ranger

Have you ever seen a pissed off female elephant.

One Jump Wonder

[lucky508 0]

Actually after thinking about it I remember finding these after they were used and it wasn’t a cable the “risers” were attached to. It looked like a large dog tag chain. I’m sure these are available for all mortar and artillery calibers.

When the round reaches its zenith a charge goes off ejecting the flare and chute from a cylinder. The flare ignites with a pop and the cylinder continues on end over end making a woop, woop, woop, sound. One night another squad called for about 12 “lume” rounds near their position. We were on the other side of the trajectory. It’s very exciting if you happen to be in a patrol base in the jungle and these cylinders start landing in and around your position. Large tree trunks are our friend. No shit there I was…hiding behind a tree and laughing my ass off.

[BIGUN 1,059]

OMG! That reminded me of a time when I was headed up to evaluate Nebraska NG mortar exercises... THEIR "Instructor" is standing there all proud as he's got everything setup "for us." So, I look over the mortar platoon, (we're doing a night shoot), checking out the maps, looking at his left and right safety fans and then while I'm looking at the map and the direction of fire... "Where is the impact zone?"
"We don't have one on this base; we're only firing Illum"
Closer look at the map with my fellow evaluator and draw a line from the line of fire straight up.
"So, Sergeant, what do you think the townsfolks are going to think when they have mortar canisters landing in town?"
Now, I shit you not... he says, "What canisters?!?!?! They're just illumination rounds!!"

OK. sit down, we need to have a talk...

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[steve1 5]

We had a lot of field exercises with mortar fired illumination. They threw out a ton of light and ruined your night vision. It would be darker than dark when suddenly it would be just like day....Not a good time to be caught out in the open!