Considerations for Integrating a Drone With a Parachute

Weight and Parachute Selection

Nothing matters more in parachute system selection than choosing the proper parachute. While deployment methods, trigger systems, and other features are important, if the parachute size is a poor match for the application, then the chances of a bad outcome increase. Proper parachute size and type are key.

Parachute Sizing Based on Weight and Descent Rate

Once you know the maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of your drone, you can pick your parachute size. We recommend opting for a parachute size that results in a descent rate of 15 fps (feet per second) or 4.6 mps (meters per second).

A descent rate of 15 fps minimizes impact forces while preventing excessive parachute drag on landing. A slow descent rate, which results from a high coefficient of drag, protects the drone and payload from a hard landing. However, if the coefficient of drag is too high, the drone and payload may be dragged by the parachute after landing. This can easily cause more damage than the initial impact of a faster descent rate. Abrasion to the airframe, components, and payload from dirt, rocks, shrubbery, water, and other elements can cause irreparable damage. Using a parachute sized for a descent rate of 15 fps balances the needs for minimal impact force and minimal risk of drag on landing.

At Fruity Chutes we list our parachutes with the recommended take-off weight for their size and the corresponding descent rate. You can see that here: https://shop.fruitychutes.com/collections/parachutes

Drones vs. Rocketry

For drone applications, we strongly recommend sticking with a descent rate of 15 fps due to the fragility and high value of drone components and payloads.

For rocketry applications, you can easily push the descent rate to 20 fps. This is because the robust structure of rockets allows them to absorb a higher impact.

Descent Rate Calculator

Our Descent Rate Calculator is a great tool for determining parachute size based on the take-off weight.

You can see the descent rate based on weight, the impact energy in joules vs. the weight, and parachute metrics related to parachute performance.

Check out the Descent Rate Calculator.

Parachute Durability

While we strongly recommend a descent rate of 15 fps or 4.6 mps for drone parachute recovery, faster and slower descent rates may be acceptable depending on the drone’s durability and the mission profile, with the former being the biggest consideration here.

Faster descent rates allow for lighter parachutes but increase the risk of damage.

A slower descent rate will mean a heavier drone parachute recovery system, but possibly less damage.

Emergency Recovery vs. Primary Recovery

In most cases, drone parachute recovery is used in an emergency situation. This means that something has gone wrong during the flight and the parachute is deployed to rescue the drone from crashing.

Alternatively, many drones use a parachute system as the primary means of landing the drone. In this case, since the parachute will be used on every flight, we recommend a larger recovery system to reduce cumulative wear and tear by minimizing descent speed and impact force. While this does increase the risk of post-landing drag, the trade-off supports longer-term equipment protection in repeated-use scenarios.

Drone Type Determines Deployment Method

Whether it be a quadcopter, fixed wing, or something else, the type of drone will determine the ideal parachute deployment method. There are two kinds of deployment methods: active deployment and passive deployment.

Deployment Methods

Active Deployment

Active deployment uses a ballistic mechanism, like a spring or CO2, to quickly eject the parachute away from the drone.

Active deployment is ideal for multirotor drones like helicopter, quadcopter, or octocopter platforms.

Pros:

• Efficient ejection.

• Faster parachute inflation.

• Less chance for entanglement of parachute in propellers thanks to separation of the parachute from the drone.

Cons:

• Heavier than a passive deployment system.

• Potential for shipping and usage regulatory issues with certain actuators such as black powder.

  Note: At Fruity Chutes we only use regulatory-free ballistic means like spring and CO2 actuators.

Passive Deployment

This is where a drogue parachute extracts a main parachute to initiate recovery.

Passive deployment is ideal for propeller-free fixed wing UAVs.

Pros:

• Lighter weight than a ballistic launcher.

• Easier to fit into tight spaces and more moldable.

Cons:

• Needs to be placed within the body of the fixed wing UAV.

• Greater chance of entanglement when the vehicle is not in forward flight and/or there are propellers present.

Drone With Rotors

For drones with propellers such as helicopters, quadcopters, or octocopters, we strongly advise customers to use an actively deployed system. Due to the spin of rotors, entanglement is more likely. With the use of a ballistic, such as a spring or CO2, you get quick separation of the parachute from the aircraft. Even if the props get tangled, ballistic deployment achieves good distance between the drone and parachute. If tangling does occur, it is most likely that only the shock cord, which connects the parachute to the drone, will get wrapped up, leaving the parachute free to perform with a high level of efficacy and reliability.

Fruity Chutes Ballistic Drone Parachute Launcher Systems

• Harrier Parachute Launcher – For Drones Weighing 1.25 kg to 12.4 kg

• Skycat Parachute Launcher – For Drones Weighing 2.5 kg to 20 kg

• Peregrine Parachute Launcher – For Drones Weighing 12.7 kg to 200 kg

Drone Without Rotors (Strictly Fixed Wing)

When it comes to drones with no rotors, like Fixed Wing UAV, a passive deployment method, like one of our Fixed Wing Bundles, can be used.

A Fixed Wing Bundle uses a small drogue parachute to extract a larger main parachute with an assortment of harnesses packaged into a deployment bag. The forward motion of the UAV is what deploys the parachute, rather than a ballistic like a spring or CO2.

See our Fruity Chutes Fixed Wing Bundles

Considerations for VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing)

For VTOL we always recommend a ballistic system as there is a risk of entanglement with the propellers(s). A passive deployment system might be tempting since the propellers are the secondary means of propulsion, but there are risks.

If the VTOL is always in forward flight at the altitude of deployment for the parachute system, passive deployment might be a suitable option. In this case the parachute bundle must be aimed away from the propellers.

Parachute Integration Into Your System

Parachute systems can be integrated inside the vehicle’s airframe or outside, and there are benefits to each option.

Inside the Airframe

We always recommend integrating the parachute system into the airframe when possible. The benefit of this is that it is in an enclosed environment and not an outside appendage, which would add a small degree of risk.

The biggest factor here is the available volume for the parachute system. If you plan to integrate the parachute system inside the airframe, it is important to plan for the required space as early as possible in developing your drone. Work with your parachute provider as early as possible in the design phase to ensure this.

When a parachute is integrated into the body of the drone, it is closer to the center of gravity. This mitigates decreases in flight time since proximity to the center of gravity maintains flight stability and performance after integration.

Outside the Airframe

If the parachute cannot be integrated within the drone, it should be mounted externally. It can be mounted on the top, landing gear, underneath, or any place that makes sense for your platform.

A benefit here is that the parachute system is as external from the UAS as possible. The more independent the parachute system is, the better. If the drone fails, the parachute will still work.

The risk with external integration is that the parachute system is a component hanging on the outside of the drone and could face damage from the elements that would not be possible when mounted internally. Exposure to the weather, extreme temperatures, and debris impact would be possible.

Orientation of a Drone Parachute Recovery System Does Not Matter

Contrary to popular belief, the parachute system can be mounted facing in any direction. This is true for both internal or external integration. The reason being that a drone can fall in any direction. You can mount an active deployment drone parachute recovery system in virtually any direction (except for into the propellers), and the ejected parachute will inflate and slow the descent regardless of the drone’s orientation.

IMPORTANT: Do not orient the parachute system so that it launches into the propellers as this will very likely result in entanglement and a crash.

For high value LiDAR sensors beneath the drone, we recommend “belly-deploying” the parachute so that the parachute launches out the bottom, avoiding the sensor of course, and is attached to the drone in such a way that the drone lands on its top side.

Some parachute manufacturers believe that the top of the drone is the best place to mount the drone parachute recovery system. While this may be true for certain drones due to their structure, there are some applications and airframe designs where this is not suitable. For example, sensors are often located beneath the top center of the drone. In this case, placing the parachute system directly on top of the drone could interfere with sensor operations.

Belly parachute deployment is common in many military drones, such as the AAI Textron Shadow.

Note for Fixed Wing UAS Using Passive Deployment

When using a passive deployment system for a propeller-free fixed wing UAV, be sure to integrate the parachute system in so that it deploys out the back. The forward flight of the UAV is what extracts the parachute. Orienting the parachute out the back ensures the quickest and most reliable extraction.

Altitude of Deployment

Effective deployment relies heavily on physics. Ensuring you have an ideal deployment altitude is crucial. If too low, the parachute may not reach full inflation and the descent rate could be too fast.

This is important when testing the parachute system. A higher altitude allows more time to overcome unforeseen factors like wind conditions, entanglement, and packing issues from human-error.

IMPORTANT: Ground test the parachute system before flight testing. Launch the parachute on the ground, without flight, to ensure everything is working before deploying the parachute in flight.

The ideal deployment altitude is determined by drone weight and parachute size. For a small 24 inch parachute, 10 feet may be high enough. On the other end of the spectrum, a 10 foot parachute will need around 100 feet in altitude to be successful.

Contact us to find out the recommended deployment altitude for your parachute.

Trigger Systems

There are several methods to deploy the parachute system. These can be used singularly or in combination.

Autopilot

You can program your system’s autopilot to detect a failure and deploy the parachute. The risk here is that if your system is not responding or there is a power failure the parachute may not deploy.

Externally With an Automatic Trigger System

A way to ensure deployment is to use an external automatic trigger system. You want something that will reliably detect freefalls, flipping, and other erratic behaviors.

The Fruity Chutes SATS-MINI Automatic Trigger System is an ASTM F3322 compliant device that achieves this by using an accelerometer and IMU to detect failures and erratic flight behaviors.

The SATS-MINI greatly improves safety and reliability of the parachute system since it reacts much faster to flight failure than a pilot will from the ground. It quickly detects critical issues in under 3 seconds. With the black box feature, you can review failures and use the data to make improvements to the UAV.

Externally With a Manual Radio

Another external way to deploy is with a manual radio. It is important to have something you can easily pick up and with good range on it. The risk of just using a rescue radio is that by the time you see there is an issue it might be too late to deploy the parachute. This is where it is always a good idea to have an automatic trigger system for safe measure.

Fruity Chutes carries the Skycat Rescue Radio as a manual means of triggering the parachute.

A Channel on Your Controller (PixHawk vs. Ardupilot)

Another manual option is to program an open channel for the parachute system. This is easy to do with PixHawk and Ardupilot.

Flight Termination

With all trigger methods, it is important to have a good flight termination system in place, which halts the propellers and other engines. If there is no flight termination system then entanglements become a greater risk.

Plus, flight termination is a major factor in pursuing various certifications and waivers with civil aviation authorities like the FAA and EASA.

The Fruity Chutes flight termination system uses the SATS-MINI Automatic Trigger System for activation. The features include:

• Direct stopping of rotors, independent of the autopilot

• Fast reaction time

• Supports ASTM F3322 orange wire/fail box support for third party testing

• Integrates tightly with the SATS-MINI to not let the drone take off unless the SATS is armed and ready to go

• Multiple ESC protocols are supported

Contact us to learn about our flight termination system. Please note: this is an add-on to the SATS-MINI and not included with the SATS-MINI.

Other Considerations for a Drone With a Parachute

Risk of Dragging From Wind – Parachute Release

An often overlooked risk is damage from the parachute being kited after landing and the vehicle and payload dragging across the terrain.

A parachute release like the Raven On-Landing Parachute Release prevents this by detaching the parachute from the UAV once the vehicle lands.

Parachute Reefing

In certain cases, such as high speed deployment, reefing the parachute should be considered. A reefing system controls the inflation speed of the parachute. It allows the parachute to open more gradually to prevent overwhelming the parachute with high shock loads.

The traditional way of reefing a parachute consists of running a cord around the skirt of the parachute to keep it shut for a period of time. Then the line is cut to let it open partly or all the way. This can be done in several stages to allow for optimal inflation.

The parachutes for the Blue Origin Capsule and the NASA Orion Capsule use reefing.

An alternative to traditional parachute reefing is slider rings. Simply slip the slider ring over the harness and up to the skirt of the parachute before folding the parachute. At deployment, the ring will slide down the lines back to the harness as the canopy inflates, thus mitigating the shock load.

Fruity Chutes offers custom parachute reefing solutions. Contact us to learn more.

Waivers

ASTM F3322 Certification Process

The ASTM F3322 Standard, created by the American Society for Testing and Materials, is a process for validating a parachute and drone together. The standard calls out requirements for the parachute system and drone. It also requires third party testing validation by an FAA approved test site. Receiving ASTM F3322 certification is a requirement for various waivers and approvals issued by the FAA, EASA, and other CAAs.

Fruity Chutes offers assistance in this process through the ASTM Compliant Drone ParaPrep Program.

Other Waivers and Approvals for a Drone With a Parachute From the FAA, EASA, and Other CAAs

There are waivers and approvals that do not require ASTM F3322 validation. It is important to understand the requirements of these as early as possible to ensure the parachute system aligns with all aspects of the requirements of the waivers.

Recovery Provider

It is important to choose a drone parachute supplier who will be able to meet your needs both presently and in the future and who has the depth of experience and established reliability that ensures a good result.

Important questions to ask yourself when considering recovery providers:

Do They Have the Engineering Expertise?

You want to know the parachute system provider’s engineering experience and expertise. Does the vendor have a solid background in aerospace engineering? Are they knowledgeable in sewing techniques, materials, and textile properties needed to finely craft a canopy for optimal performance?

For example, a major strength that sets Fruity Chutes apart is the various uncrewed industries we serve. In addition to drones, we supply parachutes for rocketry, high altitude balloon research, search and rescue, military, and other aerospace projects. As such, we have a wealth of knowledge in unmanned parachute engineering that spans over many sectors. This gives us a comprehensive skill set that enables us to evaluate all the factors that must be considered for a myriad of unique flight applications.

Do They Have a Proven Product Line or Are You Their Experiment?

Having worked with over 6000 customers, Fruity Chutes’ product line is highly matured. It’s the result of thousands of applications, projects, and collaborations. Rocketry, aerospace, military, high-altitude balloon research, and search and rescue are just a few of the applications outside of drones that we have provided recovery for and learned from.

Nothing is an experiment with us – even when we’re doing a customized system, we’re not starting from scratch as we already have reliable products to jump off from.

Can They Grow With You From Prototype to High Volume - Production?

An ever growing problem in the drone industry is reliable large scale production. We hear from a lot of drone manufacturers that they have struggled to find parachute companies that can grow with them. They want a provider that can see them through the innovation stage all the way to high volume orders in the tens of thousands. It is imperative to understand what your long-term relationship could be with a supplier and what the drawbacks are of needing to switch in the future.

We have solved this problem by partnering with High Energy Sports based in Columbia, MS. By leveraging High Energy Sports’ capacity for high volume and high quality parachute production and with Fruity Chutes’ engineering skills, we reliably supply to customers from early innovation to high volume production. Drone manufacturers don’t need to worry about switching providers as their volume increases. They can focus on their organization’s mission while receiving consistent, reliable, high quality parachute recovery systems. You can read about our partnership with High Energy Sports.

Final Considerations

Integrating a parachute system into your drone is not a decision to make lightly - it involves thoughtful consideration of many factors including drone type, weight, deployment method, regulatory requirements, and long-term production needs. Whether you're in early development or preparing for scaled manufacturing, planning ahead is essential to ensure safe, compliant, and reliable recovery.

Fruity Chutes brings over a decade of cross-industry experience in unmanned parachute systems, supporting applications ranging from drones to aerospace to military recovery. Our systems are backed by proven engineering, a mature product line, and scalability to grow with you from prototype to full production.

If you're navigating ASTM certification, pursuing waivers, or simply trying to understand the best deployment system for your aircraft, we're here to help.

Contact us today with your questions or project details - our team is happy to support you in choosing the right recovery solution for your drone.