Reefing parachutes

[retrotec29]

Due to some interesting geography of my launch site I am forced to get a little creative on recovery. Being in a valley past a certain altitude the recovery becomes less predictable. Reefing the chute so it inflates at a lower altitude seems like a good choice. Reefing uses a ring sliding down the chute lines to delay inflation. Simple in design but kind of complex to master. Ring weight, line friction and chute shape are all factors. As I read the different class rules and follow the forum it appears descent rate has become a fall back in validating some attempts. An exception is class D which only requires a peak altimeter. As we go higher and higher controlling the decent rate may become more of an issue. I just wanted to put it out there for discussion.

[WRA2]

Just to clarify in case anyone is wondering. The descent rate applies to the speed at which the recovered rocket touches the ground. Main/drogue, reefing systems or even deploying a parachute at a low altitude on the way down are all acceptable if the speed at touchdown is within the specification.

[retrotec29]

Cool. Thanks for clarifying.