Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

Matt Thurber

The concept of rescuing an out-of-control drone before it crashes to the ground has still not penetrated far into the nascent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industry, but parachute manufacturer Fruity Chutes aims to change that. Unlike a helicopter, multi-rotor drones cannot autorotate to the ground after losing power, and a ballistic system that pops out a parachute can save an expensive vehicle from certain destruction as well as protect people on the ground from the impact of something falling out of the sky.

 


Gene Engelgau founded Fruity Chutes in 2007&nbsp;to provide parachutes for hobby rocketeers and for payload recovery for research balloons. In 2009, he noticed that radio control modelers were asking about parachute systems, and he began supplying that market, which soon morphed into today’s growing drone industry. Fruity Chutes makes the parachute canopies and shrouds, not the ballastic mechanisms that deploy the parachutes. The company does sell Skycat’s parachute launcher and the Peregrine CO2-powered integrated launcher, fitted with Fruity Chutes designed to land drones of various sizes. Customers include Boeing, SpaceX and Textron as well as Google, which has flown balloons and drones for airborne Internet research purposes. Drones equipped with Fruity Chutes systems range from small UAVs (two to three pounds) to large (700-pound) fixed-wing UAVs.

 


Drone chutes aren’t just for rescuing failing aircraft but also for recovery of fixed-wing UAVs in hostile terrain. While a fixed-wing drone can land safely in a clear area, that isn’t always available. A Canadian drone operator flies its fixed-wing aircraft with Fruity Chutes that pop open to allow for a soft landing without the need for a skilled pilot to steer the craft into a clear space. “They also can take off with a catapult&nbsp;when there's nowhere suitable to land,” Engelgau said, “at mining sites, for example, where it’s rocky. In that case the chute recovery becomes primary and not just secondary.”

 


Unlike one-time-use ballistic parachute systems mounted to some general aviation aircraft, drone chute systems can be reused until they wear out, often hundreds of times. The deployment mechanism, whether mechanical like the Skycat or CO2-based like the Peregrine system, can be reset in the field and the chute repacked for reuse. The chute canopies are made from 1.1-ounce calendared ripstop nylon that meets Mil Spec PIA-C 44378 Type IV. The shroud lines are made of 400-pound test IIIa Paraline for larger chutes or high-strength Spectra for small chutes.

 


Fruity Chutes start with simple systems that use a drogue chute to pull out the main chute, which works as long as the aircraft is moving through the air, and thus these are limited to fixed-wing UAVs. Cost for a three- to five-kg fixed-wing UAV is $225 to $300. Multi-rotor drones require ballistic deployment so the chute is ejected out and away from the drone. A Skycat system with a Fruity Chutes canopy sells for about $500 for a lightweight drone and up to $900 for a 10-kg drone. Peregrine systems with canopy sell in the $3,000 range, for drones weighing up to 100 kg. Fruity Chutes doesn’t sell canopies for manned aircraft, and Engelgau isn’t currently interested in that market as it is well served by existing companies, and manned aircraft parachute recovery systems&nbsp;entail extra layers of certification and liability.

 


Engelgau sees plenty of opportunities for drone parachute systems because of rules designed to protect people beneath drones, but also to prevent losing a device that costs tens of thousands of dollars. If a drone crashes, he explained, “you’re pretty much guaranteed a bad outcome. With a chute, there’s a high probability of a good outcome.” He believes that regulators will allow more drone flying over people when the drones are equipped with parachutes. A parachute cuts the energy of impact by 98 percent, he said. “A chute system is like an airbag or a seatbelt for cars; it’s a safety device with a clear benefit.”

 


While more countries’ regulators are embracing drone parachutes, not many drone manufacturers have done so, he said. Just as the auto industry finally added modern safety features after they were mandated, Engelgau expects that regulators will favor drones equipped with parachute systems, especially when flown over populated areas. “There’s a huge opportunity, especially down the road as more countries mandate that operators need chute systems. This has already happened in Europe. They’ve taken the approach that they have to limit impact energy to 69 joules, to fly over people or populated areas.”

 


A factor holding back the addition of parachute recovery systems to drones is that many drone manufacturers don’t make available a servo channel and switch on the transmitter to operate the chute. Operators can purchase a separate system with its own transmitter and servo to activate a chute, which has the advantage of providing redundancy because it isn’t dependent on the main transmitter/receiver system. “But manufacturers are not motivated [to include the extra servo channel] because they’re not forced to do it,” he said. As more operators ask for parachute recovery systems, drone manufacturers should also add features to incorporate these systems into their products, Engelgau said.

 


Fruity Chutes has sold products to 3,000 customers, and it offers 40 different parachute models in four product lines with 150 accessory items.

News and issues relating to civil and military unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) of all kinds and sizes, including those used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), combat (unmanned combat air vehicles, or UCAVs), law enforcement, research and other applications. Of particular focus is the FAA's planned integration of UAS into the U.S. national airspace system.

Fruity Chutes Can Prevent Drone Destruction

Expensive drones can be rescued from harm by parachute recovery systems. 

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

New developments and products in avionics, specifically about aircraft electronics in the cockpit.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Anafi UKR drone can be deployed in military or public safety missions 

Parrot Launches Flock of AI-Based Micro UAVs and an Autopilot

David Donald

Company develops a minimum-integration launch system for its Hero-120 loitering munition

UVision Introduces Smart Launch for Loitering Munitions

The MQ-28A has been developed for the RAAF’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program

Boeing’s Ghost Bat Readies for Interoperability Trials

Lockheed Martin’s Brussels-based Digital Engagement Center is helping military staff and industry identify new requirements to meet the swiftly changing threat environment in the 21st Century.

Lockheed Center in Brussels Bolsters European Defense Strategy

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Undisclosed logistics customer will operate 550-pound payload vehicle under an experimental license

Air’s Uncrewed Cargo eVTOL Conducts Night Flight Trials

Hanneke Weitering

News, issues, personnel, equipment and developments about air traffic management.

Researchers explore autonomous flight in IFR conditions

NASA and Wisk Team on Autonomous Air Traffic Integration

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

U.S. company says it will accelerate development of the 1,400-pound payload vehicle 

Piasecki Acquires Kaman's Kargo UAV Program

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

More In Unmanned Aerial Vehicles