The Parachute

Honestly, this was one of the last things I purchased for this launch.  I just got it today though, and I have to give Top Flight Recovery a shout out.  Amazing!

Our choice was the Crossfire Parachute (scroll to the bottom of the page).  There are several reasons we went this direction:

1. Cost.  Their prices are some of the most reasonable I saw on the net for a similar setup.  At half the cost, it was well worth looking at.
2. Made to order.  You get the choice of two colors to make the chute.  We chose yellow and day-glow orange.
3. The Lines.  They use a Nylon flat braided line.  They also only have eight lines total (4 loops).  This was appealing in that it seems they would be far less likely to tangle.
4. Customization.  The fact they are made to order, I requested they put a loop on the top to attach the balloon.  When ordered I didn't know how this would go though, but I felt it was worth a try.

So, we ordered on Jan 8, 2013 at about 3pm Mountain.  Today is the 11th, and I have the chute in hand.  I was shocked!

 Note the custom loop... and how it is reinforced! 

The chute is beautifully made, and there is a hand written note on my ticket "Attach a loop at top!"  Using the same flat braided Nylon as the lines, they attached a nicely sized loop that will make attaching the balloon infinitely easier.  The seams are well reinforced, and the perimeter is backed with tape to give it extra strength.

In essence, I cannot say enough about the quality of the product, the ease of ordering, the time (or lack thereof ) to get it, and the customer service.

CF-36 CrossFire Chute - Cost: $34.95 + $7.00 Shipping.  $41.95 Total

Top Flight Recovery.  Check them out here:

http://topflightrecoveryllc.homestead.com/index.html