> Design and Construction > Pilot Chutes

A pilot chute is a small parachute, which is used to deploy the main or reserve parachute. In the earliest uses of parachutes, the parachute was static line deployed. With the advent of manually operated or “free fall” parachutes, the need for a pilot chute was quickly recognized. There are two basic types of pilot chutes. The first is the spring-loaded design. This uses a collapsible spring, which is compressed in the parachute container and held closed with the ripcord. When the ripcord is pulled, the pack opens and the pilot chute launches into the airstream. The pilot chute provides drag and pulls the canopy from the pack as the parachutist or load falls away. During this process, the pilot chute also provides tension on the lines of the deploying canopy and helps the opening sequence. Spring-loaded pilot chutes are used primarily for emergency and reserve parachutes. In addition, they are used in military free fall and training systems for the main parachute.

The second type of pilot chute is the “hand deploy” design. This type consists of the pilot chute canopy but does not have a spring to launch it. Instead, the parachutist extracts the folded pilot chute from a pouch or the container and launches it into the airstream. The pack is held closed by a locking pin attached to the bridle of the pilot chute. As the pilot chute inflates, it extracts the pin from the locking loop and pulls the parachute from the pack. The rest of the opening process is similar to the spring-loaded pilot chute. This configuration came into popularity in the mid 1970s and is now the primary method of deployment in skydiving