| The F-18 E parachute system was designed and built by Pioneer in the mid-1990’s to help recover the F-18 E from a spin situation during flight testing. Designed for a maximum airspeed of 180 KEAS, the parachute system was configured to provide the lowest time practical from initiation to full open. With a mortar muzzle velocity of 140 feet per second, and a low, graduated porosity ribbon parachute, the time from initiation to full open was slightly greater than 1 second in its only in-flight deployment on October 9, 1996. |