Model rockets traditionally come equipped with parachutes to slow their rapid descent to the ground after reaching apogee, but there is another option and that is the recovery streamer. This method has gained notoriety more recently, especially as more people participate in competition style events like the streamer duration events hosted by the NAR.
But which is better: model rocket parachute vs. streamer? One is not necessarily better than the other. Parachutes usually provide a slower and gentler descent while a streamer recovery system prevents the rocket from drifting too far away. The choice depends on the rocket you are launching and the conditions of the launch.
If you’re considering which recovery system to use in your next model rocket, you’re definitely going to want to read through the rest of this article. I share all the benefits and disadvantages of each system as well as information on how to acquire or make your own recovery streamer.
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Model Rocket Parachute vs Streamers
The purpose of any recovery system is to prevent your model rocket from making a crash landing and becoming damaged or hurting someone. The recovery system does this by increasing the amount of drag the rocket is subject to upon descent.
If you ask a group of avid model rocket enthusiasts whether you should use a parachute or a streamer recovery system, you will likely get a variety of opinions on the subject. People like what they like!
I will give you an unbiased look at these two recovery systems to help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of each system.
How Model Rocket Parachutes Work
If you choose to use a parachute, you first have to carefully fold the parachute and wrap the lines around it to hold it in place. Then you place it on top of the recovery wadding and behind the nose cone. When the ejection charge in the motor ignites, it causes the parachute to be forced from the nose cone.
After deploying, the parachute unfolds and as the rocket descends, the parachute fills with air and keeps the rocket from plummeting uncontrollably to the ground.
The benefit of a parachute is that it is very effective at slowing down the rocket, and it looks great while they do it.
While parachutes can be really effective at slowing a model rocket, they are also more difficult to fold because the lines require careful handling. If the parachute’s lines become tangled the parachute may not open properly, and the recovery system could fail.
Additionally, a model rocket equipped with a parachute will take longer to reach the ground and it can drift further because of it. On a windy day, you could very easily lose a high altitude rocket because of drift.
If you would like to see what a rocket with a parachute looks like as it descends, check out this video:
How Model Rocket Streamers Work
A streamer recovery system is exactly what it sounds like. A long streamer, typically made of nylon if commercially made, is folded or rolled up and wrapped in the string that connects it to the rocket before it is put it in the model rocket on top of the recovery wadding and behind the nose cone.
When the ejection charge ignites, the stream is shot from the rocket the same way a parachute would, but that is where the similarities end.
The streamer cannot be filled with air the way a parachute would. Instead it creates drag by flapping back and forth in the wind, which is very effective at slowing the descent of the model rocket.
The benefit of using a streamer is that the strings are less likely to get tangled, the rocket will be much less likely to drift away, the descent does not take as long, streamers can fit into smaller diameter rockets, and you can easily make them yourself.
On the other hand, streamers are not as effective at slowing down model rockets, especially heavier rockets. If a rocket hits the ground at too high a speed, it is likely to become damaged.
In addition, streamers are slightly harder to see at high elevations, especially if they are not made of mylar. The sooner you can see the rocket as it descends, the sooner you can prepare to retrieve it.
This is less of a problem with mylar streamers because the mylar reflects sunlight making the streamer glitter against the blue sky as it flaps back and forth.
If you would like to see how a streamer recovery method looks, check out this video:
Dual Streamer Recovery
Some model rockets boast a dual streamer recovery. This recovery system works exactly like the single streamer recovery except that it has two streamers instead of one. The idea is that two steamers flapping back and forth in the wind will provide double the drag.
Tentative research has shown that a second streamer does not cause the model rocket to slow down any more effectively than a longer single streamer (source). This is because the two streamers tend to twist around each other, decreasing the flapping needed to slow down the rocket.
If you would like to see a dual streamer in action, check out this video of the Estes Goblin:
Dual Deployment Recovery System
Dual deployment recovery systems are usually used in high power rockets. They use two recovery systems. One system activates shortly after the model rocket reaches apogee, and the second recovery system activates shortly before the model rocket reaches the ground.
Dual deployment recovery systems typically use a streamer shortly after apogee is reached, and then deploy a second recovery method, usually a parachute, when the rocket gets closer to the ground, but any combination of recovery system can be used.
Most rockets that use a dual deployment recovery system are high power rockets. This allows the high power rocket to rapidly return from a high altitude with the use of a streamer, but still be protected by the more effective parachute as it approaches the ground.
When to Use a Streamer
While a parachute is more effective at slowing down a model rocket as it descends, this does not necessarily make it the best way to assist the descent of your rocket in all circumstances.
There are certain circumstances where a streamer is recovery method you should go with. I will explain them below.
Small Diameter Model Rocket
If the diameter of the rocket is too small and it does not allow you to fit a parachute in it, then you should use a recovery streamer.
Any recovery system you choose should fit into the body of the rocket and easily move in and out of it. If you have to jam it in or the fit is too tight, the recovery system may not leave the tube when activated.
Parachutes are bulkier than streamers. A streamer will fit in some small diameter rockets that will not accommodate a parachute.
High Altitude Launches
If you’re going to launch your rocket thousands of feet in the air, you may prefer to use a streamer to prevent the rocket from drifting too far away.
If you use a parachute for a high altitude launch, the parachute could slow the rate of the rocket’s descent so much that even the slightest wind could cause it to drift out of sight. A great many model rockets have drifted off never to be seen again because of drift.
Windy Day
While you should never launch a model rocket in winds higher than 20 mph, even a 10 mph wind can cause your rocket considerable drift upon descent when using a parachute.
If you know that you are going to experience windy conditions at your launch site, then you should select a streamer.
If You’re in a Pinch
If you find yourself with a damaged recovery system, recovery streamers are easy to put together in a pinch.
As I will explain below, you can make your own recovery streamer with easy to find materials. In fact, a narrow strip of just about any material will do if necessary.
You can also make your own parachutes, but the process isn’t quite as simple.
When to Avoid a Streamer
All that being said, there are some instances when you would not want to use a streamer as your recovery method.
Streamers do not work well on heavy rockets. Some would recommend not using a streamer on any rocket that weighs over an ounce (source), but there is likely more wiggle room than this.
By using a wider and longer streamer, you may be able to make the streamer recovery system work with much heavier model rockets. It simply takes more experimentation to get a streamer right when a rocket is heavier.
In addition, the streamer method is not ideal for model rockets with wood fins. This is because a model rocket that uses a streamer will descend at a higher speed and hit the ground harder than one that uses a parachute. Plastic fins hold up much better than the wooden ones.
Where to Buy Recovery Streamers
Recovery streamers can be purchased at most places where you can find model rocketry components. They generally come in sizes where the length is 10x the width. This 10:1 ratio is thought to be optimal, although this is arguable.
Apogee Components sells nylon streamers that come in the following sizes:
- 2”x20”
- 3”x30”
- 4”x40”
- 5”x50”
- 6”x60”
- 7”x70”
They also sell mylar streamers in 2 sizes: 2”x56” and 4”x56”.
The Rocketman website sells even longer streamers. They are all 6 inches wide, and come in lengths of 15 feet, 30 feet, and 60 feet. They also have a line of “extreme streamers” that vary in length from 50 feet to 250 feet. These extreme streamers can be used to safely recover a rocket that weighs up to 45 pounds.
Estes Model Rockets that Come with Streamers
Most Estes beginner model rocket kits come with parachutes, but the snap together Firestreak SST (link to read reviews and check price on Amazon) is a beginner rocket that uses a bright orange recovery streamer.
Most of the other model rockets Estes equips with streamers, like to Comanche 3 and The Yankee (links to read reviews and check prices on Amazon), are some of Estes highest flying model rockets. It makes perfect sense that Estes would use a recovery streamer on their high fliers, as they are typically lightweight and from the heights they reached, they are in greater danger of drifting away with a parachute.
How to Make Your Own Recovery Streamer
Of course, you can always make your own recovery streamer as well. There are many ways to go about this and many different materials you can use, but the idea is pretty simple. You’re just connecting a streamer to the nose cone of the rocket in such a way that it will flap back and forth in the wind without falling off.
Although making the streamer is easy, knowing exactly how it will respond is very difficult. Even under very similar circumstances, a streamer could respond differently. If you want to predict how your rocket will react with a certain type of streamer, the best way to do this is to use a rocket simulator that can take into account the specifics of your rockets design.
Streamer Materials
Ideally, the material that you choose to make the streamer out of should be lightweight, highly visible, durable, and be capable of holding a crease. There is no perfect material for making a streamer. Any material you choose will have some sort of drawback to it.
Many streamer makers have luck with crepe paper, mylar, drafting paper, and yellow caution tape.
Mylar is one of the more popular materials because it is lightweight, easy to spot at high altitudes, and some varieties like the mylar with a 2 mm thickness can hold a crease.
Crepe paper is also popular, but it is not as durable as the other materials. It must be changed out every couple of launches.
Streamer Folds
If the material you choose is capable of holding a crease, then you should fold it in one of the ways listed below. Folding is important because it will help the streamer flap back and forth which is what creates drag.
Accordion Fold
The accordion fold is one of the preferred methods of folding a streamer because it is easy. It is called the accordion fold because the finished product looks a lot like an accordion.
First you put a sharp fold across the width of the streamer, then you flip the streamer over and put another fold. You may remember doing something similar to create a paper fan once upon a time.
The creases can be from ½ inch to a full inch apart, and you will need to fold at least three quarters of the streamer. Leave some of the streamer unfolded at the end to use to wrap the folded part before placing it in the rocket.
If you are having trouble with getting mylar to crease, you can use an iron set to a low heat to encourage it to crease.
To attach a string to an accordion folded mylar streamer, all you need to do is tape down the first fold leaving enough space to feed the string through it. Tie a knot at one end to keep the string from slipping out.
Accordion with Experimental Diagonal Folds
Diagonal folds can be applied to the accordion folds to increase the amount of back and forth flapping that the streamer does. In order to see how this affects the effectiveness of your streamer, you will have to do some firsthand testing. The variables are too great to predict an outcome.
How Long Should My Streamer Be?
First, we have to consider how length impacts the effectiveness of the streamer. As it turns out, a longer streamer doesn’t necessarily improve the streamer’s ability to slow down your model rocket. This is because the real magic of the streamer is in its whipping back and forth, which is why you add those folds.
After a certain point, the length of the streamer will inhibit its ability to flap back and forth. This is why many people recommend using the 10:1 ratio, or 10 inches of length for every 1 inch of width, but this ratio is often debated.
Alternatively, you can use the method described in Model Rocket Design and Construction written by Timothy Van Milligan, who owns Apogee Components and who has extensive education and experience in rocket design.
It involves estimating the size of the streamer you will need by using the weight of your rocket. There is a calculator for it here. This is a good place to start, but if you’re entering a streamer competition, it is only a starting point.
For competition streamers, you will need to do a lot of experimentation before you find the best width to length ratio and folding method that works for your model rocket. One of the best ways to experiment with streamer length on your particular model rocket is to use a rocket simulator, but of course, there is nothing like firsthand experience.
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