So, you want to buy a drone parachute for your DJI Mavic 3? Well, not all parachutes are designed and tested to the same standard. For those drone pilots that need approval from regulators, you need to be aware of the benefit of an ASTM F3322-18 parachute recovery system.
What is a Drone Parachute Recovery System?
Drone Parachute Recovery Systems (PRS) and Flight Termination Systems (FTS) are intended to provide end-users with a fail-safe system. This is to reduce the kinetic energy and fly-away risk of a drone in the event of a mid-flight failure. The PRS must detect a mid-flight failure, stop the propulsion of the motors, deploy a parachute, and decrease the descent rate of the drone. By incorporating an industry-standard compliant PRS into the drone design, manufacturers are aligning their product with the safety requirements that have been and/or are being set out by multiple Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA).
Compliance Standards
A PRS should be an effective technical safety mitigation addition. To meet the compliance standards for ASTM F3322-18, the systems must include key technical features:
- Autonomous Triggering System – Detecting a potential drone failure in less than 0.5 seconds.
- Ballistic Ejection – A ballistic ejection system shoots the parachute beyond the propellers so that the canopy deploys properly. This is by way of spring, pyrotechnic, CO2, or Elastics, reducing the likelihood of entanglement,
- Flight Termination System – The flight termination system is a must-have feature for a compliant PRS (See FTS specific article here). It reduces the likelihood of a flyaway and potential laceration to bystanders and parachute entanglement.
- Manual Trigger Device – Enabling pilots the ability to terminate a flight before a potential “fly-away” and ensuring the drone is contained within the operational volume, including the predetermined ground risk buffer zone. The most common use case for this device is when the drone loses connection with the flight controller.
- Parachutes – One of the most asked questions is: “Can the end-user repack their own parachute?” For ASTM F3322-18 compliant systems, the answer is no.
- Repacking the parachute must be done by a certified manufacturer to maintain compliance. Would you go skydiving with a parachute you packed for the first time?
Across the world, Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA) have adopted industry consensus standards to address potential safety concerns. This is for when drones are operated in complex operations and/or if there is a potential to harm bystanders.
For commercial drone stakeholders, the ASTM F3322-18 was developed specifically for Parachute Recovery Systems (PRS). This standard was developed to aid in the commercial growth and adoption of drones in more complex missions. This may include flight over people, near airports, or in densely populated areas. For commercial drone manufacturers who sell to end-users that operate over people, completing the third-party testing is a key product differentiator and positions the company for tremendous growth.
Flight Tests
AVSS must pass 45 flight tests under the supervision of a third-party testing agency. This is to be compliant with this standard for multi rotor, like the DJI Mavic 3. The testing scenarios are listed below:
- Hover – Full Power Cut – 10 tests
- Hover – Single Motor Failure – 10 tests
- Full Forward Speed – Full Power Cut – 10 tests
- Full Forward Speed – Single Motor Failure – 10 tests
- Shock Load Testing – 5 tests
Before AVSS begins this certification testing, they do rigorous testing in-house to ensure that the ATS is calibrated properly. That testing will go on without failure. Doing these tests take a long time to complete. It often takes 3 or 4 days before successfully completing each testing scenario. AVSS works with NUAIR for the ASTM F3322-18 testing.
What is NUAIR?
NUAIR (Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance, Inc.) is a New York-based non-profit with a mission to safely integrate uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace, enabling scalable, economically viable commercial drone operations.
NUAIR manages operations of the FAA-designated New York UAS Test Site at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, NY on behalf of Oneida County. IT is responsible for the advancement of New York’s 50-mile UAS Corridor between Rome and Syracuse, NY.
AVSS has successfully completed three (3) ASTM F3322-18 tests with NUAIR and continue to grow their partnership. They are releasing several new certified systems in 2022 for DJI products and new drone manufacturers. To check out some of the testing, go see this ASTM deployment playlist on AVSS’s YouTube page.
Now Available at Adorama
Adorama is pleased to announce that the PRS-MAVIC — drone parachute for the DJI Mavic 3 — from AVSS is now available for purchase. Check out the product below:
You can read the first portion of this at How to Integrate a Parachute Recovery System into Your Drone Setup
