Mon, Nov 14, 2022
Iris Ultralight Chute System Recognized for Success in Joint UAS Safety Effort
Fruity Chutes, UAS parachute recovery specialist, announced a partnership with Matternet in their Type Certification program for the M2 Drone.
Fruity Chutes provided a number of essential safety components, namely shock cords, harnesses and parachutes to go with their drone-optimized Iris Ultralight system. The program's success makes the company the first to see a drone parachute complete the demanding 4-year FAA evaluation process.
The M2 program has been chugging along for 6 years in collaboration between the two companies, integrating a 96 in Iris Ultralight parachute system to the drone before testing it in every possible condition to meet ASTM F3322-18 standards. Testing by a 3rd party resulted in more than 45 successful parachute deployments under varying conditions, setting the table for type certification of the overall UAV.
“This long process is about arguing your safety case to the FAA, and the parachute helps you make that case. It lowers the statistical probability of injuries, fatalities, and other accidents,” said Gene Engelgau, founder and CEO of Fruity Chutes. “Safety has always been our priority, and this achievement reaffirms the safety and reliability of our parachutes.”
In assessing the joint effort, Jim O’Sullivan, VP of regulatory strategy for Matternet, noted how Fruity Chutes parachutes were the optimal choice for mitigating ground risk: “Over the years, Fruity Chutes has been great to work with. They’ve helped us out with design and certainly helped us with product integration, and we’ve been happy with the quality of Fruity Chutes products.”
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