The dear little Gnat had one too, a real pocket hanky sized one, of course, more for training than stopping performance, to prepare chaps for the Lightning, where chutes were de rigeur....

The Valiant definately didn't have a chute. The Victor and the Vulcan has the same 45' diameter chute - the largest chute in regular use anywhere in the world. The Vulcan didn't use it much as it has a fairly low landing speed and could use aerodynamic braking. The Victor had to use it on nearly every landing as it had a higher apporach speed and brakes from a Ford Cortina. Landing without streaming was a big deal and required a landing distance available of over 9000', a headwind and a dry runway, and had to be specailly authorised.

The chute weighed 165lbs and was a b@stard to reload. It had a weak link which was designed to break at over 180 knots, so it's use in the air as a stall recovery aid would have been very limited.

The F4 chute was useful, when it worked; however, prone to getting damp and hence not streaming - also a pain to pack and stow on a landaway. If you want to see some real drag chutes, take a look at the XB-70.....

Tailchutes are found on older gliders too, my dear old SHK has one & I use it whenever possible - gives an impressive deceleration & rate of descent when deployed on approach :}

The space shuttle.

I concur with Dan W's comments regarding the Victor tail chute - Usually took 3 crew to get the new packed chute up and into the tail hopper. Required judicious folding and assorted origami ....... or lots of stomping and jumping about on the bloody thing ....... to get the hopper doors closed. If you landed somewhere pleasant and sunny it was not necessarily a trial to be out there loading the new chute. If you landed somewhere cold wet and miserable then it was a pain in the backside - better to be the 4th man sitting in the cockpit monitoring the refuel panel.:hmm:

Hawk brake-chute
 

The Hawk design had provision for a brake-chute ( & other things such as chaff/flare dispensers, pylons & fuel plumbing, proper HUD, etc etc ) from the word go.

The RAF did not require them, but the Ministry agreed on the design being capable to enhance the aircraft's export appeal.

Almost all export Hawks, long before the laser / IR nose of the 100 series, ( and the single seat Hawk 200 fighter ) are a fair bit better equipped than the basic RAF T1.

BTW the Hawk inc 100 & 200 was designed & developed at Kingston / Dunsfold, only much later hi-jacked by Warton to keep them going as they didn't have anything marketable of their own...

Ahhh yes, the mighty hawk brake chute... with a 1/3rd failure rate! Anyone know if the Hawk T2/128 is cleared for barriers yet?....

You know you're flying a manly plane like the F4 when you fly a trip around the pattern with a blossomed chute. ORAC/human search engine find a picture of one and post it.

Oh yeah, the scooter-A4 also had a chute. Not often they used it however.

A-4 chutes
 

Not quite true - only some export models and the A-4M had braking chutes. The A-4G for the RAN didn't and the A-4K did, and they used it almost all the time. Brazil's AF-1s, which were once Kuwait's A-4KUs have chutes. Unless anyone knows of another type, I think Brazil's Skyhawks are the only carrier-based aircraft to be equipped with brake chutes, although A-4Ms did occasionally appear on carriers. Or did A-3 Skywarriors have chutes?

JT

Yes, and about the only point of comminality with the look alike RB-66.

Okay, some models of the A4 had chutes.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...fallschirm.jpg

http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/Pho...90-0047-08.jpg

For the anoraks among us A-4H/K/M/N and TA-4H/K to be precise.

I've seen Fokker twin jets deploy the reverse thrust before actual touchdown as well.

I remember seeing an RAF F-4M at RAF Wattisham - on landing streamed chute - which candled and pilot decided to get airborne again with reheat and dragged the now burning brake chute around the circuit for another attempt and successful landing.

Enjoyed that!

Even more inspiring was seeing an F4 at Wildenwrath dragging the barrier round the circuit.
:8

History quiz:

Which aircraft used to approach with chutes deployed and afterburners burning?