1½ Minute Parachute Flare

Length, inches

Diameter, inches

Weight, pounds

Burning time, minutes

Light intensity, candlepower

Color

Maximum release altitude, feet

Rate of fall after ignition, ft./min.

550

Use: It is used to illuminate an area for emergency night landings by certain commer-cial-type aircraft in use by the NAVY.

Description: The flare is issued in a hermetically sealed aluminum case called a pro-jector tube. One end of this tube is closed by a metal cap and sealed by a gasket. The other end narrows down into a small knob with an electrical terminal in the extreme end. The tube is cylindrical for most of its length.

The projector tube contains an inner case and a propelling charge of black powder. The inner case contains an ejection charge, the pyrotechnic candle, and a parachute. The ejection charge is in the after end of the inner case, and the delay fuse and inter-rupter mechanism are mounted on the outside of the same end of the inner case.

The electrical terminal at the end of the projector tube is connected through a toggle switch in the pilot's compartment to the lighting system of the plane.

Releasing: The projector tube, which is constructed as an integral part of the flare, is fixed by clamp bands to a bracket in the after end of the fuselage, where the firing circuit is connected when the flares are loaded. The projector tube remains in the brac-ket when the flare is released or expelled by closing the switch in the cockpit.

Operation: When the electrical circuit is completed in the cockpit, the propelling charge is ignited and the inner case is forced out of the projector tube. The propellant ignites the delay fuse, which burns until the inner case is approximately 40 feet from the plane and then, through an explosive lead-in, ignites the ejection charge which, in turn, forces the pyrotechnic candle and attached parachute from the inner case. Simultane-ously, the ejection charge ignites the candle.

An interrupter mechanism between the delay fuse and the ejection charge in the inner case prevents the functioning of the flare until the inner case has left the projector tube and is clear of the plane.

Remarks: A proprietary item, this flare has a commercial designation of "1½ Minute Parachute Flare Mk 1 Mod 1", but this Mark designation is not that of the NAVY.