Lost another rocket :(

[jpbell]

But it was the highest one yet I think so it wasn't all bad...

[ScrapDaddy]

What rocket?
And on what motor?
ANd remember, we love picture, oh wait, if you lost the rocket then... ok scratch that.
Also, are your feilds sizes up to the specifications on the NAR site? if not, you may wanna consider launching on smaller motors


Anyway, its not bad at alll to lose a rocket, its a great reason to buy another! ;)
Best of luck,
SD

[KennB]

Hey J,

Maybe you'd be happier if you tried to get your rockets back instead of stuffing the largest motor you can into them. Granted, it's exciting to see something zoom out of sight but isn't it better to see it come back into view?

Just ask Jim Flis of Fliskits; he launched and recovered one of his Estes models 500 times (Jim, please correct me if I'm wrong on the number) and presented the rocket to Vern Estes a few years ago.

Anyone can lose a model (except Bill S and his Fat Boy) but the real skill comes in getting them back again and again. Imagine how much fun it would be to mount an altimeter and actually know how high it went.

But if all you want to do is spread rockets around the countryside, I hope your not using too much plastic; balsa and streamers are probably better for the environment.

Have fun,
Kenn

[jpbell]

What rocket?
And on what motor?
ANd remember, we love picture, oh wait, if you lost the rocket then... ok scratch that.
Also, are your feilds sizes up to the specifications on the NAR site? if not, you may wanna consider launching on smaller motors


Anyway, its not bad at alll to lose a rocket, its a great reason to buy another! ;)
Best of luck,
SD

Rocket: Crossfire
Engine: C6-5
No pictures
Field size 250 acres of various fields on our family farm, I didn't have any smaller engines and nephew (4 years old) from MO wanted to see a launch before he went home

[jpbell]

Hey J,

Maybe you'd be happier if you tried to get your rockets back instead of stuffing the largest motor you can into them. Granted, it's exciting to see something zoom out of sight but isn't it better to see it come back into view?

Just ask Jim Flis of Fliskits; he launched and recovered one of his Estes models 500 times (Jim, please correct me if I'm wrong on the number) and presented the rocket to Vern Estes a few years ago.

Anyone can lose a model (except Bill S and his Fat Boy) but the real skill comes in getting them back again and again. Imagine how much fun it would be to mount an altimeter and actually know how high it went.

But if all you want to do is spread rockets around the countryside, I hope your not using too much plastic; balsa and streamers are probably better for the environment.

Have fun,
Kenn

I am thinking about doing some paper rockets to for my bigger engines from now on...

But as soon as I can get to the store I will buy smaller engines :D

[ScrapDaddy]

I am thinking about doing some paper rockets to for my bigger engines from now on...

But as soon as I can get to the store I will buy smaller engines :D

another thought is, you could grab a estes big daddy, and Put a 18mm mount in, I find that the rockets with only B6-2 and C6-3 are easier to recover...

[KerryQuinn]

Hi J -

The Crossfire will be "out of sight" (>1000 ft up for a 1" dia rocket on a C6-5).

Yes, you'll improve your chances of recovery using a smaller motor - and if it was a 1/50 scale SaturnV kit that cost $500 and took you 6 months to build, that might be the best answer, but model rocketry can be more fun when you push your own limits and abilities, and you shouldn't be afraid to launch small rockets to high altitudes - there are steps you can take to improve the odds you will get the rocket back.....

1) use bright/high contrast color scheme

2) using a streamer so the rocket lands closer to the pad

3) having more people helping to watch the launch - particularly if some of those people are further from the pad at the time of launch (its easier to track a rocket from the side than from directly underneath the launch).

4) consider using a small loud/sonic beeper to help you find the rocket audibly after it lands - there are ones available in the market that will fit in this size rocket.

5) an "old school" method is to include "tracking powder" - a small packet of dark colored powder that gets released as a small cloud at apogee.

keep trying and improving your building/flying AND recovery skills.

Good Luck,
Kerry

[luke strawwalker]

Doesn't even have to be dark powder... If it's a small rocket flying on a C motor, put a couple tablespoons of baby powder in the thing. The baby powder will add extra weight which will keep the altitude a little lower, and will make one heck of a poof of dust when the chute comes out!

Just make sure that it doesn't put too much weight aft, and push the CG back and make the rocket unstable. Usually when I add a bunch of tracking powder like that I'll put it inside the parachute and fold the parachute around it, so it stays near the front of the rocket.

You could also add a couple washers or something tied to a string near the nosecone inside the rocket for a little additional noseweight to keep the altitude a little lower. Just make sure that they're tied on STRONGLY-- you don't want your ballast "payload" coming loose at chute deployment!!!

Hope this helps! Later! OL JR :)

[Peartree]

Doesn't even have to be dark powder... If it's a small rocket flying on a C motor, put a couple tablespoons of baby powder in the thing. The baby powder will add extra weight which will keep the altitude a little lower, and will make one heck of a poof of dust when the chute comes out!

Just make sure that it doesn't put too much weight aft, and push the CG back and make the rocket unstable.
Hope this helps! Later! OL JR :)

And also make very sure that your baby powder is not the kind made from corn starch. This is Very flammable. the results would be very visible but not at all pretty.

[thisismoc]

Having lost 3 of 4 rockets this weekend (over 20 or so launches) I'm very interested in some interesting recovery system ideas. I'm going to try the baby powder approach, and am curious about the audible system... Does anyone out there use one or know where they can be picked up?

My other idea was to use some kind of smoke signal that will keep smoking after the rocket comes down, to mark its location. Anyone seen anything like that?

Otherwise we were just having too much fun launching rockets and trying to find them, that would be ok to do again as well!

Thanks - new guy Mike

[Mikus]

I'm going to try the baby powder approach, and am curious about the audible system... Does anyone out there use one or know where they can be picked up?

I buy these little egg shaped personal alarms off ebay that squeal like mad when a pin is pulled out. You can usually find them for about $5 if you're lucky. I usually gather a little slack in the shock cord and attach them and the pin so that when the cord goes taut at ejection, the pin gets pulled and the shrieking begins. They have saved me a couple of times in the sorghum field next door and are great for locating the bird in the air if you lose visual contact.

The only problem is if it lands face down on the ground it is hard to hear until you get close. I'm also having to figure out the best way to attach them as I have had a couple come off in mid-flight. :( Heh, a couple I've even found later in the field on another recovery because they screamed until the battery died. Still, better to lose a $5 alarm rather than a bird and casing. :shock:

If I remember tonight I'll get a pic for you. They're also really good for annoying the wifey, "Hey honey is this loud?" Yank!!!! :bangpan:

[Handeman]

A pair of binoculars is always a great aid in tracking high flying rockets. I launched an Estes Twister/Tornado on a C6-7 and got both pieces back only because I was using binoculars.

[Marc_G]

I'd love to hear more about the audible alarms. I lost Der Orange Max (http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?t=13257)this weekend due to not being able to locate it in extensive brush, and it's still killing me to know it's out there somewhere not in a tree. If I could hear it I could easily recover it.

I'll start a thread titled to attract posts on this.

Marc

EDIT: OK here's the new thread! (http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?p=115628#post115628)

[Scotty Dog]

My freind was up and he wanted to see a rocket launch. I flew my Bull-Pup on an A8-3 out back (about 240'-240) and the Tootsie on a B6-4.The Tootsie ended up in the very top of an Oak tree :(:( He got to see both sides of a launch :o Scotty Dog