Woooh Hoooo! I Did it!!!!! :
Well yesterday I had a successful level one cert. flight with my Aerotech Sumo rocket!!!
Well I've been very busy lately. Between work, working on my new launch controller, getting Sumo ready, and misc. stuff, I've been runnig out of time before bed pretty regularly. My main focus has been that controller ( maybe it's an electrician thing). I actually primed and sanded Sumo twice. I never prime rockets, usually just paint them.
Then due to a shortage of time, I rushed the paint job a little. Between the red body and yellow fins, my masking tape overlapped a little and left a little primer exposed at the root edge of the fins!
Oh well she had to fly yesterday, no matter what! ( loss of FAA not. size field)
I'll touch it up sometime when I have more time.
Well Sat morning I loaded up the truck and headed down to Blaine. Sumo got to ride on the front seat.; instead of in the box with the rest of my rockets.
We had near perfect weather for our last day at this field.
I set up my equipment as well as some of the clubs.
Next I got my AT H128W reload kit from one of our members.
I headed back to the truck to put together my first reload kit.
Once I opened the reload package, this is when I first got nervous. What are all these tiny parts?! Grease this, grease that? Where's the grease?!!
Fortunately I borrowed some from Steve. He was really a big help answering my questions. I was completely paranoid that I was putting something in backwards or are there any extra parts?
Those B&W pictures were a little hard to make out sometimes.
After almost an hour I finally had my motor together.
Next I got my rocket RSOed. This was a little stressful because I think my cert team member was toying with me.
" Where's the CP and CG? Boy, only barely one diameter, I don't know...., Are you sure this rocket can handle an H motor?, points off for the paint job, etc,etc,etc."
Its a kit! H128 is the SMALLEST recommended H motor! I followed the directions to the letter!!
:kill:
Well I got the okey dokey and headed out to my pad.
I was so nervous that I forgot to turn on my safety key when the LCO asked if I was ready. No contunity, what the !@#$#!!
DUH! Turn the key on stupid!
Well my 300 CCA battery had no problem lighting the motor for a beautiful lift-off!
Deployment was just shortly after apogee!
The light breeze at the time landed Sumo gently tail first about 150' away in the soft peat ground ( which was mud last weekend) for a one point landing.
A little peat smutz on a fin and the end of the body tube and that was it!
Rick Vatsaas from our club took a couple pictures for me, what a nice guy!
I got one of those ready to post now. So you don't have to pay Vinne and Tonny extra for gas money to drive here in MN.
Well yesterday I had a successful level one cert. flight with my Aerotech Sumo rocket!!!
Well I've been very busy lately. Between work, working on my new launch controller, getting Sumo ready, and misc. stuff, I've been runnig out of time before bed pretty regularly. My main focus has been that controller ( maybe it's an electrician thing). I actually primed and sanded Sumo twice. I never prime rockets, usually just paint them.
Then due to a shortage of time, I rushed the paint job a little. Between the red body and yellow fins, my masking tape overlapped a little and left a little primer exposed at the root edge of the fins!
Oh well she had to fly yesterday, no matter what! ( loss of FAA not. size field)
I'll touch it up sometime when I have more time.
Well Sat morning I loaded up the truck and headed down to Blaine. Sumo got to ride on the front seat.; instead of in the box with the rest of my rockets.
We had near perfect weather for our last day at this field.
I set up my equipment as well as some of the clubs.
Next I got my AT H128W reload kit from one of our members.
I headed back to the truck to put together my first reload kit.
Once I opened the reload package, this is when I first got nervous. What are all these tiny parts?! Grease this, grease that? Where's the grease?!!
Fortunately I borrowed some from Steve. He was really a big help answering my questions. I was completely paranoid that I was putting something in backwards or are there any extra parts?
Those B&W pictures were a little hard to make out sometimes.
After almost an hour I finally had my motor together.
Next I got my rocket RSOed. This was a little stressful because I think my cert team member was toying with me.
" Where's the CP and CG? Boy, only barely one diameter, I don't know...., Are you sure this rocket can handle an H motor?, points off for the paint job, etc,etc,etc."
Its a kit! H128 is the SMALLEST recommended H motor! I followed the directions to the letter!!
:kill:
Well I got the okey dokey and headed out to my pad.
I was so nervous that I forgot to turn on my safety key when the LCO asked if I was ready. No contunity, what the !@#$#!!
DUH! Turn the key on stupid!
Well my 300 CCA battery had no problem lighting the motor for a beautiful lift-off!
Deployment was just shortly after apogee!
The light breeze at the time landed Sumo gently tail first about 150' away in the soft peat ground ( which was mud last weekend) for a one point landing.
A little peat smutz on a fin and the end of the body tube and that was it!
Rick Vatsaas from our club took a couple pictures for me, what a nice guy!
I got one of those ready to post now. So you don't have to pay Vinne and Tonny extra for gas money to drive here in MN.
