Like Micro Payload competition this particular NAR contest event has bugged me since Micro-Maxx motors and models were introduced.
Through the early years 1999 and 2000 there seemed no practical way to add 1/8A to this class of competition event(s).
In the very beginning the old MMX-I motor .21Ns would have taken a cluster of 24 to have a decent chance of lifting the Standard NAR Grade-A Hens Egg between 57-63grams with a maximum diameter of 45mm (1.77").
When the MMX-II .31Ns motors were produced in 2004 we again took a look at 10 to 16 motor clusters just for fun... Some were very funny flights indeed. But These HUGE klunky BT-55 & BT-60 normal egg lofters just seem completely out of place when loading up MMX motors.
Back in the beginning I found a string of Easter garland that had as one of the components tiny Polypropylene hollow eggs. I thought perhap a Jellybean would fit inside which it did.... the Jellybean lofter was born.
But jellybeans are in no way as fragile as an astronaut, which would eliminate the care needed to bring the model back gently as required in the "normal competition event. Something a bit more delicate needed to be found.
Looking around Paintballs seemed like they might be an option. a bit bigger at .68"diameter but the average mass of 3.2g was almost ideal. a slightly different shrould was designed and we had a paintball lofter. alas the paint balls proved to be pretty darn strong as well.
An evening out for a Chinese dinner found me standing in front of their deli and I noticed a display of Quail Eggs in the cooler. They were a good bit to big for what I was looking for but the girl behind the counter ask of these would do. Button Quill Eggs? Tiny little things about 5/8" to 3/4" x about an 1 inch long. I wasn't sure but bought the little six pack for 14.00 just to see. After breaking the first few trying to fit one in the Pratt Vacuum formed BT-20 size Nose cone, I found one that slide in perfectly. This particual egg weighed in at 7.4g on the heavy size. but I thought what the heck I'd give it a shot the next morning. To my delight the flight and recovery was Very nice with the heavily ladden bird reaching about 25 feet before popping the 10" mylar chute bringing everything back in one piece and didn't crack the egg carefully wrapped in cellophane. Than it hit me....6 tiny eggs for 14 bucks!!! Holly Crap! that ain't gonna make it for a competition event. We'll have to find another source or another astronaut altogether.
That was sometime around July 10-11, 2004. I'm still looking. I've found a way to get button quail Eggs in shipments of 25 for around 24 bucks..under a buck but that's been about it.
I'm opening this thread in an attempt to close the last unfilled hold-out in completing the NAR competition events to include 1/8A motor class
Any thoughts, potential fragile payloads, configurations, or discussion is warmly requested.
Here are the two single motor models already flown, just for fun.
Through the early years 1999 and 2000 there seemed no practical way to add 1/8A to this class of competition event(s).
In the very beginning the old MMX-I motor .21Ns would have taken a cluster of 24 to have a decent chance of lifting the Standard NAR Grade-A Hens Egg between 57-63grams with a maximum diameter of 45mm (1.77").
When the MMX-II .31Ns motors were produced in 2004 we again took a look at 10 to 16 motor clusters just for fun... Some were very funny flights indeed. But These HUGE klunky BT-55 & BT-60 normal egg lofters just seem completely out of place when loading up MMX motors.
Back in the beginning I found a string of Easter garland that had as one of the components tiny Polypropylene hollow eggs. I thought perhap a Jellybean would fit inside which it did.... the Jellybean lofter was born.
But jellybeans are in no way as fragile as an astronaut, which would eliminate the care needed to bring the model back gently as required in the "normal competition event. Something a bit more delicate needed to be found.
Looking around Paintballs seemed like they might be an option. a bit bigger at .68"diameter but the average mass of 3.2g was almost ideal. a slightly different shrould was designed and we had a paintball lofter. alas the paint balls proved to be pretty darn strong as well.
An evening out for a Chinese dinner found me standing in front of their deli and I noticed a display of Quail Eggs in the cooler. They were a good bit to big for what I was looking for but the girl behind the counter ask of these would do. Button Quill Eggs? Tiny little things about 5/8" to 3/4" x about an 1 inch long. I wasn't sure but bought the little six pack for 14.00 just to see. After breaking the first few trying to fit one in the Pratt Vacuum formed BT-20 size Nose cone, I found one that slide in perfectly. This particual egg weighed in at 7.4g on the heavy size. but I thought what the heck I'd give it a shot the next morning. To my delight the flight and recovery was Very nice with the heavily ladden bird reaching about 25 feet before popping the 10" mylar chute bringing everything back in one piece and didn't crack the egg carefully wrapped in cellophane. Than it hit me....6 tiny eggs for 14 bucks!!! Holly Crap! that ain't gonna make it for a competition event. We'll have to find another source or another astronaut altogether.
That was sometime around July 10-11, 2004. I'm still looking. I've found a way to get button quail Eggs in shipments of 25 for around 24 bucks..under a buck but that's been about it.
I'm opening this thread in an attempt to close the last unfilled hold-out in completing the NAR competition events to include 1/8A motor class
Any thoughts, potential fragile payloads, configurations, or discussion is warmly requested.
Here are the two single motor models already flown, just for fun.
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