Aerotech Mirage Build

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Indeed it is- mine would weathercock pretty easily. Mantis launch pad was barely enough to hold it though. Poor thing didn't survive long enough to see rail buttons.

Dang,,, I want a nice straight up launch. Do you think a G64 and no wind will help that? Im sure hoping so.:)
 
Nice Mirage paint scheme crazyed.
I think the AeroTech Mirage is a good looking model but I am a bit biased. :wink:

One thing to keep in mind is that the plastic baffle/shock cord anchor part is molded out of styrene plastic that is not durable when exposed to direct heat, i.e ejection charge. The cooling mesh absorbs the heat. I recommend that you recover the rocket as quickly as possible and remove the motor casing. Allow air to flow through the motor mount/tube and cool down the plastic before another flight.

Do not connect the two components of the Mirage together for recovery. They are designed to descend seperately. Do pack the parachutes according to the instructions with the upper section parachute installed first followed by the lower section parachute. This way the upper section of the rocket will pull out both parachutes at ejection.

The Mirage will handle many 29mm 'H' motors.

I have only flown my Mirage (Stock build) with AeroTech G64-7W RMS and G40-4W single use motors. Always a good, straight flight.

Here's pictures of my Mirage flown at NARAM-56 this past August with an AeroTech G40-4W motor:
NARAM-56-082 Mirage.jpg NARAM-56-087.jpg NARAM-56-088.jpg NARAM-56-089.jpg

Have a good flight with your Mirage!
 
Nice Mirage paint scheme crazyed.
I think the AeroTech Mirage is a good looking model but I am a bit biased. :wink:

One thing to keep in mind is that the plastic baffle/shock cord anchor part is molded out of styrene plastic that is not durable when exposed to direct heat, i.e ejection charge. The cooling mesh absorbs the heat. I recommend that you recover the rocket as quickly as possible and remove the motor casing. Allow air to flow through the motor mount/tube and cool down the plastic before another flight.

Do not connect the two components of the Mirage together for recovery. They are designed to descend seperately. Do pack the parachutes according to the instructions with the upper section parachute installed first followed by the lower section parachute. This way the upper section of the rocket will pull out both parachutes at ejection.

The Mirage will handle many 29mm 'H' motors.

I have only flown my Mirage (Stock build) with AeroTech G64-7W RMS and G40-4W single use motors. Always a good, straight flight.

Here's pictures of my Mirage flown at NARAM-56 this past August with an AeroTech G40-4W motor:
View attachment 250601 View attachment 250602 View attachment 250603 View attachment 250604

Have a good flight with your Mirage!

Thanyou kindly,,those are some cool pics there.
And I do look forward to the 1st launch. Tuesday the 6th. F52T then G64W.
 
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Dang,,, I want a nice straight up launch. Do you think a G64 and no wind will help that? Im sure hoping so.:)

Ed- G64 or G76 should definitely give this bird the get-up and go it needs- wind above 10-15 may be too much to claim a straight flight, but certainly won't result in a bad one. Now that I know your distinctive paint job, I'll try to find you on the flight line.
 
Ed- G64 or G76 should definitely give this bird the get-up and go it needs- wind above 10-15 may be too much to claim a straight flight, but certainly won't result in a bad one. Now that I know your distinctive paint job, I'll try to find you on the flight line.

G77 and G79...LOVE those two loads...they really make my 2" AMRAAM from PML boogie...should be the same in the Mirage...
 
AWESOME!!!! We had a great launch today-Sort of. I know..Its Tuesday but we fly when we can. The MIRAGE had a great flight on the Aerotech G64-7W. I got no pics on my camera but I have this 1 pic of launch I took off another camera(phone) and other misc. pics. There will be more pics of the actual launch sent to me when they get downloaded and I will post when I can. Heres what I have. WE HAD A MISHAP With the 4-29SS. pics and info on new thread -SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN AWESOME LAUNCH, BUT?
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So the problem I was having was that I had already super glued the bottom airframe coupler in by accident when I attached the lug. (it soaked thru the frame to the coupler) but not enough to keep me from being able to bust it loose with a good smack on the floor. No damage. The other coupler and nose cone I had only friction fit for the first flight. (thinking also i might need the parts free for future DD). I do tend to do the Mcgyver thing and use what I have at hand to save cash and time. Of coarse this could end up not working but then again- I think it will. I want to learn this DD thing from the ground up- Using rocket supplies I have.**** I do want any advise on basic DD procedure.*****
1)My plan is to first use the motor ejection for the drogue chute deployment -separation where the rocket normally separates (Between the lower 2 airframe sections)
2)The electronics mounted in a 24mm tube with vent holes per instructions inside the coupler of the 2 lower airframe sections, and isolated from any charge gases.
3) shock cord mounted inside the bottom of the second airframe section and also mounted to the top section of the air frame. Main deployment at 300' and between the top section and 2nd airframe section.
4) use the coupler for the top and middle(2nd)section for a bulkhead.
5) the charge for the deployment will be in the bottom of the middle airframe section
6) the coupler between the lower and middle sections that house the electronics will be attached to the middle airframe with 3-4 screws. along with 3 vent holes for air sampling per instructions for the RRC2+
7) the screw holes and vent holes will be beefed up a bit by applying CA the holes. To keep the holes from degrading.
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I love the Mirage. Built mine dual deploy and set up for hybrids. Unfortunately, never got to fly a hybrid before this:

View attachment 248994

I still have another kit in the pile I plan to build though as a replacement.

I did that to mine too. 8-( Sadly, I was sort of warned that there might not be enough powder to eject the chutes. Oy. He was right. I bought another kit with the plans to build it for my Rattworks I90. Still hasn't happened. Some day.
 
I did that to mine too. 8-( Sadly, I was sort of warned that there might not be enough powder to eject the chutes. Oy. He was right. I bought another kit with the plans to build it for my Rattworks I90. Still hasn't happened. Some day.

Sorry to hear that.. Good luck on the next one!
 
And here is a little more info and some more pics. 1 of the fit of the RRC2+ in the 24mm tube. perfect fit.
And also the sections of deployment . Im using the supplied smaller chute from the Mirage kit for the drogue chute with an added 8' section of shock cord. I might add more. then the second deployment section shown with a huge black chute I had used on my G-FORCE and was awesome for a slow recovery. should be great for this application also adding alot of extra shock cord to the second section . Adding the extra weight (chute-shock cord-electronics) will probably keep the rocket at 1,000ft on a G64. Perfect i think for a first timer DD project.
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In my opinion 1000 ft is too low for a full fledged dual deploy. The apogee event will probably happen at ~950 ft or lower and the main will deploy at 600 ft or so which is awfully close together. I would recommend doing the low altitude flights with apogee only deploy of the main to get used to the setup of the electronics, the charges, and the packing of the chutes. When you stick an H180W in it and get it up to 1900 ft (or an I200 at 2700 ft) then full deploy makes sense. The elastic shock cord is probably not the best choice since it will be exposed directly to the black powder charge (not protected by the stainless steel baffle like in the stock arrangement). Hobbylinc has loc bulkhead plates and couplers if you want to make a do it yourself version of a traditional style ebay (you can order parts and reloads at the same time).

https://shop.locprecision.com/product.sc?productId=8&categoryId=9

https://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/loc/locba256.htm

https://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/loc/loctc256.htm
 
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In my opinion 1000 ft is too low for a full fledged dual deploy. The apogee event will probably happen at ~950 ft or lower and the main will deploy at 600 ft or so which is awfully close together. I would recommend doing the low altitude flights with apogee only deploy of the main to get used to the setup of the electronics, the charges, and the packing of the chutes. When you stick an H180W in it and get it up to 1900 ft (or an I200 at 2700 ft) then full deploy makes sense. The elastic shock cord is probably not the best choice since it will be exposed directly to the black powder charge (not protected by the stainless steel baffle like in the stock arrangement). Hobbylinc has loc bulkhead plates and couplers if you want to make a do it yourself version of a traditional style ebay (you can order parts and reloads at the same time).

Great advice terry. I wondered if the altitude might be too low. And exposure to the shock cord is another item to deal with and thanks for the heads up. Here are a couple pics of what i had thought of doing with the electronics. The battery would be mounted to the inside of the coupler as well. The 24mm mount would be epoxied to the bulkhead inside the coupler tube.
View attachment 251671
 
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Ordered up some of those Quest Q2G2 8" starters today for the DD charge. the pic in the previous post shows an Aerotech first fire igniter. The Missile Works Info says electric match or a low current motor starter like the Quest Q2G2, Im not sure what the difference in current draw or resistance is between the first fires and the Q2G2. But i will give the Quest a try.
 
I was going to do the main deployment between the middle and top sections of the Mirage. I assembled and tack glued the EERC2+ bay in place. Couldnt figure out how to keep everything safe from the deployment charge. Thinking I had it all figured out in my head I had to see it in place and didnt like what i saw so its going to be a nose cone main deployment now. I can do this with the supplies I have on hand. I have looked at a few threads on DD and awesome they are and high quality workmanship. Also alot of excellent advice given. Taking it all in I am still doing this DD on the tightest of budgets. It can be done. Its kind of like old school 1990's work im doing here at best. But fun. Once I see I can do it. I will probably step up the quality on the DD for this or another rocket. Here are a couple more pics of the progress.
View attachment 252027View attachment 252028View attachment 252029View attachment 252030View attachment 252031
 
Looking good to have some metal on the rocket. I havnt had screws on a rocket since 1996 on my PML Aurora 4" (hybrid ready) with the piston ejection. Which I flew on a Aerotech J350 for a nice L2 cert. Yep, things sure have changed since.
The bay is secure with electronics and a little shelf inside for the battery. Going to radio shack for a battery mount and clip this week if I cant find it out in the shed. The coupler supplied in the kit is the E bay with a hand cut bulk head on the forward end. Back end left open for servicing.View attachment 252218View attachment 252219
 
It was a good day for some more work on the DD mods. Had a good ejection charge test using Pyrodex "P" powder.(a FFFG sub for BP) The first charge was way to much packed too tight. Second time I filled a red aerotech BP cap full (of pyrodex) with the starter end inside capped with masking tape and not packed. Excellent deployment. Got the Big black chute and 15' of shock cord mounted inside the upper airframe. Fresh alkaline 9v batteries and got familiar with the read outs of the RRC2+ and its continuity beeps and light signals. The weight is getting up there now noticably(triple the shock cord /double the chute weight/battery/electronics/bay weight) so the Aerotech G64 and G76 are are going to be its minimum impulse motors. An H180 is what this bird will need to see altitudes over 1000' and I look forward to that. As I also look forward to the main deployment at 300' and the chute bringing it home nice and slow on its first DD flight with the G64-W.
I realize I previously said IMO BP is the best way to go for deployment charges . But dog gone it I cant find any so its going to be the substitute Pyrodex. It just seems like the BP gives a better gas expansion for pushing out the recovery system without as much "flame up". just my opinion and experience.
 
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And so I believe I have reached the final configuration for my Aerotech Mirage. Unless I change my mind again lol..:cool: OOOPs yes one more thing. Today I will add a switch to the ERRC2+-on and off switchable outside the airframe. I wasnt going to use one but for club events it will be needed. I will post a pic of that later today. Here is where its at as of now. Also I am beginning to question the drogue. I may use a larger chute for this. I dont want a zipper when the main blows due to a too fast descent on the smaller drogue. With the additional weight the larger chute supplied with the kit could be the right drogue to use with the motor and altitude(low)
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View attachment 253009LOL... Didnt make it to the radio shack for a 9v clip and switch on my day off so as I sat thinking about things I remembered the old days when we used a couple wires and a magnet to start our timers at launch. So I dug around the shed and found an old alarm clock with a battery back up. A 9v battery snap and wires I tore out.( I had saved it thinking I might use the LED's or other resisters or caps and so forth.) Hooked up the power and ran the wires out one of the vent holes. It works. I will arm the RRC2+ on the pad by twisting the two wires together and tape the them down. Yes the first flight or two we will be at our site. Going to be sure it all works before I bring it out to a club launch. Maybe do an upgrade or two like a real switch once I get familiar with the DD set up. I will post launch pics good or bad results. Feb 03 or Feb10 launch
 
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Twist and tape is often more reliable then using a switch that is not up to the extremes of rocket flights.
 
The Mirage flew great today. SARA mid week launch in Tucson--Awesome weather. The RRC2+ worked perfectly as advertised. Main deploy at 300' . Counted off altitude of 886' with the Aerotech G64-6W (7 drilled out to 6). Didnt catch it on camera/it was heads up on this so all eyes on the rocket/ but got a pic of after flight and the blown main deploy charge. Look at that blue sky. That was cool to see that big black chute blow out at 300'/I was worried I admit. My first DD and the simplicity of the RCC2+. I went over every thing many times and had it dialed in. Now after I burn another G64-7 and a G76-7G in this bird,its getting a taste of H class motors.
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And finally a video of the Mirage dual deploy.300'(main) watch full screen to see deployments
Aerothech G64-7W apogee 886' /RRC2+(MissleWorks) it works:cool: A little wobble at lift off. Not enough impulse? What do you think? Looks like maybe spin due to fin alignment ?
[video=youtube_share;a-3ws8C0cYc]https://youtu.be/a-3ws8C0cYc[/video]
 
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Nice build thread and really nice looking build. I'm looking forward to your flight report and photos. :cheers:
Thanks and doggone -it all worked great. Next time I will use more"modern" techniques as the re-prep time on this set up is a bit long(but worth it) Im very happy with the results on this-my first DD. Next flight I will use the 500' main deploy so we can enjoy a slower return.
 
I am really liking this Mirage. The Dual Deployment is awesome. Flew today(yes another weekday launch). G76-7G. the RRC2+ indicated 970ft. I used the 500' main deploy selection and it worked great. Got to see the big chute with long shock cord to the main airframe-another long shock cord with drogue and fin can. Looking great up there. A few more like this then on to H power. Another point to mention--Economax F44-8W good for the A/T Barracuda when built as instructed. Around 1000' approx.
 
Got fresh supply of DD ejection lighters from WildMan Rocketry today. That is some fast service right there. They got themselves another customer. DD Mirage next week Yeeeee Haaaaa:cool:
EDIT******
I did a test with the lighters and they work. When used with the RRC2+ by MissileWorks- The 9volt alkaline battery I used measured 8.4V-(a little low) and it popped off the ejection lighter as it should under a vacuum test. Even with the under powered battery. I am confident in another fine DD next week.
 
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Thinking I might use this rocket for L1 (re)certification. H180/H97 or H128
 
Short battery answer.
"Always use fresh, known, new battery for successful deploy."
At a recent launch a long time flyer, had just bought 2 "new Duracell batteries" Date Code 2018, at Walgreens an neither worked.
Post flight testing showed, 6.2v and 4.8v
It is not just voltage which is a vey poor indication of battery condition.
As important or even more in our usage is the stored capacity (firing current available for how long!) in auto parlay cranking amps.[
On TRF and elsewhere, there are several discussions that go into more detail.
Got fresh supply of DD ejection lighters from WildMan Rocketry today. That is some fast service right there. They got themselves another customer. DD Mirage next week Yeeeee Haaaaa:cool:
EDIT******
I did a test with the lighters and they work. When used with the RRC2+ by MissileWorks- The 9volt alkaline battery I used measured 8.4V-(a little low) and it popped off the ejection lighter as it should under a vacuum test. Even with the under powered battery. I am confident in another fine DD next week.
 
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