Tiny Quarters recovery...

Hi,

If you haven't been following the Midwest Power thread, I've got a good one for y'all.

I have a Mini-Fat Boy, which I've modified to accept a G55.



What I'm struggling with is finding a method for recovery.

I thought about using a streamer, but I can't see the streamer standing up to the ejection charge. I haven't made my recovery cord too long, as I also need the space.

If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears. I have considered making my own nomex streamer out of thin-ply material... But don't even know where to start looking for that material.

Thanks,

Take some BP out of the ejection charge?

Use light Kevlar as sold for composite layup. Some places have it really thin.

M

Recovery ? That's a fire-n-forget if I ever saw one ! :wink: Certainly, reduce the amount of powder in the ejection charge.

samb said:

Recovery ? That's a fire-n-forget if I ever saw one ! :wink: Certainly, reduce the amount of powder in the ejection charge.

Click to expand...

I laughed out loud at this. My first thought, too.

If you weight the tip of the nosecone, its momentum when it is fired off by the ejection will help drag whatever you stuff into it out when the nosecone pops off.

I'll be interested to see how this turns out. Cutting back on the ejection charge is a great starting point.

attach the motor somehow, kick it and tumble?

Use nose pop recovery. The rocket looks small and light enough, just pop the nose cone and let it fall.

I'm game on the Kevlar... But where to find a small amount that would be sufficient for recovery? Suggestions?

Fins... surface mounted balsa might not be up to the task. I would replace the stock fins with TTW 1/8" light-ply.

I would recommend using something like a 2" x 4' Mylar streamer. With reasonably clear skies a Mylar streamer should be visible @ 4000'.

You can try to roll the streamer so it stays mostly against the inside of the airframe, then try to get some dog barf between the motor and streamer.

Since the nose is pretty light weight, you should be able to use a "smaller" size kevlar. Something like BMS #400 or maybe even #200 should work fine and not take up too much space.

I'm Hoping to finish the re-build of my standard size Big Bertha (using the same tips above) and fly it at MWP on a 6 grain G107.

scsager said:

Fins... surface mounted balsa might not be up to the task. I would replace the stock fins with TTW 1/8" light-ply.

I would recommend using something like a 2" x 4' Mylar streamer. With reasonably clear skies a Mylar streamer should be visible @ 4000'.

You can try to roll the streamer so it stays mostly against the inside of the airframe, then try to get some dog barf between the motor and streamer.

Since the nose is pretty light weight, you should be able to use a "smaller" size kevlar. Something like BMS #400 or maybe even #200 should work fine and not take up too much space.

I'm Hoping to finish the re-build of my standard size Big Bertha (using the same tips above) and fly it at MWP on a 6 grain G107.

Click to expand...

Above were mid-construction photos.

The fins have been glassed, tip to tip.

Might try the mylar route. I'll see if I can order one today.

I was thinking close to some of the earlier suggestions; however maybe thin kevlar cord with short mylar or kevlar strips/squares glued on at intervals? Kevlar would eliminate the need for wadding/ejection gas protection, which takes up space.

Taylor Jesse regularly flew an estes fat boy on 38mm I motors! You couldn't even see it against the rail and it literally teleported to space. He recovered it each time with the help of a tracker and only used a little mylar streamer. It had been slightly modified by wrapping the tube in cf and rebuilding the fins out of honeycomb.

It was retired at airfest this year when an ez load ejected on the way up, tore off the nc, and the main airframe came in ballistic. It screamed like an air raid siren. Again recovered with little damage but the experience was kinda disturbing.

Kevin

years back I know Tony (tfish) and his son did a fat boy they would fly on the I-435. Then woody did on on the J-350. They had to have put the chute on the side of the motor tube. I've been thinking of making one of these I could fly on 38 mm. motors, I'm Not sure if I can get the pro-one grain to fit, But I think you could get the aerotech G-61 in there. I'll go look and see if I've got some pictures of how I did the nose cone on a rocket I did like this before. This rocket is 8.5" long I fly on the 24/40 motors, This pic shows where I put a bulkhead into the nose cone. Since then I've found out that the blue tube 38 mm. coupler tube fits inside the BT-60 coupler tubes from balsa machine. Sorry mrwalsh85 I was just trying to show you how you could do the bulkhead in the nose cone with out melting it.

kruland said:

Taylor Jesse regularly flew an estes fat boy on 38mm I motors! You couldn't even see it against the rail and it literally teleported to space. He recovered it each time with the help of a tracker and only used a little mylar streamer. It had been slightly modified by wrapping the tube in cf and rebuilding the fins out of honeycomb.

Click to expand...

Funny you mention that. Fred Gruis once built a standard Fat Boy, and flew it on an I65. It was amazing to watch. Never recovered it though... Unfortunate.

I was at Hobby Lobby looking at the selection, when I realized that I had come across some G55's and G110's a few months earlier... And wondered if it'd fit. I took a chance. It fits. If it fits, it flies.

mrwalsh85 said:

Hi,

If you haven't been following the Midwest Power thread, I've got a good one for y'all.

I have a Mini-Fat Boy, which I've modified to accept a G55.

View attachment 273777

What I'm struggling with is finding a method for recovery.

I thought about using a streamer, but I can't see the streamer standing up to the ejection charge. I haven't made my recovery cord too long, as I also need the space.

If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears. I have considered making my own nomex streamer out of thin-ply material... But don't even know where to start looking for that material.

Thanks,

Click to expand...

Hope you have more luck recovering it than I have had on that sized rocket. Reminds me of my RocketVision Machbuster that I lost on a G55. I have had better luck with my regular Fatboy that has seen numerous G flights.

mrwalsh85 said:

Hi,

If you haven't been following the Midwest Power thread, I've got a good one for y'all.

I have a Mini-Fat Boy, which I've modified to accept a G55.

View attachment 273777

What I'm struggling with is finding a method for recovery.

I thought about using a streamer, but I can't see the streamer standing up to the ejection charge. I haven't made my recovery cord too long, as I also need the space.

If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears. I have considered making my own nomex streamer out of thin-ply material... But don't even know where to start looking for that material.

Thanks,

Click to expand...

Not sure how much space you have in there but if it were my model I'd use Military Grade Teflon "Thread Sealing tape" as the Streamer/Wadding. These Military Grade Tapes come on 43Ft rolls in widths from 1/4" to 2" in muted colors. I get mine from McMaster-Carr.
I use 2" x 40" muted red Teflon Streamer/wadding in lots of models BT-20 & BT-50 often.

The Trick to using Teflon Thread Sealing tape as Streamer/Wadding is to Talc baby powder the heck out of both sides before the first fold/rolling and about every other flight to ensure it unfurls properly at ejection.

I personally use Teflon Tape Streamer/wadding in all my micro model builds and many LPR Sport models that recover on a streamer.

Shock-Cord material that can handle close proximity with high heat would be .024" dia. 7x19 stranded Stainless steel aircraft cable with crimped eyes or 30lb test stranded stainless steel fishing leaders with spliced eyes. either will hold up to hot ejection charges a good long time. If you have no room for a Kevlar shock-cord attached to the Stainless anchor I'd skip the Kevlar and tie the Streamer wadding directly to the eye & nosecone. In either case I'd make sure the any Kevlar or other material be packed ABOVE and away from the ejection charge on top of the Teflon Streamer. I'm kind of surprised you HPR guys don't already know about Stainless Shock-line anchors systems and Teflon Tape which is Flame and Fire proof. Kevlar is not flameproof at all it is heat resistant but degrades and decomposes at temperatures at & above 468deg C/ 900deg f.