Well the title pretty much says it. I did not start this project with designs on getting my L3. Instead it started with my desire to make a V2 with some presence, i.e. big. Well, the V2 is pretty stumpy, so to get one even close to the 6' range requires a 7.5" diameter, which requires some weight (15-20 lbs). Which is getting it into the ideal range of my "been drooling since I heard it existed motor, the M650W...10 seconds of White fire and smoke, yes please! So this project became an exercise in designing and building a V2 for that motor, and one that is light enough to also fly on full-J/baby-K range as well, because M motor flights will not be regular occurrences for me. Like I said, the central goal of this project isn't "get my L3" it is Build a V2 to fly the M650W in, the L3 is just a co-requisite.
I have recently gotten the go ahead to start building from my L3CC member, so I'm doing this thread as much to make sure I document the build properly as anything else. I'm going to be trying some new, to me anyway, techniques along the way; vacuum bagging, composite fins (plywood, end grain balsa, carbon fiber), adjustable nose weight, etc.
Anyhow, at the start of my build threads I also try to note a few things up front.
- Do NOT assume that I know what I'm doing. I.e., if you are new here, don't just think my way is THE way. There are many paths to rocketry Zen (I think I stole that from samb). Most of my build techniques I stole from qquake2k, sodmeister, legrandudu, dixonj93060, etc. anyway. In other words, this is all their fault!
- I suck at photography
- I can't spell, and I would have learned by now if it was going to happen.
- I build at a glacial pace, as such I am targeting July-Nov of next year for the flight.
- I know there are commercially available kits that fit the bill, but I like to scratch build.
- I am overly detailed in descriptions, I learned from threads like this, and I'm not charging by the word.
- I am fundamentally opposed to the keeping it low, slow, and simple for a certification. If that is your deal, great, but low, slow and simple just isn't what I enjoy flying most of the time. Certify what you like to fly, if you fail, try again. As long as you do it safely, that is all that maters.
I have recently gotten the go ahead to start building from my L3CC member, so I'm doing this thread as much to make sure I document the build properly as anything else. I'm going to be trying some new, to me anyway, techniques along the way; vacuum bagging, composite fins (plywood, end grain balsa, carbon fiber), adjustable nose weight, etc.
Anyhow, at the start of my build threads I also try to note a few things up front.
- Do NOT assume that I know what I'm doing. I.e., if you are new here, don't just think my way is THE way. There are many paths to rocketry Zen (I think I stole that from samb). Most of my build techniques I stole from qquake2k, sodmeister, legrandudu, dixonj93060, etc. anyway. In other words, this is all their fault!
- I suck at photography
- I can't spell, and I would have learned by now if it was going to happen.
- I build at a glacial pace, as such I am targeting July-Nov of next year for the flight.
- I know there are commercially available kits that fit the bill, but I like to scratch build.
- I am overly detailed in descriptions, I learned from threads like this, and I'm not charging by the word.
- I am fundamentally opposed to the keeping it low, slow, and simple for a certification. If that is your deal, great, but low, slow and simple just isn't what I enjoy flying most of the time. Certify what you like to fly, if you fail, try again. As long as you do it safely, that is all that maters.
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