5.5" Cherokee-D L3 build thread for rharshberger

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And here is another photo courtesy of Dave K., one of my witnesses for the flight. In about a week and a half I will get the rest of the photos from him (8 more) taken with his Casio at 15 fps, starting at ignition and going until the rocket leaves the cameras view. This picture is one of the reasons I love the AT White propellant motors lots of flame and white smoke.

FITS 2016 039cropped1.jpg
 
Awesome shot Rich...
That ones a keeper....
I sure am glad this flight went so perfectly for you...

Teddy
 
Today was the first day I have really had a chance to get to work on the build portion of my L3 project a 5.5" Loc airframe based upscale of the venerable Estes Cherokee-D (long version). Mainly today consisted of peeling glassine from the airframes in preparation to laminate and laminating each airframe section with two layers of 4oz fiberglass cloth and US Composites 635 3:1 resin. The rotisserie the tube in mounted on is a spare auger motor for my pellet stove and provides about 6rpm with the wooden gears I cut. Another project acually done a couple of days ago is starting the lamination of the avionics bay hatch cover.

Of course there is a gratuitous shot of the parts (including an extra airframe for another project). The glassine being peeled, the naked airframe, the hatch cover blank, the tube ready to start laminating, the stuff for laminating and the first airframe wrapped and rotating till the epoxy firms up. Naked tubes weighed in at 719 and 721grams each, the FG cloth adds another 122grams and the epoxy about 180grams, after tube has cured and peel ply removed I will get final weights.


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Today was the first day I have really had a chance to get to work on the build portion of my L3 project a 5.5" Loc airframe based upscale of the venerable Estes Cherokee-D (long version). Mainly today consisted of peeling glassine from the airframes in preparation to laminate and laminating each airframe section with two layers of 4oz fiberglass cloth and US Composites 635 3:1 resin. The rotisserie the tube in mounted on is a spare auger motor for my pellet stove and provides about 6rpm with the wooden gears I cut. Another project acually done a couple of days ago is starting the lamination of the avionics bay hatch cover.

Of course there is a gratuitous shot of the parts (including an extra airframe for another project). The glassine being peeled, the naked airframe, the hatch cover blank, the tube ready to start laminating, the stuff for laminating and the first airframe wrapped and rotating till the epoxy firms up. Naked tubes weighed in at 719 and 721grams each, the FG cloth adds another 122grams and the epoxy about 180grams, after tube has cured and peel ply removed I will get final weights.


View attachment 280415View attachment 280416View attachment 280417View attachment 280418View attachment 280419View attachment 280420View attachment 280421
Up scaling is fun to do.The Cherokee is a great rocket. Iv'e had 2 of them over the years. Painted one Black and the other Red. Wish I could be one of your Booster Spotters when you launch it. Are you going to paint it Red like the Original? My best to you.
 
Up scaling is fun to do.The Cherokee is a great rocket. Iv'e had 2 of them over the years. Painted one Black and the other Red. Wish I could be one of your Booster Spotters when you launch it. Are you going to paint it Red like the Original? My best to you.
has it really been 4 years since the L3 cert flight? If I upscale a rocket I usually will upscale it as close to the original as possible, in this case the only change was the decal that said D-power was changed to 98mm Power.
 
Today was the first day I have really had a chance to get to work on the build portion of my L3 project a 5.5" Loc airframe based upscale of the venerable Estes Cherokee-D (long version). Mainly today consisted of peeling glassine from the airframes in preparation to laminate and laminating each airframe section with two layers of 4oz fiberglass cloth and US Composites 635 3:1 resin. The rotisserie the tube in mounted on is a spare auger motor for my pellet stove and provides about 6rpm with the wooden gears I cut. Another project acually done a couple of days ago is starting the lamination of the avionics bay hatch cover.

Of course there is a gratuitous shot of the parts (including an extra airframe for another project). The glassine being peeled, the naked airframe, the hatch cover blank, the tube ready to start laminating, the stuff for laminating and the first airframe wrapped and rotating till the epoxy firms up. Naked tubes weighed in at 719 and 721grams each, the FG cloth adds another 122grams and the epoxy about 180grams, after tube has cured and peel ply removed I will get final weights.


View attachment 280415View attachment 280416View attachment 280417View attachment 280418View attachment 280419View attachment 280420View attachment 280421
Great pictures! I want to fiberglass my L3 project, too, and your pictures explain a lot. Thanks!
 
Today was the first day I have really had a chance to get to work on the build portion of my L3 project a 5.5" Loc airframe based upscale of the venerable Estes Cherokee-D (long version). Mainly today consisted of peeling glassine from the airframes in preparation to laminate and laminating each airframe section with two layers of 4oz fiberglass cloth and US Composites 635 3:1 resin. The rotisserie the tube in mounted on is a spare auger motor for my pellet stove and provides about 6rpm with the wooden gears I cut. Another project acually done a couple of days ago is starting the lamination of the avionics bay hatch cover.

Of course there is a gratuitous shot of the parts (including an extra airframe for another project). The glassine being peeled, the naked airframe, the hatch cover blank, the tube ready to start laminating, the stuff for laminating and the first airframe wrapped and rotating till the epoxy firms up. Naked tubes weighed in at 719 and 721grams each, the FG cloth adds another 122grams and the epoxy about 180grams, after tube has cured and peel ply removed I will get final weights.


View attachment 280415View attachment 280416View attachment 280417View attachment 280418View attachment 280419View attachment 280420View attachment 280421
Great pictures! I want to fiberglass my L3 project, too, and your pictures explain a lot. Thanks!
 
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