Ultimate QCC Explorer L3 build Indiana

Bravo!!!

neil_w said:

Hey, how about an upscale Flying V for your L3? I look forward to seeing one towering over your house. :grin:

Anyway, yes, that giant QCC certainly demands some quality launch video. I also look forward to it.

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Thanks guys I'm honored! Just don't look too close . Many people helped me bring this to fruition with their skills and experience and are still giving advice even today. So really I'm just an assembly guy but thank you.

Neil - I planned for about 3-4 months prior to purchasing components. Took awhile to fine tune the path, then it all came together. I estimated 3 months to build so approx 6 months ago I started down the road.

Flying V L3?! Wouldn't that be something.


Thanks Ryan - hope you can make MW!

I won't make it to MWP, but hopefully I'll see you at Three Oaks!

Man, that is gorgeous.

Nick take care of that beautiful rocket. You did a fantastic job on it.


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she is a beautiful rocket,
you know now you'll have to tour the country showing her off to all us TRF-ers


maybe you should enter her in the thread for the cutest girlfriend
I bet she will get all the votes :wink:

Wow, simply wow!

Fan-tas-tic.

Thanks everyone!

JJSR sounds like a good idea - we could fly the upscale a together, you were the idea starter behind this

Tested payload ejection charge today with 7 grams - syringe technique. Also included tracker to make sure signal is good.








[youtube]8TwX9Dz8cQU[/youtube]

Next on the list is to take the rocket to my mom - she will be making a rocket sling.

Then to build the AV bay electronics which I've already cut the sled and laid everything out so should not take too long.

Nick,

Finished product looks absolutely stunning...what a marvelous piece of work! Well done all around!

I like the syringes for charges much more than I like the wad-o-tape method! Not that the tape ball doesn't work, just thinking that the syringe is easier on QA control, repeatability.

Well done, sir! One month countdown is approaching!

-Eric-

That really turned out great Nick, well done.

I don't know Nick, mine is starting to look a little ratty. With two water landings last year and a few hard ones this year. Lets not mention the travel time in the truck with 4 or 6 rockets on top of each other in back seat.
Being made out of paper body tubes she's not holding up so well, thinking about retiring her soon.
watching your build, I've dug around and found the original printing I made of the intakes (36 inch long) for the one I wanted to make .
I'll eliminate most of the internal pieces needed to strengthen the balsa from the Estes version.



At the time I didn't have the funds to go forward with it, so I scaled down. Maybe I'll go with 6" or 7.5 phenolic tubes and 1/4 and 3/8 ply wood this time.
Definitely HAVE TO rebuild, of one size or another. LOL (love this rocket)

I'm hoping you'll be going to LDRS36 in April

Nick@JET said:

Tested payload ejection charge today with 7 grams - syringe technique. Also included tracker to make sure signal is good.
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[youtube]8TwX9Dz8cQU[/youtube]

Next on the list is to take the rocket to my mom - she will be making a rocket sling.

Then to build the AV bay electronics which I've already cut the sled and laid everything out so should not take too long.

Click to expand...

Can you elaborate on the rocket sling? What's it for? Does the rocket have a broken arm?

NateLowrie said:

Can you elaborate on the rocket sling? What's it for? Does the rocket have a broken arm?

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Lol that's funny Nate. It's an idea I had of a shoulder sling to carry the rocket and protect it during travel. I'll post a picture if it works

Thanks Eric & Poker

JJSR Sorry to hear about your QCC hope to see you build another ! Not sure about the April LDRS as my kids are in school, but we do want to take a vacation in the North East

Stickershock23 got my stickers out in a flash, thanks Mark!

Final stickers installed and ready for clear coat. Little kudos to Bob at Countyline Hobbies who has been a big part of all three cert attempts.










The clear coat is actually pretty wavy so I'll have some polishing to do.

Still have the AV Bay wiring to complete. coming soon

That's an impressive upscale indeed!

That thing looks amazing!

Wow! I am blown away. I've always wanted to Upscale this rocket. You have definitely set the bar high. Great job Nick.

Thanks everyone, glad it passes the 10' inspection, just hope Nathan's not looking close .

Impressive... Most Impressive...

:headbang::headbang: FM :cool2::cool2:

Yesterday was beautiful so took the opportunity to put a second clear coat on and it did not go on well. Lots of orange peel and this is a large rocket to polish all the peel out and still have a good clear coat layer. So I've moved that item on the to do list to the very end.

My to complete list is getting pretty short.
- AV Bay build
- AV Bay test under vacuum
- NC Bulkhead T-nuts better epoxy
-Smooth T-nut wood mount in booster so the drogue doesn't hang up
- final weight / CG test
- pickup motor
- Rocket cradle
- Final separation charge test
- polish clear coat
- fabricate removable intake plugs

Now to focus on the AV Bay. Already made the schematic so the mounting and electrical wiring didn't take long - that's partially what I do for a living. Also using Doghouse Rocketry dual altimeter kit - makes for easy work. Once stripping the wire I solder tin all ends that will slide into terminal strips. Once they are screwed into place always use the tug method.

- Epoxied sled to tubes ( I use plastic fuel tubing on each end to reduce the shock on the sled / mount)
- mounted the RRC3 and SLCF
- wired drogue side with female pins
- wired main side with male pins
- primary and backup are color coded
- even wired switches with male and female pins

There is no way this can be wired backwards. The only thing that can be installed backwards would be the bulk heads - so I will address that with a notch and will document. The AV Bay also only goes in one direction because of the triangle notch that I epoxied in place earlier in the build and one side of the bay is riveted one is shear pinned. The shear pin side will have the wing nuts so I can easily remove if necessary.

The wires are not held in place yet but will be once I complete.

There is so much room in here it's awesome - also specifically plenty of room left for an RTx.....

Completed the AV Bay
- set RRC3 to primary
- apogee - 0 sec main at 1000'
- set SLCF to backup
- apogee +1 sec main at 900'

- finished NC Bulk head T-Nut epoxy
- use fix it epoxy clay to better smooth the upper tail button T-but so harness has a smooth discharge (yuck)

Started the polish process and with the help of Nathan starting to get some good result - but thinking of thinning my clear coat a bit next time to see if that will reduce the orange peel.



So at this point I'm mechanically / electrically ready to fly

I'll test ejection charge one more time just so I feel comfortable and polish away.

Less than a month to go

Looks great Nick, I like the av bay and key switches. The only problem I see is that you are making this way too pretty to fly! Beautiful job on everything.

PokerJones said:

Looks great Nick, I like the av bay and key switches. The only problem I see is that you are making this way too pretty to fly! Beautiful job on everything.

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Lol, not the booster - I'm realizing that if windy this will be drug across the field. Polish is last thing on the list . I may tape blankets around it for the flight hehe.

Looking good, take lots of pictures now before she gets dirty. mine didn't last two launches LOL #2 was a water landing.

Will do JJSR - im not very good with the video camera though and I want to watch the fly instead of through a lens, maybe I can bribe Justin with donuts. But I will get many pictures and post. As always - I am glad you gave us the inspiration to build this, had I not seen your QCC at LDRS I probably wouldn't have thought of going down this path.

The only reason i have stayed out of this little build thread rests on the fact that it seems like every weekend...someone oint: has been running up to my Tree Farm to show this Critter off. I can not tell you all how well this Rocket looks in person, the pictures DO NOT due it justice. Nick Adams is the kind of person i respect more than alot of keyboard pounders that can be found in some places... He just works magic with his hands!

I'll see you at the "Range" tomorrow Amigo....Already have my truck packed with extras and, some nice soft movers blankets for your tests...

I WANT NAPALM AND, I WANT IT NOW...3...2...1 *BOOM* Better!
"Don't you think that's enough Gus?"
MORE POWDER! Gus wants BIGGER BOOM!

Relax, everything is falling into place quite well, Midwest Power is where you'll truly shine my fiend...

NickAdams said:

Will do JJSR - im not very good with the video camera though and I want to watch the fly instead of through a lens

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I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't take photos and videos of their own rockets going up. Some people don't seem to get this...

NickAdams said:

Will do JJSR - im not very good with the video camera though and I want to watch the fly instead of through a lens, maybe I can bribe Justin with donuts. But I will get many pictures and post. As always - I am glad you gave us the inspiration to build this, had I not seen your QCC at LDRS I probably wouldn't have thought of going down this path.

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Nick I feel ya, 99% of the videos I have of my rockets are taken by other people.
Funny thing is the inspiration for me to build mine, came for a guy that was parked next to my daughter and I at NSL 2014 in Geneseo, New York .


Happy flights my friend :wink: