2018 Goals?

Salvage-1 said:

For the first... are you talking about the old 'exploder' type boxes for demolition/quarry work?? I have been looking at getting one of those for 'curio' value and to see if it works for rockets!!!

RSO/LCO - PLEASE !! Brothers!! Can we sign you up for the coming year? all of it???

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I have couple of those squeeze-trigger flywheel generator flashlights that don't stay lit anymore. I really thought about using one in a plunger-style Edison detonator -- but pulling it apart I realized it would be too much work for something that would break immediately. Plus which, I've noticed a certain sniffiness -- from some folks -- about the difference between launching a rocket, and firing a firework. Some, I worry, might might disapprove of me if I were to appear at a launch with a Wile E. Coyote launch controller <grin>.

I also have a couple of dynamos: an old Western Electric telephone magneto and a cheap Chinese hand-crank generator with bunch of different outputs. An emphatic and sincere crank on either one develops enough power to light the pyrogen on an Estes Solar igniter, but my my idea (hardly original) is to charge a moderately capacious capacitor then push a big red button (I have boxes of old caps and diodes and resistors stashed under my bench ... and a couple of big red buttons, too).

LCO/RSO: Much depends upon my kid's evolving sensibilities w.r.t. port-a-potties, but I will get out to there and I will take my turn.

Salvage-1 said:

Goals for 2018

Fly more than 3 HPR rockets this year (my tally for the last two years)
50 by 50 (50K by 50 years old)
Finish and fly my 2 stager
Fly something at BALLS

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Yes. Fly more HPR. Show us how its done. I am not the only recently born-again rocketeer in the club who could use an example of success to emulate. ^-^

Get my L2 cert and get my rocket to hit Mach 1!


Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum

Well, the first of our 2018 goals has been achieved; we are now residents of Temple Texas! Woohoo! :bangbang:

Now if the movers would just make all our STUFF residents of Temple Texas, things would be looking up...:rant:

My rocket goals are:

Get out to the AARG and Tripoli Houston launches and get to know as many of y'all as I can...

Resume flying.

Get my level one done (finally)

And possibly level two!

jlabrasca said:

Gödel's To-do List:

1 - Write a to-do list.

New Years Resolutions ... this is fun:

1. Build down the LP build pile
2. L2 -- That's two big (for me) rockets to build. In case I blow it on the first attempt. Lots of sub-goals in this one. 50% complete to plan, milestone achieved.
3. Fabricate my first fiberglass nose cone (see item 2) obviated
4. Fabricate my first rib-and-spar nosecone (see item 2) obviated
5. Three stage (F to E to C) 80% complete to plan
6. Finless-sustainer two-stage 10% complete to plan
7. Build a stand+enclosure for the Shapeoko XL CNC
8. Assemble the Maslow CNC
9. Finish the prototype LPR launch stand
10. Finish the hand-crank-dynamo launch controller 10% complete to plan
11. RSO/LCO at a club HP launch. Will not complete

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I am giving myself a pass on 3 and 4, since they were part of a plan which was abandoned within days of writing the list.

Item 11 is now out of reach for the year, and will slip to 2019.

Item 1, I think, will be revised to "sell/give away parts for rockets that will never be built".

So -- (part of) one down and seven to go, with about 10 working weeks left in the year.

I haven't managed engineers for 10+ years. I wonder if I will ever stop thinking in terms of Gannt Charts, event chains, and critical paths?

Flyfalcons said:

Start using my GPS tracker

Successful mach and mile flights

Build the Drago and fly it on the K2050ST

That would make for a great year. Everything else is gravy.

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Got all that in except a Mach flight. It has been a good year!

L-1 completed.

Design and build a scratch build HP 24mm MD rocket with supersonic airfoils. Complete.

Completed test flight of 24mm MD rocket.

Learn RDF Tracking. Completed.

Fly some HP at local launches. Completed.

Mentor UTC SEDS 2018 team. In progress.

Graduate with BSME in progress.
Design rockets for 2019 in progress.

I just noticed this thread, so...

For the remainder of this year:

• Close on new house (on Friday, if all goes well).
• Unpack garage and set up work space.
• Resume work on L2 cert rocket, started but stalled more years ago than I'd like to admit.
• Repair rockets damaged in two moves.
• Repair 2 stage conversion of Quest Terrier-Orion, damaged during deployment testing those same years ago.
• Work on the LP build pile.

I'm sure I won't finish it all, and it'll spill into next year's half of the build season. The list is roughly in order of priority.

Nytrunner said:

2017 worked pretty well for me, lets see how this goes.

--Fly Big SAM (L1 rocket) on another I
--Fly Vertigo II (electronic Ventris) on an H
--Fly Fissile Missile (electronic Argent) on an H
--Complete H.A.P.I. (electronic Partizon), train myself with the RRC3 in it, and fly it on an H
--Build Broncbuster III (Scion to Leviathan refit), fly it on an H And Don't Lose It.......
--Build the 4" Phoenix I got in SS '17, fly it at least once
--Build the GBI mk24 and see if induction stabilization scales up
--Certify Level 2 at NARAM with Long Tom the modified Loc Cruiser.
--Get another 13mm rocket

**Bonus round: Do not lose Rockets!**

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Hoping to still knock out 5 and either 2,3,or4 (only have so many 29mm H's)
6, probably not going to happen before year end
7, potentially

Lack of flying fields and time investment in L2 really slowed things down this year.

Cl(VII) said:

L3
20k
Mach 2.61 (2000 mph)
HP 2-stage

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Missed them all this year. We'll see about next year.

boatgeek said:

I'll keep my 2018 goals to the one 2017 goal I didn't finish: building a Falcon Heavy scale model with drop-off side boosters. Design is mostly done; I just need to order parts and do it.

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Fortunately for my goals, this was "finish building" and not "fly successfully". The rocket was finished, and flew... Well, it was a great flight for everyone else on the flight line.

I never did post my goals in this thread at the beginning, but the were as follows:

1. Fly my first 54mm motor
2. Fly my first K motor
3. Break the mile barrier
4. Fly more HPR motors than last year.

Due to a late start to my flying season, due to the birth of my daughter (My first kid!) back in March, I was unable to attend my first launch until Labor Day weekend, and I went loaded for bear. I met all four goals in two days.
Items one and two were met on one flight: I flew a 54mm K456DM. Item two was broke the next day on the same rocket with a K850DM just barely reaching 5,400ft, and then I shattered it on my 4" ARCAS with a K270W, reaching nearly 6,800ft. And Item 4 was more than met by the end of the second day of the launch. I flew 7 HPR motors in 2017, and so far in 2018, I have flown 10, and have nearly tripled the N/s of last year. And the year isn't over yet!

Now, I have bigger ambitions for next year!

I made my two goals this year. It was to get my son in the Tripoli Mentoring Program and help him get his level one.

Done and done!

Exactimator said:

I believe EXPJawa typically starts these threads but I haven't seen one yet and I'm impatient so here are a few of mine:

1. Hit 3 miles altitude. Our club waiver got raised to 18,000 feet. I might as well have fun with that.

2. I want to spend more time helping others with their stuff. Cert flights, getting into dual deploy, etc. My past launches were always with an agenda at each one (launch at least 3 times, launch all these rockets, those motors). Now that I got my L3 I feel like I can step back and help out others. Last launch I spent a decent amount of time helping a fellow club member find a rocket that drifted far away. We were joined by another member who can find needles in haystacks. It was a good learning experience for me and I was glad I could help.

3. Spend more time helping out at our low power field. I usually leave that field at the end of a launch feeling very satisfied, and I don't even launch any of my own rockets. My favorite parts are when kids cheer the launches, families ask about coming back or how to get more into rocketry because they've had so much fun.

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My updates as the year draws to a close:

1. I have yet to hit 15,000 feet in altitude. I have the rocket and reload and have practiced with the tracker I’m going to use. I have two chances to complete this before the end of the year at our launches in November and December. All previous times I was either too busy or the conditions weren’t right (too windy or cloudy or both). I have no problem pushing this to 2019 if I need to.
2. I’ve done this. I also, during a windy period of our regional launch festival, went four wheeling in the area around our launch site. The exploring was good to see what lies beyond the immediate area. Now in case I have a rocket drift far, I know monsters don’t dwell in the unexplored areas beyond. As a result of the helping and exploring, I didn't launch much HPR last season and have a good stock of APCP going into this new season.
3. I’ve helped on our low power field too. We spent the season helping scouts launch Estes gnomes on ¼ A’s. You know how to make launching Estes Gnomes interesting after doing 500 of them? You launch ANYTHING else. Someone brought an Apogee Flying Machine recently and I may have teared-up a little.

Exactimator said:

I’ve helped on our low power field too. We spent the season helping scouts launch Estes gnomes on ¼ A’s. You know how to make launching Estes Gnomes interesting after doing 500 of them? You launch ANYTHING else. Someone brought an Apogee Flying Machine recently and I may have teared-up a little.

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Funny. That explains why the older guys were happy to see a new flyer and an unpainted Estes Conquest on an E12-4 at two different fields. Just because it wasn’t a Gnome.

OverTheTop said:

1) Fly more. Only had about five flights last year for various reasons.
2) Fly my Vertical Trajectory System
3) Complete the flight ISC for my 1/2 scale Nike Apache

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1) Tried, but another bad year that included OS trips, bad weather and crops has led to probably fewer flights than last year.
2) VTS flew, actually corrcted trajectory before a power supply failure made it cease functioning. Fixed and ready to go for next year.
3) ISC still in the queue...

I reached L2 but later in the year had my first motor failure on launch and then my first recovery failure that resulted in a lawn dart. I think the failures taught me more than the L2.

Exactimator said:

My updates as the year draws to a close:

1. I have yet to hit 15,000 feet in altitude. I have the rocket and reload and have practiced with the tracker I’m going to use. I have two chances to complete this before the end of the year at our launches in November and December. All previous times I was either too busy or the conditions weren’t right (too windy or cloudy or both). I have no problem pushing this to 2019 if I need to.

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Success! We had perfect launch conditions yesterday. I launched a 2.6" DX3-DD on a CTI L730. Thrustcurve sim'd 15,000 feet. Missleworks T3 showed 17,455 feet. Stratologger altimeter reported 16,381 ft.

The Jolly 2 altimeter reported 63 feet apogee. Not sure what happened there.

If I adjust the CD in Thrustcurve so the sim altitude matches the altimeter, speed should have been around 1,235 mph or Mach 1.57. There are no cracks in the fins or fillets.

It landed 1.5 miles away.

I found this interesting: the stratologger temperature data showed steady temp on the pad of 86.6F. It increased to a peak of 103F from 11,700 ft to 13,700 ft. Then it started cooling off, reaching a low of 72F at 4,900 feet, then warmed back up to 77 on the ground before the alt stopped recording.

Fantastic flight Mark ! You really nailed it L3 !

A university team that I am mentoring is doing a shakedown flight at a launch they have organsied. That means that my VTS gets to fly (as a demonstration flight for them) so I might finish the year with a completely successful VTS test flight yet. I will put it up on an L935 this time. It is an interstate team so I have a ten-hour drive each way to the launch site. Such is life .

Once that is done I can complete the electronics for the Apache for the big flight in April.

OverTheTop said:

A university team that I am mentoring is doing a shakedown flight at a launch they have organsied. That means that my VTS gets to fly (as a demonstration flight for them) so I might finish the year with a completely successful VTS test flight yet. I will put it up on an L935 this time. It is an interstate team so I have a ten-hour drive each way to the launch site. Such is life .

Once that is done I can complete the electronics for the Apache for the big flight in April.

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10 hrs each way - does that mean you’re coming north??

snrkl said:

10 hrs each way - does that mean you’re coming north??

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Sure does!

OverTheTop said:

Sure does!

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How far and if to QRS, which launch?

No, not THAT far!!! The uni has orgnaised a launch on some property somewhere near Dubbo.

OverTheTop said:

No, not THAT far!!! The uni has orgnaised a launch on some property somewhere near Dubbo.

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I had a hunch.. Getting from you to me in 10 hours would likely require your car to take a ballistic trajectory...

solid_fuel said:

1. Fly more
2. Fly a reloadable motor
3. build and fly a fiberglass rocket
4. Fly with Jolly Logic chute release
5. fly with electronics (other than JL)
6. Fly a 3 motor cluster
7. Fly a 2 stager
8. possibly get my L1
9. possibly dual deploy
10. only buy 4-5 more kits this year (until Black Wednesday)

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With no more launches for me left in 2018 I want to asses my progress on my goals
1. Fly more, definitely successful
2. Fly a reloadable motor, yes several
3. build and fly a fiberglass rocket, yes, three built; one flown so far
4. Fly with Jolly Logic chute release. yes several times
5. fly with electronics (other than JL) no attempt made. 2019 goal
6. Fly a 3 motor cluster, no attempt made, almost completed a build but had issues will need new kit or massive rebuild. 2019 goal
7. Fly a 2 stager, no attempt made; build complete except paint on an BP 2 stager
8. possibly get my L1, almost, but the November and December HP launches were both canceled. January is likely
9. possibly dual deploy, no attempt made. kit purchased for 2019 build and attempt
10. only buy 4-5 more kits this year (until Black Wednesday). definite FAIL.

My list from last year:
Finish and fly my Viper IV. Which will also get me into clusters and air starts.
Get my 3DR figured out and get real time altitude and velocity.

A few possibilities:

A K motor in the Tyrannosaur (no motor tube that size yet)
Start my 5" stubby project (still gathering parts)
Hit a mile. (requires hardware/rocket combinations I don't have)

Viper is finished just haven't flown in yet. Motors are ready...I am not however. Considering rebuilding the A/V to save weight.
Got a (pretty) good handle 3DR and had a successful bench test. The test rocket took a nasty fall and had to rebuilt before I could do a flight test.

I acquired a Pro54 5g grain for little of nothing and flew the Tyrannosaur on a K600.
Gotten absolutely no where on the 5" project.
The Tyrannosaur hit 6400' on the K600.

Why I didn't finish the list:
I received a Callisto and Ethos for my birthday in February. I had to build those, and put nice finishes on them, and fly them. The Viper waits in the wings until I finally feel comfortable flying it.

Goal for 2018: ATTEND A LAUNCH. ONE FRIKKEN LAUNCH! But, nooooo... life had other plans. There's always NEXT year.

Dual Deploy - check

First Fiberglass rocket - have but not built

L2 cert - check

First AP cluster - nope

Keep flying - check!

Nytrunner said:

2017 worked pretty well for me, lets see how this goes.

--Fly Big SAM (L1 rocket) on another I
--Fly Vertigo II (electronic Ventris) on an H
--Fly Fissile Missile (electronic Argent) on an H
--Complete H.A.P.I. (electronic Partizon), train myself with the RRC3 in it, and fly it on an H
--Build Broncbuster III (Scion to Leviathan refit), fly it on an H And Don't Lose It.......
--Build the 4" Phoenix I got in SS '17, fly it at least once
--Build the GBI mk24 and see if induction stabilization scales up
--Certify Level 2 at NARAM with Long Tom the modified Loc Cruiser.
--Get another 13mm rocket

**Bonus round: Do not lose Rockets!**


Hoping to still knock out 5 and either 2,3,or4 (only have so many 29mm H's)
6, probably not going to happen before year end
7, potentially

Lack of flying fields and time investment in L2 really slowed things down this year.

Hoping to still knock out 5 and either 2,3,or4 (only have so many 29mm H's)
6, probably not going to happen before year end
7, potentially

Lack of flying fields and time investment in L2 really slowed things down this year.

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Rain killed the flying goals...
I did get an ASM and build it, so that was nice

Did so-so on my goals:

woferry said:

A) Recover my upwards trend of Ns burned per-year
B) Have rockets more prepared before launches (helps towards (A))
C) More 2-stage flights (hoping for flight #2 on the Osprey 75 2-stage this coming weekend @ Snow Ranch)
D) >2 miles (waiting for Featherweight's new tracker I think)
E) First night launch
F) Finish the rest of my build/repair pile (including my first tube-fin)
G) >mach 1 (would rather not do it at the same time as (D))
H) Maybe get started on my L3

On (F), I have a Double Shot that just needs some finishing touches on the booster, my Binder Excel that ruptured its upper airframe on a rough landing 10/2016 (have the replacement tube but need to fill the spirals and prime/paint it), a custom tube-fin rocket I ordered through MAC Performance last BF/BS, a customized Madcow X-celerator just ordered this BF, and my night launch rocket which is a Mini-Magg. The L3 rocket is a customized Punisher 4", I've had the pieces sitting in my living room for over 2 years now, so that one's covered by (H) not (F).

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(A) was a definite check, but not really because of (B), I think I managed to pre-build the rockets one launch. I did the flight #2 from (C), but that ended with the sustainer going for a swim in a lake, took out all of my electronics. And the replacement altimeter/tracker didn't work as well (i.e. not at all), so I never got it flying 2-stage again. Planning on switching to a Proton and the Featherweight Tracker, though more on that later. (D) was attempted (Madcow Avalanche on a K300C, which sim'ed to ~13000'), but the motor CATO'ed ~2 seconds into the flight, so it didn't get anywhere close. And failing at (F) also meant (E) didn't happen. I did succeed at (G), Osprey 75 on a K805G, sim'ed to 9200' and 1227ft/s, altimeter reading matched expectation. Didn't even consider (H).

Unfortunately the build/repair pile includes everything I'd listed in January, plus my Nike Smoke which broke its nosecone (as well as a TRS and my Featherweight Tracker) in an I327DM CATO and a LOC Big Cletus that I won in a raffle at October Skies (have offered that kit to my Dad if he wants to build it stock, otherwise I'm planning to turn it into a cluster rocket, probably 5x38mm). Didn't order anything for BF/BS this year, partly because I was on vacation in Europe and the timing was bad with the timezone delta, but also because I just don't need any more kits right now.