pendrin2020
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2018
- Messages
- 168
- Reaction score
- 43
So I'm sure there's been a million of these builds, but here's mine. lol. I'm an older Student at Tennessee Tech, and I've been into rockets on and off for about 20 years. I never quite found myself in a situation where money, time, and a valid excuse all occurred simultaneously for me to get certified. In this case, the excuse was potent enough to justify whipping out the credit card, and making time.
I'm the project manager for a SEDS chapter here at tech, and we need someone with their L2 so that we can fly in a competition later this semester. As a group we've all been building for years, but we've always just had someone around who could be "the motor guy". This semester, we needed a new one. I him-hawed for a bit, but decided to take the plunge on a MadCow 4" Super DX3. It was cheap, and I figured I could get out for around $300 before motors... some of you are laughing already.
Right after I Got my tracking number for the kit, I got a wild hair up my crack... this is a hair that I am sure you are all very familiar with...
"well, if I'm gonna go that far..."
I set to work planning how I was gonna turn this simple cardboard beast into a true head-turner. Before the parts had even shipped, I had placed another order with MadCow, and several orders on Amazon.
The next week, the kit arrived from MadCow, and I took the obligatory social media shot. The guitar case for reference made sure I got a response from friends and family. :lol:
Kit Contents:
31" Pre-Slotted aft airframe
19" Payload tube
16.5" Plastic Nose cone
2 centering rings
1/4" Birch plywood fins
rail buttons
shock cord
Other parts I was waiting on:
Parachute
4"x31" replacement airframe tube to replace payload tube.
60" Nomex shock cord protector
9" Nomex square (I know, too small)
better recovery hardware (no forged hardware? C'mon MadCow)
extra centering ring
Motor retainer
Building supplies (This is a massive list)
Here was the plan:
1. I'd extend it so that I could sub-divide the payload bay for cameras and experimental electronics payloads, and still be able to do dual-deploy.
2. I'd buy the plywood and hardware necessary to convert the coupler to an AV bay (centering ring cut from old payload bay)
3. Internal. Fiberglass. Fillets. and I'm not talking shredded fibers. WE DOIN' A LAY-UP IN THIS B****.
Next Post: The Tale of the Over-Built Fin Can.
I'm the project manager for a SEDS chapter here at tech, and we need someone with their L2 so that we can fly in a competition later this semester. As a group we've all been building for years, but we've always just had someone around who could be "the motor guy". This semester, we needed a new one. I him-hawed for a bit, but decided to take the plunge on a MadCow 4" Super DX3. It was cheap, and I figured I could get out for around $300 before motors... some of you are laughing already.
Right after I Got my tracking number for the kit, I got a wild hair up my crack... this is a hair that I am sure you are all very familiar with...
"well, if I'm gonna go that far..."
I set to work planning how I was gonna turn this simple cardboard beast into a true head-turner. Before the parts had even shipped, I had placed another order with MadCow, and several orders on Amazon.
The next week, the kit arrived from MadCow, and I took the obligatory social media shot. The guitar case for reference made sure I got a response from friends and family. :lol:
Kit Contents:
31" Pre-Slotted aft airframe
19" Payload tube
16.5" Plastic Nose cone
2 centering rings
1/4" Birch plywood fins
rail buttons
shock cord
Other parts I was waiting on:
Parachute
4"x31" replacement airframe tube to replace payload tube.
60" Nomex shock cord protector
9" Nomex square (I know, too small)
better recovery hardware (no forged hardware? C'mon MadCow)
extra centering ring
Motor retainer
Building supplies (This is a massive list)
Here was the plan:
1. I'd extend it so that I could sub-divide the payload bay for cameras and experimental electronics payloads, and still be able to do dual-deploy.
2. I'd buy the plywood and hardware necessary to convert the coupler to an AV bay (centering ring cut from old payload bay)
3. Internal. Fiberglass. Fillets. and I'm not talking shredded fibers. WE DOIN' A LAY-UP IN THIS B****.
Next Post: The Tale of the Over-Built Fin Can.