Rocket Failures...Ouch.

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Klatuso

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Wind was low, and weather conditions had a slight breeze. So we went ahead with our launch. Just a breeze right?

For some reason Google photos won't cooperate so I have no photos or vids. So allow me to use words.

The first launch was with an Apogee Blue Streak painted silver and green. Using an 18mm C6-7 this puppy went straight up even with an unpredictable breeze easy all of 1,700 feet and landed just across the fence line with my neighbor who owns a shot gun and a rather large chain link fence. I had no idea the rocket would go so high nor drift so far. Chalk one up to the builder, the one who choose an engine beyond the parameters of the landing area, and the launch director (myself) for letting that happen.

Next flight the Orbital Transport, a rather difficult multi winged beast with a glider rocket attached. My most difficult build. I flew this with a C6-5. A medium short delay. Didn't matter. As soon as that behometh took off it veered left, did a half loop de loop and implanted 60 feet from the launch pad. Ouch. Perhaps 70 feet maximum altitude.

OK, so we go on right? Any good Launch director would take a pause and ensure all other rockets were perfectly prepped, packed and motored. But not me because I am the Launch director and builder and I have a whole bunch of friends and acquaintances watching.

Next up, Apogee Aspire, the workhorse of my fleet with a C engine and 24 to 29 mm adapter to keep it withing parameters. Straight up and straight down. Great flight. Gracias a Dios.

Then, my pride and joy the Archer S-14 with an F23 engine...Immediately I realized, even though I checked it again...the lugs gripped too tight on the launch pad.

Here are the final (without vid or photos) the last failures had. The launch lugs griped too tight. I tried to fix it with a twist of the launch rod into the lugs and broke off the first lug closest to the motor. PLEASE check your rockets launch lugs against your launch rod...every time and fix it before you get to the launch area.

Any good launch director would call foul and it's done but me...as launch director conflicted with friends watching decided that the furthest lug "might" do the job. I plead with anyone reading this; Do Not have a Launch Director the same as the rocket owner, or the person hosting guests. Do NOT have the same Launch Director the same as the Launcher. And never let the Launch director bow to the need of all the friends gathered. Period.

I should never have let that rocket go and yet I did. Divide the task and honor each person's job.

I put myself in charge of two much and the result is: one lost rocket on fenced neighbors property. One destroyed rocket, one good launch and recovery, one failed launch with (hopefully) fixable damage. All completely avoidable with reasonable forethought.

Want the same result? Don't do it all by yourself. Have a partner, or multiple partners. Train a friend to tell you, "Nope, don't launch Bob. No launch for that one." And if he or she says that. STOP. If you could see the vid I couldn't post several members of my launch team said, "don't do it." and yet I own the rocket, the motor and the launch equipment and I'm launch director and I said "go." Humility to stop when anyone, even those less knowledgeable than you say it. Stop. Give anyone permission to say that word.

How many have broken that prime directive? When someone says Stop. Stop.
 
https://www.facebook.com/norbertinecommunity/videos/10156366311229078/?t=0

Here ya go. Embarrassed but if we can't show failures how would we get a man to the moon but learn from our mistakes? Notice this video and see the multiple errors. Do not do the same.

Please get over the fact that I am a monk in a white habit and let's focus on the multiple newbie errors. Or the one success. a good rocket with the right engine in light wind.
 
the usual mantra is that anyone can issue a stop command but only one can issue a go. that could have gone far worse, but at least no one was injured. looked like paint inside the lugs problem. I was thinking that you were brave wearing that nice white habit outdoors and it stayed clean :).
Rex
 
https://www.facebook.com/norbertinecommunity/videos/10156366311229078/?t=0

Here ya go. Embarrassed but if we can't show failures how would we get a man to the moon but learn from our mistakes? Notice this video and see the multiple errors. Do not do the same.

Please get over the fact that I am a monk in a white habit and let's focus on the multiple newbie errors. Or the one success. a good rocket with the right engine in light wind.

That was pretty funny.
Nice looking rocket.

Thanks for sharing!
 
1) you (and everyone else) survived
2) you learned
3) you shared your mistake with others that they can learn from it.

I'd say you're still doing well. I suspect that if we were all honest, we've got our share of mistakes... Unless (of course) you're this guy...

most_interesting_man.jpg
 
That Archer flight was funny, sounds like everyone enjoyed it! This is an example of what we call "Go Fever", that we've all suffered from . Also the reason that HPR club launches, the RSO is not the flier. No worries, we learn more from our mistakes than our successes. Your next launch will be better!
 
Kudos on taking it all in good spirits. :)

Here are some obvious comments, most of which you now already know but I'll say them anyway:
1) Always start small on your first launch to gauge the conditions.
2) When painting, shove a piece of dowel, wrapped in blue tape to fit, into the lugs, to keep paint from getting in there. The insides of the lugs should stay as clean as possible.
3) If you do need to clean out the lugs, a small round file works well (slow and careful!!!). My heart was stopping watching you plumb it out with the launch rod. :)
4) Don't launch a rocket with only one small forward lug. The second one is there for a reason.
5) The Archer looked nice. Look forward to seeing it launch properly in the future. :)

Your next launch will be better!
 
Yup. Everyone was out there to see the flight. The fact that that the lugs were too tight should have given me pause. And it did. I took a length of launch rod and tried to free up some space. First mistake: always check that you have a free connection with the launch rod way before you get to the pad.

Then I tried to loosen it up, and that went bad. Any Launch director NAR certified would say, "your rocket is damaged. Fix it or take it off the launch rod."

But there is a conflict between the builder, the launch director, and the person actually doing the launch. All were one person.

I think if I could train one of my brothers to be as aware of NAR proceedures as myself it would have been different. You do notice in the vid that some of my brothers were implying that I should not do that launch.
 
Thanks for sharing this stuff.

For some of us the hardest thing to do is simply decide, “I am not going to launch this rocket today” when problems arise AT the pad.
 
The choice to cancel a launch is always a hard one, especially when people are there to watch.

Live and learn. We've all been there in one way or another.
 
The important thing is that you have already learned from your mistakes. Crashes are not a sign of failure; they’re necessary lessons.
As far as being your own launch director, that’s just fine. The lessons you learned there will make you a better Launch Director as well. Don’t beat yourself up.


Steve Shannon
 
Klatuso,

I've been building/flying rockets since 1969. I should know better by now, but I made the identical mistake at NSL in 2016. Note the bent rod and blast deflector hanging horizontally behind the exhaust plume.

27551043025_f8e90e6365_o.jpg
 
I've been building/flying rockets since 1969. I should know better by now, but I made the identical mistake at NSL in 2016. Note the bent rod and blast deflector hanging horizontally behind the exhaust plume.
Never mind that it represents a failure of sorts, that is a spectacular picture.
 
Never mind that it represents a failure of sorts, that is a spectacular picture.

I believe Kevin Boyd was the photographer. He has remarkable skill. My "take away" from that failure is a realization, that once a rocket meets a certain size/weight threshold, rail buttons become a better choice than launch lugs.
 
Just to conclude this thread, The archer SA-14 was remarkably resilient. Besides damage to both 1/4" in launch lugs the parachute "deployed." I applied 5 min. epoxy to re-glue the break and it seems solid. So I say, get back on that horse and ride again. Tomorrow, if no wind I will try it again with the same motor. However, No wind in Albuquerque New Mexico, in the spring time at 6:30 PM is like asking for another beer at 3:00 AM in any bar in America. Where you get it, is where the rocket flies.
 
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