L1 rocket build thread

Only 10 and a half months until my 18th birthday, and I'm preparing :tongue:


Jim Scarpine has been flashing his fancy Standard ARMs at me for a while now, and I'm just about fed up with it :wink:

Soo, I've got nearly everything I need to start work on this:


This project is currently second in line of the two currently being worked on, if that makes sense. The other one doesn't get a build thread, so you'll have to wait and see there


This is a 5.5" Standard ARM. Designed as scale as I can get it in Rocksim. The scale is something like 47%. It will be built with LOC/precision components, and believe it or not, no composites! I'm hoping that it'll be light enough for a big I motor I've got set aside.

Stay tuned!




Braden

you and your dad coming up to AARG on Sat?

unfortunately not...we'll get out there soon!



Braden

Ummm,Whatchu talkin bout Lewis????

Extra points if you get the reference.

Should be a great project. I assume a 54mm MMT, or 75mm? Dual Deploy also. That size rocket really needs to be an L2.
If you build it at 10 lbs, which would be a reasonable weight for a L2 rocket, and use a 38mm I284W, you should get 1,300 ft. That will get you the L1. Then you can put something like a K695R in it for the L2 cert to 3,600 ft. A CTI L935 would kick it to over 6,300 ft. Of course that's assuming a 54mm MMT. If you use the 75mm, then a L2200G should really make it fly to over 8,600 ft and Mach 1.3.

This is looking more fun by the minute.

Good luck.

Nice! I am enamored by the standard missile series. I have a 2.6" on the rebuild pile after a recovery failure on the maiden flight. Hope to see yours when it becomes reality!

jimzcatz said:

Ummm,Whatchu talkin bout Lewis????

Extra points if you get the reference.

Click to expand...

Do you mean "Willis" LOL!!!

GRIFFIN said:

Do you mean "Willis" LOL!!!

Click to expand...

Knew it didn't sound right, but was too tired yesterday to remember.... or maybe I'm just getting old and forgetful

jimzcatz said:

Ummm,Whatchu talkin bout Lewis????

Extra points if you get the reference.

Click to expand...

Willis? Different strokes. Didn't even have to google it. My mom has been saying that for as long as I can remember :tongue:

Handeman said:

Should be a great project. I assume a 54mm MMT, or 75mm? Dual Deploy also. That size rocket really needs to be an L2.
If you build it at 10 lbs, which would be a reasonable weight for a L2 rocket, and use a 38mm I284W, you should get 1,300 ft. That will get you the L1. Then you can put something like a K695R in it for the L2 cert to 3,600 ft. A CTI L935 would kick it to over 6,300 ft. Of course that's assuming a 54mm MMT. If you use the 75mm, then a L2200G should really make it fly to over 8,600 ft and Mach 1.3.

This is looking more fun by the minute.

Good luck.

Click to expand...

I thought about a 75mm mount, but decided against it. This will have a central 54mm mount, and 4 29mm mounts. I am hoping to have it around 9 pounds loaded with my L1 motor, which is, by the way, an AMW I375 Green Gorilla. I am hoping to get ahold of a K1000 skidmark for my L2. It will be built standard DD configuration. Redundant altimeters.


The strakes will be TTW to the upper centering ring, with the remaining bit of them surface mounted.



Braden

Looking for a bit of advice.

I am tossing around some ideas to keep this thing as light as possible, and the first issue that comes to mind is the strakes. That's an awful lot of plywood (1/4") if I go ahead with my initial planning...but I have been thinking of other ways to make them. One idea was to cut them out of foam and apply a thin layer of glass on each side, then attach them to the airframe with small dowels placed along the root edge, spaced 6 or 7 inches apart, to fit in holes drilled in the airframe, and of course a bit of glue on the remaining area of root. I don't have the rocksim file on my new computer yet, but if memory serves right these are nearly 35" long...Cutting them back would save a significant amount of weight.



My eyes and ears are ready! Let's hear it...




Braden

That sounds like it might work..Would certainly be a lot lighter than 1/4" ply..How deep would the dowels go into the body tube? Shock cord or chute might get tangled in them unless that 'stuff' is in an inner 'stuffer' tube..That is probably what I would do.Have a 3" tube inside the 5", that way the dowels can be secured to the 5" tube AND be secured on the surface of the inner 3" tube..Just an idea...

If they're pure foam, even with fiberglass, they're going to be a bit flimsy, and break very easily -- they need something to give them some structure.

Use strips of plywood to make a framework, then cut pieces of foam to fill in the openings. Epoxy it all together, then put fiberglass over that.

Have a couple spots where you have plywood tabs that go into corresponding holes in the airframe.

Voila! Light and strong.

my L1 motor, which is, by the way, an AMW I375 Green Gorilla.

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AMW I motor? Really? I never woulda guessed.

I have a decent sized pile of AMW J & K motors, if you need one. Just no Skids.

-Kevin

Glass covered basswood? 1/16 Plywood- 1/8 balsa- 1/16 plywood sandwich? a length of coupler stock will allow you a TTW like structure, especially if lined with a stiffy as well.

If you really want to lighten the strakes, I would make them from 1/4" balsa and just surface mount them. Maybe paper the surfaces or a thin coat of CA or thin laminating epoxy just to toughen up the surface.

The fins probably need to be TTW and strong, but the strakes are more cosmetic then anything. Handling and transporting is going to be where they are most likely to get damages. Coated balse would be very easy to repair also.

If you want a sandwiched strake, I would use 1/8" or 3/16" balsa with thin basswood outer layers. Either way, make sure the glassine coating is gone from the BT and the wood glue can soak into the BT well before gluing the wood strakes on. I've found that the weakest part of surface mount wood fins on a paper tube is the tube. If the fins come off, they usually take all the glue and a layer or two of the tube with them.

GRIFFIN said:

Do you mean "Willis" LOL!!!

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D'oh!!! I'm not as think as I smart I am!!

This hasn't been forgotten! In fact, it's been started!






Braden

Nice.


TA

Thank you kind sir. I am still working out how to get the strakes done. Looks like I'll need about 2.5 inches on the upper section, which is no big deal really. Will keep updating!

Really hoping this'll stay under 9 pounds...so far so good :tongue:




Braden