How much of the recovery system do you prep at home?

I wonder how much prep is safe to do ahead of a launch. Naturally, you cannot put igniters into HP motors, but you can assemble the motors. How about packing ejection charge canisters? Connecting ematches to altimeters?

Ari.

I prep the following before a launch:

• Any AT motor assembly (for me it is hobbyline but if I had HPR I'd certainly do them too in the comfort of my own home)
• I build any ejection charges needed but would not pack loose BP in a blastcap or ejection canister which is attached to the bulkhead. I would instead measure out the BP needed for an ejection canister and have it ready to dump and tape.
• I check all parachutes and nomex and get them prepped to be added to the rocket (typically I have them in the airframe or in a bag taped to the outside of the airframe). I also check my shock cord lines and make sure that they are connected to the booster and nose. If there is any disconnect I either put a reminder in the bag with the parachute or tape a post-it to the airframe.
• I attach altimeter to the sled needed and get the battery in place but leave it disconnected)
• I give the rocket a once-over checking for loose fins, rail buttons, other damage.

I NEVER attach e-matches to an altimeter until I am on the field. NEVER. While the chance of failure is extremely remote, yoo many things can happen which might set off the e-match and in the wrong circumstances that could be an ugly mess.

I used to never prep before a launch feeling setting up the tent and table and prepping onsite, conversing with fellow rocketeers, was a big part of the experience of attending. And although it still is, I have found I now have the desire to fly more given my work/family schedule and the limited amount of launches I attend. Observing the most efficient launch site flyers like the Cayemburgs, it became obvious, pre-prep was the key. Now I will pre-prep 0% to 100% of my flights depending on time available before a launch and/or how tight I believe my launch plan will be. While striving for 100%, probably the best I've done so far is 80% and this is mostly due to electronics avalability, although I try to sequence my flights so I minimize clashes. On those flights that are 100% prepped, I will simply unpack the main chute, shake it out, re-pack it and then head to the pad to fly.

dixontj93060 said:

I used to never prep before a launch feeling setting up the tent and table and prepping onsite, conversing with fellow rocketeers, was a big part of the experience of attending. And although it still is, I have found I now have the desire to fly more given my work/family schedule and the limited amount of launches I attend. Observing the most efficient launch site flyers like the Cayemburgs, it became obvious, pre-prep was the key. Now I will pre-prep 0% to 100% of my flights depending on time available before a launch and/or how tight I believe my launch plan will be. While striving for 100%, probably the best I've done so far is 80% and this is mostly due to electronics avalability, although I try to sequence my flights so I minimize clashes. On those flights that are 100% prepped, I will simply unpack the main chute, shake it out, re-pack it and then head to the pad to fly.

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Right on, brother!

I too used to prep mostly on the field; then got wise! There are tons of reasons why I prep rockets as far as possible before leaving for the field; here are a few:

-Allows MUCH more time to actually fly rockets, visit, shop, eat, perform range duty, pay attention to the wife, kids, and any other visitors!
-Allows the work to be completed in a controlled environment. I fly year round; it sucks prepping rockets outside in the cold and wind, or the hot and humid, etc.
-If something doesn't work out right, I have all my tools, hardware, chutes, electronics within reach to make a fix.
-I don't know about you, but I go into sensory overload at launches; there's so much activity that it's hard to focus. I'd hate to make a critical and costly mistake because I'm unable to focus on properly prepping rockets.
-I'm a much more pleasant person when I don't prep on the field. For instance, my wife (then girlfriend) attended a launch with me in summer of '00. I brought a new rocket (Hot Topic) to the launch unprepped. It was A) a new rocket, first flight B) my first flight with electronics: I chose to both dual deploy via altimeter and airstart via timer. C) my first high power cluster D)a flight with motors I didn't have in hand until I got there. So, I spent the bulk of the day prepping electronics, airstart igniters, 3 motors, etc. Apparently, I wasn't much fun to be with that day (a lousy date!). Oh well, the flight went perfectly and she still married me! Nevertheless, live and learn.

While there are exceptions, most rockets that I take to the field are "fully prepped", only needing to install a tracker and shear pins as necessary at the field.

Regarding Jason's comment about attaching ematches before going to the field: I don't specifically disagree; indeed the danger exists. But it exists whether you do it at the field or in advance. Referring back to to my earlier note about a controlled environment; I'd rather make connections, do any testing and prepping in this environment than chance my luck with an uncontrolled environment. I am one of the "lucky" few that have had a charge go off while prepping a rocket. It happened nearly a decade ago, while prepping "in the field" for a demonstration launch. I was lucky to not have lost any digits! To this day, I do not have a good explanation of why it went off. It was at an airport with active communications, etc., so something in the air (static, rf interference?????).

My method of prepping charges is now ALWAYS:
1. Hook up empty charges to altimeter. Test for happy beeps.
2. Fill charges and install.
3. Complete remainder of prepping.

I refuse to hook up a filled charge to an altimeter....if a capacitor, etc. has stored juice, it may be enough to fire the charge. Similarly, some altimeters will fire when the polarity of the battery hookup is reversed!

Sorry for jumping around a bit. Do what you're comfortable with; the "fully prepped before leaving" methodology has treated me much better than the "prep on field" methodology.

-Eric-

ECayemberg said:

-I'm a much more pleasant person when I don't prep on the field.

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Yes, this is also a major factor in my case. My wife commented on how much more pleasant I was this year at MWPX versus past launches. Well, it is not that I'm unpleasant per se, just highly focused and "driven" given time constraints at the field. The laid back, more relaxed version (of me) that results from pre-prep is what my wife prefers (and it pays to keep her happy).

ECayemberg said:

-I'm a much more pleasant person when I don't prep on the field.

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That's my main concern. I take my daughter with me to launches. She likes action. She likes chasing rockets across the field after landing. She bores easily waiting for me to complete tasks she doesn't understand, especially if I'm fumbling through them. It's a positive feedback loop: the more I fumble, the more bored she becomes, the more I try to rush, the more I fumble, etc. I want to break that loop.

ECayemberg said:

My method of prepping charges is now ALWAYS:
1. Hook up empty charges to altimeter. Test for happy beeps.
2. Fill charges and install.
3. Complete remainder of prepping.

I refuse to hook up a filled charge to an altimeter....if a capacitor, etc. has stored juice, it may be enough to fire the charge. Similarly, some altimeters will fire when the polarity of the battery hookup is reversed!

Click to expand...

I'm not entirely clear on your last point. I think you're saying that you connect igniters to altimeter first, fill the FFFFG second, but you do both at home.

Ari.

iter said:

That's my main concern. I take my daughter with me to launches. She likes action. She likes chasing rockets across the field after landing. She bores easily waiting for me to complete tasks she doesn't understand, especially if I'm fumbling through them. It's a positive feedback loop: the more I fumble, the more bored she becomes, the more I try to rush, the more I fumble, etc. I want to break that loop.

I'm not entirely clear on your last point. I think you're saying that you connect igniters to altimeter first, fill the FFFFG second, but you do both at home.

Ari.

Click to expand...

Ari,

Yessir. Essentially, I bring rockets to the field ready-to-fly. If shear pins and a tracker are not involved, they are 100% ready for the walk to the RSO table. Of course, I perform a sanity check before taking them to the RSO...check to make sure nothing was damaged during transport, have igniter in hand, sections fit properly (I make sure of this at home, but dissimilar materials expand/contract at different rates, so sometimes must be adjusted on the field due to ambient conditions), etc.

-Eric-

I build the ejection charges (I use the surgical tubing method) at home. They get transported in an ammo can with shunted ignitors.

Everything else I do at the field.



Allthe best, James

Amen to everything that Eric said.

The launches I attend are places of social gathering as well as rocket launching. the problem with combining the two is the possibility or, in my case, high probability of being distracted and not turning something on or off or not hooking up something during a prep while shooting the breeze with someone.

If I have not hooked up a quick link, packed the chute, added shear pins, etc by the time I leave the house I leave a note in the form of masking tape attached to the rocket in the general area of the yet to be done task. The tape does not get pulled until the task is accomplished. The rocket is not flown until it is tape free. This has worked well for me.

I try to do everything up until the point where I close up the altimeter bay and also measure and make the BP charges. That way i only have to attach the charges to the terminal blocks and attach the recovery system at the field. I usually don't bother with the motors until I get to the field and have confidence that the conditions look good for launch.

The night before is always better than last minute before the flight.
Your can be distracted by the littlest of things at the wrong time; can cause major mistakes.
You have everything at home vs limited supply of what you brought with you to the field.


PS: It always helps to get a good nights rest as well.

JD

I arrive on field for a 2 day event with 5 rockets ready to fly, sans tracker & motors. They travel in back of pick-up truck so charges are no worry. I do build motors I plan to fly but wait till event to install.
Conditions at launch may have changed, such as cloud cover or high winds so then motor choice may change also.
Leaving built motors for another launch is not a problem. I have built motors that did not fly for over a year.

I firmly believe in building/assembly of av-bay is best done in a quiet environment with no distraction. This is never the case at a launch. I also go hot on av-bay to test all things are sending continuity before hand. Much easier to fix a problem at home.

Smaller motor eject rockets are readied and the motors built with proper delay dialed in ahead of time also.

I can't tell you how many times I forgot to shorten a delay due to all the on-field distractions.

Now I get there, visit & have fun. Comes time to fly, pull out a rocket and head to the pad.:smile:

I do all of my prepping at home, with the exception of the tracker and igniter. The only reason that I wouldnt prep at home, it that I need the same electronics for 2 flights. If that is the case, I prep the rocket so that all I have to do is hook up terminals, slip on the sled, bolt it all together, and fly!

I used to be a 'do everything at the field' kind of guy. If I'm flying LPR or MPR, it's still the way I like to do it. Minimal prep time means maximum flying.

But...as my rockets got more complex, too much time was being spent prepping and too little flying. If I don't prep at home, I find that I can get a max of 2 flights in on a good day (assuming I'm not out in the fields searching for a few hours). Combine this with the fact that my caffeine absorption level is usually lowest when I'm trying to do my most careful work, and field prep becomes a less than ideal prospect.

Lately I've packed chutes, built motors, and installed/tested e-matches a day or two before I leave. As CJ said above, this allows me to fully test everything in a less stressful environment and fix problems. I leave the batteries out of the altimeters after continuity checks, and don't install the BP and trackers till I get to the field. Igniters are always installed at the pad.

I agree with everything here. Prep at home. I even prepare my flight cards at home. I park my car, grab rocket #1 and igniter, and walk right to the range head to check in, pay up, and march to the pads. I spend 2-4 hours driving to a launch, so I don't waste any time when I get there. I chit-chat a little bit, but not as much as a lot of guys mulling around. To each his own on how he wants to enjoy a launch.

I also have multiple altimeters of the same type and multiple complete motors of the same size - cases and end closures. I don't want to spend time swapping or cleaning cases for the next rocket.

Buckeye said:

I agree with everything here. Prep at home. I even prepare my flight cards at home. I park my car, grab rocket #1 and igniter, and walk right to the range head to check in, pay up, and march to the pads. I spend 2-4 hours driving to a launch, so I don't waste any time when I get there. I chit-chat a little bit, but not as much as a lot of guys mulling around. To each his own on how he wants to enjoy a launch.

I also have multiple altimeters of the same type and multiple complete motors of the same size - cases and end closures. I don't want to spend time swapping or cleaning cases for the next rocket.

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This.

I don't pack the motor ejection charges or fold the parachutes until I'm on the field, tho.

Milling around with the other rocketeers and yakking is lot less expensive than burning motors, tho.

Kit, you coming to Snow Ranch tomorrow?

Ari.

The first launch I attended that involved composite motors became a train wreck, mind you it was also my first club launch. Started to assemble a motor and realized that somehow I forgot the motor adapter for that rocket. No worries, picked up the pack of purchased on site to launch my daughter's AT Cheetah. Low and behold, you need to remove the flashing from the nozzle during assembly, dont have a appropriate tool. By this time 11yo daughter has wandered off trying to catch the curious horse that came by. I finally threw my hands up, launched a BP motor, then packed up for the 3hour drive home. Course it took another hour to retrieve said daughter before I could leave. Never again!
Assemble motors in the comfort of my recliner (except BP). Put them in a cardboard box with the BP taped to the casing, and load the minivan the night before... Makes me much more pleasant to be around.

Terry

I just completed my first electronic ejection rocket (also, dual-deploy).

It took longer to bond the grain on the I49 (45 minutes with it under my armpits due to the cold -_-) than to pack the charges. I got good practice last night when ground testing, since I discovered that it takes a serious amount of blue tape to provide enough confinement for black powder, so I made up three charges before getting successful separation (with all the same amount of BP mind you).

I have found that all the prep work at home you can do makes for a more relaxed and fun launch day. Flight card and all.

TA

thobin said:

I have found that all the prep work at home you can do makes for a more relaxed and fun launch day. Flight card and all.

TA

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This is especially true if you have kids flying with you. Nothing shorts out their patience like an hour prep sequence for a single flight!

I pack as much as I can the night before, but usually not any earlier - especially for stubborn A-C rockets with plastic chutes. For my L2, I packed and prepped - charges included - the day before. Since I pack my charges at the far end of the tube from the avionics, that means I have three pieces to assemble - head and tail with shunted leads sticking out and av bay with screw terminals on each end (and marked with the "up" end in sharpie!). With a pair of jumper wires I can activate the altimeter separate from the charges at the last minute and verify the proper battery voltage and continuity beeps right before I power it down and assemble it for RSO check and flight. That also means I'm not messing with BP in the field.

I haven't flown in a few year, but I would completely prep the rockets, altimeters, motors etc, a few days before the launch so I had time to remember "last minute" stuff.
When I arrived at the launch, I just had to put it on the pad, stick an ignitor in it, and push the button.
I DID put tape over my avionics switch so it didn't get turned on accidentally.
I grew to HATE prepping at the launches with a passion very early on. I'm a very social person, have lots of buddies at the launches, and it would
take a couple of hours to get a bird prepped. Had one flight, before I moved to electronics, where I forgot to put the BP in the forward closure
on an AT I-300. This was a cert flight. That was the flight where I swore off prepping at the field!

Now, on the flip side of this... Some folks on here will know who/where/what I'm talking about, but I'll relay the information to the best of my
knowledge for those who haven't heard it... It's worth a laugh and maybe a mental note on what NOT to do...

A guy showed up at a field to fly his rocket... bird was fully prepped, ready to fly. Even had the alitmeter ARMED, in the car.
He pulls into park, honking at his buddies in greeting. Everyone is watching him as he gets out of the car, slams the door,
and BAM, his EJ charges go off. From the way the story was relayed to me, his buddies had to be scraped up off the ground from
laughing so hard. No one was hurt, but I'd be willing to be every time he got into that vehicle for the next year or two, the smell
reminded him to NOT arm an altimeter until the rocket is on the pad!

R

I like to do ALL my preps at home the night before. Then the next day I can relax, fly, socialize and check out everyone elses new projects.

I do all of my prep work at the house. Motors assembled and installed, charges made and installed, altimeters and batteries installed(powered off), main chute packed and installed with shear pins.

I install the motors into the motormounts with retainers because I have caps that fit over the ends of the motor case, that seal them when the motor retainer (aeropack) is installed

I am a firm believer in preparing for a launch before I'm actually on the field. Like others have posted previously, I enjoy socializing, looking at other rockets, picking up rocketry knowledge, shopping the vendors, and even launching a few rockets and followed by long walks to retrieve them. No way I can get all of that in if I'm building AT motors on the field especially if I'm going to spend an hour or so as LCO or SCO.

Step 1. I decide what rockets I will fly on launch day and what motors/delays I will need.
Step 2. I assemble all of my AT motors with delays before a day or two before the launch.
Step 3. I pack each assembled AT motor in a plastic ziplock bag (along with motor deploy BP tube, igniter, and seal) with a label describing the motor and delay.

On the field I add the motor deployment charge, seal the charge, install the motor, pack the chute, and then record the all up weight of the rocket along with which chute, how many quick-links, etc for later use. Then I tape the igniter to the body tube and head over the range head.

Rocket buddy David Robb is my rocket launch idol. He shows up on the field at Oh Dark Thirty, sets up and starts launching in the first wave. He manages to get more birds into the air during the six hour launch window than any other person I've ever seen. Check his launch videos some time. :eyepop:

I do all my prep at the field except altimeter batteries and av-bays, I don't want to have to open them once I'm at the field.

You never know what the conditions will be. For one rocket, I might pack a 24" flat sheet chute, or a 24" elliptical with large spill hole, or a 30" depending on wind. I might load a G64, or a H128, or a H180 depending on wind speed, upper winds, and wind direction and how interesting I am in walking this day if the field is very muddy. The last thing I want to do is load a motor the night before that I can't use because of conditions the next day and then not have that case available for a different flight. It takes 3 to 5 minutes to load an AT case, another 1 - 3 minutes to fold and pack a chute. I would rather do the prep at the field and get the right motor and chute for the current conditions rather then fly something that just isn't right because it was already prepped.

I also pack everything at home. I'll check the weather report the day before to confirm that the motors I plan to use won't be too much for the predicted wind conditions. I will build the motor(s) the evening before, as well as install and check the continuity of the BP igniters (I use Quest Q2G2 igniters as BP igniters). The morning of the launch, I load the BP charges and parachutes at home- I'll check the weather forecast again to assure that I'm using the right-sized chutes for the predicted winds. However, I do bring all my chutes, just in case...

I'll load the motor into the rocket only when I'm at the launch range and ready to launch.

I like to do every bit of the prep that is possible before showing up at the field. Admittedly with smaller projects it is not as important as I can do the full prep in an hour. But I'd rather do it without the wind or distractions, and without feeling any time constraints. With a large complex project, prep is measured in hours to days. Field prep would be impractical. Heck, with my 6" project which is rather complex compared to most birds that size, the field assembly portion of the prep is an hour or two. That is with everything done in advance that can be done in advance. Need a bigger vehicle to carry it more assembled... Then there is checkin, the roving RSO inspection, getting into the launch queue at the away cells, driving it out there, setting up the rocket, setting up the computer/antenna/telemetry stuff, video and camera stuff, waiting for my turn in the launch sequence, call it another hour or two. So it would be pretty nearly impossible for me to launch in less than two hours from arrival at a field.

Besides, where I fly, typically the best conditions are early. That matters if one is planning to go high relative to the field size. Flight window time is wasting if I'm spending it on prep. If the winds pick up around mid-day, the flight might have to wait for another day. That means an hour of disassembly and packing.

If one is prepped, one can choose to wait. But if one isn't prepped, one can't fly.

Gerald

I do 90% of the prep at home. I crochet the shock cord, wad up the chute and nomex, and stuff it all in the tube. I have started to put rubber bands around the nomex and put that inside the last loop of the cord. When I get to the field all I do is untangle the chute from the cord, remove the rubber band, and put it all back in the tube.