What did you do rocket wise today?

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Prepped the 8LPR birds we're flying with 4+1 kids tomorrow at the QRS launch.

Return of the BT60 breakaway
Speed built candle
Blu Fyr BT60 2 stage
Artemis 1: 12yo scratch built BT55
Hermes: 8yo scratch built BT50
3 x scratch built 18mm MDs (including one made by the +1 friend who's coming along...)

Oh: and a bazillion pre-filled launch cards - I've got two 18mm, bulk 12 motor packs - if the kids run out of flight cards before they get bored drag racing their rockets, I'm doing it wrong... 😜

Now to make packed lunches for 7 ppl, and pack the car - I need to be up again in 5.5hrs!
 
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Flew some rockets at my first RadRocks launch of the year at Godlewsky Farm with my daughter and my father.

The weather did not cooperate as well as expected. The wind was blowing towards the short side of the field, and almost any significant flight was landing in the 7-foot cornfield (or worse, the impenetrably dense brush on the west side of the corn). So I scrubbed all flights of my various scratch builds.

Still got eight flights in, including the first couple for a Crayon and Skywriter (the latter of which ended up in the brush, lost). Also got the stock Quinstar up a couple of times (that's really fun on a D12), one flight on an Odd'l Birdie (lost in deep weeds), and one more excellent flight on my Odd'l Cyclone (another miraculous recovery, found by my daughter amongst the corn.)

Not exactly what I had been hoping for, but still a great day. Starship Avalon will have to wait for another opportunity to fly.
 
Started cleaning all the motor casings we flew at Airfest.
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Then Sharon and I teamed up and downloaded all the altimeters from all 13 of our flights, and cleaned avbays.
 
All up, 13 launches:

Me:
1x successful two stage scratch built:
https://youtu.be/VqQIUsUPOsk

1x successful BT60 Odd'l BreakAway upscale

5 Kids (our 4 + a friend):
3x 18mm MD scratch builds on B6-4s
1x 24mm scratch built on a B6-4

1x 33mm scratch built on b6-4
2x flights 33mm scratch on C6-5

1x 4way drag race with two of the 18mm MDs, the 24mm and the 33mm all on C6-5s...

ImageUploadedByRocketry Forum1505039988.708892.jpg

All rockets recovered with only two casualties:

One 18mm on its maiden had an engine burn really hot - motor was seized in the BT and was retired.

The oldest of the 18mm scratch builds suffered a shredded fin on the final drag race - it's had 8 flights and will now be retired.. (well - all but the BT will be recycled.)
 
Labour day weekend (last weekend) was NB Rocketry's annual high-power launch event! I just finished uploading my video from the launch to YouTube:

[video=youtube;0AJw0Q_UDMY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AJw0Q_UDMY[/video]

One of the flights established a new Canadian M altitude record of over 27k'!

I personally launched a couple H and I DD flights (where I tried out the Aerotech DMS motors for the first time. I'm a fan!) and attempted a J flight to over 5k' (though unfortunately the motor suffered a CATO upon ignition. The rocket itself sustained only minimal damage thankfully so it will fly again).
 
Bought a few packs of estes motors and an Estes V2 at 50% off at the local hobby store. They say that they're reducing their inventory in preparation for remodeling...


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And they (Niagara Hobby and Craft Mart) announced today that they are now permanently closed...


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Managed to squeak 3 flights off at our Tarc field before speeding off to play volleyball.
First flight of the R/W/BlueCC Explorer on a D12; just cleared 300' judging by when the Chute release opened.
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Borrowed an E20 for the Greystar Voyager. Looked like it coned slightly and also deployed just above the Chute release altitude of 300'.
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Perfect performance from the Fissile Missile during it's apogee deployment test on G38. Flight details in the MPR forum on "The road to L2..."
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A lot. Starting painting a few rockets, did some shock cord and screw eye replacements on my old Estes Alpha III and Constellation. A very rocket Sunday!
 
I finally made some progress on my carbon Tomach 54. I put together a nifty sled that will be large enough for fully redundant systems, but for now will hold just a Raven, a 1S battery, and a screw switch.

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Considering an Eggtimer TRS w/LCD but am curious over other people's experience with it before I pull the trigger.
 
Just got home and unpacked from the Tri-Cities Rocketeers multi-day launch.

On a personal level, I flew the alphabet A-J, maidened three new rockets (LOC park flyer Sandhawk, Madcow 2.6 BBII, upscale 4" Solar Warrior), flew my first sparky I327DM, got surprisingly close to the target altitude contest of 2,011' with my PSII Nike Smoke on a G64 (2,061'), flew my Estes altimeter for the first time (numerous times), and brought home Estes oop kits Mighty Moe and Sidewinder and several US Rockets high performance kits at super prices. Awesome!

On a club level, Tri-Cities Rocketeers absolutely killed it once again. The core member group kept the show running smoothly and were always available to get a rocket RSO'd, perform LCO duties, help rocketeers with tools and parts, and keep a close watch on fire detection in our dry conditions. They hosted a fantastic barbecue on Saturday night with sides brought in potluck-style by everyone, and the vendors were exceptionally generous in donating a large number of items for the fundraiser raffle prizes. I was once again on historian duties, filming as many launches as I could while juggling my rocket prep needs and getting from my tent's location to a good vantage spot, but I caught a lot of great flights. Despite a bit of a breeze on Saturday and a phantom rocketeer using paper towels as wadding, it was a perfect weekend of flying and a great way to cap off the summer. Thanks to the Tri-Cities Rocketeers for another memorable launch!
 
Considering an Eggtimer TRS w/LCD but am curious over other people's experience with it before I pull the trigger.

It's s great system for the money. The only issue is the assembly. If you are comfortable soldering, go for it.


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Finished my 6" Wildman Ultimate Drago for Midwest Power 15. Next on the build list is a Wildman Drago 4 with HED.


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I got the morning off, so I cut some 29mm/74mm centering rings, painted the body tubes and epoxied the motor mount for my daughter's Estes Vagabond, milled air-foiled fins for a 2.7X EAC Viper upscale, worked up simulations for an F-to-E two stage rocket, set up the CAM operations for the fins/flaps/rudders for a 3X Gyroc upscale...some of these will fly on Saturday.
 
Assembled my labor day sale Eggfinder TRS. Four hours at the bench and its working. Now I need an external antenna and extension wire.

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Just got home and unpacked from the Tri-Cities Rocketeers multi-day launch.

On a personal level, I flew the alphabet A-J, maidened three new rockets (LOC park flyer Sandhawk, Madcow 2.6 BBII, upscale 4" Solar Warrior), flew my first sparky I327DM, got surprisingly close to the target altitude contest of 2,011' with my PSII Nike Smoke on a G64 (2,061'), flew my Estes altimeter for the first time (numerous times), and brought home Estes oop kits Mighty Moe and Sidewinder and several US Rockets high performance kits at super prices. Awesome!

On a club level, Tri-Cities Rocketeers absolutely killed it once again. The core member group kept the show running smoothly and were always available to get a rocket RSO'd, perform LCO duties, help rocketeers with tools and parts, and keep a close watch on fire detection in our dry conditions. They hosted a fantastic barbecue on Saturday night with sides brought in potluck-style by everyone, and the vendors were exceptionally generous in donating a large number of items for the fundraiser raffle prizes. I was once again on historian duties, filming as many launches as I could while juggling my rocket prep needs and getting from my tent's location to a good vantage spot, but I caught a lot of great flights. Despite a bit of a breeze on Saturday and a phantom rocketeer using paper towels as wadding, it was a perfect weekend of flying and a great way to cap off the summer. Thanks to the Tri-Cities Rocketeers for another memorable launch!

L2 and your first sparky? Are you sure you're approaching this right?

The only reason I want to cert L1 is for CTI's 29mm G80 & G106 skidmarks...
 
Began the ground work for the footings and foundation where my 16"x36" South Bend metal lathe will be erected.
The machine can make it's own replacement parts, and then make any machine or things like motor casings that I might ever want.
Stuff like nosecones and foam fuselages can be done on either of my two wood lathes, but having a proper metal lathe will let me make precision jigs and the like, when tolerances are critical.
 
L2 and your first sparky? Are you sure you're approaching this right?

The only reason I want to cert L1 is for CTI's 29mm G80 & G106 skidmarks...

Sparkies are fun but not my main driving force in flying bigger stuff. My favorite loads are whites and reds, but earlier this year I watched an I327DM go and was really impressed by it, so I wanted to give one a try. Unfortunately my rocket was at the away pads 300' out so I didn't feel the shock from the motor like I had before, but still an enjoyable flight. A friend got a killer liftoff photo and I'm waiting for that to show up in my email inbox.
 
Washed off my FG Mad Cow kits and prepped my Loc Forte and IV (sanded fins/nosecone, etc). Going to busy in advance of the California flying season.
 
I'm going to try and attend my first night launch at MWP this year, so it's time to put together a night launch rocket. I picked up some clear tubing at Home Depot that is about BT-60 and have a bit of a plan in mind.

First step was to setup the lights. Last night I put together an Arduino Pro Mini, a strip of WS2811 LEDS and a 2S lipo. After putting it all together I let it run for 1hr 20min and it was still going strong.

Here is a short clip of how it looks :

[video=youtube;DIfTLeT7MLw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIfTLeT7MLw[/video]

cheers - mark
 
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