What did you do rocket wise today?

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
D'ooohhh! Yeah I was hooked up to one of those three years ago. Hope you're doing well. The 28th is my 3 years alive date...

Ditto. Was this a routine thing? Usually these are done when symptoms are present...Hope the former rather than the latter.

Jeff, I hope you are doing ok man.


Thanks all. I am back from my Spa Day and recovering from the "Treatment". I think sometimes the Cath Lab is the only vacation I get!
The good new is I am not going to die soon (well depending on *your* point of view thats good or bad).
The bad news is well... in a month or so I have to make a choice... Pig or Polymer. :(
 
Thanks all. I am back from my Spa Day and recovering from the "Treatment". I think sometimes the Cath Lab is the only vacation I get!
The good new is I am not going to die soon (well depending on *your* point of view thats good or bad).
The bad news is well... in a month or so I have to make a choice... Pig or Polymer. :(
My dad is having to make the same decision and his timeframe is similar. He just turned 86 so the original equipment held up pretty well.

Glad to hear your good news/bad news situation looks more toward the good than the bad.
 
Thanks all. I am back from my Spa Day and recovering from the "Treatment". I think sometimes the Cath Lab is the only vacation I get!
The good new is I am not going to die soon (well depending on *your* point of view thats good or bad).
The bad news is well... in a month or so I have to make a choice... Pig or Polymer. :(
Make sure you pick one with PIZZAZZ!

[video=youtube_share;aAosiroi3vA]https://youtu.be/aAosiroi3vA[/video]
 
Today I flew a "New" Electric Sailplane....that I built 16-18 years ago. But I built it as a sailplane around 1996 to 1998. A few years before (1994 or earlier), I had upgraded a 60" Flinger Hand Launch Sailplane (when those were Javelin-thrown) to a 66" span model. I had never made a V-tail model before, and thought they might be too sensitive in pitch. So, I came up with a unique tail that was a cross between a V-tail, and a T-Tail. I called it "VeeT". The moving part of the V tail controlled pitch and rudder, while the outer fixed "T" part simply made the tail less sensitive in pitch control.

I could not throw it well, but it worked great on a small hi-start.

Later, I made a bigger one, 85" span, VeeT-2. But I never got to fly it much. My old hi-start had worn out. I did get to fly it off a sailplane winch a few times one day, but there was no lift.

Sometime around 2002 or 2004, I decided to try to switch to electric power. I got a 400 brushed geared motor, and some 6-cell 1200 mAh NiMH packs, for 7.2V. I modified VeeT-2 to fly on it.... but it could barely climb, way underpowered. So, I modified VeeT-1 with the same power combo, and it flew pretty well.

But, VeeT-2, never got to fly much. Possibly not more than a grand total of 30 minutes flying time, certainly not an hour, since it was built.

I did get over my concern about V-Tails, made a number of R/C Rocket Boosted Gliders that had V-tails, inverted ones (inverted to keep the tail out of the exhaust. Also, inverted V-tails handle very nicely with models using wing dihedral and rudder-elevator control compared to upright V-tails). Also had an upright V-tailed Hand Launch Sailplane, Monarch, that "wallowed" badly when turning. The Vee-T tail may be an aerodynamic dead end (draggier) but it does handle better than the upright Vee tailed Monarch did. And hey, I know of no (flying) aircraft anywhere with a tail like this! :)

Today, I finally got to fly it again, with the nose section rebuilt to mount a Radian engine/prop, and to hold a 2200 mAh LiPo pack.

25SMral.jpg


It climbs pretty well, not quite as well as a Radian (it is somewhat heavier, and with about 80 sq in more wing area), but climbs as good or better than VeeT-1, with way more battery capacity. The glide is good, about the same as a Radian, maybe a bit better. It has a lower drag airfoil, so it can penetrate into the wind and get out of sink better than a Radian can.

Radian at left, VeeT-2 at right.
YyDavsr.jpg


Actually the first flight was scary at times. I had let it climb to about 500 feet. Clear blue sky. There was very strong thermal activity. It wanted to go UP! I spent a lot of time spiraling it down (full up, about half rudder) to get it low, then when I leveled it off, it would start going up again. So, it flew really nicely.

The next thing I want to do with it is to re-install servos for the flaps. I had cannibalized those flap servos long ago when the model wasn't flying for years. With the flaps, it will help to get it down more easily when it's in big lift like that. Also, since it glides faster and does not slow up like the Radian does, it's harder to land, so the flaps will sure help with that.

- George Gassaway

kFwsAFt.jpg
 
Last edited:
Installed Ad Blocker on my laptop and desktop. :wink: Finished the fillets on the Estes Scout III I got via Ebay this weekend. Finished attaching the fins for the Semroc Mini Hustler. This weekend is looking pretty decent, so I'm hoping to find time to fly both of these if a few breaks run my way.
 
Saw this today:
ImageUploadedByRocketry Forum1397697747.837663.jpg

Needless to say - Rockets came to mind right away.
 
Read TRF several times today. I've been feeling puny since late last night. Hopeful tomorrow will be a better day.

How are you doing, Jeff?
 
Read TRF several times today. I've been feeling puny since late last night. Hopeful tomorrow will be a better day.

How are you doing, Jeff?

Doin' ok. I think the S.O. is more freaked out out the upcoming stuff than I am. I am just not lookin forward to the pain. My employer has already said the job is there when I recover, so thats a load off. :) Thanks for askin... Now perk up... there be lots of fun to be had in the future!!


So on topics:
Hey Kit are not you the King Of Crayons?

I got this quite a while back... never did anything with it.... and it looks like because of drag, it should be stable... maybe it'll fly just fine on 24mm.... ever seen one?
2014-03-30-Nike-Smoke-4.0-0001.jpg
 
Last edited:
Order eight 15oz cans of Rusto-leum Spray paint on eBay for 52 bucks with free shipping.
Read TRF. (As I said, became a member.)
Futzed around upscaling some BARCLONE designs...


Pondered a Volt or a Prius V....


Lamented missing my first lunar eclipse in a long time... I was 'otherwise indisposed'.

Chuckled at the Nurse saying a "Blue moon is blue"... We are such science illiterates... :facepalm:
 
Lamented missing my first lunar eclipse in a long time... I was 'otherwise indisposed'.

Chuckled at the Nurse saying a "Blue moon is blue"... We are such science illiterates... :facepalm:

Today the moonrise was incredibly yellow...like low-pressure sodium lamp yellow. I'm not sure why though, since the eclipse is long gone.
 
Congratulations David!:w:
Congratulations.
Thank you! :eek: It feels good to be done. Still hasn't quite sunk in yet...
Thanks all. I am back from my Spa Day and recovering from the "Treatment". I think sometimes the Cath Lab is the only vacation I get!
The good new is I am not going to die soon (well depending on *your* point of view thats good or bad).
The bad news is well... in a month or so I have to make a choice... Pig or Polymer. :(
Jeff! STAHP! You have to last at least until I make it back out to California so we can hang out on the playa again! Thank science for modern medicine, eh? :D And give Kim an extra big hug.
 
Thanks David. Where are those MDRA photos? :)
I'll try not and keel over till I can 'help out' a little.
This places needs a house cleaning. Its almost dead. I look at the Red Glare thread and am REALLY jealous...

Cept for that Cuda guy... seems... a bit off balance... ;)
And WTF is it with all the commas? Is that a East / Midwest thing? :lol:

I'll try and not die before you come home. :)

Con - huge - grats on your launch of the the PhD. :)
 
So on topics:
Hey Kit are not you the King Of Crayons?

I got this quite a while back... never did anything with it.... and it looks like because of drag, it should be stable... maybe it'll fly just fine on 24mm.... ever seen one?
View attachment 169196
John Coker was the King of Crayons. Now that I think about it, he gave his crayons away after retrieving 7 of the original 8. I have only two crayons but I fly the heck out of them.

Off topic: I made a point of going out to observe the "Blood Moon" and was not disappointed. It was truly red and extremely dim.
 
Yesterday the boss gave me the day off, so I went into the rocket room for the first time in a week. Soldered a connector on the Eggfinder TX board and rebuilt the N/C on my 5" Jart "Jughead" and added a rubber duck antenna. Mounted the Eggfinder so no metal is near the antenna.
Opened up "Warp Core Breach" and added a Paralite with two 3/16 quick links to the new 60" Fruitychute I bought from Bay Area Rocketry at Desert Heat last month. It felt good to be back at it, but now I'm back in the office setting up files for a big project Sharon got that has to be out by June 30th. We won't be doing any rocket launches until this is over, so Airfest will probably be our next. :(
 
Thank you! :eek: It feels good to be done. Still hasn't quite sunk in yet...

I think the best moment of my grad career was when I walked out of the publishing office from dropping off my three copies and realized it was all over. I swear the sun was warmer, the breeze was perfect, and all was right with the world as I walked back to my lab to pack my desk. 7 years later, and it still doesn't feel entirely real. Congrats again.
 
I put the final touches on the Beach Blast web page. As soon as the SEVRA BOD gives its approval, I'll post an announcement in the Regional Launch thread. We are so psyched!!! This is going to be fun Holiday weekend for the whole family.
 
Last edited:
Tons o stuff.
Got most of the Rocketry Warehouse Nike Smoke bits and pieces finished up. Pretty much ready for finally assembly (thread in HPR forum)
Masked off the Estes Nike Smoke in anticipation of my order of Fluorescent Red show up tomorrow.
Broke out the bits and pieces of my next scratch build.
C-Liminator-3x18.jpg

Restarted looking again at the Mojave Mortar scratch build. (How to pack a chute in a 54mm tube is perplexing).
 
Back
Top