Compartment sizes are:
Main 3.9 X 9.3125
Drouge 3.9 X 13.8125
Hoping to have it ready for the 28th, still have a lot of work to get done.
L2 Build - Binder Excel Plus - Success
- Thread starter Txnrcr
- Start date
Help Support The Rocketry Forum:
Compartment sizes are:
Main 3.9 X 9.3125
Drouge 3.9 X 13.8125
Hoping to have it ready for the 28th, still have a lot of work to get done.
AlfaBrewer
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2011
- Messages
- 866
- Reaction score
- 14
Thanks for the info. Mine are both 16.5-17", so looks like I may use .8g as a starting point for the drogue, and 1g for the main. I have 3 2-56 shear pins for the nose.
Whether it's ready for L2 or not (electronics, etc.), bring it out. It can always fly motor eject on an H or I. In primer.
AlfaBrewer
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2011
- Messages
- 866
- Reaction score
- 14
Looks great. Now, if we can just get the weather to cooperate. I'm looking forward to seeing this fly at the end of this month.
Thanks!
I need to get some better shots, cell phone camera isn't the best, doesn't do it justice.
Fingers crossed for good weather and no burn bans for the next Gunter launch!
Very nice job!!!!
That's the kit I'm getting at the end of the month. Plan to use it to venture into DD and beyond.
Oh and Mike at Binder is great to deal with as well....especially if you have questions.
Sweet rocket, and I love white motors..looking forward to the show.
Finished up the altimeter sled and aligned the sled on the allthread to index the switch with a vent hole.
Going to run one more ground test live firing ematches with alt bay in flight configuration. Verify all wiring and installation.
Going to run one more ground test live firing ematches with alt bay in flight configuration. Verify all wiring and installation.
HOT day in North Texas!
DARS HP launch in Gunter, Tx. Saturday July 26th.
Forecast temps at 100+ and 10 to 15 MPH winds all day.
We arrived at the field just before 10:00AM. It was already hot and the winds were blowing. Normally I would be cursing the winds on a launch day, but those winds were the only thing keeping the temps somewhat bearable.
Set up camp, registered, and met up with my L2 cert team to go over the flight plans.
Since I took and passed the L2 exam two months ago, I didnt have to worry about that today.
Prep on the Excel took longer than any other flight I have made. But since this was the first flight on this bird, my first DD flight, and a L2 cert flight, I checked and double checked everything. Prep went well, no issues, and the Aerotech DMS motors are way too simple.
Excel prepped and ready for flight.
There were plenty of volunteer test pilots at the field.
DARS HP launch in Gunter, Tx. Saturday July 26th.
Forecast temps at 100+ and 10 to 15 MPH winds all day.
We arrived at the field just before 10:00AM. It was already hot and the winds were blowing. Normally I would be cursing the winds on a launch day, but those winds were the only thing keeping the temps somewhat bearable.
Set up camp, registered, and met up with my L2 cert team to go over the flight plans.
Since I took and passed the L2 exam two months ago, I didnt have to worry about that today.
Prep on the Excel took longer than any other flight I have made. But since this was the first flight on this bird, my first DD flight, and a L2 cert flight, I checked and double checked everything. Prep went well, no issues, and the Aerotech DMS motors are way too simple.
Excel prepped and ready for flight.
There were plenty of volunteer test pilots at the field.
Everything was ready, L2 cert team watching, countdown and LCO pushed the launch button
.Nothing!
No hiss, no pop, no smoke, just nothing.
Waited the appropriate safety hold then went back out to check the igniter. Igniter showed cont. We checked the amps on the leads. Everything checked out. Turns out the clips were a little dirty and I did not have enough contact to get the required amps to fire it. Jack (part of my L2 team) showed me a better way to attach the leads.
Ok, reset and try this again.
Second countdown, LCO pushed the button and the Aerotech J270W DMS quickly lit and came up to pressure.
Excel leaped off the pad and climbed quickly.
With the clear and sunny skies, I was able the see the rocket all the way up. Of course all I could really see was two small shimmering dots way up there. Sun reflecting off the shiny paint.
The two shimmering dots were keeping a consistent distance from each other, so I knew I had an apogee event and at least the drogue harness was out.
Decent took almost 60 seconds before the rocket got in good visual view. Small 12 inch drogue was out and rocket was falling in a good, flat trajectory,
Right on queue the Stratologger fired the main charge at 700 FT, right in front of the flight line. Good main and safe recovery approx 75 yards from the pads.
Successful L2 certification flight.
Flight simd to 3600 AGL, Stratologger reported 3420, not too far off.
Launch!
Thanks to Jack and Suzy Sprauge for witnessing and signing off on my L2 attempt.
Big thanks to the entire DARS crew for putting on another great show, especially in the 100+ temps.
Thanks to Robert at Buyrocketmotors for attending our launches and setting me up with the J270.
And thanks to all you TRF members for tuning in and all the helpful tips and suggestions.
Flight video at:
[video=youtube_share;UvlITa11oGA]https://youtu.be/UvlITa11oGA[/video]
Camera makes the landing spot look farther away, but it was just about 75 yards out.
In 15 MPH winds from 3420 FT, I was pretty happy. Im going to be liking DD.
No hiss, no pop, no smoke, just nothing.
Waited the appropriate safety hold then went back out to check the igniter. Igniter showed cont. We checked the amps on the leads. Everything checked out. Turns out the clips were a little dirty and I did not have enough contact to get the required amps to fire it. Jack (part of my L2 team) showed me a better way to attach the leads.
Ok, reset and try this again.
Second countdown, LCO pushed the button and the Aerotech J270W DMS quickly lit and came up to pressure.
Excel leaped off the pad and climbed quickly.
With the clear and sunny skies, I was able the see the rocket all the way up. Of course all I could really see was two small shimmering dots way up there. Sun reflecting off the shiny paint.
The two shimmering dots were keeping a consistent distance from each other, so I knew I had an apogee event and at least the drogue harness was out.
Decent took almost 60 seconds before the rocket got in good visual view. Small 12 inch drogue was out and rocket was falling in a good, flat trajectory,
Right on queue the Stratologger fired the main charge at 700 FT, right in front of the flight line. Good main and safe recovery approx 75 yards from the pads.
Successful L2 certification flight.
Flight simd to 3600 AGL, Stratologger reported 3420, not too far off.
Launch!
Thanks to Jack and Suzy Sprauge for witnessing and signing off on my L2 attempt.
Big thanks to the entire DARS crew for putting on another great show, especially in the 100+ temps.
Thanks to Robert at Buyrocketmotors for attending our launches and setting me up with the J270.
And thanks to all you TRF members for tuning in and all the helpful tips and suggestions.
Flight video at:
[video=youtube_share;UvlITa11oGA]https://youtu.be/UvlITa11oGA[/video]
Camera makes the landing spot look farther away, but it was just about 75 yards out.
In 15 MPH winds from 3420 FT, I was pretty happy. Im going to be liking DD.
Last edited:
alex_car763
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2013
- Messages
- 72
- Reaction score
- 0
Congrats on level 2.
It was a nice flight, perfect for the field and wind actually...congrats. I'm pretty sure I got liftoff video of your flight with the camera near the pad. I'll pull the video tonight or tomorrow, and see if there was a grasshopper on the lens for that one or not (things were swarming my camera all day).
Sorry it's not better quality, I'm still learning how to best use my camera.
[video=youtube;1uks0RrB7Us]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uks0RrB7Us&feature=youtu.be[/video]
...and a snapshot
Congrats again.
[video=youtube;1uks0RrB7Us]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uks0RrB7Us&feature=youtu.be[/video]
...and a snapshot
Congrats again.
Last edited:
Not as much as it looks. The wide angle lens makes everything look more dramatic at the edges. I've deleted the "bottom" 30% or so of the video since it is just grass. In any event you landed within 100 yds of the pad from 3k+ ft on a day with 10-15 mph wind...any weather cocking was just "recovery drift adjustment".
Similar threads
