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- Feb 9, 2022
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The Beginning and Dedication
I'm starting a build of a GCQ-163 "Coyote" sea-skimming cruise missile. I'm not the first to build this rocket and I want to dedicate the build to the memory of Drake Damerau, who guided the NEPRA chapter in Northeast Pennsylvania in the early 2000s and helped me achieve my level 1 and 2 certifications. Drake, or "Doc" as he was known, sadly passed away at the far too young age of 56 in January 2022. He was the first to build this missile at that time period. I believe his build was half scale as well, but there are no records that record his construction that I know of - if you know of any archive, please let me know.
Compared to my last two builds, the Boeing 86-A ALCM and the Nike Hercules, this rocket seems pretty straight forward.
We all say that until we get into the details.
Here are the general statistics of the "real thing." And just a note here. There are multiple versions of this bird, and I'm interested in the original spec, marketing image. Please note the two sets of fins on the fairings. Many images only show one set - at the aft portion.
So, yeah, this is a long missile. At half scale this will be around 9' long and I'll be going with a 6" as the diameter of the rocket. Yes, I know I'm in the scale forum and I know this isn't perfect scale. Perfect scale is at least twice or three times as expensive, so this is "Sport Scale."
First things first, let's model this in OpenRocket and get a sense of dimensions and basic components of the rocket. I'm using OpenRocket Version 22.02 (beta .05) for this because of its cool new feature "pods" - which allow you to attach things to the body tube in an offset both laterally and radially. This is just an initial look - refinements will come later.
Here's the explorer view - with the clear use of pods.
And here's the plan:
Most of these parts will be sourced at Always Ready Rocketry, because I love Blue Tube. It's easy to work with and extremely strong. Nosecone, motor tube, body tubes, coupler and probably center rings will come from there. Fins and fairings will be prototyped on my CNC, but probably sourced from SendCutSend. Aerotech for retainers - love these things. And a 6" x 75mm thrust plate from Mile High Rocketry. A 10' Spheractute and 5' Rocketman drogue will round out the recovery. Electronics are MissileWorks RRC3 and Perfectflight Altimeters.
I'm keeping this at 75mm because I can achieve my level 3 on an M motor and still have compatibility with my other large models (ALCM, Nike Hercules). The motor hardware is the most expensive part of this.
Come along on the journey. Thanks for all your thoughts and encouragement in advance.
I'm starting a build of a GCQ-163 "Coyote" sea-skimming cruise missile. I'm not the first to build this rocket and I want to dedicate the build to the memory of Drake Damerau, who guided the NEPRA chapter in Northeast Pennsylvania in the early 2000s and helped me achieve my level 1 and 2 certifications. Drake, or "Doc" as he was known, sadly passed away at the far too young age of 56 in January 2022. He was the first to build this missile at that time period. I believe his build was half scale as well, but there are no records that record his construction that I know of - if you know of any archive, please let me know.
Compared to my last two builds, the Boeing 86-A ALCM and the Nike Hercules, this rocket seems pretty straight forward.
We all say that until we get into the details.
Here are the general statistics of the "real thing." And just a note here. There are multiple versions of this bird, and I'm interested in the original spec, marketing image. Please note the two sets of fins on the fairings. Many images only show one set - at the aft portion.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Length | 18.4 ft (5.62 m) without booster, 31.4 ft (9.56 m) with booster |
| Diameter | 14 in (35 cm), booster: 18 in (46 cm) |
So, yeah, this is a long missile. At half scale this will be around 9' long and I'll be going with a 6" as the diameter of the rocket. Yes, I know I'm in the scale forum and I know this isn't perfect scale. Perfect scale is at least twice or three times as expensive, so this is "Sport Scale."
First things first, let's model this in OpenRocket and get a sense of dimensions and basic components of the rocket. I'm using OpenRocket Version 22.02 (beta .05) for this because of its cool new feature "pods" - which allow you to attach things to the body tube in an offset both laterally and radially. This is just an initial look - refinements will come later.
Here's the explorer view - with the clear use of pods.
And here's the plan:
Most of these parts will be sourced at Always Ready Rocketry, because I love Blue Tube. It's easy to work with and extremely strong. Nosecone, motor tube, body tubes, coupler and probably center rings will come from there. Fins and fairings will be prototyped on my CNC, but probably sourced from SendCutSend. Aerotech for retainers - love these things. And a 6" x 75mm thrust plate from Mile High Rocketry. A 10' Spheractute and 5' Rocketman drogue will round out the recovery. Electronics are MissileWorks RRC3 and Perfectflight Altimeters.
I'm keeping this at 75mm because I can achieve my level 3 on an M motor and still have compatibility with my other large models (ALCM, Nike Hercules). The motor hardware is the most expensive part of this.
Come along on the journey. Thanks for all your thoughts and encouragement in advance.
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