Aerotech Strong Arm build thread

[trippkid]

Hey Paul, I got the Sumo from Hobbylinc for like $85 or something like that, it was the cheapest I have ever seen it, so I bought one. I do like the Madcow stuff too, I have the fiberglass Honest John waiting to be built, still need to get a thing or two for that one. Take it easy.
Matt

 

[skyspike1]

If theres no wind, does cold temps affect ignition? I figured spotting bright chute in clean white snow would be easy. A saw video of launches on a frozen lake that was super flat and white, it looked awsome and clearly visible for entire flight and recovery. Easier than wading through S.Florida palm scrub for hours to locate.However, cant beat 80 degrees in Feb. wandering through pastures can be difficult though,"Them Bulls Is Mean" On the serious side, does cold climate affect launching? It seems everyone up north is waiting for spring, That would be hard to do.

 

[jFlds]

If theres no wind, does cold temps affect ignition? I figured spotting bright chute in clean white snow would be easy. A saw video of launches on a frozen lake that was super flat and white, it looked awsome and clearly visible for entire flight and recovery. Easier than wading through S.Florida palm scrub for hours to locate.However, cant beat 80 degrees in Feb. wandering through pastures can be difficult though,"Them Bulls Is Mean" On the serious side, does cold climate affect launching? It seems everyone up north is waiting for spring, That would be hard to do.

Cake...We do it all winter. The biggest hang up some folks run into is the different materials expanding at different rate sin the cold...i.e. phenolic and quantum for example. Pistons are usually the trickiest thing to deal with. Other than that..... They really cut in the crisp air!

:wink:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VS1YTPQH6o

 

[rockie]

The only downside for me has been that the if its really cold it gets a bit uncomfortable setting up the rail, rocket and igniters etc.
Otherwise nothing beats a large frozen lake with a bright sunny blue sky.

Mayby its time to invest in some fingerless gloves so i can work and keep the warmth at the same time.

 

[trippkid]

It has been mainly high winds and rain when our launches have been canceled this year, I think the last one was canceled because of the fields being too muddy. We have one next week, my fingers are crossed for a decent day. Other than me not liking the cold, I have not had any problems with launching in the cold. I have heard using some Talc or baby powder on the chutes to keep them from sticking together, that would probably be good for any type of weather. I think I will start doing that, thanks for bringing up the question. Like jFlds said, piston ejection can give the most problems in the cold, by sticking in the tube. This happens because of unlike materials expanding and contracting at different rates. Some sanding of the piston usually takes care of this problem. Thanks for looking.
Matt

 

[trippkid]

Well, the weather finally warmed up a bit for a couple of days and I got to paint the Strong Arm and a few others. Today I spent just about the whole day putting the decals on. I am pretty pleased with how it came out. Here are the pics. Thanks for looking.
Matt

 

[trippkid]

And, a couple more.

 

[jaz]

Very nice. I have always loved that rocket. I have yet been able to build one mostly due to the fact that it would look as good as yours. Good luck on your flight!!! :clap:

 

[sodmeister]

Hey ,where`s those dots

Paul t

 

[trippkid]

Paul, I didn't put them on just yet, I guess I gave up today after 4.5 hours of painstakingly putting on and taking off, and on and off, and so on :y:. Most of this if done by eye and only using a bent ruler to make some reference points(Ok, the ruler isn't bent per say, but the little metal edge is all rusted and pitted, time to steal another one from my son). Anyhow, I will put them on before I give it a very light shot of clear when the rain here goes away and the temperature gets back near 50-60 range, sadly it got a couple of degrees too cold to be outside painting, hopefully it will warm up soon, before Red Glare X. This may or may not be my L1 Cert rocket, still haven't decided-High and Fly or Low and Slow. I forget off the top of my head what OpenRocket sims it on a H128.
Matt

 

[trippkid]

jaz, thanks I appreciate the nice comment, after the time spent building these things it is nice to know others like some of your stuff. Have a good one.
Matt

 

[JAL3]

May I copy the completed build posts to the gallery?

 

[trippkid]

Absolutely John, I was going to put a totally finished pic in there with a flight pic if you want to just wait. I will be flying this in 2 weeks. Go ahead if you want or I will when I get back from RGX. Thanks for asking.
Matt

 

[JAL3]

Absolutely John, I was going to put a totally finished pic in there with a flight pic if you want to just wait. I will be flying this in 2 weeks. Go ahead if you want or I will when I get back from RGX. Thanks for asking.
Matt

Flight pics would be great. I'll hold off.

 

[sodmeister]

Dots or no dots.....she`s a fine looking rocket indeed ! Nice job man.

Like I said ,it`s a great flier and tough as nails (mine has come in hard twice.....no chute ejection ,only a loose fin and a tangled chute ,chipped nosecone ,easy to fix)

Paul

 

[Scotty Dog]

Very Nice. Clean Build

 

[Winston]

Hey ,where`s those dots

Paul t

Different person here than originally asked. What are those dots supposed to be and where are they supposed to go on the rocket? I don't see any mention of them in the instructions nor are they obvious in any Strong Arm photos I've seen.

 

[r12ski]

Different person here than originally asked. What are those dots supposed to be and where are they supposed to go on the rocket? I don't see any mention of them in the instructions nor are they obvious in any Strong Arm photos I've seen.

Sorry to resurrect a dead post but I'm also curious as to where the dots go. They are not shown on the instructions.

 

[AfterBurners]

That's funny when you were mentioning the fins and how they were off. When I was building my Initiator I noticed my fins over hung slightly at the end of the airframe. It wasn't as much as yours, but I just left them. Now I know why. I thought that maybe it was something I did wrong? BTW - You did an excellent job on this build!