Build - Fire Flyer From Rocketry Warehouse

[DRAGON64]

In this link here, the Fire Flyer was to originally fly on a 36" long SkyRipper Systems (SRS) motor. I sold my entire line SRS motors, so the Fire Flyer kind of went dormant. Today I received an order from Contrail Hybrids, and now I have a 36" motor to fly in the Fire Flyer again. Now the build continues.

 

[DRAGON64]

This is a serious 2.6" nosecone question; can these not be had in the VK style with metal tip? My Fire Flyer came with a cone that has an epoxy composite tip. Fearing the tip may break off in the future hard landings, I ordered a nosecone from MadCow, based on the description that it was filament wound with a metal tip, and I received the same style cone as what comes with the Fire Flyer. I worked it out with MC, since their description was wrong, and they sent me a 2.6" FW cone w/ metal tip...

Here is the original:



Here is the replacement cone w/ metal tip;



Why no VK style cone with metal tip for the 2.6" airframe?




It looks really cool, and does shorten the over-all length elightly, but it is kind of cool how it breaks up the long lines of my Fire Flyer.

 

[Hobie1dog]

thanks for all the pictures

 

[Banzai88]

Those composite tip nose cones are from Curtis. I may be mis-remembering, but they are from slightly before aluminum tips came into fashion (and they're still in production), and they were the initial answer to the 'no metal parts' rule that one high profile, highly active launch field has (midwest?) before everyone decided to just paint things and not say the quiet part out loud.

I have more than a few of those composite tips nose cones in service from 38mm on up to 3 inch, and while they are slightly susceptible to hanger rash, I've never had one chip or break on any sort of landing. My typical landing field is hard pack or soft plow, grass, crops, or mud, and I target a max landing speed of ~20fps.

 

[DRAGON64]

Curtis cones... I love the original cone, just wish it could be had in a metal tip, so far our club does not prohibit these types of cones. But I am optimistic about the shorty cone. It makes the rocket look like a barabow arrow shaft now...

 

[Banzai88]

Clearly your kit is Curtis' original colored fiberglass and FW nose cone.

However, if you've done the nose cone issue with Mad Cow recently (last several months, maybe even longer), Wildman is doing the 'new' production kits for Mad Cow. While there is some small amount of legacy Curtis fiberglass, especially in the larger and more expensive offerings, the newer stock is Wildman as Curtis material, especially nose cones, have largely been unavailable through Mad Cow for over a year (thus the change to WM fiberglass).

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the metal tip cone you received from MC is this one (3:1 shape): https://wildmanrocketry.com/collections/nosecone/products/fnc2-6-inj

I 'think' that this one is the one you're asking for (5:1 VK): https://wildmanrocketry.com/collections/nosecone/products/fnc-2-6-5-1-vk

 

[DRAGON64]

The linked 5:1 most definitely would have been preferred. Maybe I will post the little 3:1 for sale, and buy the one from WM. Thanks for the link...

Admittedly, I have never ordered from WM before No time like the present.

Edit: $20 shipping on a cone is a bit too much VK for me...

 

[FlyBy01]

The linked 5:1 most definitely would have been preferred. Maybe I will post the little 3:1 for sale, and buy the one from WM. Thanks for the link...

Admittedly, I have never ordered from WM before No time like the present.

Edit: $20 shipping on a cone is a bit too much VK for me...

Everything has went up with inflation

 

[DRAGON64]

Crap, I will bite-the-bullet and order the cone anyway... I just cannot seem to warm up to the 3:1 cone. The 3:1 cone is well built, but may be better suited as a military scale build...

 

[DRAGON64]

Shifting gears away from two other builds that I am working on, I am going to do a basic layout of the Avionics.

• Additive Aerospace 3D printed sled
• Mac Performance ejection cannisters
• #10-24 all-thread
• #10 stainless hardware
• Stratologger Altimeter

 

[DRAGON64]

Mechanical nearly completed I will soon start the electrical and call it dialed together...





All stainless hardware except for the all-thread.