Brian Barney
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2002
- Messages
- 227
- Reaction score
- 0
Yesterday was the ROC July monthly launch. It was a relatively small turnout because of LDRS being the same weekend. There were still over 100 flyers there. I rolled in at around 8:30 AM and parked right next to the on site vendor, Rocket Motion. I brought 4 rockets to fly, but only got to fly 3 of them. The weather was HOT! A guy brought a digital thermometer which read 118 degrees at maximum. There was cloud cover for most of the day, which kept it bearable without the sun on you the whole time.
I started out by flying my 29mm min diameter "scooter" that a friend of mine painted for me real nicely with auto paint. It was on a G25. Unfortunately the motor chuffed on the pad, and finally got enough thrust to barely push itself off the rod. It wasn't going fast enough for the fins to work, so it went unstable, and looped around for 5 seconds before burning out, then came in ballistic from about 300'. It slammed into the ground lake stake style and the delay burned for about 10 secs before shooting the ejection charge. The nose was lodged about 4" into the hard packed playa, but the rocket was fiberglassed, and when I pulled the nosecone out, there was no damage other than scratched paint!
My second flight was my 8" diameter, 6' tall, 1/8 scale V2 rocket. My dad lost a bet to me which got him to fork over the cash for a L1120
I was supposed to do this rocket at last month's 3 day ROCstock launch, but it got blown out by 30mph+ wind and blowing dust all weekend. This launch had absolutely no wind at all until 1:00. There was only 1 rail at that launch that was big enough for the rail guides I was using. I was in a wait behind 2 other people with big projects. The first was a L3 cert attempt on an M1315. The rocket was a nice PML ultimate endeavour. Unfortunately the electronics failed and ejected the main parachute at the motor burnout which is a major OUCH! It seperated the nosecone which made a long dive down and crashed. I didn't see the rest of the rocket coming down. I later saw it infront of the guys truck, and there was a big, nasty zipper running down the side of the whole rocket. The next rocket that was going off of the rail was a huge, complex, 7 motor rocket with a K1100 airstarting 2 J540's airstarting 2 J135's airstarting 2 I motors (forgot designations)
While I was out there helping him get his rocket out on the rail, there was a hypertek L625 powered rocket that went off. It was way cool! there was 3 rows of pads, the low power pads, the F-I pads, and the K+ pads in the very back. The hybrid pad was in between the middle and the back pads. We backed up to the minimum safe distance as it was filling, and it lit...... Boy those mtors are loud! If you haven't experienced a hypertek flight, do it! The rocket executed perfect recovery.
The guy got his rocket prepped, and then we all backed away from the back row of pads until we were a safe distance for his launch. The K1100 lit very fast, and put the big heavy rocket up and off the rod..... then nothing, nothing, nothing, started to slow slow, slow, and then the drogue came out, and it started coming down very fast...... Thats when we started running...... There was still about a full L worth of impulse in this fast falling rocket with ignitors installed and on a timer, which could go off at any second. The main popped out and inflated at about 100'. I think the guy forgot to take the shunts off of the airstarts.
So, it was now my turn for the big pad. I had some help getting the rocket onto the 15' long rail, and set up. I used a log as a stand off for the rocket so that the fins wouldn't get scorched from the blast of the motor. After a high altitude waiver was called in, it was time for my launch. I was way nearvous and totally shaking at the count down, then there was a small fireball at the base of the rocket that got bigger and bigger until it completely came up to pressure and then shot out of there. The flame was as long as the rocket and was very loud! The rocket flew perfectly straight, which is a feat for a V2 I lost sight of it shortly after motor burnout. About 20 seconds later I hear from the LCO table that they see both of the main 'chutes out! I searched around up in the sky, and saw 2 dots wayyyyyy up there. Because there was no wind at all, the rocket landed about 800' behind where I had parked. At landing I checked out the rocket, and found that the magnetic apogee detector hadn't fired, so I freaked out, and untwisted all of the arming wires. I didn't want a 7g charge going off as I took the rocket back to camp. I inspected the rocket, and there was no damage to the rocket at all, but that I had ripped the pilot 'chute and deployment bags off of the rocket. I guess the pilot 'chute worked too well. Its not too big of a deal, there not too expensive, and I wont be flying it again for a while.
For my last flight I flew my fiberglassed estes alpha on an E15. The rocket has a streamer, so I got it back
I was going to fly my easter egg dipped Initiator on an F20, but by then the wind had started to pick up, so I decided to scrap it because it would probably pull the same trick as scooter did earlier that day.
There were about 4 or 5 K240 RATT works flights that went off. These things scream like mad. They are very loud and burn forever. One of them was a VERY nasty CATO. The ignitor lit the AP charge and burned through the fill line, which started emptying into the combustion chamber, but it didn't start to decompose and light the engine for a fraction of a second. It finally started to decompose, and built up pressure way too fast and forced the flame front up above the floating piston, which started the whole nitrous tank to decompose and BOOM! The rocket blew totally apart shooting rocket confetti everywhere. I saw the motor afterwards. The middle 1/3 of the engine was gone, it had peeled open and was really gruesome looking. The top bulkhead had twisted abit and was lodged in the case really good. All of the other K240 flights went very well. Screaming the whole way. I sooo want to get one of those
There were some other interesting flights. A guy who lives real close to me did a PML pterrydactyl on a K700 airstarting 3 H242T's which worked perfectly. There was also a 2 stage PML thunder N lightning on a blue thunder J motor staging to a white lightning I motor. There was also a short, small rocket an a J800 that looked like it was shot out of a cannon.
Well, it wasn't LDRS, but I sure had a kick.
-Brian Barney
I started out by flying my 29mm min diameter "scooter" that a friend of mine painted for me real nicely with auto paint. It was on a G25. Unfortunately the motor chuffed on the pad, and finally got enough thrust to barely push itself off the rod. It wasn't going fast enough for the fins to work, so it went unstable, and looped around for 5 seconds before burning out, then came in ballistic from about 300'. It slammed into the ground lake stake style and the delay burned for about 10 secs before shooting the ejection charge. The nose was lodged about 4" into the hard packed playa, but the rocket was fiberglassed, and when I pulled the nosecone out, there was no damage other than scratched paint!
My second flight was my 8" diameter, 6' tall, 1/8 scale V2 rocket. My dad lost a bet to me which got him to fork over the cash for a L1120
I was supposed to do this rocket at last month's 3 day ROCstock launch, but it got blown out by 30mph+ wind and blowing dust all weekend. This launch had absolutely no wind at all until 1:00. There was only 1 rail at that launch that was big enough for the rail guides I was using. I was in a wait behind 2 other people with big projects. The first was a L3 cert attempt on an M1315. The rocket was a nice PML ultimate endeavour. Unfortunately the electronics failed and ejected the main parachute at the motor burnout which is a major OUCH! It seperated the nosecone which made a long dive down and crashed. I didn't see the rest of the rocket coming down. I later saw it infront of the guys truck, and there was a big, nasty zipper running down the side of the whole rocket. The next rocket that was going off of the rail was a huge, complex, 7 motor rocket with a K1100 airstarting 2 J540's airstarting 2 J135's airstarting 2 I motors (forgot designations) While I was out there helping him get his rocket out on the rail, there was a hypertek L625 powered rocket that went off. It was way cool! there was 3 rows of pads, the low power pads, the F-I pads, and the K+ pads in the very back. The hybrid pad was in between the middle and the back pads. We backed up to the minimum safe distance as it was filling, and it lit...... Boy those mtors are loud! If you haven't experienced a hypertek flight, do it! The rocket executed perfect recovery.
The guy got his rocket prepped, and then we all backed away from the back row of pads until we were a safe distance for his launch. The K1100 lit very fast, and put the big heavy rocket up and off the rod..... then nothing, nothing, nothing, started to slow slow, slow, and then the drogue came out, and it started coming down very fast...... Thats when we started running...... There was still about a full L worth of impulse in this fast falling rocket with ignitors installed and on a timer, which could go off at any second. The main popped out and inflated at about 100'. I think the guy forgot to take the shunts off of the airstarts.
So, it was now my turn for the big pad. I had some help getting the rocket onto the 15' long rail, and set up. I used a log as a stand off for the rocket so that the fins wouldn't get scorched from the blast of the motor. After a high altitude waiver was called in, it was time for my launch. I was way nearvous and totally shaking at the count down, then there was a small fireball at the base of the rocket that got bigger and bigger until it completely came up to pressure and then shot out of there. The flame was as long as the rocket and was very loud! The rocket flew perfectly straight, which is a feat for a V2
I lost sight of it shortly after motor burnout. About 20 seconds later I hear from the LCO table that they see both of the main 'chutes out! I searched around up in the sky, and saw 2 dots wayyyyyy up there. Because there was no wind at all, the rocket landed about 800' behind where I had parked. At landing I checked out the rocket, and found that the magnetic apogee detector hadn't fired, so I freaked out, and untwisted all of the arming wires. I didn't want a 7g charge going off as I took the rocket back to camp. I inspected the rocket, and there was no damage to the rocket at all, but that I had ripped the pilot 'chute and deployment bags off of the rocket. I guess the pilot 'chute worked too well. Its not too big of a deal, there not too expensive, and I wont be flying it again for a while. For my last flight I flew my fiberglassed estes alpha on an E15. The rocket has a streamer, so I got it back
I was going to fly my easter egg dipped Initiator on an F20, but by then the wind had started to pick up, so I decided to scrap it because it would probably pull the same trick as scooter did earlier that day.
There were about 4 or 5 K240 RATT works flights that went off. These things scream like mad. They are very loud and burn forever. One of them was a VERY nasty CATO. The ignitor lit the AP charge and burned through the fill line, which started emptying into the combustion chamber, but it didn't start to decompose and light the engine for a fraction of a second. It finally started to decompose, and built up pressure way too fast and forced the flame front up above the floating piston, which started the whole nitrous tank to decompose and BOOM! The rocket blew totally apart shooting rocket confetti everywhere. I saw the motor afterwards. The middle 1/3 of the engine was gone, it had peeled open and was really gruesome looking. The top bulkhead had twisted abit and was lodged in the case really good. All of the other K240 flights went very well. Screaming the whole way. I sooo want to get one of those
There were some other interesting flights. A guy who lives real close to me did a PML pterrydactyl on a K700 airstarting 3 H242T's which worked perfectly. There was also a 2 stage PML thunder N lightning on a blue thunder J motor staging to a white lightning I motor. There was also a short, small rocket an a J800 that looked like it was shot out of a cannon.
Well, it wasn't LDRS, but I sure had a kick.
-Brian Barney
