My Madcow Tomach (Money Burner)

[rc dude]

Yes, it's 18". The biggest cases I might want are 54/1280 (12.5in), 38/1080 (18.8in), or 38/720 (13.2in).
However, I can get a nice range of I's and J's with 54/852 (9.1in), 38/600 (11.3in) and 38/480 (9.5in).

If I build it as instructed (with the short tube forward), then I have 18" minus 3 for the ebay minus 3 for the nose cone coupler/bulkplate, which means I need to fit the main chute and harness in about 12" of 54mm tube. At 3.5 lbs, it looks like the chute might be as large as 3.5 ft?? That seems like a lot of fabric and cord to fit in 12".

I'm not arguing, just fretting and pondering....


(PS to OP: what chute(s) are you using?)

I am using a homemade 48" hemispherical chute, which is in no way compact(I overbuilt it with nylon webbing loops for the shroud lines to attach to, and used 16 gores/shroud lines). I also am using a 20ft. 1/4" kevlar harness for my main. Making things even more difficult is the fact that my av-bay is 2" longer then the one that comes with the kit(the extra 2" is all in the upper tube), and I have an antenna inside the upper bay too.

So I have 18" minus 3" for the nosecone, 5" for the av-bay, leaving 10" for the recovery gear and antenna. It is a tight fit, that needs shear pins to hold the last 1/4" together, but it works. If you are buying a premade chute, and using the stock 6" av-bay, you should have plenty of room. Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Kyle

P.S. Be sure to do a build thread!

 

[mpitfield]

Yes, it's 18". The biggest cases I might want are 54/1280 (12.5in), 38/1080 (18.8in), or 38/720 (13.2in).
However, I can get a nice range of I's and J's with 54/852 (9.1in), 38/600 (11.3in) and 38/480 (9.5in).

If I build it as instructed (with the short tube forward), then I have 18" minus 3 for the ebay minus 3 for the nose cone coupler/bulkplate, which means I need to fit the main chute and harness in about 12" of 54mm tube. At 3.5 lbs, it looks like the chute might be as large as 3.5 ft?? That seems like a lot of fabric and cord to fit in 12".

I'm not arguing, just fretting and pondering....


(PS to OP: what chute(s) are you using?)

What you can pack in the payload tube depends on the packing volume of your recovery gear.

I use Fruity Chutes and have the compact shroud lines option, so packing volume on my chutes is relatively low for the chute size. My rocket fully loaded with a Loki K-350 is about 11lbs so I am using a 48" Iris Ultra Compact and a One bad Hawk 25' 11/32 Kevlar 3 loop harness, but my airframe is the carbon fiber which has a 20" payload bay. You also need to take into consideration your recovery system components, if any, that reside on the end of your AV bay or nosecone bulkhead. I am using the (Gary Tortora) small blast caps which stick up at least an inch and a half off the end of the AV bay. For my nosecone I changed out the carbon fiber coupler for a FG one and it sits 3" into the payload tube, however the nosecone attachment point is a 11/32 Kevlar loop attached to the nosecone which has better packing volume than a quick-link and eye /u-bolt combination. Overall I have about 12.5"-13" of payload bay.

rc dude and AlnessW sound like they are running a more similar config to you than I am and I believe rc dude is close to having a launch under his belt. Bottom line, it's your build so do what you feel is best for you, however if your goal is to gain some flexibility then I believe using the payload tube for your booster tube is not the way to go. It is a matter of features vs. benefits. If you buy a car that has the capability (feature) of driving under water, but you live in a desert then there is no benefit to having that feature.

 

[rc dude]

What you can pack in the payload tube depends on the packing volume of your recovery gear.

I use Fruity Chutes and have the compact shroud lines option, so packing volume on my chutes is relatively low for the chute size.

I agree that a big factor is the technique you use to fold the chute. I use a 12x12 nomex protector, so I can fully enclose the chute and wrap it tightly to make it slide in smoothly. If I tried to pack it the other way I do for my midpower rocket, it wouldn't fit at all.

rc dude and AlnessW sound like they are running a more similar config to you than I am and I believe rc dude is close to having a launch under his belt.

Hopefully my launch is in T-12 days!

Geof, I would build it normally, since that will give you the most options. You will be able to fit a good sized chute, and be able to fly a bigger motor if you are ever inclined to do so. But like mpitfield said, it is your rocket so you can choose to build it however you want.

Cheers,
Kyle

Edit: Here is a picture of my chute:

 

[geof]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I wanted to mention my experience with Spherachutes.

For the Tomach, I decided to order a chute before choosing which tube to put aft. After some research, I went with Spherachutes 48"LT. I received the package in 48 hours and the chute was fantastic. It is so light and compact that (a) I called them back to exchange for the 60"LT, which they were very pleased to do, and (b) I have decided to follow the instructions and use the short tube for the payload since it is clear I'll be able to fit the Spherachute laundry in without problem.

I know this is more about the chute company than the Tomach, but I thought they deserved kudos, and this may help the next person building this kit.

 

[AlnessW]

Hopefully my launch is in T-12 days!

Geof, I would build it normally, since that will give you the most options. You will be able to fit a good sized chute, and be able to fly a bigger motor if you are ever inclined to do so. But like mpitfield said, it is your rocket so you can choose to build it however you want.

Cheers,
Kyle

Yeah, Kyle is way ahead of me at this point... Nice looking chute! I set aside a 36" PML chute (with spill hole) for my main, but I still need to calculate what my final weight will be. I may need to upscale to a 48" (say a Top Flight, for example).

Geof - I wouldn't use an 18" long booster section, but that's just my own opinion.

 

[geof]

Geof - I wouldn't use an 18" long booster section, but that's just my own opinion.

Yep, see above...I'm building it stock. I'm estimating 3.5lbs minimum. My launch site is maybe 5500 ft elevation, so 48" with spill hole was going to be a pretty fast descent; thus I'm upsizing the chute a bit.

 

[rc dude]

Just took the booster out of the vacuum bag for the T2T. It came out better than I expected for being my first time using CF, but not perfect. (aka I have some sanding to do, and I'm trying to decide whether to paint over it) Pictures will be later tonight or tomorrow sometime, as I have finals to study for. Looks like it will be ready for Saturday at Dairy Aire!

Cheers,
Kyle

 

[AlnessW]

Just took the booster out of the vacuum bag for the T2T. It came out better than I expected for being my first time using CF, but not perfect. (aka I have some sanding to do, and I'm trying to decide whether to paint over it) Pictures will be later tonight or tomorrow sometime, as I have finals to study for. Looks like it will be ready for Saturday at Dairy Aire!

Cheers,
Kyle

Did I hear that launch got cancelled?

 

[rc dude]

Did I hear that launch got cancelled?

Yes it was cancelled due to rain. Just like the Reno launch last month... This drought is weird...
I am planning on heading to the Reno launch this upcoming Sunday, because I am itching to do my L1, but guess what the forecast is... :eyeroll:

How is your rocket coming?


Anyways, finals are done as of two hours ago, so time for an UPDATE!

Last week in between studying for finals, and building three other rockets for Dairy Aire I managed to find time to do the T2T. It was a little different then I expected, with the CF fraying real easily. I used Proline 4100 epoxy for the Layup, and 2x2 twill 5.6oz CF that I bought from a LUNAR member that lives close to me.

Here is me applying epoxy to the CF:


First layer:


Into the bag:


My temporary oven(Space heater at the end):


Pulling it out of the bag:


Finished product:


I sanded the edges of the CF a little, but it needs some more sanding. I also need to put a coat of epoxy over all the CF so I can sand it smooth like Jim Jarvis. Then I will apply Proline 4500 to the edges to prevent delamination. I am still trying to decide whether to leave the CF showing or paint over it, since the weave pattern is not straight in all areas. I also thought about masking a design in the CF when I paint, so the design will be the CF showing through. We will see though.

Let's hope this Sunday's launch doesn't get rained out too, and hopefully I can attempt my L1!

Cheers,
Kyle

 

[mpitfield]

Hi Kyle,

As you know I just completed my first T2T as well, however that was not my first carbon fiber layup. My first was a challenge as it was a 3D custom shroud I made for a chute and I had to cf both the outside and inside, as well as vac bag in one shot. Amazingly I got it done. It wasn't pretty but it came out looking okay and was strong, which was the point. My second was an experiment to get more hands on working the cloth in tight bends. I did an internal fin to fin layup, only on the inside of the fins and MMT. This was on a 4" Binder and completely unnecessary but I did it in lieu of fillets. My third was a simple layup on a 3" 4 fin rocket that had 1/8 ply fins that were already mounted but no external fillets. I did this one just to give the fins a bit more strength. And now my Tomach.

I have also worked with fiberglass cloth in the past but in a very limited way, however this did give me some comfort in working with carbon fiber and the materials.

I mention the above, which I would consider very limited experience, simply to put my points below in perspective.

I would wet out the area first, then lay the cloth, wet again using a a dabbing motion, not a painting motion, then peel ply, more wetting, then breather. Find the point where the cloth is partially cured and de-bag it at that stage to do a partial cleanup/trimming. Finding that partially cured time can easily be accomplished by taking a bit of cloth, wetting it out then setting it aside and checking it every hour or so. Of course the temp and humidity will have an effect on this so keep that in mind when you do the layup. Extending the cloth past your fin tips also aides in keeping the weave neat as well as the cloth down on the edges. However you will need some sort of jig to support the cloth. Jim Jarvis has a very detailed pdf doc describing his method. Or if you want to make a bigger jig like I did, which was modeled after John Coker's jig, then Nat AKA Wingarcher can CNC one.

Beyond that, it looks your build is coming to an end and I am looking forward to seeing your launch results and hopefully videos. I am hitting NYPOWER this weekend and plan two launches on my Tomach using CTI's I445 VM. The launches should result in 2000' @ 330Mph, and are simply to test the deployment configuration, so I have a better chance in getting it right for my L2 launch at LDRS.

 

[rc dude]

So as a minor update, I am going to be attempting my L1 tomorrow at Tripoli Reno (after one missed waiver and three rained out launches). I've double checked everything, and will double check again before the launch. I hope everything goes right! Look forward to a flight report tomorrow!

Cheers,
Kyle (who will probably get no sleep tonight)

 

[DizWolf]

Good luck man. Relax and enjoy it. Just check your quick links.

 

[rc dude]

SUCCESS!!!!!!!

I now have my L1!! I will do a full flight report tomorrow, along with put up some pictures and videos, but I will say the flight was a success.

Good luck man. Relax and enjoy it. Just check your quick links.

There is no room for quick links, knots only


Cheers,
Kyle Rodrigues

PS new signature!

 

[mpitfield]

SUCCESS!!!!!!!

I now have my L1!! I will do a full flight report tomorrow, along with put up some pictures and videos, but I will say the flight was a success.



There is no room for quick links, knots only


Cheers,
Kyle Rodrigues

PS new signature!

Congratulations Kyle

 

[Nick@JET]

Great job! Congrats on a successful build and flight!

 

[rc dude]

Great job! Congrats on a successful build and flight!

Congratulations Kyle

Thanks guys!

Here is the promised flight report. We left my house at 5:00AM to head up to Reno. We arrived at the launch just after 8:00 when they started. To be sure I didn't miss the waiver like my first launch attempt, I did the charges right away, even though i wouldn't be flying until the rest of my family got there. After the charges were done, I moved on to the motor. It was built over a month ago when I was going to do my first attempt, but since it didn't happen I loosened the closure and put it in an airtight bag. When I went to tighten up the closures, I noticed that the rear closure did not want to seat all of the way. I went down to the BAR trailer for assistance, and found out I put in the delay o-rig, which is not needed with the plugged closure. Once that was fixed I put it in the rocket and set it all aside.

At that point I decided to fly a the BMS school rocket that was my practice for laying fiberglass. The flight was good except the streamer got tangled.

After that flight the wind picked up and they said that they might shut down the range early due to wind. I called up the rest of my family to let them know I would be flying without them if that were to happen, which they understood. I finished getting the rocket put together and got it out to the pad, and then proceeded to get my cert paperwork filled out. By the time I was all ready to go, my family was only about 10 minutes away, so I decided to wait for them. Once they finally got there it was time for the launch!

After the countdown, there was about a two second delay before the motor lit, which seemed to be forever. Then the rocket shot off, and we lost track of it in the sky. I looked at the TRS receiver and saw the altitude descending at a steady rate, so I knew that at least the drogue deployed. After what seemed like forever I heard the main charge go off and we spotted it a few hundred yards away, only more to the south than where we were looking. It landed about 100 yards away, and started to be dragged by the wind across the lakebed. Luckily my friend ran out there first and stopped it. I then handed my camera to my sister and sprinted out there as fast as I could! I got the chute folded up to stop it from being pulled by the wind, and got the rocket together. I took it back to Marcus who was helping at BAR, and got my paperwork signed off! The only bad thing that happened during the flight was that the nose cone tip became loose, which I think is from being dragged.

Now on to the pictures/videos.

Liftoff!

Under chute:

Touchdown:

Success:


And here are two videos of the launch:
Regular speed:
[video=youtube;DUKgYuqLGTs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUKgYuqLGTs[/video]

Slow motion:
[video=youtube;eEOz7SP4ssQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEOz7SP4ssQ[/video]

Thanks everybody for following along this far. Next step, L2!
Cheers,
Kyle

 

[AlnessW]

Congratulations Kyle!!! Flight looked awesome!
Apologies for dropping off the earth - I just posted an update to my Tomach thread with a few details...

Did you end up using that 48" chute? Once I get final the final weight on mine I may upsize my planned 36" to a 45" octagon. Do you recall your decent rate, and how quickly it looked coming down?

Now, on to L2! Have fun at MudRoc this weekend.

 

[rc dude]

Congratulations Kyle!!! Flight looked awesome!
Apologies for dropping off the earth - I just posted an update to my Tomach thread with a few details...

Did you end up using that 48" chute? Once I get final the final weight on mine I may upsize my planned 36" to a 45" octagon. Do you recall your decent rate, and how quickly it looked coming down?

Now, on to L2! Have fun at MudRoc this weekend.

Thanks for the kind words. Yes I did use the 48" chute as my main. It was a tight fit because it was 16 gores and had 16 lines, but wrapping it tightly in the nomex made it fit. I still had to push the nosecone the last 1/4" for the shear pins to line up. As for decent rate, I have the info on my computer, so I'll check sometime today.

And I won't be making it to Mudroc. I have a graduation party to go to today, and I'm trying to save money for an upcoming vacation, so my L2 is postponed until XPRS in September.

Cheers,
Kyle



Edit: I looked up the descent rates, and it was descending at 49 ft/s under drogue and 18 ft/s under main.

 

[Viperfixr]

Congrats on the cert flight with a minimum diameter rocket! You're living up to your avatar saying.

Just flew my ToMach today for the first time on an AT K805G--my highest/fastest flight with 14247' AGL and 1707 fps according to the RRC3. The nice part is that I did not need the tracker as it landed about 300 yards away!

 

[AlnessW]

Thanks for the kind words. Yes I did use the 48" chute as my main. It was a tight fit because it was 16 gores and had 16 lines, but wrapping it tightly in the nomex made it fit. I still had to push the nosecone the last 1/4" for the shear pins to line up. As for decent rate, I have the info on my computer, so I'll check sometime today.

And I won't be making it to Mudroc. I have a graduation party to go to today, and I'm trying to save money for an upcoming vacation, so my L2 is postponed until XPRS in September.

Cheers,
Kyle

Edit: I looked up the descent rates, and it was descending at 49 ft/s under drogue and 18 ft/s under main.

My pleasure, Kyle! And thanks for the recovery info. Have fun at XPRS!

 

[watermelonman]

Thanks for the kind words. Yes I did use the 48" chute as my main. It was a tight fit because it was 16 gores and had 16 lines, but wrapping it tightly in the nomex made it fit. I still had to push the nosecone the last 1/4" for the shear pins to line up. As for decent rate, I have the info on my computer, so I'll check sometime today.

And I won't be making it to Mudroc. I have a graduation party to go to today, and I'm trying to save money for an upcoming vacation, so my L2 is postponed until XPRS in September.

I am glad to see your project making progress. Also, I will be at XPRS, maybe even with an L3 attempt, so I should get to see your L935 flight! I burned mine on Saturday, completely awesome although some trans sonic wiggle cost me a ton of altitude.

 

[rc dude]

Congrats on the cert flight with a minimum diameter rocket! You're living up to your avatar saying.

Just flew my ToMach today for the first time on an AT K805G--my highest/fastest flight with 14247' AGL and 1707 fps according to the RRC3. The nice part is that I did not need the tracker as it landed about 300 yards away!

Thanks! Although it wasn't really a minimum diameter flight since it was adapted down. Do you have any pics of your Tomach?

My pleasure, Kyle! And thanks for the recovery info. Have fun at XPRS!

No problem, I'm looking forward to seeing yours finished and flying.

I am glad to see your project making progress. Also, I will be at XPRS, maybe even with an L3 attempt, so I should get to see your L935 flight! I burned mine on Saturday, completely awesome although some trans sonic wiggle cost me a ton of altitude.

I saw the photos of your L935 flight, it looked awesome! If you do your L3 attempt, let me know and I'll try to get some pics of it. I might even be taking my quadcopter, so I could also use that too if you want.

As for flying on an L935, I am currently going back and forth between using that or the L265. On one hand, the L935 is the biggest 54mm motor other than the crazy motors Loki is making, but on the other, the 10 second burn of the L265 would be awesome to see. My goal is to break 20K, which both motors should do with a straight flight, so it just depends what flight profile I want. If anybody has a suggestion on which one to use, let me know.

The things that I have left to do before XPRS is put a finish coat of epoxy over the CF, put the Proline epoxy on the fin edges, reinstall the nosecone tip, and paint. Anybody have any paint ideas? I want to keep the paint job appropriate for the name, so I was thinking of maybe bright green, with black lettering and decals. And for the fins I though about masking off a flaming dollar bill when I paint it, so when the mask is removed it will reveal the CF. But this will all have to be done in a hurry, as I am going to be out of the country until August 17. I always seem to be rushing at the last minute...

Cheers,
Kyle

 

[watermelonman]

As for flying on an L935, I am currently going back and forth between using that or the L265. On one hand, the L935 is the biggest 54mm motor other than the crazy motors Loki is making, but on the other, the 10 second burn of the L265 would be awesome to see. My goal is to break 20K, which both motors should do with a straight flight, so it just depends what flight profile I want. If anybody has a suggestion on which one to use, let me know.

Both are awesome. Have you purchased either yet? I think that would be reason enough to decide. Or, does the 20 bucks matter to you? If no on both counts I would lean L935. It will be the big flashy takeoff and fast flight I bet you want to see and share with others. I would save the long burn for onboard camera tricks or pure altitude optimization attempts. Also I am ever so slightly hesitant to subject rockets to those burn times and direct heat without more testing. Obviously the speeds and forces with the faster motor are nothing to sneeze at either!

The things that I have left to do before XPRS is put a finish coat of epoxy over the CF, put the Proline epoxy on the fin edges, reinstall the nosecone tip, and paint. Anybody have any paint ideas? I want to keep the paint job appropriate for the name, so I was thinking of maybe bright green, with black lettering and decals. And for the fins I though about masking off a flaming dollar bill when I paint it, so when the mask is removed it will reveal the CF. But this will all have to be done in a hurry, as I am going to be out of the country until August 17. I always seem to be rushing at the last minute...

I love the dollar sign ideas. Maybe add some tacky rapper rhinestone diamonds!

 

[rc dude]

Hello everybody, time for a little update. I'm back from vacation, so I can work on the rocket some more in between school. For my L2 attempt, I have decided to not attempt it at XPRS, and for a couple of reasons. The first is so I can fly it a few more times to make sure it works before launching really high. The other reason is that by waiting, I can buy my motor during Wildman's Black Saturday sale, which if it is anything like last year's, I will be able to save around $80 on the reload and tailcone closure. This is important for a college student with only a low pay on-campus job. Whether I am still going to XPRS is still being decided. I may go stay with a relative in Reno and drive out to Black Rock just for the day.

Since I have decided not to go for my L2 at XPRS, I have decided that I will attempt it at LDRS next spring! (if they can get a 25K+ foot waiver). This will also be cool because the dates for it will be right around the one year anniversary of my L1. If they can not get a higher waiver, I will attempt it at Mudrock next June.

I have also decided that the motor I will be using for my L2 is the L935. The reason for this is simple, it sims to a higher altitude and speed! It sims to around 24K feet in both OpenRocket ans RasAero, with a max speed just under mach 2. I don't think it will quite reach that altitude, but my goal is only 20K feet, so it should be good!

As for work on the rocket, nothing has happened since my L1. I probably won't get it painted by Xprs, but I don't feel like rushing it as I want it to look nice (at least until there is hopefully melted paint from my L2).

On an semi-related note, I have decided my next rocket is going to be the Tomach mini, which will be converted to 38mm minimum diameter. Look for a build thread in the coming weeks!

That's all for now. Cheers,
Kyle

 

[AlnessW]

Thanks Kyle for the update - sorry to hear about the scrubbed L2 flight. As far as "making sure it works"...didn't you prove that already? L935 should be fun, but 24K on that motor sounds a little optimistic to me as well.

Note that I finally got my bird done and it will be getting in the air soon! Doubt I'll be at XPRS this year, but we'll see.

As far as LDRS goes, well, those launches usually aren't driving distance from me. Next year might just be the opportunity...and if the ROC folks can get a waiver extension and provision for research motors, that'll probably be the kicker.

 

[rc dude]

Update time!!

It has been quite a while since my last update, so I figured I would give the thread an update.

I ordered my L935 with Wildman's black Saturday sale, and received it not too long after. This also included the free casing through the CTI cert program. I also got the tailcone for it, which adds some altitude to the sims.

Since this post is after LDRS, you can probably guess that I did not cert there. This was because their waiver was not high enough for the flight. I will be attempting the L2 cert flight this upcoming Saturday at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry launch in Mojave, CA. I am launching there instead of Mudroc because my family is going on vacation to Vegas and the Grand Canyon, and Mojave was on the way. It also helps that they have a 50k waiver.

As for progress on the rocket, I have been doing the finishing touches to it in preparation for the flight. I gave the CF a wiped on coat of epoxy and then sanded it again so it was smooth. Then I masked off the fin edges and applied the Proline 4500, which turned out pretty good. I just have to sand the edge a little, since the taped edge isn't completely smooth. Here is a pic of it:


Yes it is still unpainted, and I will be flying it unpainted for my L2 flight. It is like deja vu of my L1 flight, a little over a year later.


I also bought a TeleGPS to have as a secondary tracker, so now everything is redundant. I have a TRS for the main flight computer and tracking, an Easy Mini for backup charges, and the TeleGPS for backup tracking. There are also completely separate charges and batteries, because I want to be sure that it doesn't come in ballistic, haha. To mount the TeleGPS, I built a sled that fits in the nose cone out of some Al angle and hobby plywood.

My to-do list to finish the rocket for the flight:
- sand fin edges
- solder correct plug to new batteries
- finish sanding rear of fin can
- assemble L935

I'm getting excited for the flight! I ran sims with both Openrocket and Rasaero, and they both show 26,xxx feet with the altitude and weather of Mojave, along with an 8mph wind. Seems high, but we will see I guess! We leave for Mojave Friday morning, and launch on Saturday (whatever the outcome of the flight, I'll be relaxing in Vegas on Sunday )

Cheers,
Kyle

 

[noffie79]

Good luck on the L2 cert flight! Be sure not to wait so long to let us know how it goes!

 

[Nick@JET]

Wow this will be one serious cert flight! Very cool!

 

[soopirV]

Update time!!

It has been quite a while since my last update, so I figured I would give the thread an update.

I ordered my L935 with Wildman's black Saturday sale, and received it not too long after. This also included the free casing through the CTI cert program. I also got the tailcone for it, which adds some altitude to the sims.

Since this post is after LDRS, you can probably guess that I did not cert there. This was because their waiver was not high enough for the flight. I will be attempting the L2 cert flight this upcoming Saturday at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry launch in Mojave, CA. I am launching there instead of Mudroc because my family is going on vacation to Vegas and the Grand Canyon, and Mojave was on the way. It also helps that they have a 50k waiver.

As for progress on the rocket, I have been doing the finishing touches to it in preparation for the flight. I gave the CF a wiped on coat of epoxy and then sanded it again so it was smooth. Then I masked off the fin edges and applied the Proline 4500, which turned out pretty good. I just have to sand the edge a little, since the taped edge isn't completely smooth. Here is a pic of it:
View attachment 294252

Yes it is still unpainted, and I will be flying it unpainted for my L2 flight. It is like deja vu of my L1 flight, a little over a year later.
View attachment 294253

I also bought a TeleGPS to have as a secondary tracker, so now everything is redundant. I have a TRS for the main flight computer and tracking, an Easy Mini for backup charges, and the TeleGPS for backup tracking. There are also completely separate charges and batteries, because I want to be sure that it doesn't come in ballistic, haha. To mount the TeleGPS, I built a sled that fits in the nose cone out of some Al angle and hobby plywood.

My to-do list to finish the rocket for the flight:
- sand fin edges
- solder correct plug to new batteries
- finish sanding rear of fin can
- assemble L935

I'm getting excited for the flight! I ran sims with both Openrocket and Rasaero, and they both show 26,xxx feet with the altitude and weather of Mojave, along with an 8mph wind. Seems high, but we will see I guess! We leave for Mojave Friday morning, and launch on Saturday (whatever the outcome of the flight, I'll be relaxing in Vegas on Saunday )

Cheers,
Kyle

Can you post some photos of your nose sled design? Good luck!

 

[rc dude]

Can you post some photos of your nose sled design? Good luck!

Sure, here are a few. I used a block of wood to offset the battery, since all I had was a 1000mah 1s and it was too long. The battery is held on with industrial 3M velcro, and will have a zip tie around it as well for the launch.

Good luck on the L2 cert flight! Be sure not to wait so long to let us know how it goes!

Wow this will be one serious cert flight! Very cool!

Thanks, I'll be sure to put up some photos probably Saturday night when I get back to the campground if there is wifi.

Regarding finishing the rocket, the motor is assembled, batteries are charging, and the sanding is done. Now all I have to do is put it together Friday night, pack the chutes and charges Saturday morning and it will be ready for the launch.