My Olympus on a D12-3. Last flight hangs in a tree...LoL.

[86mustang408w]

Wrote whats below last night. Spent most of the day trying to get that rocket out of the tree so It was not much after this. Its a learning experience, but I want to get these up. But it was probably the best choice to not launch anymore with what I had brought. I working on a old High-Flier XL right now that will be a test rocket. So...these were my thoughts last night. This is more than just a hobby to me right now, its keeping me going. So its a bummer with days like these more so right now than it usually is for someone who just goes for fun. Most of these rockets I built after a injury and have never flown them. Its beyond frustrating right now...


"Well went down to the SPAAR launch today at the Zell farm launch site in Elizabethtown. First time there and the wind was just not good, with a cold front that moved in. I sent my Olympus up on a C6-3 as it was the only rocket I had that was a tester or disposable. It worked out ok the video is below. I questioned what to do next, and stuck with the Olympus to get a feel for things with a D12-3. I knew it would go up pretty high but others were having pretty decent success. So I put a D12-3 in, and aimed it as best I could. Well, had I not touched the launch rod and left it go where it was, it wouldn't have caught the edge of a tree branch and that's where its at, lol. I spent about 2 hours with a modified tee shirt gun, and shoots a tennis ball that has a wire attached it, then its wrapped around the outside of a toilet bowl flange* or something like that. Its a few pieces of PVC pipes/parts mixed in too, that you pump up with a bicycle pump. I don't have a picture of it, but I came close several times to getting my Olympus down with it, lol. But it fell a little and got hung up the 2nd or 3rd time. The farmer even came over to see what we were doing an said the winds are never like this, they come in from the other direction. He said west to east or east to north or something... But, my Olympus tree hanger is the first video with all the other videos in there. This(tree hanger)was maybe 35 mins or so after we got there about 9am, I'm just getting home now. I was done after the Olympus and didn't put any more up. I watched a few, didn't get some videos or pictures of them. Even the Aerotech G-Force that had a failed ejection and went nosecone first into a corn field. The nosecone was pretty much on the top centering ring and it was in several pcs. I pulled the motor out and it ejected. But the baffle that they give you and foil or whatever that stuff is cut the ejection charge down too much that it just didn't eject, thats what I could figure. It went straight up and straight down. But the same guy got his Zephyr out of the same 4 trees that claimed mine. I found what was left of a body tube from a very small rocket sent up on a G something, it corked screwed for about 800 feet after the fin came off I presume. If it wasn't for the wind I think it would be an ok spot to do what I have. Many guys lost quite a few today, I was hesitant but stuck with that and didn't fly anymore.

Its extremely hard in with some of these sites with the wind and I just don't get to fly them enough to get know each rocket. One person would have a great flight, next guy lost his. So the choice to launch it on a proven motor was great, but unfortunately the next one up wasn't. I would have been alot more upset had it been another one of my rockets but the Olympus did its job and some is my fault. Not matter how many years you do this, once you walk away from that rocket its out of your hands even if you did your best. It makes it harder at a launch because in a spot like this, by the time you get it aimed the way you want it, and by the time they launch it the wind competely changes. Central PA on most days this year have just been gusts of wind, constantly from every direction...Oh well...Learning more everyday.

Oh and some others guys rocket either landed it front of us still under power, and I really thought someone accidentally set of a motor. Nope it was what was left of a tail section tumbling across the ground. I don't even know what to say about that right now. The best thing to come out of today for me, was Routes 11/15 North."

 

[K'Tesh]

How much you wanna bet that K'Tesh has written something up on treed rockets?

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/treed-rockets-robin-hood-recovery-and-some-warnings.158736/

Hope you get it back intact, or at least easily repairable.

 

[Pinetree]

One of the guys in our club has an actual grappling hook for such endeavors.

Our field had similar conditions today, and I only flew three rockets. With those flags going straight out in your video I would have probably sat that one out.

 

[Tractionengines]

I have 2 of these... extends to 30ft. Kind of "flexy" like wiggling a wet noodle when fully extended, but easier than balls/rocks/arrows/etc. with string attached, for anything less than 35' off the ground.

Extend-a-Reach 7-30 ft Long Telescopic Extension Pole https://a.co/d/6DDqinD

This is the "attachmen" I use on the end. Let's me push or pull a little. ( Their poles are shorter. But select attachment only and this hook style is useful. )

EVERSPROUT Threaded End for Boating Accessories https://a.co/d/5Q5jBGB

 

[86mustang408w]

How much you wanna bet that K'Tesh has written something up on treed rockets?

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/treed-rockets-robin-hood-recovery-and-some-warnings.158736/

Hope you get it back intact, or at least easily repairable.

Haha! I didn't see that yet man. I took a little break from rocketry and I'm slowy getting back to it. I have a spot at my house in Bloomsburg, PA that is great for testing even up to G motors with certain rockets. But I'm staying temporarily about 30 mins away. The only thing local is that High School, and that's pretty much maxed out with my Big Daddy on a D12-3. I've gotten my Big Bertha up on a C6-3 inna pretty windy day, but its a little heavier at 125g w/o motor and with a spill hole comes right down. But my Olympus might blow out of that tree, the farmer is aware of it so thats a plus.

When I got back to my house now Saturday night. I was more frustrated I didn't get to launch some of these rockets I built over 10 years ago and recently "freshened" up. But that Olympus caught the tree branch by about 2 feet. A hundred things ran thru my head about what I could have done differently for the flight so it was just an unfortunate learning situation. I have had luck with a fishing pole and big sinker with a hook. Many times that has gotten them down. I guess I made the right call to just not launch anymore. I mean they probably launched 30 to 35 and maybe 10 to 15 flights were successful. And the others were severely damaged, lost, or hanging in trees. Ill read your post in a bit, and next month I'll remember to get a picture of his tennis ball cannon.

I'm also looking around for better spots where im at. There's a few places and I'm going to check on them. I also wanted to chat with you! LoL. I have an old Partizon to build and love the Cherokee-E upscale you did years back, that kinda stirred up some issues about bringing back old threads but thats dealt with. I contacted Launch Lab Rocketry, and told him what I wanted to do and I needed fins made. He said he had a set from a 3" Cherokee-H upscale they did a few years back and they might work. I thought about it and measured some things out and thought I'll try it and if anything I can use them elsewhere later on. I don't have the best tools right now, so getting them made was the best option. But after I got them, and mocked them up I really think im not going to sand or trim them down. Its not honestly then a true upscale but it looks great to me. So I think im going to cut out the slots and use them. I'll make another post about that sometime In the future when I start building it in the HPR threads. For now I'm working on a old High-Flier XL for a test rocket on windy days. Just mocking it up but two lugs were best over the one I had one it they give you.

 

[86mustang408w]

One of the guys in our club has an actual grappling hook for such endeavors.

Our field had similar conditions today, and I only flew three rockets. With those flags going straight out in your video I would have probably sat that one out.

Yeah that would work too. It was a hard call. I mean I have a bunch of physical issues and had just sat in a car for 2 hours, to get to that field...lol. I put the Olympus up first on a C6-3, and it wasn't great. It flies great in it and I have flow it several times very successfully in low wind conditions. I even debated on doing it one more time with a D motor, and this was the result. I knew when I first got out of the car with the wind direction, where they were setting up, those 4 trees would be an issue. They caught a few rockets.

 

[86mustang408w]

I have 2 of these... extends to 30ft. Kind of "flexy" like wiggling a wet noodle when fully extended, but easier than balls/rocks/arrows/etc. with string attached, for anything less than 35' off the ground.

Extend-a-Reach 7-30 ft Long Telescopic Extension Pole https://a.co/d/6DDqinD

This is the "attachmen" I use on the end. Let's me push or pull a little. ( Their poles are shorter. But select attachment only and this hook style is useful. )

EVERSPROUT Threaded End for Boating Accessories https://a.co/d/5Q5jBGB

Quite a few guys had things like that. Mine was about 35 feet up. It was just out of reach and with the fences and cow pastures it was hard to do a few things. I hit the rocket a few times with that tennis ball gun. I think if had a net or a even plastic grappling hook of some sort I could have gotten it. The farmer is aware and he said he finds them quite a bit and he saves them until the club comes back. I'm sure I could call him and go back down but at that point its the same price in gas to run to hobby lobby and buy another 16 dollar Olympus. I don't usually launch at all on windy days, but unfortunately its been nothing but that all summer and the spring here. So I need to change up my game. I don't think with that field and even using my Jollylogic Chute Release I would have gotten one back with what I had. I cut it off after this one. Many guys kept going and probably half lost them. No disrespect to any of them but I probably wouldn't have done anymore. I had a few I could launch on A and B motors but just said nope. Most of my day was getting that rocket down.

. And then a rocket left the launch pad, broke somehow right off of it, and went between our car and tent and the guys next to us. Well at some point while it still was under thrust it hit their dog and it ran off. Luckily they found her yesterday. I have a love for animals, especially dogs and service dogs. And that happened right after I lost mine in that tree, so the whole day was just a mess. I had to pull back a bit I was just discouraged. I've been working so hard to get these flight ready, and my life situation now is just incredibly hard to try and focus on these and then try to deal with constant problems in daily life. I'm just worn out, but im thinking about a few things and watching over the videos from this past weekend. A few ideas going to having a nylon string attached to the fin thru a smaller hole, then run the string up the body tube on the outside, and uo the body tube and into the laundry. My thinking it then at ejection this string as long as it can be maybe 30 feet or so, would come out. And if it would get hung up in a tree that string would hang down so I could grab it and pull it down. Idk how that would work out. But im going to make one rocket as a windy day tester to fly up to E motors. I like using the kevlar shock cords, but im thinking a replaceable rubber band from the kevlar cord to the chute swivel might create a better weak point as well. So getting at least the rocket and nosecone to break free from the parachute thats usually the problem point might help get them back. I'm going to sit and read what other guys are doing. I just want one rocket that's disposable. But also built to be retrieved. So thats what I'm working on now.

 

[T-Rex]

I think you made a wise decision not flying anymore rockets. The last launch I went to, I flew nothing. Long drive and a hotel stay, but I decided that I didn't want to chance the trees. Enjoyed watching a couple of other's rockets go into the trees though.

I learned something that day, always bring a couple "expendable" rockets. Rockets that are nothing special, just for fun. If a tree or thermal grabs one, so be it.

 

[86mustang408w]

I think you made a wise decision not flying anymore rockets. The last launch I went to, I flew nothing. Long drive and a hotel stay, but I decided that I didn't want to chance the trees. Enjoyed watching a couple of other's rockets go into the trees though.

I learned something that day, always bring a couple "expendable" rockets. Rockets that are nothing special, just for fun. If a tree or thermal grabs one, so be it.

Yes I agree. I almost didn't launch any and was even pulled my Olympus back off the pad and was gonna call it before it even went up on the C6-3. I mean its been an effort from getting them ready to packing the car, getting food, etc...LOL. I built a lot of these rockets 10 years ago, and I haven't built or launched since 2013 or so. But in May this year I decided it was time to do this again, permanently. I was having a bad time with daily life and needed something to focus on.

. That Olympus was my only "expendable" or "disposable" rocket I had, and I don't really have any disposable ones so to speak. I haven't launched some of these still, and its just eating at me to get them up. But I'm taking a old High-Flier XL and making it for a test flyer. I've flown since 1990 and don't usually lose many, but I would have been a little more upset had I lost one of my older ones I have time into. This is my second club meet ever so its kind of an overload going to one. I'm kind of watching everyone else's flights and trying to think what I want to launch....

But I sat down last week and wrote down what rockets I was taking. Weighed them, wrote down what motors I wanted to use. Unfortunately with the wind that was useless. Next month I'm going back down to Halifax with them again, with URRG in NY the week before. So, I'm going to prepare my mid power stuff but also bring along some low power stuff in case its too windy. The times coming when ill get these up. Its just so frustrating with having these older builds never up. I wanted to 10 years ago and never did, also I want to get some of my new builds up as well. I don't usually fly at all on windy days. Sadly I had no flights with that Olympus and D motor as locally I just don't have the launch area. I'm going to call around and find some better spots.

As I might have said im temporarily staying at a family members house about 30 mins from where my permanent house is. So driving 30 mins to test one or two flights isn't worth it, but now I have a few to launch so this weekend I might pack up and go over to launch some of these finally. It's a huge area and definitely can do my bigger rockets with F and maybe G motors. A few guys were just sending up small rockets with ridiculous motors in them. I mean if your going to lose it why not do it great fashion? My only regret now is that I didn't stuff and E12-6 in that Olympus...

Below is the launch area I have near my home.

 

[GlenP]

Bummer, I hope you get the chance to get it back sometime. Do you put your name and contact info on your rockets? Might have been a good day to reef or knock that chute, or swap it out for a streamer if the fins can survive a harder landing.