MAC Performance HYPER 54 M/D

[Locksmith]

I know it defeats the purpose, but what if you paint them? Will they allow that?

I was told at the other field if I painted them I could use them but its so far away not sure what Im gonna do with the rocket right now it just looks cool hanging lol

 

[mpitfield]

Which camera do you have on board and did you make the shroud? Good looking design and flight.

Looks like a Mobius Addictive Aerospace shroud https://www.additiveaerospace.com/collections/video-camera-shrouds

 

[Andrew_ASC]

These rockets are gorgeous.

 

[Phil Hodges]

Which camera do you have on board and did you make the shroud? Good looking design and flight.

Thanks! I use the standard 1080p/30fps Mobius Action Cam. The shroud is 3D-printed for that camera by Andrew at Additive Aerospace. They're available for most airframe diameters and can be screwed on or epoxied. I put them on all my HP (and some MP) rockets! Andrew also makes shrouds for other Mobius and 808 cameras too, as well as the flyaway rail guide I decided to try for this rocket.

 

[Phil Hodges]

I don't want to miss quote him but basically the way I understand it is the way tripoli code is written you cant use aluminum fins, so thats what they enforce. Why I can at one Tripoli field and not another I have no idea just going by what are Prefect told me

Serious bummer. Is there a NAR field near you where you could fly it? The LCO at my field didn't question the aluminum fins, and I'm not aware of any NAR restrictions on them. But I was thinking about flying it with Tripoli Central California as my next-closest field with a slightly higher waiver. Sounds like I should contact them first to find out if it's OK to fly it there. I've only flown with TCC once for LDRS37, and I don't know their rules as well.

 

[Buckeye]

I know it defeats the purpose, but what if you paint them? Will they allow that?

What is the point of painting the aluminum fins? To fool the RSO? My guess is that the aluminum ban is to prevent damage to the farmer's equipment.

 

[Buckeye]

So I finally got a chance to launch my Hyper54 with LUNAR last Saturday (Dec 8), and it went to 11,290ft on a K850--not bad for a 1st flight! I flew it naked because it wasn't ready for paint until right when all the smoke from the Camp Fire started blowing into the Bay Area for the next 2 weeks, followed by much needed rain. Rob Heil got a great liftoff shot, and the in-flight video came out really good too. I made a little iMovie of it and posted it here: Can't wait to fly it again on a larger motor!

Nice rocket and nice finish.

I assume the precision fin set is spot on, with all fins perfectly aligned and square. Yet, your rocket spins like crazy (like my builds). This tells me that perfect fins do not guarantee a flight with no roll. There must be a lot more to it. For one, the huge camera shroud (relative to the airframe diameter) acting as a single fin.....

 

[Phil Hodges]

Nice rocket and nice finish.

I assume the precision fin set is spot on, with all fins perfectly aligned and square. Yet, your rocket spins like crazy (like my builds). This tells me that perfect fins do not guarantee a flight with no roll. There must be a lot more to it. For one, the huge camera shroud (relative to the airframe diameter) acting as a single fin.....

Yeah, I'd say that's right. The camera shroud likely induces a certain amount of spin, because it creates asymmetrical air flow. Compare my Hyper54 video to the shakedown flight of my L3 build, a Madcow DX3-XL, which has both downward and upward facing cameras and has the lowest amount of spin I've ever achieved since I've been putting cameras on rockets: . I think the second camera probably helps balance the aerodynamics to cancel out the spin.

Another factor that I read about in The Space Shuttle Operator's Manual is that when launching a satellite on a solid "kick" motor to a higher orbit, the shuttle had a spin table with a spring to launch the satellite. The spin was both to even out the heat of the sun on the satellite, and to balance the uneven burn of the solid kick motor once it was ignited away from the shuttle. I've noticed a lot more spin on the Aerotech Dark Matter motors like the K850 I used for my Hyper54's first flight than on, say, the L1000 white lightning I used for my L3 shakedown. I suspect that uneven thrust from some motors, combined with atmospheric fins correcting the rocket's overall trajectory, causes a lot of that spin on sport rockets.

But I also wouldn't assume that the aluminum fin can is spot on, either. I removed it for paint and masked the area under the can so it would fit the same later. When I reinstalled it, one of the fins initially looked cocked to the left. I spent a lot of time loosening and re-tightening the bolts to get it straight and "tune" it. I think it's like any other fin attachment: It's only as good as you make it. Until I get it in the air a second time, I won't know if my fin reinstallation (and a different motor) make any difference. Can't wait to find out!

 

[Buckeye]

Nice straight boost! Looks like your drogue cord twisted like a mother on this flight, though. No harm.

I agree. Choice of motor seems to affect the roll rate, also. Lots of variables. Sounds like a good R&D project!

 

[Phil Hodges]

Nice straight boost! Looks like your drogue cord twisted like a mother on this flight, though. No harm.

I agree. Choice of motor seems to affect the roll rate, also. Lots of variables. Sounds like a good R&D project!

Thanks! Yes, it was really twisted coming down but landed fine. I made some tweaks to the recovery rig that I hope will avoid some of that tumbling next time. But the lack of spin on the way up was a total surprise!
It will be interesting to see the roll rate with a different motor. I have a K828FJ for a second L3 shakedown, and a K375W for the Hyper54 second flight. I think the Dark Matter propellant burns unevenly because of the "titanium sponge" embedded in the fuel mixture to make it sparky. An R&D project for sure!

 

[Andrew_ASC]

Ordered.

 

[GRIFFIN]

I don't want to miss quote him but basically the way I understand it is the way tripoli code is written you cant use aluminum fins, so thats what they enforce. Why I can at one Tripoli field and not another I have no idea just going by what are Prefect told me

The reason is the wording on the FAA waiver.

The words “Non metallic” is the definition of what we are flying.

 

[Binder Design]

I don't want to miss quote him but basically the way I understand it is the way tripoli code is written you cant use aluminum fins, so thats what they enforce. Why I can at one Tripoli field and not another I have no idea just going by what are Prefect told me

These fin cans are not prohibited by TRA or NAR. They may be prohibited at specific launches due to landholder agreements or FAA waivers that specify "non-metallic".