Project Phoenix

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Orien

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Behold! Out of the ashes! And by ashes I mean when I wore sack cloth and sat in ashes as I mourned the loss of my previous Iris - stripped of her dignity as she hung on a wire slowly electrocuting for days before she mysteriously disappeared without a trace. But in her short life of four awesome flights, she taught me a lot and accomplished a lot: Certed level 1 first attempt, successful onboard footage, flew a variety of motors including the mighty I540 with zero damage, learned a ton on each flight, and just had a blast flying her.

I was so enamoured with her classic looks and laser straight flights - she just sliced right through the wind - that I'm going to build a suped-up version for my Level 2 cert.
Screenshot (114).png


PROJECT PHOENIX:

Modified 54mm 3" Loc Iris

Modifications:
Tailcone retainer
Double wall construction with couplers
Fin can reinforced with 6 oz. fiberglass lay up.
10" added to booster
4" added to payload
Airfoiled fins

Features:
External 808 camera with shroud by Additive Aerospace
Internally mounted forward facing camera
Marco Polo tracking
RRC2L Altimeter
Recovery - Apogee deployment via RRC2 with motor backup, JLCR on homemade 50" chute with spillhole. This frees up my cargo bay that would otherwise be full of recovery gear. I've tested and flown this method on all four previous flights and feel confident about it.
CTI 5 grain case with two spacers

Planned first motor:
CTI 3g J295W set to 14 seconds
Expected altitude:
6424' in 15 mph wind

Screenshot (113).png
Reinforcing couplers start at forward CR, fiberglass from there back. Fisrt time ever fiberglassing. I think I'm ready for it. This baby goes supersonic on baby K's!
 
A growing and unsettling concern with my last Iris was the unprotected area where the ejection charges fired. So in addition to the Nomex sleeve, I coated the inside of the 8" reinforcing coupler that will butt up against the forward CR with JB Weld. Fire away!


image_50399489.JPGimage_50392833.JPGimage_67141121.JPG
 
Not exactly ground breaking stuff here, I know. But fundamentals are important. I kept this thought in mind today: "If she fails, can I say I did everything I could do?"


image_67221761 (1).JPGimage_50387457.JPGimage_67141633.JPG
 
cool

the FG will surely add a good amount of durability

might suggest adding some to the top of the booster to reinforce this area - known week spot in cardboard rockets.
 
cool

the FG will surely add a good amount of durability

might suggest adding some to the top of the booster to reinforce this area - known week spot in cardboard rockets.

Yes, sir. The FG will extend to the forward CR which is about 10" up from the fins. That's where the double-wall couplers start.
 
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Yes, sir. The FG will extend to the forward CR which is about 10" up from the fins. That's where the double-wall couplers start.

speaking more to the break point at the top of the booster. this will prevent wear and guard against zippering
 
speaking more to the break point at the top of the booster. this will prevent wear and guard against zippering

Um, yeah. Well, I'm almost out of epoxy and that stuff isn't cheap and it looks like I'll be sanding for a year on what I've already done and what a sticky mess the whole thing is...
 
Yes, sir. The FG will extend to the forward CR which is about 10" up from the fins. That's where the double-wall couplers start.


Unless im looking at your file wrong , the upper section and coupler slide into the booster. What prevents a zipper ? It will not be reinforced with couplers on ejection ? All the couplers are doing is adding to the column load correct ?
 
Unless im looking at your file wrong , the upper section and coupler slide into the booster. What prevents a zipper ? It will not be reinforced with couplers on ejection ? All the couplers are doing is adding to the column load correct ?
Correct. I was thinking of a ring of fiberglass around the booster airframe to prevent zippers. I’ll admit it wasn’t much of a consideration because it’s never happened to me before.
 
Think of this situation . You do get a zipper and need to cut a few inches off the end. Now you have couplers glued into your airframe that need to be peeled out . You will be far better off just glassing the airframe and ditching the extra mass if the couplers.
 
I started trimming and shaping the newly fg'd fin can. I couldn't get the glass to take to the foiled leading and trailing edges. There are a couple low spots on the top coat and some messiness to smooth out, but I'm happy I tried it and would do it again.
image_50392833 (1).JPGimage_50377473.JPG

Hopefully these will help me achieve a smooth painting surface. Anybody try this stuff? How deep of a "scratch" are they talkin' here?
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I forgot to epoxy the forward centering ring in. I left 1/4" of exposed carboard on the coupler to get a good bond. It's just getting it 23" down a 3" tube with a 54mm motor mount. So I came up with this:
image_67201537.JPG "Interior Epoxy Pourer Thingy" Simply insert into horizontal rocket, tip upside down, and slowly rotate airframe as it pours out.

image_67166721.JPG I picture this part of the rocket as a mortar tube. The payload section is the projectile and this is the breech. Two ejection charges will fire (main and motor back-up) in this area on every flight. I don't want to be shy about an ejection charge size because I'm worried about blowing the airframe open or severing the shock cord. Those 8 inches of "breech" are double walled, coated with JB Weld, and soon-to-be FG reinforced on the exterior as well. The Nomex sleeve that extends to the forward end of the booster section should keep the shock cord intact.
 
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Think of this situation . You do get a zipper and need to cut a few inches off the end. Now you have couplers glued into your airframe that need to be peeled out . You will be far better off just glassing the airframe and ditching the extra mass if the couplers.
I'd rather not think about that. Thanks for pointing this out. I will now reinforce the end of the booster with FG.
 
LOLZ!!!!!

i didnt want to think about it either, then it happened and i was like "well F! this just got 10 times more difficult than it needed to be!!!"
 
Oh, and I recognized the quote in your signature line immediately.

heck yea! feel very privileged to have seen them perform at a few clubs here in DC - beyond intense!

as Keef has said "there is no such thing as a slack Prodigy gig!!!"
 
Hopefully these will help me achieve a smooth painting surface. Anybody try this stuff? How deep of a "scratch" are they talkin' here?
I use the Dupli-color primer/filler extensively and get good results with it. It's not a one shot deal though and for real deep scratches/voids, filler putty is much better suited. I do use it to smooth out FG weave, just takes a couple iterations of prime and sand to get it right.
 
Unless you are looking to throw a full K in her, that piece on the forward end of the airframe will likely pay higher returns than the glass on the fin can.
 
Unless you are looking to throw a full K in her, that piece on the forward end of the airframe will likely pay higher returns than the glass on the fin can.
Well, of COURSE full K's! We have a 13k' waiver. And isn't the point of rocketry to slam in the biggest motor that will physically fit? I was under that impression...
 
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