2016 Rocketry Goals

Get a rocket (or three) from the US and build them.
Start a rocketry club (or find one) in China

The overarching goal is to break mach, but that will likely require L1 and L2 along the way. L1 is scheduled for next month.

Once that is accomplished, start dabbling with EX.

-Break 100.000feet with a sugar rocket.
-Develop a 154mm 140.000Ns sugar motor that will be flown in 2017.

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This is simply AWESOME!! Good luck.

BDB said:

The overarching goal is to break mach, but that will likely require L1 and L2 along the way. L1 is scheduled for next month.

Once that is accomplished, start dabbling with EX.

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You can break mach with a 38mm L1 motor. Just need a skinny, light airframe. One of my mockups breaks 2000m at mach 1.3. It's on my to-do list as a fiberglass practice model after I get L1 since I already have a 38mm motor casing lying around.

1. Build more rockets in my build pile.
2. Fly more often this summer.
3. Attend at least one organized rocketry meet.
4. Do some rocketry related volunteering for scouts, 4H, etc.

1. Attend LDRS.
2. Pass 10,000 feet (I’m currently 500 feet short).
3. Launch the AT L1000 I’ve had with no anomaly.
4. Build and use my Eggtimer Quark.
5. Help my local TARC team through their first year.*
6. Get comfortable launching rockets out of sight. **

* They may or may not advance, but I’d like it if they built enough interest to continue in the following years so they do advance, and possibly have it inspire them into a STEM career.

** I’ve been using my eggfinder, and each time I use it I’ve been able to see my rocket the entire flight. I’m more comfortable launching high, since I know the GPS works. I’m already not as worried about losing my rocket if it goes out of sight. I think an actual loss of visual plus a successful recovery would reduce any worry even further. I reeealy don't like the idea of losing a rocket.

For the people with goals of one mile+ and Mach (there are many of you), I can say those are both awesome to get done. Passing a mile was one of my goals for 2015. I missed it by two days, but I did it (along with Mach since it was on the same flight). It feels like more of an accomplishment than getting my L2. It’s a build-up of items to get there: build techniques, successful dual deployments, and tracking. Having it all come together in a successful launch that hits a milestone or two was very satisfying.

My son will go away to college this year, so my goal is to try to get to one more big launch with him before school starts. As soon as we figure out which school he is going to, I will start looking at launch dates to see what works with, and between, work schedules and school.

I just wanna have fun. With that said, if I can get out to fly with some clubs, make some friends, and maybe get an L1 certification then I'll consider that a pretty good year.

iter said:

* Fly largest RCRG on record

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Nice. How do you define largest?

Examples I can think of offhand as large are:

Length - is Chris Taylor's "GRRRR" with a length of about 12 feet. Chris Taylor's "GRRRR" may have been a bit shorter than 12 feet. The image on the rail, that may have been a 12 foot rail and there's a few inches visible above and below the glider. It was very nose heavy on its first flight and the nose was shorter on other flights.

If you mean largest in total wing area, "GRRRR" might be it but I do not know the area.



X-30 by Dave Shafer and team was around 10-ish feet long. So, not the longest but possibly the largest wing area.



Herb Vinyard (Left, Chris Taylor on right adding a camera) built a model for F Dual Eggloft, 7 foot wingspan. That is the largest span that I can recall for an R/C RBG.



X-2 by Dave Shafer was 1/5 scale. The real thing had a span of 32 feet 3 inches, so Dave's would be about 6.4 feet if the span was scale.



The largest wingspan of any Rocket Boosted Glider, that I can think of, was my Great Dane-3 Swing-wing in 1973. 9.5 foot wingspan for glide. It was not R/C and of course wingspan a lot less on boost. I do not have a pic of it, but do have a pic of my first 6 foot Great Dane in 1972 and a 2007 re-creation of my best Great Dane model (#15 in 1976), 6.5' span, that I updated for rudder-only R/C. Pics below.

- George Gassaway
.

* NARTREK Silver tasks
* Fly some dual deployment
* L2
* Build a minimum diameter HPR

Finish my joint replacement saga and finally fly rockets again--target date Midwest Power 14.

georgegassaway said:

Nice. How do you define largest?

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Installed impulse. My ambition is to build and fly an M glider. AT M650 is such a sweet glider motor, it just doesn't know it yet.

Thank you for posing these wonderful, inspirational photos. I was at BALLS when Dave maidened his X2, and even helped a little with the launch. His is the most direct milestone I aim to surpass, although I bow my head to his scalemanship. My ambition is lower than his, and omits any attempts at scale.

I have seen pictures of the other gliders in your post, but GRRRR is news to me. I would like to learn more about it.

My largest gliders so far are the 7' Have Pink (J90) and Vulcan (I140). As a rule, I find that my gliders fly on 3 impulse classes, sometimes 4. (e.g., Vulcan has flown on G to I, RadJet on C to F). The tentative name for my ambition glider is "KLM" and I'm planning on a two-tone blue color scheme :=)

Ari.

1. Come out with a new line of rockets that will :eyepop: jaded TRF'ers
2. Get L3
3. Achieve a lifelong dream
4. Not go broke from #1-3.

Or maybe just launch some wacky rockets, hang out with cool guys at the launches and not lose too many rockets. Yes, I am a man of opposites...or maybe just wishy-washy. :wink:

KenECoyote said:

1. Come out with a new line of rockets that will :eyepop: jaded TRF'ers
2. Get L3
3. Achieve a lifelong dream
4. Not go broke from #1-3.

Or maybe just launch some wacky rockets, hang out with cool guys at the launches and not lose too many rockets. Yes, I am a man of opposites...or maybe just wishy-washy. :wink:

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Ken...you come out with your own line and I'll jump to be your first customer!! Gladly!

Fly. Not much of a chance to this point, but I've never been able to get the hang of January and February.

1) Reconstitute Big Creek Rocketry and build a new crop of dedicated kids.
2) Get a kid to Huntsville for Reach for the Stars this year.
3) Obtain all the SEMROC kits I wanted and didn't acquire, now that I have a second chance.
4) Work towards an L1 certification.
5) Expose my grandson to rocketry every chance I get.

Steve

Stop working for at least a day or two and fly a rocket or two.
Probably going to downsize and fly some mid-power and light high power.
Sell an Eagle Claw kit that I just don't think I'll ever build.
I think I'll go back to all cardboard kits - fly light and cheap.

Sit in the sun and just watch the fun of someone's "arcing over!" in some new fields. Kinda left the hobby because of bad experience at the last launch I went to. Don't have time for that, not after a 5 hour drive.

Tom B. - L2 and shrinking.:eyeroll:

More info on Chris Taylor’s’ “Grrrr” and some other large HPR gliders on this page.

https://georgesrockets.com/GRP/GLIDERS/BigBirds/HPRgliders.htm



I made up some pages but never completed linking them to my site’s home page. That link also has links to see other “Big Bird” R/C Rocket Boosted Gliders.

https://georgesrockets.com/GRP/GLIDERS/BigBirds/BigBirds1.htm

My biggest R/C R/G’s, other than the 6.5” Great Dane swing wing, have been a couple of 6 foot span models built for the purpose of carrying two eggs, for F Dual Egglofting Duration. One of them, Big Bird 3, also holds the NAR record for total duration, 52 minutes for G R/G (hopped three thermals at a NARAM in Arizona).



BTW , I have added another goal for the year. Well, a near-term project. I’m going to build an Estes Falcon B/G. I built one my first year in the hobby, 1970. And things did not go well. Never worked. Death dived and after repairs, it may have shredded. So, this will be my 2nd one in 46 years. I hope it works out better this time…

Thanks for the links, George. I love that there is a place on the Web that has all the large RCBGs in one place. You're welcome to add photos and descriptions of my HPR gliders to your page.

Ari.

KenECoyote said:

1. Come out with a new line of rockets that will :eyepop: jaded TRF'ers
2. Get L3
3. Achieve a lifelong dream
4. Not go broke from #1-3.

Or maybe just launch some wacky rockets, hang out with cool guys at the launches and not lose too many rockets. Yes, I am a man of opposites...or maybe just wishy-washy. :wink:

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There are cool guys at your launches?

Bat-mite said:

There are cool guys at your launches?

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I hear it all the time...we launch something and people (especially the kids) say "WOW! THAT'S COOL!!!" :grin:

1) Get the TARC team I'm coaching thru its qualifier flights with Exactimator's help.
2) NARAM as usual. Try not to come in just out of the money in everything like last year.
3) Support DART in its upcoming launch ops transition
4) L3 ?
5) BALLS ??

I'm still stuck on last years theme: break break 3 miles and recover it.

JD

woferry said:

Unfortunately mostly resurrecting my list from last year (noting my later comments):

Left-over from last year:
1) Get my L2
2) >1 mile
3) First night launch

New this year:
4) > mach 1
5) Go to my first LDRS
6) Ideally later this year get my L3

For #1 my next L2 Cert attempt will be at the next TCC launch I attend, probably not next weekend but hopefully March.

#2 has already been checked off at the February LUNAR Snow Ranch launch, my RW Go Devil 38 ('Red Devil') flew on an I366R, sim'ed to ~7100 feet but the altimeters (A3 and SLCF) both read a smidge over 8500'. Speed was ~1050 ft/s, I had intentionally picked a motor that would break a mile but stay under mach 1, but that will probably be what I go after next with that rocket, maybe 2 miles also, more than half-way there already.

For #3 I still haven't even started this rocket, I was hung-up on how I wanted to bevel the fins (adding a groove for EL wire along the fin edge), now that I have a 3D printer I have some ideas on how to make a beveling guide. Will have an extra opportunity for night launches with LDRS in addition to Dairy Aire, XPRS and October Skies.

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Looks to me like 1,2,and 4 could all happen in one flight ??!! There half your list DONE !! lol

...and building an Aerotech Mirage with my daughter so we can fly at NSL this year!