Except for the TAP's and L3CC's . . . LOL !
Your experience certifying L3 with a 4” (or smaller) fiberglass rocket…
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Except for the TAP's and L3CC's . . . LOL !
Just finished certifying L3 with a 4” fiberglass DX3 XL. Flew an M1350W. Both test (54mm L1000 w 54-75 adapter) and cert flights went swimmingly.
Great build — only semi-tricky part was injecting the internal fin fillets.
Went to 13500 and Mach 1.1. If you have a field with a high enough waiver nearby, I say go for it!
I had some people try to argue me out of it, but in the end, it was my cert and not theirs. It’s YOUR cert, have fun with it.
Good luck.
Great build — only semi-tricky part was injecting the internal fin fillets.
Went to 13500 and Mach 1.1. If you have a field with a high enough waiver nearby, I say go for it!
I had some people try to argue me out of it, but in the end, it was my cert and not theirs. It’s YOUR cert, have fun with it.
Good luck.
Ain’t that the truth. I started thinking about how much I have in my L3 rocket but stopped when it reached 4 figures.
Now onto a 1.6” MD Go Devil.
James Darnell
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im looking at doing a 4" 75mm motor stretched mad cow fg. little john . for mine but waiver on east coast might make me choose a diffrent route.
hey Bill, I have been approved for my level 3 with a Mach 1 4" Black Hole. i 'd like to hear any suggestions that you may have that you used on yours. I also have just finished the MC Go Devil, will flyin 2 weeks.
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Hi David,
First, beautiful job on the fins. Nicely done.
Can’t say that I did anything exotic. The rocket was pretty much stock except for making a removable bulkhead in the nose to accommodate a tracker and the addition of a thrust plate.
My philosophy was to stick to the middle of the road as far as build technique goes and making sure that my epoxy work was as high quality as I could make it.
Have to admit though, I really wasn’t looking for something to break Mach 1 — I bought the kit on sale before I had a chance to simulate what it would do with an M. I was really thinking in terms of the traditional BDR (big dumb rocket). But once I was there, I wasn’t about to spring for another kit.
In retrospect, I’m glad that it happened the way it did. It really helped me get better with my building skills.
I have posted my complete L3 package, which is very detailed on the build process in the L3 package forum.
Here’s a direct link:
https://1drv.ms/w/s!AmTJZxAGTMBHlqpfBdlDqNXW0WtU3A
If you have questions, I will be glad to answer anything.
Bill
Thanks Bill, will read it and with interest. Dave
Bill, what is this epoxy clay? Does it set up hard, like epoxy?
James Darnell
Member
Thank you for posting your level 3 package. I hope you dont mind I have adopted your format for mine, it is very well written . My project is comming along nicely and I gain more and more usefull tips here daily. thank you
Hi Bill, if you would I would like to know more about your thrust plate. Thanks, Dave.
Just wanted to thank you for taking the time to post your build and L3 cert paperwork for others including myself to learn from your experiences. Congratulations on your successful L3 Bill.
I too purchased a Madcow kit, an Osprey (4.5" x 75mm) on sale end of last year for my L3 certs. I had SC make a custom thrust plate (4.5" non stock) in January and Buddy made a 50' extreme streamer and 9' chute combo in matching purple and black back in April. Funny how our builds have many parallels in thought, pre-planning and build processes. My plan is to cert L3 TRA at LDRS this year.
All the best Bill!
John
I too purchased a Madcow kit, an Osprey (4.5" x 75mm) on sale end of last year for my L3 certs. I had SC make a custom thrust plate (4.5" non stock) in January and Buddy made a 50' extreme streamer and 9' chute combo in matching purple and black back in April. Funny how our builds have many parallels in thought, pre-planning and build processes. My plan is to cert L3 TRA at LDRS this year.
All the best Bill!
John
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Not Bill, but here is some info. I used one on my L3 Cert build and it was great.
https://www.scpconcepts.com/rocket-accesories.html
https://www.apogeerockets.com/Building_Supplies/Thrust_Plates/6in_98mm_Thrust_Plate
Hi Dave,
I got the 4-75 thrust plate here.
https://www.apogeerockets.com/Building_Supplies/Thrust_Plates?zenid=mb2ieorr6uafgob3epbb8jqs17
They have a pretty good primer right on the page. I used it with a flanged aero pack retainer that bolts right on to it. The only modification was that I added a couple of centering rings to completely fill the gap between the end of the fins and the front edge of the thrust plate. That also provided plenty of “bite” for the fasteners. This took some trial and error to get exactly right, and I had to temporarily put some long screws into the assembly that stuck out so I had something to pull the assembly out (very tight fit) while I was making adjustments.
If you go that route, be sure to test fit everything before you epoxy the motor tube in. It ended up being about 1/8” different than the directions stated.
Bill
Hi Dave,
It comes in two parts that you work together to make into the epoxy clay. Just dig two equal chunks from each jar and knead them together until it’s all the same color. Very stiff to work with, but does not sag at all and sands beautifully. The I-fixit clay is sold on Amazon and a small package will go a long way.
I actually used this to make the fillets for my L1/L2 rocket. I also use it to do the mounting for removable bulkheads. You can shape it into a nice bead, lay it into the area you want, then do final shaping with a gloved finger dipped in alcohol or a suitable sized piece of PVC - or a plastic spoon.
Bill
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I have been beating on my Wildman Drago 4XL with K2050ST motors and have little doubt it would fly beautifully on an M.
Hi Bill, looked at the thrust plates. will use one for sure. Did they custom make yours? I am building a 4" Mach 1 Black Hole and do not have the kit ywt, so I do not know the OD. Dave.
Dave,
I just bought the stock one. Since Apogee sells a lot of MadCow products, most of their stuff generally fits.
If there’s an OpenRocket file for the kit from Mach 1, you can look at the specs for the airframe and it will have OD, ID and wall thickness.
Also, here’s the link to the 4” fiberglass airframe tubing from Mach 1:
https://www.mach1rocketry.com/store...rglass_Airframe_60"_(Full)_Or_30"_(Half).html
You could probably call them to confirm they use the same airframe tubing in their kits.
Bill
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