Got my L1 cert yesterday...

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Mugs914

Mugs914

Beware of the leopard.
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Title says it all!

Flew my extended LOC Forte on Saturday at the AARG Apache Pass launch. It was a perfect flight and an easy recovery (Not in the corn, in other words...). Wasn't even a long walk to pick it up!

The Forte flew on an Aerotech I-135 White Lightning to ~2500 feet. Motor ejection was used just to keep things simple and the ten second delay threw the laundry right at apogee, best as I could tell. Recovery was by a 30" Top Flight chute.

I haven't been with AARG for very long, but they are a great group and I'm really having fun getting to know everyone. I'd especially like to thank Jim Jarvis, Harry "The Motorman" Spears and all the folks at AARG for helping out the new guy!

Thanks again for a great day guys!

Mike

Pics by Harry:

DSC_0099a.jpg DSC_0103a.jpg
 
Congratulations Mike ... Well done sir!

Harry (camera guy too) Spears is a wealth of information and experience and the AARG guys are some of the best.

The Forte' is a great choice for L1 and an outstanding versatile flyer. It was also my first HP rocket "back in the day".
 
Congratulations Mike, that looked to be an excellent launch. It was certainly successful. You may find that high power is addictive. For me, it only seems to get bigger and more expensive.
But seriously folks, that looked to be a great launch. Getting a certification is always a thrill. I'm sure that will be the first of many high power adventures for you.

Jim
 
Thanks everyone! It really was a pretty flight (If I do say so myself!:p). Gotta love White Lightning propellant!

I think my next step is to become more familiar with electronics/dual deployment. I flew motor ejection just to keep things simpler for the cert flight, but I would like to be proficient with dual deployment and other aspects of electronic recovery. I've got a few birds that would be really fun to put up on an H or I motors, but wouldn't come down in this county without DD. GPS tracking also looks like a lot of fun...

I eventually want to earn my Level 2 cert, but I'm not in any rush (Even though the rocket is already built. Another story for another thread, perhaps). I would like to try air starts at some point too, and then there is this half-scale Sparrow-Arcas two stage project that keeps rearin' it's head, and M motors :eek:, yeah, those are neat...

Yeah boys, I'm at the top of a steep, slippery slope and have just put on my greased boots. Gonna be a fun ride!;)
 
Dual deployment opens another window into how to have fun with this hobby. Take your time, learn, enjoy the process. And congrats on the L1!
 
Mugs914 said:
I think my next step is to become more familiar with electronics/dual deployment. I flew motor ejection just to keep things simpler for the cert flight, but I would like to be proficient with dual deployment and other aspects of electronic recovery. I've got a few birds that would be really fun to put up on an H or I motors, but wouldn't come down in this county without DD. GPS tracking also looks like a lot of fun...
Click to expand...

That's almost exactly what I did! I took estes PSII rockets and shoved altimeters in them to work out the kinks of electronic deployment (boy were there kinks). Once I got comfortable with ground testing and single alt procedures and setup, flying redundant for my L2 was downright easy.
 
Nytrunner said:
That's almost exactly what I did! I took estes PSII rockets and shoved altimeters in them to work out the kinks of electronic deployment (boy were there kinks). Once I got comfortable with ground testing and single alt procedures and setup, flying redundant for my L2 was downright easy.
Click to expand...
That's a good way to go. My first DD flight was my L2 flight. Fortunately everything worked, but it made me a nervous wreck.
 
Nytrunner said:
That's almost exactly what I did! I took estes PSII rockets and shoved altimeters in them to work out the kinks of electronic deployment (boy were there kinks). Once I got comfortable with ground testing and single alt procedures and setup, flying redundant for my L2 was downright easy.
Click to expand...

I'm using an elongated DRM and a statologger CF for my dual deploy testing.
 
Scott Hala said:
I'm using an elongated DRM and a statologger CF for my dual deploy testing.
Click to expand...

Tip: Don't mess with shear pins on the thin plastic nose cones. I put brass shear strips in my Pro series tubes initially, but the thin plastic would deform and cause errors after a couple flights. Just tape the shoulder so it holds when you shake the rocket, and ground test to verify the charge ejects properly. Black powder calculator (you won't need 10 psi in your Max)https://www.rockethead.net/black_powder_calculator.htm
 
Have to say I admire your courage in doing your first DD flight as your L2 cert! Mine was my second DD flight, which was stressful enough.
Either way, I'd agree and say to the OP there's a sort of logic to getting a handle on using electronics on or before L2 cert as it's in the L2 range that one starts to encounter plugged commercial HPR motors.
Bat-mite said:
That's a good way to go. My first DD flight was my L2 flight. Fortunately everything worked, but it made me a nervous wreck.
Click to expand...
 
Nytrunner said:
That's almost exactly what I did! I took estes PSII rockets and shoved altimeters in them to work out the kinks of electronic deployment (boy were there kinks). Once I got comfortable with ground testing and single alt procedures and setup, flying redundant for my L2 was downright easy.
Click to expand...

Me as well. My Level 1 was motor deploy, and I started doing dual deploy in a little mid-power rocket (24mm motor) around the same time. It was a lot of fun, and less stressful to test DD in a rocket nearly small enough to tumble recover. Plus, after that, DD in a 3"+ rocket is a piece of cake.
 
Nice looking flight. Well done. Keep in mind the fact that anything to do with electronics is WAY easier to deal with in larger diameter tubes. I see a 4 incher in your future. Don't be intimidated by DD stuff either, it's all about being meticulous and double checking everything. Easy way to start is an Eggtimer Quark or equivalent. No programming to screw up if you use defaults (jumpers). Drogue @ apogee, main @ 500', doesn't get any easier.
 
mbeels said:
I believe you're correct. The rocket needs to use Active Recovery (point 8), which is described here.
Click to expand...

Can confirm. My L2 flight was motor eject.

Wallace said:
Nice looking flight. Well done. Keep in mind the fact that anything to do with electronics is WAY easier to deal with in larger diameter tubes. I see a 4 incher in your future. Don't be intimidated by DD stuff either, it's all about being meticulous and double checking everything. Easy way to start is an Eggtimer Quark or equivalent. No programming to screw up if you use defaults (jumpers). Drogue @ apogee, main @ 500', doesn't get any easier.
Click to expand...

A Missileworks RRC2+ is another great option for this if you don't want to solder up an Eggtimer. It has a similar setup to the Quark with programming by jumpers. I'll second the notion that a 4" rocket is waaay easier than a smaller one once you're doing dual deploy. It really helps to be able to get your arm in the rocket.
 
Last edited:
Scott Hala said:
Thanks Steve.
I couldn't remember if it was a TRA requirement or not and for some strange reason work is blocking my access to tripoli.org.
Click to expand...

Tripoli requires a flight with electronics on a level 2 motor prior to certifying for Level 3. NAR doesn't have this requirement for some reason.
 

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