Successful L1 and L2 certs yesterday! Pics and vids!

I re-certified Level 1 and Level 2 (alongside Devontmp) at the ROCC launch in Midland, NC yesterday. It was my first time to a club launch in 5 years or so and it was a BLAST. Why did I ever take a hiatus from flying?! GREAT launch with several J and K flights (site maximum is K). Saw a lot of old friends, too. What a blast!

I flew my rebuilt, full scale HV Arcas for both flights. The vehicle is 92" long, 4.5" wide, about 10/11lbs loaded, 8lbs dry. The L1 flight was on a CTI I540WT and the L2 was on a CTI J290W. Same motor case for both flights...only a 50ns difference between the two loads. Both flights were dual deploy using a Missileworks RRC2 with a 36" drogue at apogee and a 60" main at 500'.

It got 1639' on the I540 but no reading for the J290 flight as the altimeter's battery was knocked loose upon landing I think it got more altitude off of the I though. It just hammers the rocket off the pad and then it coasts and coasts...

Pictures of the I540 prep and launch are below (and on the next post), as well as videos of both flights (L2 flight video is better).

L1 I540WT:

https://youtu.be/1MuFGnnOhTw

L2 J290W:

https://youtu.be/SLZK59tcYE4

And a few more...the I540 flame is surprisingly short considering it's such a high impulse motor, isn't it? Check those mach diamonds on the first shot though!

Congrats!! Nice flight too. I just flew that very motor in my Defender MkIII to 5775!

Congrats, and welcome back!

-Kevin

Seeing all the V2's on the pads, you must have flown this right after I left. Had to dash to get to my son's basketball game. Congrats on the certs! Hope to see ya back out there next month!

Davidtmp said:

Seeing all the V2's on the pads, you must have flown this right after I left. Had to dash to get to my son's basketball game. Congrats on the certs! Hope to see ya back out there next month!

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Must've been. Thanks for the congrats guys!

Congrats! I'm really getting jealous with all you guys that have year round flying.

thobin said:

Congrats! I'm really getting jealous with all you guys that have year round flying.

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Actually ... no. We lose our field in the summer due to crops. The farmer allows us access only at certain times of the year mostly Late Fall, Winter and early Spring. We do have occasionally opening for launches at other times. If we travel about 3 hours down the road we can fly in Orangeburg year round however.

Great flight Marcus! Happy to see you back. Much better than your previous last flight on the ROCC pads that I recall ( major cluster disaster rocket lots of D's - not successful.) 5 years is a lot of time - don't be a stranger!

marcusSRG said:

It got 1639' on the I540 but no reading for the J290 flight as the altimeter's battery was knocked loose upon landing I think it got more altitude off of the I though. It just hammers the rocket off the pad and then it coasts and coasts...

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Congrats! That can be a lot of work for one day.

If your battery got knocked out you should be able to plug it back in and most brands of alts will beep out the last flights max alt. Plus, if it got knocked out on landing you are very lucky it didn't come out at apogee or during thrust. :y: I'd look for a better way to secure that battery if I were you.

Congrats,and good to see you back.I saw some more faces I hadn't seen in a while.Look forward to seeing you next month.

UncleVanya said:

Great flight Marcus! Happy to see you back. Much better than your previous last flight on the ROCC pads that I recall ( major cluster disaster rocket lots of D's - not successful.) 5 years is a lot of time - don't be a stranger!

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HAHAHA! It was 2 H220s and 12 D11s..one 220 catoed and the rest went awry from there. I threw that thing together to burn off motors. Don't you worry, the clusters will be back VERY soon...I am just taking a more methodical approach these days!

DAllen said:

Congrats! That can be a lot of work for one day.

If your battery got knocked out you should be able to plug it back in and most brands of alts will beep out the last flights max alt. Plus, if it got knocked out on landing you are very lucky it didn't come out at apogee or during thrust. :y: I'd look for a better way to secure that battery if I were you.

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I intentionally mounted the altimeter with the battery terminals facing aft to avoid this issue. I usually do several wraps of electrical tape around the battery to hold it but I forgot to do it. Over the years i've misplaced the battery clip that came with the RRC2.

The payload section landed right on it's aft bulkhead with an audible thud so I'm sure it was knocked loose at landing but I am lucky it didn't shake loose at apogee! I definitely made a mental note to secure my battery next time!

Congrats man! That flame is uncharacteristically short on that I540W. Looks like a mini K550W.

I bet you could take a 4-40 screw and 2 nuts to keep the battery from sliding away from the connector. Couple that with some wraps of electrical tape and you should be fine.

Congrats, and nice flights!

Nice landing on the L2, short walk. Perfect. My L2 landed about the same and the club members thought I should have to have walked at least a mile to REALLY get my L2. Congrats.

Two great flights Marcus!!! Glad I was there to see them both. Congrats!!!

Todd

Congratulations!! Beautiful rockets and awesome flights!!!:santa-smile::merry-christmas:

marcusSRG said:

And a few more...the I540 flame is surprisingly short considering it's such a high impulse motor, isn't it? Check those mach diamonds on the first shot though!

View attachment 107870View attachment 107871View attachment 107872

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What was the main chute you used on this flight?

patelldp said:

Congrats man! That flame is uncharacteristically short on that I540W. Looks like a mini K550W.

I bet you could take a 4-40 screw and 2 nuts to keep the battery from sliding away from the connector. Couple that with some wraps of electrical tape and you should be fine.

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I would add that two zip ties one front to back and one side to side will secure the battery and the holder to the sled.
Missile Works still sells the Z Bracket.

Great to have you back Marcus. Let me add my congratulations on doing both certs in a day full of HP. What a great flight day!
Doc

Very nice ! Great rocket.

AfterBurners said:

What was the main chute you used on this flight?

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Aerocon 60" white chute. Military surplus and only $12! Best deal on a parachute anywhere. Super high quality nylon and construction, and the shroud lines are supposedly fireproof (fiberglass). Spill hole too. Awesome chute. Aerocon rocks!

Thanks for the continued congrats and comments on the flights, gentlemen! I do love my Arcas. It's getting a full scale booster sometime soon...(3) I800's staging to a K375NW here we come!

DocR said:

Great to have you back Marcus. Let me add my congratulations on doing both certs in a day full of HP. What a great flight day!
Doc

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It was indeed a great flight day...that's the most HP I've ever seen fly out at the farm!

Welcome back, Marcus!