13mm reco techniques

[spacecowboy]

I'm continuing to learn here . . . .
I'm sure there are a 1000 or more answers to this problem.

I've built several bash/scratch 13 mm engine rox, and reco is always a problem, especially on A10-3.

the roc disappears, all I see the baby powder puff, and it's all over. mia.

Besides cranking the engine down to 1/2A's, is there a real good way to get these birds back home ?

spacecowboy

 

[rstaff3]

tracking powder, long mylar streamer, good eyes, low winds, and luck

 

[KermieD]

You can try canting the fins a couple of degrees off vertical to bleed off speed and altitude.

 

[astronboy]

A long mylar streamer is really your best best. Mylar will 'flash' a bit while coming down, and it will drop far closer to the launcher than a parachute system.

 

[Mike]

Mylar streamers are great, I've watched a Wizard on a C6-7 all the way through its flight when it had a mylar streamer, thats almost 500m high and I could still see it!

Red mylar is my favourite and is very distinctive against clouds and, as with all mylar, reflects the sun nicely too.

 

[spacecowboy]

Mike
I think my first mia was Wizard, I figured paint it flourescent yellow, I'd spot it easily. . . .C6-7. Buh Bye, I never even saw the BP puff.

I use lots of black, red and dark blue paint these days.

mia's are a bummer, the smell of smoke in the morning isn't.
gotta love it.
spacecowboy

 

[Micromeister]

Spacecowboy:
If you don't want to use the smaller 1/4A and 1/2A motors, Kermie has precented one of the best ways to limit altitude. another is to sand symmrytic airfoils on the fins, the huge spin rate will reduce your altitude a good bit. combine either fin method with a longer (also translates to heavier) hi visibility streamer and a little Tempra/talc babypowder 50/50 mix colored "tracking powder you shouldn't have any problem seeing or retrieving your models.

 

[rstaff3]

Or you could also add nose weight...

 

[Ryan S.]

I put in nose weight and then tracking powder...The best thing to do though is to get a bunch of people who want to see your rockets fly and get them to track it for you...or even better get them to recover it for you

...man am I lazy...

 

[Micromeister]

An Excellent point Ryan!

 

[n3tjm]

I never have problems recovering rockets... the scouts at the launches literally beg me to let them retrieve my rockets.... I don't know why... I didn't think I was that cool ... but when I see my rocket land on the other side of the hill in the marsh... I can't pass that offer up

 

[Ryan S.]

Yeaaaa for scouts and little kids that recover rockets for us

 

[astronboy]

I discovered the advantage to kids when I became a BAR last year. Thanks to my wife's big family, I have 38 nieces and nephews (Yes, 38!!) I always bring a full carload to my launches... and I hwven't had to run to recover a rocket in some time now!!

 

[powderburner]

for 13 and 18 mm birds, you can also design for simple break-up recovery

put a separation/joint just ahead of the motor mount and use most of the body tube permanently attached to the NC

continue to use a shock cord to attach the forward and aft tubes but do not use a parachute or streamer (you will need ejection wadding anyway to protect the shock cord from getting roasted)

the two pieces will tumble and free-fall quite nicely, with a higher rate of descent than a streamer

you may find it necessary to build the fins out of thicker balsa, or add stronger fillets at the root, because they will take a banging more often when it lands this way

 

[wscarvie]

Originally posted by powderburner
for 13 and 18 mm birds, you can also design for simple break-up recovery

Powderburner had a nice suggestion. For a concrete example of 13mm break-up recovery, see the Estes Super-Flea.

Thanks to JimZ's rocket plans for the following link:
https://www.dars.org/jimz/est0815.htm

Hope this helps,

wscarvie

 

[n3tjm]

I had those kits once... lost both of them on 1/2A's.