An "R"-powered rocket build

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All well-said Dave.

I too am looking forward to the charge-cannon testing. Gonna be a nice bang and separation during these tests. Have to let my neighbors know what's happening lol. There are advantages to living in the country in a place like Texas. Neighbors like loud bangs when they know their coming. Want to watch lol.

Chuck C.
 
Can’t wait to see this thing in person!

I’m excited too Levi! I’ve got about 40 more hours of work left to do but it looks doable.

Would like to have it fully flight ready except for the motor at LDRS. Avionics in place, charge cannons tested and recovery system in place.

Again if the KloudBusters have time maybe they can take a hard look at this thing and give some recommendations. Along with Tripoli Gerlach they are at the leading-edge of big rockets.

And of course this rocket is going to be on one of the baddest of mobile launch platforms out there! Made by you Levi Seaton himself!

This is such a fun project!

Chuck C.
 
Candy Apple Red with Bright Silver nosecone and switch band.

No graphics as they will peel off.

Of course the fin can is bright silver lol.

Chuck C.

Chuck,

By "graphics", I thought you might be having something airbrushed on . . .

Dave F.

CdyApple-2.jpg


STEELY-EYED MISSILE MEN - AVATAR.jpg
 
Nice paint work there Rob.

This rocket is so big it’s going to have to go a body shop for it's work. Let the pro’s shotcoat the primer and paint.

Can’t remember how long you’re supposed to wait before waxing but if there’s time I’ll break out the Mikita buffer and get this thing to a high shine lol.

Dang it’s going to be hard to launch this thing looking all nice and scratch-free! But oh yes she will fly soon enough.

That’s what rockets are made to do right?

Chuck C.
 
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Nice paint work there Rob.


Can’t remember how long you’re supposed to wait before waxing but if there’s time I’ll break out the Mikita buffer and get this thing to a high shine lol.
Chuck C.
typically if a paint job isnt baked, its not good to wax for 60 or so days in warm weather.
if its at a shop they might bake it which would mean you could wax shortly after.
if it isnt baked, you can still buff it up using a compound then a polish.or just a polish. i believe its ok to apply a glaze after- just so long as the product allows the surface to breathe.

this is gonna be one nice lookin rocket!
 
Are there any ideas/plans to fix the thrust curve to allow the Q motor to fly at LDRS this year or is it definitely off the table?

Dave,

While I have not been privy to the motor manufacturing process on this project, "from my chair", it appears that it would require a different propellant formulation and a re-design of the Nozzle to correct the situation . . . A major undertaking !

Dave F.

STEELY-EYED MISSILE MEN - AVATAR.jpg
 
Are there any ideas/plans to fix the thrust curve to allow the Q motor to fly at LDRS this year or is it definitely off the table?

It could be done Dave but for reasonable safety considerations it was requested by the KloudBusters that the rocket be launched off-vertical 5-7 degrees away from the crowd (to the east).

Knowing those Kansas winds that generally come from the west in late August it would also mean a possible 10 mph tailwind.

This old used-to-be-bold pilot after 35 years of making every dumb mistake known to man flying isn’t comfortable with those conditions. So I made the decision to scrub the LDRS launch but still bring the rocket up for show and tell.

Not sure what the plan will be after that. Lots of fun building and testing big motors for flight. Again it will be good to have the rocket evaluated for safety. It’s my first build in many years but I’m quite confident she’s going to be a beautifully safe flyer. Built like a tank lol.

Chuck C.
 
It could be done Dave but for reasonable safety considerations it was requested by the KloudBusters that the rocket be launched off-vertical 5-7 degrees away from the crowd (to the east).

Knowing those Kansas winds that generally come from the west in late August it would also mean a possible 10 mph tailwind.

This old used-to-be-bold pilot after 35 years of making every dumb mistake known to man flying isn’t comfortable with those conditions. So I made the decision to scrub the LDRS launch but still bring the rocket up for show and tell.

Not sure what the plan will be after that. Lots of fun building and testing big motors for flight. Again it will be good to have the rocket evaluated for safety. It’s my first build in many years but I’m quite confident she’s going to be a beautifully safe flyer. Built like a tank lol.

Chuck C.

Chuck,

Any decision to scrub for safety concerns is a good one . . . Sometimes, it's hard to make that call when "Go Fever" is rampant. I have been a victim of "Go Fever" myself, many years ago, and I should have scrubbed the flight, but didn't and paid the price for it.

In my opinion, "UpChuckR" needs to be as vertical as possible, at launch, wherever that takes place.

How about using a little "hotter" propellant on the future motors ? Not quite as potent as this formula though, please - LOL !

Dave F.



STEELY-EYED MISSILE MEN - AVATAR.jpg
 
From the beginning I’ve encouraged all levels of rocketeer to join in this discussion of an R-powered rocket being built.

Unfortunately this appears to have created a lot of heartache with many who think this approach has resulted in an inferior rocket.

It’s exciting to reach the final stages of this build and the chance for all to look over this rocket at LDRS.

In retrospect rather than look negatively on a fellow rocketeer like me seeking input I’d like to see more of the bigger builders join in and share their knowledge and experiences.

I for one will be actively encouraging anyone stepping into the larger rockets to do so knowing there are other experienced builders there to help.

Forums such as these along with sites like You Tube are the future of learning just about any subject one wants to learn. The airlines, railroads, hospitals, shipping and most industries have firmly entrenched the team approach as the SAFEST course of action. Even a Level 1 rocketeer may be a structural engineer or have any myriad of intense training and experience.

Thanks to all for making this one of the most-read and participated-in threads in TRF history. And it ain’t over yet folks!

Back to the build!

Chuck C.
 
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Obviously your approach has rubbed some people up the wrong way Chuck. I have heard similar rumblings when I have asked questions along the way on the forum. As long as you use the ideas and design input to get inspiration, to work to a successful outcome and not use exchanges on the forum as a way of abrogating the requirement of thinking about the design I see no problem with it myself. There are a lot of quite disparate people who share the forum and the amount of ideas we could tap on to because of this is fantastic. "Standing on the shoulders of giants" comes to mind. It's not a bad thing to do.
 
Howdy Chuck

Been following your dream and enjoying watching it become reality since day 1.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what you have accomplished in such a short time at LDRS Chuck and hope to make your acquaintance there.

I'll also be at BALLS performing water boy chores on a 6" single stage P rocket (sim 100K +) team from Tripoli North Texas. If you need any manpower help or additional support at BALLS just let me know. I look forward to witnessing your dream become reality out on the playa.

I'll finish with this quote Chuck ...


"All Men Dream, but not equally"

"Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was vanity."

"But, the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dreams with open eyes, to make it happen."

T. E. Lawrence



C'u @ LDRS & BALLS Sir

John
 
It could be done Dave but for reasonable safety considerations it was requested by the KloudBusters that the rocket be launched off-vertical 5-7 degrees away from the crowd (to the east).

Knowing those Kansas winds that generally come from the west in late August it would also mean a possible 10 mph tailwind.

This old used-to-be-bold pilot after 35 years of making every dumb mistake known to man flying isn’t comfortable with those conditions. So I made the decision to scrub the LDRS launch but still bring the rocket up for show and tell.

Not sure what the plan will be after that. Lots of fun building and testing big motors for flight. Again it will be good to have the rocket evaluated for safety. It’s my first build in many years but I’m quite confident she’s going to be a beautifully safe flyer. Built like a tank lol.

Chuck C.
I'm sure your decision not to launch at LDRS is a sound one.....never launch unless you're comfortable with everything...as far as launching away from the wind in a "tailwind"....that's usually a good practice....rockets, especially ones that lift off slowly, tend to weathercock a bit and will likely end up with a vertical launch
 
I'm sure your decision not to launch at LDRS is a sound one.....never launch unless you're comfortable with everything...as far as launching away from the wind in a "tailwind"....that's usually a good practice....rockets, especially ones that lift off slowly, tend to weathercock a bit and will likely end up with a vertical launch
Launching away from the wind increases the AOA on the fins with an increased risk of stalling. The exact opposite of what you want as the rocket leaves the launcher.
 
Launching away from the wind increases the AOA on the fins with an increased risk of stalling. The exact opposite of what you want as the rocket leaves the launcher.
If you're saying the rocket will weathercock more if its angled slightly off the wind......all I can say is that hasn't been my experience.....I'm sure exit speed off the rail, stability ratio and fin area come into play but many times I've launched rockets slightly off the wind to have them transition into a vertical boost while most who opted for straight up had their rockets go into sweeping weather arcs and high speed apogee deployments...
 
If you're saying the rocket will weathercock more if its angled slightly off the wind......all I can say is that hasn't been my experience.....
No I am not saying that at all. I do not want to derail this build thread but perhaps I will start another one on how fins correct flight. Basically fins generate lift when AOA (angle of attack) is greater than zero and this lift will rotate the rocket to try and achieve 0 AOA. If the AOA is initially too high then the fins will stall and struggle to provide the corrective moment. Then you will have an unpredictable situation. If you have a slow rocket, healthy wind and off the wind angle you can stall the fins.

Its counter intuitive but if you have a slow launch rocket it is much safer to angle the rocket into the wind.
 
Its counter intuitive but if you have a slow launch rocket it is much safer to angle the rocket into the wind.

Not sure how you get that conclusion. What is the definition of "safer" you are using?

A slow rocket launch and angled into the wind will accentuate the gravity turn and end with a more horizontal flight in the end.

If you aim a little downwind the weather-cocking will bring the rocket more vertical.

Typically aiming upwind minimises landing distance from launch, and aiming downwind is better for altitude. I went through all this simulation for my recent O-M flight. FYI I ended up flying with a vertical rail.
 
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