Another Launch Yesterday...

[Socknic]

I launched a few rockets yesterday, a little windy though. The first one on the pad was my mostly stock (Quest shock chord) Der Red Max. Went up straight as an arrow on a B6-4 and deployed that beautiful Red Max 'chute. The minute the 'chute was deployed the wind caught it and carried it quickly away from the pad. It ended up landing with the 'chute caught on a 8' or 9' sculpture. Luckily, the wind caught it and brought it down to me. Next up was the Fat Boy on a B6-4. Once it got in the air, it weather cocked. The 'chute didn't unfurl do to my poor packing, but the rocket remained undamaged. My stock Big Bertha on B6-4 (Of course) was next. Beautiful flight, deployment right after apogee. The big 18" parachute carried it down safely. Things then got a tad more exciting as I put the 3/16 rod in the pad. First up was my new Executioner (Stock except for a doubly lengthened shock chord and a 22" nylon 'chute) on a D12-5. This thing is awesome! It got to about 500' and began to nose dive. The 'chute FINALLY deployed after a few tense moments but the worry wasn't over yet. The 'chute wasn't unraveling and the rocket was swaying in the wind as it tumbled toward the ground. Luckily for me, the 'chute actually unfurled and the result was a beautiful recovery. The last flight of the day was my Big Daddy on a D12-5 (Its 5th flight). The rocket shot up to about 400' and deployed the pink nylon 'chute. I watched nervously as it was carried towards a row large bunch of conifers that I mentioned in a previous post about my Rock-It. It landed safely right behind the rocket eating trees. Phew! That was a close one. Next time I'll try D12-3's. Shorter delays are good! Overall a good launching day with only a few nerve racking moments.

-Socknic

 

[dugliss]

I went out launching yesterday and I too had a recovery system problem. My Alpha was up first to test wind conditions. I usually launch my RTF Athena for this purpose, but since there was hardly any wind anyway, I went with the built rocket. First launch on a B6-4 was fine, ejection at apogee, but then the plastic chute failed to inflate and the parachute squidded all the way down. It still slowed the fall acting like a streamer, and the rocket wasn't damaged. I inspected the chute and I didn't see any scorching or melting or anything that would cause it to not open. Yanking it through the air, it inflated normally. I dusted it with talc, packed it carefully, and launched it again on a C6-5. The same thing happened with the chute squidding until at about 70' up, the chute suddenly cought the wind, and it inflated. The rocket landed gently, undamaged. This Alpha as been launched dozens of times, but over the last few times this problem has occurred frequently. It is definitely living up to it's reputation as a durable rocket, because it has come through several hard landings usually on it's fins, and once it made a 3 point landing and stayed standing up. The last time I launched it, it got stuck on the rod as the engine fired away. This was my fault. I didn't pull the rod cap off. Scary. Senior moment? As far as the chute goes, all I can think of is that condensation forms while the chute is packed up and sitting in storage making it sticky, so it doesn't unfurl. I'll test this idea by letting it sit unfolded for a day before I launch the Alpha again. With all these mishaps, it's amazing that it still looks like a just built it yesterday. The other 3 rockets, my Astron, Taser Twin and my new scratch build all launched and recovered perfectly. It was a great launch day.:clap:

 

[Socknic]

Glad to hear that your Alpha is staying strong!