Argent with an H: do I need rail buttons?

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Another "Best of Luck" to you!

Remember to be careful when loading it onto the rail!!!
 
Did an equipment test on an f59. That went great so I went for it. H87 imax took it to 2300'. Textbook everything. It was a success and I'm certified. Thanks all!!!! More soon. Need to unpack the car.
 
And a huge thank you to everyone here who helped with advice. Currently looking at my first fiberglass rocket.
 
ActingLikeAKid said:
Currently looking at my first fiberglass rocket.
Click to expand...

In all fairness, the PSII series of Estes rockets aren't made of really strong stuff. True MP/HP materials are nearly twice as thick, and can take nearly anything. Look into offerings by LOC or MadCow before giving up on cardboard and ply. Fiberglass, even thin wall, is heavier for a given size, and will cost more to launch to an equivalent altitude.

That said, fiberglass is as tough as nails, but less forgiving of glue choice or surface prep. For a first fiberglass, it's hard to beat the value of the Wildman minis.
 
Banzai88 said:
In all fairness, the PSII series of Estes rockets aren't made of really strong stuff. True MP/HP materials are nearly twice as thick, and can take nearly anything. Look into offerings by LOC or MadCow before giving up on cardboard and ply. Fiberglass, even thin wall, is heavier for a given size, and will cost more to launch to an equivalent altitude.

That said, fiberglass is as tough as nails, but less forgiving of glue choice or surface prep. For a first fiberglass, it's hard to beat the value of the Wildman minis.
Click to expand...

Thanks! This was less of an "I'm done with this @$#!# cardboard!" statement and more of an "OK, I feel like I'm ready to take the next step" thing. May check out some of the stouter cardboard offerings. Currently looking at wildman minis...
 
ActingLikeAKid said:
Thanks! This was less of an "I'm done with this @$#!# cardboard!" statement and more of an "OK, I feel like I'm ready to take the next step" thing. May check out some of the stouter cardboard offerings. Currently looking at wildman minis...
Click to expand...

I hear ya! The PSII series are a gateway drug. After the Leviathan (with a hard landing on a road that dorked a find badly) and Argent (which shattered the transition upon ejection, dropping it from 1K feet) had issues and I repaired them, I went and bought a DarkStar mini. It's my favorite small airframe flyer. F120 Vmax flights are a blast of a teleport! I'm working up the courage to put the 24mm adapter in it and launch it on an F240!
 
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Congratulations!

Looks like you have a nice vid of the flight...
 
Thanks!! I do. Soon. Just have to get a couple of not-nearly-sleepy-enough assistants to bed first. :)
 
Video is live! It's kinda cool to compare this to the previous flights ... I thought the 1g F59 was impressive, but WOW.
[video=youtube;evC-IVM73iM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evC-IVM73iM[/video]
 
Thanks, y'all. Shocking how quickly it adds up .... ;) But at least I have a chute release, so I don't have to build avbays.... for now....
 
KevinNC said:
Did you use a Jolly Logic release?
Click to expand...

Yes. I did a "shakedown" flight on an F59 1 grain and set it for 300'. That went fine. With the relatively calm conditions, I erred on the side of caution and set it for 400 for the cert flight, just to make sure it came out without issue. It did. The only times I've had issues with the CR have been with a plastic chute. With nylon, it's been 100% flawless.
 
ActingLikeAKid said:
Video is live! It's kinda cool to compare this to the previous flights ... I thought the 1g F59 was impressive, but WOW.
[video=youtube;evC-IVM73iM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evC-IVM73iM[/video]
Click to expand...

What's up with the date bottom right on video?

Nice flight. Can hardly wait for my turn!
 
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dford said:
What's up with the date bottom right on video?

Nice flight. Can hardly wait for my turn!
Click to expand...


Thanks!! Lots and lots of planning and it all paid off. Be patient, your turn will come :D

As for the date - There's theoretically a way to set it - something like creating a file called "time.txt" and setting the current time and putting it in the root directory of the sd card that's in the camera. I tried and it didn't work and I didn't really bother with messing with it further. The datestamp is wildly inaccurate.
 
I noticed there was a lot of spinning on it's way down before the CR opened. Is there any danger with twisting up the chute lines so that when CR opens, the chute is too twisted up to work well?

Thinking about it(mind sim), the chute attachment point would stay still while the shock cord just winds and unwinds as it tumbles, correct?
 
Cabernut said:
I noticed there was a lot of spinning on it's way down before the CR opened. Is there any danger with twisting up the chute lines so that when CR opens, the chute is too twisted up to work well?

Thinking about it(mind sim), the chute attachment point would stay still while the shock cord just winds and unwinds as it tumbles, correct?
Click to expand...

Mostly, yeah. I attached the chute to the nose cone next to the shock cord, so the (packed) chute just kind of flops around harmlessly as the rocket tumbles. It could theoretically get snagged somehow, but the shock cord would have to have wrapped around the chute. As for the chute itself, it doesn't really spin, so it's not twisted when the CR pops open.

The biggest important points with the CR (in my experience) are:
-Make sure you keep the shroud lines INSIDE the chute when you fold it, with as little shroud line exposed as possible - otherwise, you can get the CR tangled in the shroud lines, and yeah, then you have a problem.
-Make sure that the pin is aligned so that when the CR releases, it'll slide out. I had one release fail because the pin was kind of pointing off to the side, and it was a plastic chute that didn't stretch the rubber band much. The CR released and the pin didn't slide out and I broke a fin.

I think I've used the CR about a dozen times now, and it's just so cool to watch it work.
 
ActingLikeAKid said:
I think I've used the CR about a dozen times now, and it's just so cool to watch it work.
Click to expand...

I know. I designed it and I totally feel that way each time i use it!

I remember when I was presenting the idea at Cape Canaveral and I said to the audience, "I *really* want this for my own flights, but I'm not sure many people will be interested." The crowd in Florida at NARCON deserves some credit. They were the first ones to say, "Shut up and go make it!" So once I finished AltimeterThree, I pushed the other projects to the side, and got it done.

Along the way I simplified it, and the final roadblock was moving to the band and eliminating shock loads. Though it seems like a funny material (rubber bands) to use, it makes it as universal as possible. With a little learning.

It's kind of amusing to hear the crowd reaction. My reluctance sounds kind of silly knowing now enthusiastic the reception has been...
 

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