Astron Birdie Recovery

[NOFLYZONE]

When your up at 2:30 in the A.M. with a 2 yr. old pointless ideas pop into your head. This is just the latest one. An 18mm Birdie with streamer recovery. If it ever stops raining it will get its first flight on a C6-5.

 

[Reed Goodwin]

I would launch it from a great distance because I have a feeling that it won't be very stable... Other than that, that is a great idea.
Reed

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

Where did you get the shuttlecock?

Please tell me...

I want to build an upscale K-44.

And I disagree, the Birdie is stable. A bit quirrley in the wind, but stable.

A

 

[jflis]

Originally posted by Reed Goodwin
I would launch it from a great distance because I have a feeling that it won't be very stable... Other than that, that is a great idea.
Reed

18mm may be touch for stability, but heck, it USED to be a freekin' kit

It used the 18mm short motors from back in the 60's I have several that are 13mm and it flies great. I also have a larger 18mm version. Kmart had these huge birdies for sale one day way back when.

If you look in the middle left of this image, you can see a pix of it: https://jflis.com/hobbies/rocketry/photos/13-mar-01/mini02.jpg

jim

 

[NOFLYZONE]

the shuttlecock came from a place called MagicMart, kind of a low class WalMart for $1.50 a six-pack.

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

Is it a standard shuttlecock or larger than normal?

Here is a thread on one I built by WestWayneRockets

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11288

 

[NOFLYZONE]

These birdies are a full inch longer than regular ones but are the same size around at the base as a regular one.

 

[Micromeister]

Originally posted by Reed Goodwin
I would launch it from a great distance because I have a feeling that it won't be very stable... Other than that, that is a great idea.
Reed

Where the heck do you get that Idea? Standard everyday shuttlecocks have been flown since the Late 60's-early 70's. Estes put out a kit, or build-it sheet "plan of the month or something like that for awhile in there somewhere.
I've been flying several 18mm at demos almost yearly and I now have a D12 powered Big Bird that is not only stable but gets some pretty impressive altitude and drags out an 8" chute for recover. the Beak and goggle eyes make it spin a bit after burnout but it's as stable as any Corkscrew i've ever seen fly
Birdie shuttlecocks are considered Odd-rocs and need to be given a little more attention because they are so short but a little clay is really all thats needed to make the bounce recovery 1/2A6 to C6 model very stable. The D powered big birdies are heavier and require a large streamer or small chute. Nofly's addition of a pop off head with small streamer is even better the the freatherweight bouce recover I've been flying for years.

 

[Reed Goodwin]

I had no idea that this was a common thing. It didn't look very stable from the picture.
Reed

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

Heck

The birdie is more stable than some of the HPR rockets I've seen. And if it lands on your head, it does not hurt!

It was a kit - the K44

All the fun of a Mosquito and if you want you can rebound it with a racquet.

A

 

[gpoehlein]

Are you kidding? This was the only rocket that I had absolutely no fears about flying in the high school parking lot after they kicked us out of the track infield (something stupid about the track team needing it! This was back in '74, and I loved that silly Birdie - The thing would bounce about 10 feet high when it came down on the asphault!

Greg

 

[surdumil]

I doubt that an HPR birdie by itself would hurt, but I bet that getting smacked by a reload casing would sure smart!

Dwayne Surdu-Miller
SAROS #1