Spitfire222
I only lawn-darted once
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2020
- Messages
- 471
- Reaction score
- 639
Not to derail the thread, but that is indeed a very cool paint job. A very good idea, with an excellent execution. Glad it survived to keep on flying!
Hey, thanks so much!Not to derail the thread, but that is indeed a very cool paint job. A very good idea, with an excellent execution. Glad it survived to keep on flying!
Good point.Other considerations:
They are tested in hmm colorado where air is thin
People overbuild
I'm starting to wonder how many of these lawn darts could just be attributed to using a D12-5 which may be too long of a delay?
I also wonder how many ejection charges happen upon impact with the D12-5's - when I watched my video back, the impact took place approx. 6 to 6 1/2 seconds after motor burnout.
My ejection happened just in the nick of time to save the body tube.
I've read through a few posts in the thread where others claim to have used a D12-5.
A D12-3 might more suitable for low altitude flights. Both are listed as options on the packaging. Perhaps they should just quit suggesting D12-5's?
Doesn't have enough thrust to reach the altitude needed for a 5 second delay?
If you buy an upgrade kit for the Big Daddy, it usually comes with a small bag of lead shot.Not to derail this thread, but I didn't want to start a new thread for a quick question. Neither of the two flights I have on my Big Daddy I would consider a success.
Flight 1: Estes E12-4, rocket launched and promptly curved over and flew horizontally until ejection. There was a bit of wind; not calm, but not super windy either.
Flight 2: Aerotech E20-4. Rocket immediately skywrites/cartwheels once clear of the 5' 3/16" rod. Windy day, but the flight was so erratic I doubt that even had an effect.
Disclaimer, this rocket is modified with plywood centering rings, reinforced fins, etc. so it weighs more than it should. I've learned my lesson, but I would like to fix this rocket so it flies better. Based on the above flight descriptions, am I correct in thinking that it needs nose-weight?
I know that short-coupled rockets like the Big Daddy get a lot of their stability from base drag and that the usual 1 cal stability margin is not necessarily applicable here, so I just wanted a bit of guidance to tame this one. Thanks!
Because I am getting tired of seeing theory of Big Daddy Nose Cone design issues I am going to post the statement from Steve Kristal on the NAR FB page:
Steve Kristal,
I just asked Matt Steele who designed the kit. He flew that same nosecone on North Coast kits for years prior to the Big Daddy, and then for the last 22 years on the Big Daddy. He also flies a 2.6" cone just like it on his current kits. Ejection failure has never been a bigger issue on that nosecone than any other. Estes is crazy about safety. If that particular nosecone was an issue it would have been dealt with many many years ago. The urban legend on TRF is just completely unsubstantiated. You can find threads on TRF where people talk about modifying the cone but you're not seeing reports of numerous lawn darts. You are also not seeing them on Ye Olde. You don't see them on 20 years of flight logs (currently406 of them) on RocketReviews. And you don't see reports here. The Big Daddy nosecone is no more prone to failure to eject than any other cone.
Ok bad day of flying getting windy in PA and my Medium Power igniters will NOT ignite the engine all Aerotech RMS???? So I need to do something different. The Estes engines first time go's the modified Alpha III with an altimeter payload bay reached 116ft and 316ft A and B engines. No issues. So I darted the Daddy in the field out back on the C6-3 (so don't do that) but the chute came out at 10ft so it was all my fault. So I am getting some Estes D's and have at it.
LG~
Perhaps it may remain unflown.
Never had a lawn dart with my Leviathan. Then again I don't fly that with an E motor. Maybe the AT G-size motor has enough deploy charge to overcome the difficulties on the NC shape?
Good question ... given that my primary modeling is model trains and secondary modeling is miniatures for miniatures games, and I used to build stick and tissue airplanes before my health decline, it does appear that I build models which are meant to be used ...But is that really why you built it?
I bought a BMS 3" school rocket (24mm) for my daughter.
I found the nose cone loose on hers. So I swapped it with the Big Daddy nose cone and both rockets are better for it.
The BMS nose cone is a bit longer, but fits the BD much better.
Available here.
I've probably only done a few dozen launches. I had one lawn dart. I, apparently, didn't glue the engine block well enough and the engine ended up inside the rocket. It still managed to get about a hundred feet up, but ejection didn't go so well.Ok, you know who you are... Owners of once pristine Lawn Darts... Oops... Big Daddy Rockets that have lawn darted.
Who all has had one whistle in?
[EDIT] The following was posted from post #20:
Go around tube with yellow colored duct tape. It will be stronger than newHad one lawn dart yesterday. This rocket had flown about 5-6 times before and was a trooper. Has landed on concrete no damage. I think this incident was my fault though. I first flew it on a D12-3 and it was perfect. Came down 100 feet from the pad, perfect. I had loaded that rocket at home, i.e. did the wadding and folded the chute. Second launch I loaded on the field. Wind was picking up so I went with D12-5, which I wasn't very confident of since I knew it would be coming down at ejection. But I did it anyway, as I was having good luck so far so I figured the gods were with me. Also think I put TOO MUCH wadding the second time, and I can never fold a chute as well on the field as at home. Nose cone never came off and it buried itself two inches in the grass. Nose cone is fine, fins and motor mount fine. Tube a little crimped but to be honest I think with just a couple rounds of masking take at the top of the tube it would be perfectly flyable. Ugly as sin, but flyable. Plastic chute was a total loss. I may try to launch as-is, and if it doesn't go will do some major surgery -- I am thinking of making slightly longer so I can add a baffle, and ditch the Estes shock cord for kevlar.
View attachment 431026View attachment 431027
I've probably only done a few dozen launches. I had one lawn dart. I, apparently, didn't glue the engine block well enough and the engine ended up inside the rocket. It still managed to get about a hundred feet up, but ejection didn't go so well.
Go around tube with yellow colored duct tape. It will be stronger than new
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