Big Kids Table !!!!!

[plasticpaul]

I get to launch from the back row folks......I get to eat at the Big Kids table !!!!

Got my L1 the scratchy way on Saturday !!!!!! I will post some pics later. What a great weekend, High 60's on Saturday and 71 on Sunday.

The Bumble Bee flew great on the H123 !!!!... Looking into doing a L2 in January !!!!

 

[ben]

congrats man!!

thanx, Ben

P.S. pics ASAP

 

[jimn]

Say hello to high power.
Say goodby to your bank account.


Jim

 

[TeenRocketNerd]

congrats Paul!! No one can say that you don't know your stuff when you build your entire rocket from scratch!! way to go... can't wait to see pics and stats...

 

[cjl]

Very nice

Congrats (can you hear the money flowing out of your bank account yet?).

I can't wait to see the pics

 

[JoesRocketry]

Congrats on your cert and good luck with your L2!!!!

 

[rocketkyle]

Congratulations Paul!

 

[Westy]

Paul made it look easy. Heck he took the hard road fabricating everything himself and still made it look easy. Sorry I missed ya before you guys left the field I was helping another flyer search for his rocket......I knew you had it in the bag as soon as the LCO hit the button !

 

[plasticpaul]

Thank You so much for all the kind words. I am already planning my L2 bird. I have a 38/720 motor coming !!!!! I have a very short video of the launch and a still of me with my rocket. As soon as I pick up a cable I will upload the video. According to the altimeter I put in it on Sunday it did just over 1200' on an H123.

Here is a pic of my Rocket just before launch:

Here is a pic of another rocket I flew this weekend on a G80 and G64. I plan to upscale it for the L2 cert. Mine is the futurastic fighter on the far left:

 

[cjl]

Looks nice

Can't wait to see the vid

 

[ContrailRockets]

Has anyone ever told you that you look a bit like Scott from Just Rockets?

 

[plasticpaul]

No.....I feel sorry for him.....

 

[BARX2]

Hey Paul, congrats on your Level 1! Check your email.

Joe

 

[jraice]

I followed the other thread about this bird quit a bit and I must say, it is an awesome bird and looks even better on the pad!

I agree a new bird for L2 is the way to go, I think this rocket could take a J350 but I would stick with the H123 and maybe a small to mid power I motor... But then again I havent seen the bird so I cant really tell for sure what it could take.

That futuristic design is very cool! Would make an awesome L2, what diameter are you thinking about doing? Just be careful with fins that large, two issues come up. Fin strength (flutter resistance for the way up and impact resistance on landing), and weight... Have you used many composites? I would say a light core, perhaps balsa (the best is rigid end core balsa, thats what my interceptor 4" upscale will use) with several layers of fiberglass cloth on each side. That way you get a lot of stiffness and strength but a very low weight due to the low mass of the core.

Definetly post the design for that L2 bird and ask some other people what they think about the fin design and good materials to use... definetly move up from 1/8" birch for that build!

 

[plasticpaul]

Thank You for the advice. The Bumble Bee is all composite except for the fins. The fins are 1/8 ply that has been coated in a resin and oven baked. My L2 will have even more composite materials, I plan to go way beyond where I have up to this point....... The Dragons Tooth (the fighter) had a little mishap on Sat..... I forgot to pack the chute.....LOL. It did a tumble recovery with absolutely no damage. Those fins are way tougher than they look apperantly.... My flying buddies were all in awe that it had NO damage.

It was actually pretty funny, I stood there watching and said out loud "where's the chute?" My wife was standing next to me and said "it's in the van......"

Thanks for the compliments on my Bumble Bee, I love how it flies !!

 

[terryg]

I have not forgotten to pack the chute, however on my winged V2, I did forget to attach it. The rocket had no damage at all and I picked it while chasing the fully inflated chute (nice soft landing for the swivel). Ironically for scratch builders the chute often costs more then the rocket.

 

[plasticpaul]

I sew my own chutes as well......LOL....LOL I was sewing chutes for these two rockets at 3am. I have priced chutes though so I know what you mean.....OUCH!!! and I mean a big OUCH. I probably have under $10 in my L1 rocket.

 

[jraice]

my scratch built rockets cost less then the chute!

 

[plasticpaul]

Hey guys I am always open to bardering if anyone needs a nice chute.....

 

[jraice]

If I needed any chutes made i'd take you up on that offer!

Yeah but atleast with my larger birds and current project the chute has been one of the least expensive components when you look at the big picture..