Can you dig it?

[Worsaer]

Today was a beautiful day for flying at Battle Park, Tripoli Central VA.


Wildman Shredder flown on a CTI J1055 V-Max. It's been waiting a long time for it's first flight.

Before:



After:
Final altitude 36" BGL (Below Ground Level)


I'm now a member of the Shovel Recovery Club.

Retrieved the AV Bay electronics from the nose cone, but the nose cone remained. I'll check next year to see if a new one sprouts.
With a new nose cone she will fly again!

 

[Hobie1dog]

if the altimeter failed can you tell us what brand and model it is?

 

[Worsaer]

The altimeter worked fine, fired both Apogee and cable cutters on the main. I must have undersized the apogee charge. I usually configure larger rockets for a backup apogee charge, but didn’t build this one to support it. Lesson learned.

Also interesting: dual lipos ignited and were a melted mess due to high G deceleration. They were on the opposite side of the sled, away from the altimeter and GPS. I still need to test the electronics to see if I can retrieve flight data.

 

[Sandy H.]

The altimeter worked fine, fired both Apogee and cable cutters on the main. I must have undersized the apogee charge. I usually configure larger rockets for a backup apogee charge, but didn’t build this one to support it. Lesson learned.

Also interesting: dual lipos ignited and were a melted mess due to high G deceleration. They were on the opposite side of the sled, away from the altimeter and GPS. I still need to test the electronics to see if I can retrieve flight data.

Bummer on the recovery, but I hope you do get data - it should be interesting! Also, pictures of the burned lipos would be interesting to me at least, if not the community. Not a factor I've thought about before.

 

[Worsaer]

The burned lipos were deep in the nosecone that I could not retrieve. I could see them with a flashlight, but didn’t think to take a photo.

 

[Worsaer]

Post Mortem Photos:

One screw holding the Eggfinder GPS is missing, otherwise both devices look fine, other than the smoke damage from at least one burning LiPo battery.




This side contained the two LiPos, and switches.


Here's what it looked like before flying (when I was testing it).
The battery on top was for GPS. and the one on the bottom for the altimeter.

This sled went into the nosecone and coupler. The all-thread pictured only illustrates how the embedded all-thread in the nose cone goes across the sled.




More info to come...

 

[tsmith1315]

I’m amazed the electronics survived that impact. Mine sheared most everything off the PCB, even surface mount parts.

Was the nose cone just too deep to retrieve, or did you get tired of digging?

 

[Worsaer]

And we have data from the Marsa...!









Pretty typical ballistic trajectory

 

[Worsaer]

I’m amazed the electronics survived that impact. Mine sheared most everything off the PCB, even surface mount parts.

Was the nose cone just too deep to retrieve, or did you get tired of digging?

Honestly, it took about an hour of digging in clay to get free the airframe. At that point I was wiped out, and was pleased to get the AV Bay out. So, yeah, I was tired of digging.

 

[jderimig]

It looks like you got the conformal coating. 50/50 mix of distilled water and rubbing alcohol will clean up that board nicely. Tape off the baro and joystick to avoid liquid from getting in there. Not a disaster if it does, it will just take longer to dry those components out.

 

[jderimig]

And we have data from the Marsa...!








Pretty typical ballistic trajectory
View attachment 571222

Thanks for validating Newton's law of projectile motion for the doubters.

 

[Worsaer]

John, I have to say "Thanks" for the removable LCD display. One less thing to worry about replacing after a rough flight.

 

[John_461]

It’s pretty amazing you were able to retrieve data after that!

Good luck on the next one.