- Joined
- Aug 27, 2011
- Messages
- 11,598
- Reaction score
- 6,223
Good call. I save it for the days I work!
Care for some scotch?
- Thread starter ebruce1361
- Start date
Help Support The Rocketry Forum:
Good call. I save it for the days I work!
Any new updates ? Eyeballing a container of Arran 10 year and my Glenfiddich 12 but I can't figure our a nosecone for the Glenfiddich - would have to be balsa. I'm thinking something along the lines of 3FNC.
ebruce1361
The man with the plan. And some duct tape.
Nothing new to report, mainly waiting for the pandemic and associated social restrictions to lift so we can go fly it. Although, I do have an additional Speyburn tube sitting around and I have been contemplating making that into an alternate payload section that would feature a large clear plastic "window" around half of the circumference and maybe a third of the length so I can fly a whole smartphone streaming a live video from the rocket's perspective. Even so, I'm taking a break from anything specifically rocket related to focus on some other projects that need attention such as tiling my kitchen floor and assembling my 3D printer.
I’m working on hardwood flooring at my house so I feel your pain
ebruce1361
The man with the plan. And some duct tape.
Hello everyone following this project. I am sorry to report that there is still no new progress. Since we live in Florida, Covid cases are on the rise again and I am facing a possible job change soon. Granted, the local clubs have begun flying again, but my wife and I made the decision to withhold our participation not only because of the virus, but also since Florida summers can be wickedly hot and humid when your're standing in the middle of an empty cattle pasture, and our kids are pretty sensitive to the heat. Therefore, we are looking at September as a tentative return to flying. In addition, I have taken up the hobby of 3D printing over the last couple of months, so rockets in general have taken a back-burner position since I have five rockets still waiting for their maiden flights. Stay tuned.
A wise decision. Florida is the hot spot for COVID right now. Stay safe!
Yeah, stay safe down there. It's a good time for building and other hobbies, so enjoy. We'll look for flight reports when it is a good time.
ebruce1361
The man with the plan. And some duct tape.
Much time has passed.
As it turned out, I did change jobs. At the end of July, I was laid off and sat around for two months, and am now happily employed with Honeywell Aerospace here in Clearwater, FL. Covid is still a thing here, but it seems that outdoor gatherings that abide by social distancing and mask requirements are relatively safe. Additionally, the hot part of the year is passed, so we are looking at just over a week from now, November 21, as the next available launch date.
Additionally, I have yet another minor change to the whole setup. Given my employment status the last few months, I haven't been able to purchase any hobby materials until very recently. I like to buy my motors from Rocketry Works, but when I went to do so, they were sold out of E15-7Ws. I only have three on hand, so I opted for the E20 variant instead. I get a bit more speed at the expense of altitude, but not by much. I still plan on having a maiden test flight on two E30s and then the real deal on the four E20s.
If this month falls through, then December is my next window, and that will mean a full year since my last flight. Hopefully I can avoid that contingency.
As it turned out, I did change jobs. At the end of July, I was laid off and sat around for two months, and am now happily employed with Honeywell Aerospace here in Clearwater, FL. Covid is still a thing here, but it seems that outdoor gatherings that abide by social distancing and mask requirements are relatively safe. Additionally, the hot part of the year is passed, so we are looking at just over a week from now, November 21, as the next available launch date.
Additionally, I have yet another minor change to the whole setup. Given my employment status the last few months, I haven't been able to purchase any hobby materials until very recently. I like to buy my motors from Rocketry Works, but when I went to do so, they were sold out of E15-7Ws. I only have three on hand, so I opted for the E20 variant instead. I get a bit more speed at the expense of altitude, but not by much. I still plan on having a maiden test flight on two E30s and then the real deal on the four E20s.
If this month falls through, then December is my next window, and that will mean a full year since my last flight. Hopefully I can avoid that contingency.
ebruce1361
The man with the plan. And some duct tape.
The weather is looking good for tomorrow's club launch, I've got my altimeter and camera batteries charging, just got a fresh bottle of scotch for the payload (for those who are just coming to this thread or have forgotten, no I'm not flying the whole bottle, just six ounces), I double checked the parachute and repacked it last night, and two E30-7T motors are loaded in for the half-power test flight (don't worry, I added plugs to the top of the empty motor tubes to ensure the ejection gasses actually separate the rocket, and not simply blow out the back). On top of all that, I recently invested in a new camera for pictures and video from the flight line. It's not the fanciest on the market, but it's 1080p with a 54x optical zoom. Hopefully in addition to the onboard video, I'll be able to get some half decent video from the ground.
STAY TUNED!!
STAY TUNED!!
Please keep us updated....
ebruce1361
The man with the plan. And some duct tape.
Maybe if I quit telling people I am planning to fly on a certain date, Murphy's law won't know when to interfere with me. Alas, we did not fly at all on Saturday. As for the future, I don't know when the next availability will be. December is likely going to be tied up with my folks coming down from Colorado to visit the grandkids, plus there are some new health concerns with them. I'd like to say January, but I'm starting to get burned out from getting all set for a certain day, just to scrub for this reason or that. I'll get this thing in the air one of these days. I just don't know when.
Just please remember to show us .... afterMaybe if I quit telling people I am planning to fly on a certain date, Murphy's law won't know when to interfere with me. Alas, we did not fly at all on Saturday. As for the future, I don't know when the next availability will be. December is likely going to be tied up with my folks coming down from Colorado to visit the grandkids, plus there are some new health concerns with them. I'd like to say January, but I'm starting to get burned out from getting all set for a certain day, just to scrub for this reason or that. I'll get this thing in the air one of these days. I just don't know when.
ebruce1361
The man with the plan. And some duct tape.
Well, it's been a LONG time coming, but like a well aged scotch, the wait was worth it! A Wee Dram finally flew on May 15th with Tripoli Tampa! (Sorry it's taken me this long to post about it, a lot of life has been happening lately) As per my plan, the rocket flew twice; once as a test flight on two Aerotech E30-7Ts with no payload, and then again on four E20-7Ws with 6 ounces of scotch. (when I started this project, the plan was to fly on four E15s, but by the time I got ready to buy the motors, I found out about Aerotech discontinuing the E15 and there were no more in stock, so I had to go to the E20s)
Both flights were fantastic, and required recovery walks of maybe 100 yards or so. That repurposed umbrella parachute did its job phenomenally!
The test flight was essentially flawless, but the main flight was plagued with a few minor issues. First, the igniters that came with the E20s were suspect (most likely from storage, not a manufacturer issue), so I had to purchase some igniters from our motor vendor. These igniters proved to be very effective, and I had no issues with the motors starting together, but there was a moment after the igniters fired that all four "popped" and the motors took a moment to actually start. I'm not sure if this is a phenomenon with the igniters or the motors, but it added a moment of tension right before liftoff. After the boost, the parachute momentarily became snagged on the tail of the rocket, and due to the hot motor nozzles, melted four perfect holes in one gore of the parachute. But the worst of it all was the 2nd onboard camera which was lost upon ejection on the main flight, so video from that perspective of both flights is lost. BUT! I do have onboard video from the primary camera up by the nose. I was able to get fantastic video from the ground also, so 2 out of 3 isn't bad!
Here are links to the videos!
Both flights were fantastic, and required recovery walks of maybe 100 yards or so. That repurposed umbrella parachute did its job phenomenally!
The test flight was essentially flawless, but the main flight was plagued with a few minor issues. First, the igniters that came with the E20s were suspect (most likely from storage, not a manufacturer issue), so I had to purchase some igniters from our motor vendor. These igniters proved to be very effective, and I had no issues with the motors starting together, but there was a moment after the igniters fired that all four "popped" and the motors took a moment to actually start. I'm not sure if this is a phenomenon with the igniters or the motors, but it added a moment of tension right before liftoff. After the boost, the parachute momentarily became snagged on the tail of the rocket, and due to the hot motor nozzles, melted four perfect holes in one gore of the parachute. But the worst of it all was the 2nd onboard camera which was lost upon ejection on the main flight, so video from that perspective of both flights is lost. BUT! I do have onboard video from the primary camera up by the nose. I was able to get fantastic video from the ground also, so 2 out of 3 isn't bad!
Here are links to the videos!
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2011
- Messages
- 11,598
- Reaction score
- 6,223
Although it wasn’t a Martini, I guess this still falls under the “shaken not stirred” category. At least it wasn’t “on the rocks”!
