Dr.Zooch
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2009
- Messages
- 2,123
- Reaction score
- 15
First off, further thought on the low rider orbiter issue- I volunteer to do the "kid's rocket bucket" at Red Glare. This is where any kid coming to see the show, most of whom have never launched a rocket before, can just come to the Zooch booth, select a rocket from the MDRA club bucket, and I help them (and especially their parents) rig, load and launch the rocket- often it is their first ever launch. They can come back again and again too. It's all free of charge or fees and just intended to spark intrest. Normally, on Friday, there are not very many of these newbees and I take that day to launch my own stuff, because Saturday and Sunday are really busy- this year, TONS of kids and parents. But, on this Friday, a group of ten 6th graders showed up and they had each ordered and built my I-CAV kits and were itching to fly. They flew the things almost to pieces. I was a bit more busy than usual and when the Shuttle low-rider test was set up. It went bad- near ballistic, horizontal and popped just about 12 feet off the ground. I managed, during the day, to re-locate the orbiter's lugs forward, back into their stock position, flew it at the end of the day and it was fine.
On the way back to the field the next morning I was pondering the bad flight. It struck me that I had accidently used the FlameFins from the Lifting Body kit! So, I replaced the lugs into the low rider position- but Saturday was so busy I never got to shoot it. Sunday the winds were so BRUTAL I could not do the flight. So- we won't know for sure for quite a while. During May's launch I'll be in Florida for two... somewhat larger... shuttle launches. Unless someone else reading this here tries the configuration, I won't be able to fly it until at least mid-June.
On the way back to the field the next morning I was pondering the bad flight. It struck me that I had accidently used the FlameFins from the Lifting Body kit! So, I replaced the lugs into the low rider position- but Saturday was so busy I never got to shoot it. Sunday the winds were so BRUTAL I could not do the flight. So- we won't know for sure for quite a while. During May's launch I'll be in Florida for two... somewhat larger... shuttle launches. Unless someone else reading this here tries the configuration, I won't be able to fly it until at least mid-June.