Estes Mongoose

[gladiator1332]

I'm building my first two stage rocket as I type this...the one thing I noticed is that it appears that the first stage jettisons during flight...I am a little woriied that I will lose the first stage. Just wondering if anyone has had problems with losing the first stage and if there is anything I can do to prevent it from happening.

Thanks

 

[Stymye]

don't launch it by yourself if possible
have a spotter watching the 1st stage tumble and you keep an eye on the second stage decent..

 

[Rocketmaniac]

stymye is right, you need an extra set of eyes to launch the Mongoose.

 

[gerbs4me]

It always best to have more people watching especially with staging

 

[Ryan S.]

I learned that the hard way with my first Comanchee three...lost that one

This may sound stupid but...Make sure your each watching a different stage. Once I had three people watching a 2-stage rocket and we lost the sustianer because we were all looking at the booster:kill:


yeah that deserves a second :kill:

 

[Larry]

Have three or four eyes on that Mongoose, and have everone know who is going to track what. The Mongoose was my first two stage as well. We went all out and loaded it up with C motors. It was around Thanksgiving and we had a little snow on the ground no wind. My son was to launch at zero...The launch button on that particular controller was real touchy. It went at 2. No one was ready. The booster with its pink fins showed up in the snow and the sustainer was easy to track against the blue sky. Binoculars helped find the booster, as I could see it laying on the snow and guided my daughter close enough to see it.
Its a fun rocket just make sure you have good trackers. The more the better............Larry

 

[teflonrocketry1]

I made a thin locator from one of those a greeting cards that plays music when you open it. I got the electronic parts cheap from all electronics at: https://www.allcorp.com/ I simply taped the noise maker to a fin on the booster; used my ears to find the booster right away in the tall grass. The model wasn't an Estes mongoose though; so be sure to run a check on the rockets stability if you modify it this way.

Bruce S. Levison, NAR #69055

 

[TheRadiator]

A bigger streamer helps you see it in the air as well. It's kind of hard to see a piece of orange plastic an inch wide in the wild blue yonder. Or over here in North Carolina, the wild not-so-blue yonder! My Mongoose destroyed itself upon landing. However, it did fly great!

 

[LaneKG]

I cut my Mongoose in the middle and put a coupler so it would break in the middle. The streamer is on the shock cord between the two halves. The idea was that when it splits it does not come in as ballistic. I had success with B motors. I have not tried Cs yet.

Thanks,

Greg

 

[n3tjm]

The booster usually lands near the launch area... unless you have a Black Widow...

 

[BlueNinja]

I loaded mine up with 2 C6's and that was the last flight....

 

[loopy]

Actually, it's easier to track boosters than you might think. They flutter down at a fairly good rate, but they usually rotate pretty good and land fairly close - except stage 2 of a commanche 3. Definitely have hired hands (spotters), and make sure they know their assignments. Doing this, I've had three perfect three stage flights (D12, C6, C6) on my commanche 3! Let us know how it goes!

Loopy

 

[trogdor]

I agree that booster stage with tumbe recovery usually do land close to the pad, so I just paint them very bright colors... however, my mongoose booster (as I recall, RIP) used to sometimes get into a glide and fly away! weird...

 

[gladiator1332]

I think it will all go okay...im launching at a larger field (and much more crowded) so maybe some kids will want to help out. I also bring my camcorder so I can put on the digital zoom and zoom in on the booster stage. The place I am thinking about is where I first saw model rockets for the first time. Some guy was launching some with his son and we would go recover them for him. That is the same time I saw my first rocket explode...his son put the engine way to far into the engine mount (they just barely were able to get the igniters in) and they decided to just fire it off...it was this nice 3-4 foot rocket...the thing maybe went 30 feet in the air and then BANG!...the entire engine mount just blew out of the thing, wadding came flying down the body of the rocket went flying back in the woods....it was pretty cool.

The only problem with the launch area is that around this time of year you can't find an hour where Soccer isn't being played there. There is like 10 soccer fields and two baseball fields...and usually 9 or 10 of the soccer fields are taken up. It is the perfect launch area...there is thick woods on the left, vut as long as you point the pad away from the woods you're fine. The rocket has tons of drifting room.

Also what engines do you reccomend for the first flight of the Mongoose? I froget what the box said to use...but I usually don't follow that and just try to see what you guys used for your first flights. I am guessing B and C engines...just not sure what numbers.

Im going to bring my friends digital camera to the next launch (not sure when that will be) so I will be able to post some pictures.

 

[loopy]

Well, for your first multi-staged flight, I'd avoid C's in the sustainer. You could do a C-0;B6-6. Then, when you're ready to rip it, put a C6-7 in the sustainer.

Loopy

 

[BlueNinja]

For the FIRST flight i recommend a B6-4. On my first multi stage flight i used a B6-C6. The booster almost smacked me on the head.

 

[graylensman]

And make doubly sure your booster motor is a "dash zero", e.g. B6-0, C6-0, etc.

 

[GoBang]

Spotters, spotters, spotters. Also, wear sunglasses, preferably blue blockers of some sort. Really. I tend to lose rockets in the glare and this really helps. I love stagers--I have a CC Express (flew this one last weekend at Manchester) and a Navaho--and that's made a difference. Also, don't paint them camo colors and use a big, easy to see streamer for the sustainer.

 

[trogdor]

ohhh, I second that vote for sunglasses! Since I started wearing them to launches, I've had SO much better success seeing anything flying to high altitudes.. feels good to be the one to point out where a rocket is when everyone is staring around up in the sky saying, "Where is it?? I don't see it." Guess I didn't realize (duh) how bright looking up in the sky can be! Also, don't paint light blue or whatever your sky color tends to be, or green for landings... I have a Custom Lightnin' (D12-0 staging to E9-8) that flies REALLY high but I painted it a very cool looking pearl blue because it looks nice... it also blends into the sky nice, too...

 

[GoBang]

Originally posted by Towelie
ohhh, I second that vote for sunglasses! Since I started wearing them to launches, I've had SO much better success seeing anything flying to high altitudes.. feels good to be the one to point out where a rocket is when everyone is staring around up in the sky saying, "Where is it?? I don't see it."

Hey, I was one of those people peering aimlessly at the sky till last weekend... I will reiterate though, blue blockers of some sort (I buy mine at Dollar General, a buck or two a pair!) are best. Ordinary sunglasses don't do nearly as well, for me at least. Mind you, I am getting older and my eyes aren't as good as they used to be, but...

Oh, and the blue blockers do have one disadvantage...colors look quite different. I looked all over for my red and white Big Bertha with its neon green Top Flight parachute and couldn't see it anywhere...until I took off the shades. Presto! There she was...

 

[n3tjm]

I like flying my Mongoose with the following combo...

A10-0T/A8-3

Flies great


* A10-0T requires 13mm adapter.

 

[graylensman]

Originally posted by n3tjm
* A10-0T requires 13mm adapter.

A10-0T requires possession of some. - see about a godzillion threads mourning the demise of this fine motor...

 

[gerbs4me]

I love those little A10's
lost Quark on one of those motors

 

[trogdor]

n3tjm - That's a good idea! I've been buying A10-0Ts anywhere I see them for the last year knowing I'd have some reason to use them.... also want to try a 3xA10-0T to 3xA10-3T multi-stage cluster in a BT55... guess I now have a reason to play with rocksim.

I do know there's at least 2 places on the web that sell A10-0T motors still... I think countdown is one, someone is selling 10 pack deals.. (red arrow??) and your local plastic model hobby shop probably has them on the wall next to the OOP estes skyraider.

I'd personally like an E9-0 for min diameter... E15-0 could have been cool, too.

 

[BlueNinja]

Originally posted by gerbs4me
I love those little A10's
lost Quark on one of those motors

Are you kidding? I lose em on 1/2 A3-4T's!