I built a stock Vagabond a couple of weeks ago with the boys when my oldest son was visiting. This was my first rocket since I was a kid. We had fun with several E9 flights. I decided to build an Estes Ventris and set it up as DD so I thought I would convert the Vagabond as a test bed first to work out the kinks. I ordered a Raven altimeter and scratch built an AV bay. I should have moved the bay further aft for less stability to reduce weather cocking but on the other hand, it will be stable with any engine I could possibly stuff into it.
Since this is my first rocket since childhood and first rocket above C impulse, I would appreciate any comments suggestions. Thx.
For the first flight today I flew it on a plugged E9. Everything went according to plan except a small tack weld on the main chute that increased the descent rate but it was still only 18 f/s and no damage to the airframe. Need more barf or to do a better job of wrapping the nomex around the chute.
Apogee 711 ft; 8" drogue, measured descent rate of 31 f/s
Main at 320 ft; 23.5" main (largest I could cut from an oven bag ), measured descent rate of 18 f/s due to tack weld, was aiming for 14 f/s
AV bay: paper tube from wife's sewing room cut down diameter and length hardened w/ CA, strip of body tube cut from Vagabond, 6-32 all thread rods, 120# test nylon coated steel fishing leader formed into figure 8 to retain split ring for shock cord attachment, Raven 2 altimeter with PowerPerch on a thin ply sled friction fit to tube diameter, bulkheads each made from two plywood discs cut with hole saw and sanded to tube OD and ID and then glued togther to make a stepped plug
Layout: Vagabond fin can with ROUGH orange paint (first coat went on smooth, next coat bubbled terribly from the same can , 1/8" TK shock cord, homemade nomex protectors, split ring connectors, chutes cut from oven bag, 50# braided fishing line for chute suspension lines, forward few inches of BT cutoff and glued to NC to make forward compartment, plywood disc glued into NC and kevlar leader knotted through center hole as anchor with loop and splitring at free end, all kevlar loops formed by threading end back through braid like you would a ski rope
OpenRocket sim file, Raven data file, and .eng file created in TCT with data extracted from Raven data file attached below
Since this is my first rocket since childhood and first rocket above C impulse, I would appreciate any comments suggestions. Thx.
For the first flight today I flew it on a plugged E9. Everything went according to plan except a small tack weld on the main chute that increased the descent rate but it was still only 18 f/s and no damage to the airframe. Need more barf or to do a better job of wrapping the nomex around the chute.
Apogee 711 ft; 8" drogue, measured descent rate of 31 f/s
Main at 320 ft; 23.5" main (largest I could cut from an oven bag ), measured descent rate of 18 f/s due to tack weld, was aiming for 14 f/s
AV bay: paper tube from wife's sewing room cut down diameter and length hardened w/ CA, strip of body tube cut from Vagabond, 6-32 all thread rods, 120# test nylon coated steel fishing leader formed into figure 8 to retain split ring for shock cord attachment, Raven 2 altimeter with PowerPerch on a thin ply sled friction fit to tube diameter, bulkheads each made from two plywood discs cut with hole saw and sanded to tube OD and ID and then glued togther to make a stepped plug
Layout: Vagabond fin can with ROUGH orange paint (first coat went on smooth, next coat bubbled terribly from the same can , 1/8" TK shock cord, homemade nomex protectors, split ring connectors, chutes cut from oven bag, 50# braided fishing line for chute suspension lines, forward few inches of BT cutoff and glued to NC to make forward compartment, plywood disc glued into NC and kevlar leader knotted through center hole as anchor with loop and splitring at free end, all kevlar loops formed by threading end back through braid like you would a ski rope
OpenRocket sim file, Raven data file, and .eng file created in TCT with data extracted from Raven data file attached below
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