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Today I had the day off, so I headed with my 40% off coupon to hb. Got myself a F26 single use. (Not at home so I may be wrong on the motor.) Should work well for first flight. Also picked up a Baby Birtha, and some B6's. Launching my Little Joe tomorrow, and am excited for the black jack F26. Should be an awesome first flight :3
 
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Quick question about the Ventris, is the Main BT 2.6" and the upper with the NC 3"? I am planning on building an upscale Estes Guardian and was thinking I could hijack the Transition from a Ventris kit
 
dgreger said:
Quick question about the Ventris, is the Main BT 2.6" and the upper with the NC 3"? I am planning on building an upscale Estes Guardian and was thinking I could hijack the Transition from a Ventris kit
Click to expand...

Why not just order a transition from Semroc or Balsa Machining?
 
most of my ventris flights were with a f26. it is a great motor for this rocket.
 
The Estes Pro-Series kits use non-standard body tubes. The transition won't fit anything...
 
qquake2k said:
How did you end up with a leftover transition from a Ventris?
Click to expand...
Was going to buy the kit for the parts, then build something else with the leftover.
awseiger said:
The Estes Pro-Series kits use non-standard body tubes. The transition won't fit anything...
Click to expand...
That Figures, ok, got the part number from Semroc I needed, better this way anyway, will save me some money!
 
qquake2k said:
Seems like an expensive way to get parts.
Click to expand...
Yeah it would have been, but like I said I still could have built a rocket with the leftovers. Still learning what all the different vendors have to offer, ie: semroc. going to order the BTs from them as well so theres no fitment issues.
 
Launch! Great flight... but recovery... please just excuse my rant here.

So, the Ventris soars on its F26, reaches apogee, and pop. I see the rocket separate, but then, the body tube starts to fall, un-connected. I knew that instant what had happened. The nose cone and transition flew a good 3/4 a mile downrange, never would have found it if this one lady didn't see it fall in a man's yard. The body tube, and motor were recovered with noting but paint damage, landed in a bit of mud fin first. So, I inspected the attachment point for the shock-cord. It was there, the paper they gave me had stuck, it just failed. Nothing I did wrong I can assume since it was still there. At least part of it, but if it is attached, shouldn't the rest still be? No. This is really upsetting to me because I could have just lost my rocket because of a faulty system. I know others have launched it with success, but I epoxied it in, and in flight it blew apart. It was cleanly on there, and you can still see it attached clearly. It just blew out. I would just like to tell Estes if they read this, please tell your customers to mount your cord to your centering rings to save this from happening. Even if I did mess something up, this system is not ideal, or will fail eventually. The whole kit is fine, no damage, but this just puts a damper on my day, and it will scare me to fly it again.

Videos to come soon, the rocket flew great, was the most awesome motor for this rocket I can imagine.

Overall, great rocket, great flight, terrible recovery. I would recommend it to anyone, but just get yourself an eye-bolt and attach it to the forward ring. This is not me complaining, I love Estes, and their rockets, just I feel as if it happens to me who has done tons of mounts like this, then it will certainly happen to others. There is nothing I can really do about this though, its already assembled. Suggestions would be great. (I will get some pictures of it...)
 
I have read threads using epoxy before for this system... Guess I may just have had bad luck today.

For a replacement I plan on using an index card, and some wood glue to let it really soak into the BT and the mount. Should be much stronger. Good idea?
 
should work...though wood glue does shrink more than the white glue. I would suggest that you assemble the mount and let the glue mostly dry outside the rocket, shape it to match the tube, then apply glue to the tube where you want the mount to go and press the mount in place. I find this to be less messy than doing it the other way around.
rex
 
I did that with some of my other builds, but tried my epoxy on this one... Big no-no from now on with these mounts. Here are some images, and a video for you guys.

[video=youtube;uTncCxtbOVM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTncCxtbOVM&feature=youtu.be[/video]
(The quality should be better when it finishes uploading...)
flight 1.PNGflight 2.PNG
 
Yup, here you go. If you look close, you can see the epoxy that seeped in, as well as part of the mount itself.
photo (35).jpgphoto (37).jpg
 
Dude that was an awesome flight. Well done! Given what you have to work with a Loc Style mount might work really well. I use them quite a bit. You just have to smooth over the ends and knots with a layer or three of glue. Again, nice rocket! :clap:
 
Thank you!

What is this LOC method you speak of? I have started to re-build the mount. I used 3 note cards, glued them together, and used wood glue on all 4 folds I did. It is really strong, but a little thick. I have yet to mount it, so I am interested in seeing how this mount works.

Her next flight is just asking for that leftover G80. I think I am going to save that for a club launch though.
 
Hopefully this works
https://www.rocketryforumarchive.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4359&d=1071404488

I generally get the knot a little lower in the tube. Of course make sure all of it including the glue, is far enough down the tube so your shoulder clears. The tape is there to hold the cord till the glue dries and stays there forever. Epoxy works, wood glue works.

You just want to smooth it down so when the ends and knots dry way down in there, nothing can catch on them. The cord is nylon believe. Sometimes I put more over the dried glue. Again just to smooth things a bit. Then you tie the shock cord to the loop. Some people hate em. I've used it on rockets all the way up to my 3x29 flying three Gs


Edit: the horses mouth
https://locprecision.com/uploads/IS-52_Vulcanite.pdf
 
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Thanks! I may use that on some of my future LPR birds...

Well, I started to re-build her. Its not going to be that difficult, but I am looking at a club launch next month, so I want to have her ready to take a G80 then.

My original plan called for 3 note cards being glued together, and the cord being mounted within. I found this to be too large. After looking at the attachment point of the mount, I think one of the issues may have been that when the chute and wattage came out, it was too thick, and simply got pushed out by all the gear coming out.

Here are some pictures of my first attempt: (There is now some wood glue in the BT... but I am not that worried about it...)
IMG_20130505_124337.jpgIMG_20130505_124351.jpgIMG_20130505_124407.jpg

When I placed it in the BT... It was way too thick. I could easily see it getting ripped out. I got as much cord out of it as I could, and started a new one. This time only with one card. I folded it in 3 spots, let it dry with wood glue, cut a section off, folded the remaining section back onto the to the top of the mount, and glued it together. Much thinner, and take up less space.

I am going to need to get creative with how I am going to glue this in. I can assure you, however, when I do get it in originally, I will add extra glue to support it around the edges.

IMG_20130505_174657.jpgIMG_20130505_174706.jpg (And yes those are stuffed animals... my dog steals them and takes them outside to give to our neighbor's dog. They are drying after being in the rain >.<)

Also, I have been meaning to ask about this... are there laws against flying LEDs? I have a LED blinker I took apart and re-built and have been wondering if I can fly it onboard and have it deploy, and blink so I (possibly...) could see it better? I can see it messing with pilots, but when you have a waiver they should not be there anyway... I would do this at a club launch.
 
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Orion14ed said:
Also, I have been meaning to ask about this... are there laws against flying LEDs? I have a LED blinker I took apart and re-built and have been wondering if I can fly it onboard and have it deploy, and blink so I (possibly...) could see it better? I can see it messing with pilots, but when you have a waiver they should not be there anyway... I would do this at a club launch.
Click to expand...

There's an Apogee Newsletter that covers LEDs on rockets here - https://www.apogeerockets.com/downloads/Newsletter272.pdf
And Leading Edge Rocketry makes rockets with LEDs designed right into the body tubes & nose cones!! https://www.leadingedgerocketry.com/

As for what the law states - you will need to check with your local area / club.

Krusty
 
krusty said:
I had an idea once of having a few lasers mounted in the aft end of the rocket and having the beams shine through the smoke trail :)

Krusty
Click to expand...

Why didn't you do it? That would be awesome for a night launch!
 
pick1e said:
Looks OK but I would suggest something bigger- not thicker but bigger around- so it has more surface area to adhere to the body tube. Glue joints are all about surface area.

What club are you planning to attend? I hope to make it to the Jackson club soon for a launch if the weather is nice. I need help spotting My Comanche-3 upscale project ;)
Click to expand...

I have started to glue it in... I do agree to it a little thick, but I am glueing in such a way that I hope to maximize the amount of glue that bonds with it. This means injecting it under it, from the sides, and in the front. Should hold up okay... I hope. After this next flight, just for safety sake I may retire her until I can think of a way to make the mount more stable.

And I have been looking into the Jackson club! (I do believe they are NAR... correct me if I am mistaken...) It is a good 3 hour drive, but seeing as it would be something I do every 2-6 months, my parents are glad to assist in getting me there. They are happy to see me interested in this instead of other stuff kids at my age are... I would go to the launches this month, but our calender says we will be unable too... If there are any launches in June however, I am almost certain I can make it there for a launch.

Also, I want to put a piece of tape over the mount itself. I hope that with the tape, it will let the hardware slide over the mount itself. I want to also pack the chute tighter, so it comes out easier.

Thanks guys about the LED! I may just save it for later. I like the idea of a nosecone illuminated by one... Will investigate that.
 

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