First flights. Do you just go for it?

[KILTED COWBOY]

Barring the size of the field.
When given two or three motor choices,the weakest for first flight.
Does anyone else just go for it and choose the most power for first flight.
If it is not a scratch build and some sort of kit.So stability should be okay

 

[SDramstad]

I tend to use high thrust/ short burn time motors for first flight. High speed off the rail helps with stability and short burn so if things go wrong its only interesting for a short time. AT Warp-9 is my favorite.

 

[Steve Shannon]

First flight for the rocket or the flyer?

 

[grouch]

I generally just punch it or fly the motor I already have. What ever.

 

[Steven]

I close my eyes and floor it. Exciting times.

 

[CalebJ]

It's always a good idea to use the most possible impulse, especially with the Comanche 3.

 

[hprocketeer]

Lots of people have done first flights on Estes Alphas with a C6-7. And never see it again.

Known as the C-ya flight. That’s why a lot of starter sets had 3 motors. An A, B, and C. Start small and maybe you will still have the rocket after 3 flights.

 

[BABAR]

For first flights, proportional to amount of time finishing the rocket.

How bad do you want it back? Do I have any other back up rockets to fly if I lose it?

Definitely need to make sure it is stable off the rail or rod, beyond that I try to keep to low range.

I am biased because I fly a number of black powder 2 stage rockets. For these, I make sure I have enough oomph to get off the pad, and then go really low on the sustainer.

 

[Speaknoevil]

I select a lower impulse for a new build. I want to see the full flight profile, especially the recovery sequence. After that, it goes out of sight.

 

[Nytrunner]

Learning when not to fly, and choosing motors for your field is an important rocket skill. We are supposed to Recover the rocket after all

It took me losing a couple good rockets to develop unfortunately

 

[kuririn]

I'm a conservative wuss. I fly the minimum recommended motor on the maiden flight to observe the flight profile and apogee. Keep in mind that larger motors will move the CG a little further back, so if there are problems with the smallest motor they may be exacerbated on a bigger (i.e. heavier) one.
If successful, and depending on the field size, let er rip.

 

[John Taylor]

Especially when flying a scratch or modified kit, for safety in case the model in someway fails or is unstable, I believe it is prudent to fly with a smaller motor until the models flight characteristics are determined. (I do a lot of scratch builds and almost always modify kits.)

 

[AfterBurners]

just go for it!! I remember my first flight on my SUMO was my cert flight. All went well. It was the second flight that turned out to be a core sample.

 

[Eljay]

I generally use the lower end of the power range at first, not necessarily the lowest but on that end. But not always, some high power rockets that I mostly fly on H's I flew the first time on an I because it made sense in the context of what I was doing that particular day. But then again I could have put a J in there...

 

[OverTheTop]

If I have had plenty of time to consider the flight and correctly identify any problems/issues during build then I have no hesitation, or nerves, in going big. If preparation was rushed I would be dialing down the impulse. That's just me. YMMV.

 

[BABAR]

For low power, I just don’t get the point of flying once you get above maybe 300 feet AGL, unless you have an altimeter aboard or a camera. The “up” part of the flight with a bigger motor is only a couple of seconds longer, and assuming successful deployment of recovery device, unless you are flying remote control glider or dual deploy (dual deploy is exciting always seems like, “wait for it....,wait for it....., hope for it......., pray for it......., OH SHEESH, Thank you Lord!), the down part is kind of boring for streamers and chutes except you are HOPING it lands in the recovery area and not a tree or a lake. Down part is entertaining for helicopters, gliders, and air brakes, but only if it stays in visual range (and these are hard to recover if it goes much over 300 feet.)

To each his own. I watched a lot of HPR launches at NSL last year, cool rockets, but from an observer standpoint the flight profiles all start to look alike once they get beyond the first 1000 feet, except I suspect those approaching the waiver altitude had a longer drive to recover (for the rocket, I mean)!

 

[MClark]

My Tripoli level 3 rocket the first flight was on an O motor. Cert flight an M with 1/3 the impulse.

M

 

[Nytrunner]

My Tripoli level 3 rocket the first flight was on an O motor. Cert flight an M with 1/3 the impulse.

M

Interrsting. Howd that fall into shapeM

 

[MClark]

I built the airframe with person who would be my TAP observing, he lives 750' away. 9" cardboard plywood reinforced with carbon fiber for Unlimited Bowling Ball Loft.
Rocket was flown at a non TRA independent launch using a Rick Louer O.
A few years later TAP chairman said I had to get my L-3 or I would get tossed off the committee. I was actually L-1 and on TAP as we're all the first members because nobody was L-2, -3. L-2 was morning after the three level system was announced at Black Rock.
At the time it was common for Level 3 flights to be done with airframes previously built. There was many who launched big motors for years under the single level system, rockets had flown before, little to no documentation was asked for. I believe the only paperwork on mine was the data capture form, no drawings, plans, nothing.
I launched for L-3 on a AMW 7500 Ns M Paul Robinson gave me at Las Vegas El Dorado dry lake Springfest

 

[Nytrunner]

Ahhh the changes that time brings!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[OverTheTop]

Normally for cert flights I go the next impulse up from the bottom. So my certs were:
L1 I
L2 K
L3 N
I think just getting across the line is a bit too easy, but that's just my rule for myself. There are official rules and I won't cast nasturtiums at anyone who wants to work up from a lower power. It is personal choice.

 

[Nytrunner]

My L1 was an H
L2 was a K

This sets an ambitious trendline......

 

[neil_w]

I'm a conservative wuss. I fly the minimum recommended motor on the maiden flight to observe the flight profile and apogee.

I also lean towards conservative, but lately I find myself often using one up from the smallest motor, even on my scratchbuilds, provided the weather is conducive.
1) Higher speed off the rod increases stability/reduces weathercocking.
2) If the rocket only lasts one flight, I want it to be a satisfying one.

 

[PXR5]

I always use the lowest power, my field is rather small And I'm rather on the lazy side to drive somewhere

 

[grouch]

I tossed my L2 up on a G just to sort it out my first dual deploy flight then set it free on a J. While a J might sound a little wimpy for a L2 flight, the rocket was the little red Nuke in the avatar. Spanked it over 6K. Not bad for a $60 paper rocket.