First Orbital Transport flight ...and questions!

[billeblurzz]

Any OT fliers?? Yesterday I launched my ORBITAL TRANSPORT for the first time since I built it about 2 years ago. It was such a time-consuming build, and I felt the construction and finish was flawless, that I had intended to build another for flying and to keep this one for display! Well I do have another in the bag...was going to buy one more...but I waited too long to buy another to have 3...one display, one flying, and one bagged!!! Anyway yesterday I decided to see what it would do!!

 

[billeblurzz]

My instincts were to go with a C6-3...but it seems most everything I read, people had used a C6-5...so that is what I used. On most of my rockets, I add a little nose weight since my stout construction techniques add more weight than stock. Since I did not see a swing-test with the OT, I flew with no extra weight.

 

[billeblurzz]

LIFTOFF!!!...on C6-5...it seemed to arch back overhead in a BIG arch...not too bad...but straight and taking the booster and glider away...just not straight up!!! It then arched over and began a dive toward the ground...a LONG dive toward the ground!!! After swapping half the attained height, it finally popped the chute and cleaned released the glider. The chute seemed somewhat fouled but the glider was flying pretty well despite the low altitude release. The glider never did dive...it just SLOWLY came down in a FLARE...just like the SHUTTLE...it was just so far (200' or so) away. Upon retrieving the booster and shuttle, the only damage was a snapped off rudder on the booster...I believe from landing too hard. The shuttle had NO marks at all. At first I thought I should have added some nose weight...but after thinking about it, if the delay had been shorter, the boost would have been pretty good. It just seemed the glider may have pulled the booster away from vertical under boost...those elevons on the shuttle are really kicked up for lift!!! Has anyone else had this experience??? It is ready to go again...I just need to maybe try 3-sec delay...and maybe ont use some nose weight after all!!!

 

[astronboy]

Boy, the glider did actually glide ? I have never seen an OT glider work. Did you modify the design?

Fred

 

[sandman]

My glider flew nice and flat...so flat that with a 5mph wind it just sloooooowly floated down and gently touched down on the roof of my truck.

Now forward ground speed at all.

Nice and level.

Yes you do get an arching flight but that's pretty normal. Hard to avoid with that design.

I did notice once when I had a shock cord separation that the booster glides really nice...only tail first. But then I had 3 things to chase.

sandman

 

[billeblurzz]

Thanks for your input sandman. I saw your comments on Rocket Reviews too. I guess the boost was not too out of character...just delay was WAY too long! The glide was really cool!...sorta like a slow drop with out a parachute...really flat...then a few bobbles,rocking motion...then into another FLAT glide!!! I highly recommend the Quest SHUTTLE INTREPID for a diminutive glider that REALLY flies if you get it trimmed out right!!!

 

[loopy]

C6-3 ONLY!!! I've launched mine a few times on C6-3's, and it's perfect. My glider does nice little circles with a sink rate slower than that of the booster under parachute. It kida looks like the glider is circling the booster to protect it...

Loopy

 

[dtomko]

I like to fly my clone on B6-4s at small fields. It gets respectable altitude and doesn't arch very much as long as there's no wind. I did have to add a bit of nose weight to the glider and it has a pretty flat glide.
Drew Tomko

 

[Micromeister]

Originally posted by astronboy
Boy, the glider did actually glide ? I have never seen an OT glider work. Did you modify the design?

Fred

Dang Astronboy:
All 3 sizes of my OT's the gliders work beautifully! even the micro maxx minimum dia. .281body with a 6mm glider the glider has a great flat circling glide path. I think you can see it in this pic just after release taken directly overhead about 25 feet up

Bill:
When I fly my standard size OT I usually try to set the launch angle at about 10 degrees and support the model so it stays upright on the pad. I also only use C6-3 motors. The 4 D12 Ultra OT and the Micro OT seem to flight fine straight up.

 

[Elapid]

i built mine in 1974 iirc...
it was the pride of my fleet! i painted mine blue. since i have never been the most adept painter, i rarely attempted to follow the color schemes on the package.

i only remember one flight, though i surely launched it many times. On that day, it was a little windy...

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley (what do you mean, "i talk funny?", like.. i'm soooo suuuurree!!!!!!) in southern California. if you know the valley, our field was at the NW corner of Wilbur and Lassen streets. there was a wheat field there with a BIG hill at the north end where we had a bicycle jump set up. the field was 1/4 mile on each side. i can recall walking to school while the wheat heads were ripening and using them as missiles to attack classmates. LOL!

anyway, we used to launch from the center of the field. My OT went up about 20 feet then directly downwind and perfectly LEVEL with the ground! it was an amazing flight! it ended up getting stuck on the power lines at the intersection, or at least the chute did. i remember racing into the intersection on foot and rescuing part of the rocket before it got crushed in the light traffic.

I just bought one of the OT kits from the local hobby shop, but with the prices on ebay, i'm tempted to buy the other 4 kits and resell them all and scratch-build one for me.

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by astronboy
Boy, the glider did actually glide ? I have never seen an OT glider work. Did you modify the design?

Fred

I built mine as meticulously (huh?) as I could, and my glider most definitely does not glide like I had hoped. It develops a pretty pronounced wobble soon after separation, and loses altitude a little faster than I would like. It's not enough to cause any concern - I've flown it several times without any damage - so I won't make any mods to try and improve it. I'll probably retire it soon anyway, as I poured more than my typical amount of effort into this one, and it would be a shame to lose it.

S..

 

[Hauptmann]

Originally posted by billEblurzz
The glider never did dive...it just SLOWLY came down in a FLARE...just like the SHUTTLE...it was just so far (200' or so) away.

That sounds like a pretty good glide for an OT shuttle, my clone also flares and wobbles it's way down in a most ungraceful glide... Boost-glider it ain't, but it is entertaining!

Originally posted by billEblurzz
...those elevons on the shuttle are really kicked up for lift!!! Has anyone else had this experience???

Yep, those elevons cause arc (and roll, depending on how much difference you put into the angles of the two elevons). Wind only makes it worse (and makes you chase the glider farther), so I save it for calm days. Oh, did I mention I'm too chicken to launch it on anything but B6-4's?

 

[qMaxx]

About 5 years ago, I scratch-built an OT clone, getting measurements from someone else's model. I never got around to painting it, so it wasn't the prettiest thing out there. On it's first flight, I flew it on a C6-3. The glider was in the air for well over two minutes, doing a lazy circle about 75 yards across, and drifting slowly away with the wind.

It would have been in the air longer, but it hit a tree near the top (about 50 feet up) and hit darn near every branch on the way down. It was either early spring or late fall as there were no leaves on the tree. Very little damage - a couple of dents in the leading edge of the wing, and a small ding in the nose.

That flight would have placed in one of our local meets...

 

[Zack Lau]

Hi Bushrat,

Clones are likely to fly much better than original OT gliders.

Remember the expression, "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."

Estes uses heavy to very heavy balsa. Balsa weighs anywhere from 4lbs/cubic foot to 15lbs/cubic foot. Not surprisingly, if you use heavy balsa, you get something that glides like the Space Shuttle.

Make another glider out of light or "contest" balsa and it will glide much better. Keep the paint to a minimum. Even better, skip the paint, if you want the best glide performance.

A glider expert can walk up to an assortment of Midwest balsa at the craft store and cherry pick the good stuff Typically, they look for light C or quarter grain balsa for the wings, as it is stiffer and less likely to warp. But, it is too brittle for fuselages.

Unfortunately, due to the way balsa is cut, only a small percentage is C grain. Since light balsa is rare, light C grain is very hard to find.

 

[Peter Alway]

I think one serious problem with the Orbital Transport may be the weight of the paint on the glider. A meticuloulsy-finished, no-wood-grain, no-body-spirals glider with a glossy paint job may have twice as much weight in primer and paint as it does in wood and paper.

I also have found that each individual Orbital Transport has its own arcing tendencies. I built a 1:1 clone that tended to arc over on its back, and I had to fly it on a B4-2 to get it eject at apogee--A C6 would drive it into the ground. My mini-version always boosted straight, and my BT-60 version boosts straight.