FrankenPhoenix - A photo essay

[wwattles]

Behold the FrankenPhoenix. It started out as a simple Estes Phoenix kit, with an experiment in removable motor mounts. With my entire arsenal at that point consisting of 3 Estes kits, I had no idea what I was getting into. But I knew that I wanted to overbuild my Phoenix to handle anything I could put into it.

 

[wwattles]

It flew once on a single D, but the first attempts at retention failed. It tore a hole in the side of the tube, and ejected the mmt out the back. Fortunately, the shock cord was long enough that the chute was able to come all the way out the back and deploy. But the hole was patched, and I was ready to fly again. Or so I thought.

 

[wwattles]

I was getting power hungry, and got the nerve to build a new powerplant for it: 4x24mm with no forward hook or thrust ring, so it could take any pair of 24mm motors I could throw into it.

 

[wwattles]

The first 4x24 flight was a disaster. Only 3 of the 4 D4’s lit, and the delay was much too short. The damage was terrible. The fin can was trashed. But it flew. That much was a victory.

 

[wwattles]

The entire aft end had to be replaced, but the new section couldn’t be braced internally, since it would still need to be able to have the removable mounts slide in and out cleanly. Thus, external bracing.

 

[wwattles]

But what about all that weight at the tail end? How do you compensate for that? Well, I learned about noseweight. A LOT of noseweight. Here’s the inside of the modified nosecone, showing two of the ½ pound strip weights (4 total) that are velcro’ed to the inside of the nose.

 

[wwattles]

How do you start something like this skyward? With a homemade clip-whip! Here’s how it looked moments before the trek to the launch pad.

 

[wwattles]

This time, all 4 E9’s lit. And for the first time, I looked up and was able to see 4 distinct flames screaming out the back of my creation. (Thanks mkeene for taking the pic!)

 

[wwattles]

But did it survive? Yes indeed! The only damage was a singed nylon chute.

 

[wwattles]

It’s Pinocchio! It’s Michael Jackson! No, it’s the FPX (FrankenPhoenix Xtended)! I was trying out something new, using a longer forward body tube, friction fitted to the main tube, and topped off with the stock nose cone. Sure enough, the principles of physics worked – the longer BT threw the CG way forward, and despite the 4 24mm motors, the stock noseweight clay was sufficient to keep it stable.

 

[wwattles]

You can see how strange it looks out on the launch pad, and it got more than one cocked eyebrow sitting there.

 

[wwattles]

So what does the future hold for the FrankenPhoenix? It's already got a 29mm mount waiting for a launch...

 

[Elapid]

of your model!
can't wait to see pics of it on a 29mm motor!

 

[eugenefl]

Haha...this is pretty neat thread. I guess some rockets just won't die! Glad to hear some of the experimentation was successful.

 

[Ryan S.]

very nice, way to keep the rocket alive!

 

[Micromeister]

Great story WW hope the model continues to evolve and fly

How about staging it also, Here's a D12-0/D12-5 flight just before staging I've since upped the first stage to a 3D12 cluster.

 

[rstaff3]

Great thread wwattles! I love to re-build damaged rockets whenever possible. The butt end of my NCR Archer has been rebuilt a couple of times. The first time was after a Bernoulli lock on the pad totally burned away a few inches but spared the fins. Next a tangled chute finished the end off (again the fins survived).

Please keep this thread going