Good and bad day

[ronhill]

This started out as a good day. My Arreaux with a F20-7--its third flight. This was taken last weekend at the VOA park launching with the QUARKs near Cincinnati. But it didn't end of happily. See next message.

 

[ronhill]

Here is the result 3 minutes later. It hit the only power lines within a quarter mile. I suppose it's still there.

Ron

 

[Ryan S.]

nice pictures.....I hate stupid rocket eating powerlines. I lost a GForce to them

My Arreaux have never survived, they both lawn darted so I made the Half Arrow, flies awesome

 

[Darian Rachal]

Originally posted by ronhill
Here is the result 3 minutes later. It hit the only power lines within a quarter mile. I suppose it's still there.

Ron

Ron, You don't think the power company would remove it if you called them?

At one of the LA Tripoli launches awhile back, a fairly large rocket landed on the wires & the power company came out & removed it.

 

[Len B]

Originally posted by Darian Rachal
Ron, You don't think the power company would remove it if you called them?

I've heard that they will in most areas. They want to discourage anyone from trying to remove it themselves, among other reasons. I can imagine someone trying to remove it. It's a scary thought.

Len Bryan

 

[Johnnie]

We lost a person who returned to the launch field a day after a launch to recover a rocket that was not his...the Rocket R&D 4" version of the Estes Phoenix was draped across TVA power lines that supplied Southern Middle Tennessee with electricity.

He used a 20' long aluminum pole...when the pole was close enough, the power lines arced across to the pole...

the bolt of electricity blew every tooth out of the mans face...blew off every finger an toe from the mans body, and when he came to rest on the ground, his body set fire to the launch field...when the farmer saw the smoke from his field and came to invetigate, the man was still alive...he later died enroute to the hospital.

When the shockcord gets damp, it will arc and burn through, and the rocket will fall to the ground...or call the power company to recover it.

This Boeing employee made the Darwin Awards I heard...

 

[gerbs4me]

Bummer
cool pictures
it stinks when they land on power lines

 

[sandman]

I did manage to shoot one out of a power line with a slingshot and a rock!

It was a lucky shot, broke the plastic loop on the nose cone that holds the shock cord on...perfect!

sandman

 

[Karl]

Ouch! The power company wont want it up there as much as you , im sure they will be happy to get it off there.
-Karl

 

[Fishhead]

Originally posted by gerbs4me
Bummer
cool pictures
it stinks when they land on power lines

Not as bad as the guys who burst into flame after trying to recover their rockets from live wires. Geez, what a way to go.

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by ronhill
This started out as a good day. My Arreaux with a F20-7--its third flight. This was taken last weekend at the VOA park launching with the QUARKs near Cincinnati. But it didn't end of happily. See next message.

It seems to be right up against one wire with the payload section below. It might be possible to shake it down.

When I was a kid I used to bang on/shake the pole behind our house and time the banging to the resonance of the wires. They'd swing with a certain frequency and I'd match that to get them really going. It'd even travel down several poles and swing the wires farther down the line.

Couldn't hurt to try. They tie the wires up to handle a lot more force than you can put into them.

 

[Chilly]

Not sure of what you're describing...if those are high-voltage lines then they're probably strung on big metal girders.
A $50 rocket is not worth the risk to life & limb, even if it had an RMS casing in it! I say call the power company, period.

 

[BlueNinja]

Well... Good thing I paid attention in science for once...

If ya manage to vibrate the girder at the resonant frequency of the wires, those wires are gonna vibrate. Resonance is one oblect causing another to vibrate.

It may get the rocket down, but you' have to keep banging it the exact same way for them to vibrate enough.

 

[ronhill]

I asked around to see if anyone had any luck with getting the power company to rescue rockets. There had been one or two others in the area. The company had not responded. Someone suggested that the company would require a bond so I opted not to give them buzz.

I wasn't going to rescue it myself. As a couple of folks mentioned, people have been fried doing this. The way it was suspended made it unlikely it will fall on its own. It rained several times this week so the body is likely shot. We're headed that way next weekend so I'll take a look at the corpse again.

I like the Arreaux so much, I ordered a new one.

Ron

 

[Darian Rachal]

Ron, It still may be worth giving them a call to find out if they'll do it for nothing. I'd think they wouldn't want something like that hanging up there.

Otherwise, just go shoot the shock cord w/a 22.

 

[Stewart32]

I believe I would have to let that one hang lest I end up like the dead fellow (the ugly).

 

[Gus]

I lost a Big Daddy (first flight) to power lines. I called Detroit Edison to notify them it was there. They retrieved it poste haste (that same day) but didn't call me so I could get the rocket back. I left my name and phone number (and it was on a tag on the rocket as well).

Really made me mad.

 

[nomopbo]

I just had a power line mis-hap a few days ago. I called the electric company to report it since I figured it wasn't a good idea to just leave it hanging there.

(Then I began to worry if there would be a hefty service charge involved...)

Anyway, (several days later) the power guy showed up and asked where the rocket was. I told him it blew down a couple days ago. He was actually bummed out and said he liked these kind of calls.


I should have called back and told them it was down, but several days passed and I figured they didn't care.

 

[powderburner]

Originally posted by Darian Rachal
just go shoot the shock cord w/a 22

Unless you know where those rounds are going to land, and whether that part of the world is clear and safe while you go blasting away trying to hit a teeny target bouncing in the wind, this is probably not a good idea.

Much better solution: 12 gauge with full choke---this will make a nice dense cloud (probably about a foot diameter by the time it reaches the height of the rocket) and will definitely eat that shock cord, and will not carry beyond more than a hundred yards or so. You still have to be careful about who is standing around.