I thought it was a short flight, but it was a CATO!

[goose_in_co]

First the details on the really short flight. LOC-IV Mini (1" diameter), using an 1/2 A6-2, that was old-er.

View attachment IMG_2322.MOV

I originally thought that it was a Heavy rocket with a weak motor, however reviewing the video frame by frame, this pops up for only one frame.



Nice little fireball there.

There was no damage to the rocket incredibly, so Now It needs to get a real flight.
But I did win closest to the pad.

Goose.

 

[smstachwick]

Having some trouble with the video.

But yeah, with a motor that small, you wouldn’t be robbed of that much altitude. Glad to hear that everything was OK after, though.

Have you still got the rest of those motors? Do you know the date code?

 

[BEC]

And, of course report it to motorcato.org (and to Estes….they’ll send you some new motors since there still are 1/2A6-2s).

Those LOC minis are heavy for their size, but it still should’ve gotten to, say, 50 feet if the motor hadn’t blown….

 

[BABAR]

I’d say from an entertainment standpoint, you got more bang for your buck than a normally functioning motor!

 

[lakeroadster]

Loc-IV..... Fantastic 4.....

Johnny Storm: "Coincidence? I think not. Flame On!"

A super close up reveals the following...

 

[aerostadt]

Interestingly, it looks like the ejection charge worked. What does the motor look like? Is the clay nozzle still there?

 

[kuririn]

Interestingly, it looks like the ejection charge worked. What does the motor look like? Is the clay nozzle still there?

That's not the ejection charge shooting out the laundry. It's the propellant slug shooting forward after coming off the casing.

 

[goose_in_co]

Correct Kuririn, that was the burning propellant slug pushing out the laundry.

Have you still got the rest of those motors? Do you know the date code?

I picked these motors up second hand, so I do not know how they were stored, but they were from Texas, so there could have been some sizeable temperature swings depending on the storage. The other motors that came with that purchase have been fine. The date code is 12M7, FWIW. I do not expect Estes to replace old second-hand motors of questionable lineage.

Those LOC minis are heavy for their size, but it still should’ve gotten to, say, 50 feet if the motor hadn’t blown….

I have flown those LOC minis on an A8-3, and an A10-3T, and achieved close to 200 feet, so I was expecting 75-100 feet, Yes those LOC mini's are stout.

I’d say from an entertainment standpoint, you got more bang for your buck than a normally functioning motor!

Absolutely!

A super close up reveals the following...

 

[BEC]

I have flown those LOC minis on an A8-3, and an A10-3T, and achieved close to 200 feet, so I was expecting 75-100 feet, Yes those LOC mini's are stout.

200 feet on an A8-3? Heck, an Alpha or an Alpha III (both considerably lighter) generally don’t do that well. For example: https://flightsketch.com/flights/2411/

But maybe up in that rarefied air you fly in…..

 

[goose_in_co]

Or... the uncalibrated Mark II eyeball estimator.

 

[mh9162013]

Is that a mylar parachute? If so, is that what came in the kit?

 

[BEC]

Or... the uncalibrated Mark II eyeball estimator.

Yeah....sorry about calling you out on that (well, at least a little).

Especially with Cub Scout launches, but often at other times I'll put up the model of the day (often an Alpha III or a Generic E2X) on the motor of the day with an FS Mini inside. Then we play "how high did it go?" and the estimates I get are generally wildly optimistic, or very pessimistic.

You are in good company with the Mark II eyeball estimator. Bill Eichelberger and even Chris Michelssen both over estimate a bit in their launch reports (based on my instrumented flights of similar models, anyway).

And yes, the extra 0.15 ounce of a Mini in a pouch does cost a little performance.

And now, back to the 1/2A6-2 CATO.....

 

[goose_in_co]

Is that a mylar parachute? If so, is that what came in the kit?

Yes that is the Mylar parachute that came with the LOC IV Mini kit.

This was one of the first generation LOC Mini series, The LOC 1" series that they are selling now, the LOC I now has a streamer.
If I was launching on a C6, I would use a streamer on this model.