Journals or other launch records

[Manwithbeers]

I can tell some people are meticulous about keeping a record of each flight and others don't keep any records at all. What kind of records are others keeping for commercial rocketry?
I have a simple note book in a launch box to sumarize each launch day but nothing particular. Just models flown and maybe motors used.

Layne

 

[Johnnie]

I am more maticulous on the experimental side, but for commercial I generally log each flight, and keep records on each rocket. I still have files of rockets that have died long ago, that I might compare notes against should I ever build a new and improved version.

 

[arthur dent]

I usually make notes about a flight if it is a rocket i have designed myself and only then for its first flight .I might start making notes on all my launches as would be good to be able to look back and see how flights went.

 

[rstaff3]

I jot notes after each launch and then enter them into EMRR.

 

[hokkyokusei]

I voted detailed log for each flight, but it's not really that detailed. For each day at each launch I make a note of each rocket flown, and the motor it flew on. If there's anything particularly notable about the flight I might write it down, but nothing much.

It helps me reconcile my AP acquisition/use records, which I have to keep, and it's also fun to look back on.

 

[Stones]

I keep a "flightlog" txt file on the 'puter with number of flights per rocket and motors used. Any other info is captured by pics...
a "lawndart" pic is worth a thousand words.

 

[jflis]

I don't keep records anymore, but try to recapture the day in a journal form at the end of the day.

I was tickled to notice that Jack Hagarty keeps a tape recorder in his shirt pocket and verbalizes each launch (his and others) throughout the course of a launch, then transcribes it at the end of the day

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by Manwithbeers
I can tell some people are meticulous about keeping a record of each flight and others don't keep any records at all. What kind of records are others keeping for commercial rocketry?
I have a simple note book in a launch box to sumarize each launch day but nothing particular. Just models flown and maybe motors used.

Layne

In most cases I plan each rocket's flight ahead of time with a inventory of motors I have and sims of what I choose for each. I keep that planning in a book. If I still have the rocket after that launch I can look through and see what I used that worked and use that for planning the next time.

In the few cases where I'm doing something in particular, like the flight tests of my cluster-airframe design, I keep a notebook for the design and record everything about it from building details of each particular version to all flight results, ideas, all that.

 

[KermieD]

Originally posted by Stones
I keep a "flightlog" txt file on the 'puter with number of flights per rocket and motors used. Any other info is captured by pics...
a "lawndart" pic is worth a thousand words.

Man, what I wouldn't have given to have gotten a video of that Deltie Thunder power pranging!

 

[Stones]

Originally posted by KermieD
Man, what I wouldn't have given to have gotten a video of that Deltie Thunder power pranging!

That was a big OUCH!, wasn't it? As much as no one likes to see rockets being demolished, ya got to admit, there is a certain "entertainment" aspect to it.

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

Originally posted by KermieD
Man, what I wouldn't have given to have gotten a video of that Deltie Thunder power pranging!

Strange, I was going to re-name my Deltie Thunder "Power Prang"

Of all the rockets in my club, that one sends people heading for the sandbags!

 

[Micromeister]

I Guess it stems from my beginnings in amateur rocketry, but I've kept a complete flight log on every model in my fleet from the very beginning. Photos of static and flight, and a huge amount of video tape for review of most flights. In recent years some of the pick-up micro launches across the street in a tiny park with the neighborhood kids I've let slide, unless i'm testing a new model or flying something with a specific mission. For these I revert back to the Flight log book and record all the data, weather, flight observations and outcome of the test or mission.
Where do you guys think all those archive pic's come from back in the day

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

edit:

I've attached the worksheet I use with each launch. This data goes int o an Access database from which I dump to Crystal Reports or Minitab for analysis.

 

[Rocketman248]

I pretty much just take pics of all of my launches. I can usually remember just about everything from the flight just by looking at the pics. I can't remember what I had for dinner last night but I can tell you about every one of my flights.

 

[Rocketjunkie]

I keep a file on my laptop with altimeter data file name, rocket name, date, altitude, motors, launch location.
Motor deployed flights list rocket, motors, date, location, and results if not nominal.

 

[Elapid]

nothing

 

[Karl]

I like to know which rocket suits which motor best. I keep a little log on my PC that I have a look at everytime I goto launch. Things like ;

Which Motor/Rocket

Height

Did the recovery device depoly right?

Was the recovery device used ample?

Comments.


Karl

 

[scottrc]

Back before entering the workforce as an engineer, I used to keep very strict records, but since having to do such much record keeping in my line of work, I now just aim and launch. Its just a hobby to me.

However, I am back doing my own designs, and I love to do the math and record the performance for each model that I build from scratch.

Scott