Keeping It Low: What Approach Do You Prefer for Flying in Small Fields?
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ThirstyBarbarian
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milehigh
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Probably a lot easier to find than standard Quarks and other subatomic particles!
Drag is a great solution. I like to do it by adding spin. Below are models with D and E motors that ascend with great drama to only a scant 3 or 4 hundred feet.
These models have very narrow but highly effective "Gurney flaps" located across part of the trailing edges.
These models have very narrow but highly effective "Gurney flaps" located across part of the trailing edges.
Rocketjunkie
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I've been working on a variable drag project where I vary the number of drag plates in a tube fin rocket to adjust the altitude. The thread is here https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/variable-drag-project.157027/ Started with BT-60 and D12 motors, have progressed to 4" with 54 mm motors. Will build a 7.5" with 98 mm motors.
shockie
High Plains Rocketeer
When I fly in small fields the 1st thing I do is know what the wind speed and direction is.
This allows me to try and position my launch site within the launch firekd to take advantage of the field size and shape.
Fields can be square,rectangular,etc. Most fields have a short direction and a long direction in which the wind is blowing.
If in the short direction use smaller engines or heavier tickets with lower power so they don't go as high and won't drift as far.
Use the appropriate recovery device. Streamers, parachutes with spill holes or reefing the parachute shroud lines will all bring a ticket down faster.
Use launcher tilt angle in addition to launcher location within the field.
Launch slightly into the wind direction so the rocket weathercocks into the wind. You'll get a lower altitude and it will drift towards you rather than away from you.
Remember to use smaller delay times. 2,3,4 depending on ticket and engine are always better than 5,6,7.
This allows me to try and position my launch site within the launch firekd to take advantage of the field size and shape.
Fields can be square,rectangular,etc. Most fields have a short direction and a long direction in which the wind is blowing.
If in the short direction use smaller engines or heavier tickets with lower power so they don't go as high and won't drift as far.
Use the appropriate recovery device. Streamers, parachutes with spill holes or reefing the parachute shroud lines will all bring a ticket down faster.
Use launcher tilt angle in addition to launcher location within the field.
Launch slightly into the wind direction so the rocket weathercocks into the wind. You'll get a lower altitude and it will drift towards you rather than away from you.
Remember to use smaller delay times. 2,3,4 depending on ticket and engine are always better than 5,6,7.
user 35280
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Anything Oddroc is great. Lots of choices out there in kits and/or scratch built.
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I think we have shown or said, there is 1000s of models that one can build and launch on small fields using lower power or high(er) drag techniques. I must admit, the flying toilet float is the bomb
At our small local launch today, on a small field, we had very light winds. We get a lot of less experienced flyers sometimes, flying things like BT20 rockets on B motors, maybe even C motors. I was amazed how many small rockets with streamers landed within 25' of the pad.
Depends on the precise design. Some BT-20 rockets like the Hi-Flier will clear 1000 ft on C motors. While the drift distance can be manageable, visibility is another thing to consider. If I were trying to keep that thing low, I wouldn’t go bigger than an A.
We had a few of the Hi-Fliers today.
We had numerous little rockets that were out of sight until ejection and there was a sparkling streamer to see, and many of them came down near the pad. I launched 3 rockets, 2 low-fliers, and they both landed pretty far from the pad in the tall weeds. We had almost no wind for much of the day. I made a mistake connecting the streamer in my Baby Bertha and it separated from the rocket at ejection. The rocket came down safely in the tall weeds but was difficult to find, the streamer came down on its own and landed about 10' from where the rocket landed.
One thing I noticed when comparing the small fast rockets with bigger slow rockets- the small fast rockets went mostly straight up to apogee, the bigger slower rockets tended to deviate a little or a lot when they came off the rod taking them farther away from the pad. I don't know if this is because they were slower and not stabilized as well by airflow, or because the 1/8" rods can't guide a heavier rocket as well. If there was more wind I would have wondered about that, but we had almost no wind today.
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Repeat the experiment with everything on a rail to eliminate rod deflection.
What is a "JLCR"? I'm guessing a "Jolly Logic Chute Release"?
mh9162013
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Here is small fleet of fun to build rockets which (mostly) fly no higher than 100':
A field the size of a tennis court should be plenty big enough for these models.
A field the size of a tennis court should be plenty big enough for these models.
I like that Twin Factor.
...and the "non-scale" color scheme on the Jupiter-B. 
Micromaxx
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or.......
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Loc Minie Magg on a G.
Sims to around 500 '.
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or.......
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Loc Minie Magg on a G.
Sims to around 500 '.
Short and fat with lots of base drag and a high thrust short duration motor.
lakeroadster
When in doubt... build hell-for-stout!
A lot of nose weight and a 6 ft long launch rod...
mh9162013
Well-Known Member
Right now, my interest is in scale or 3FNC/4FNC rocket designs, so Oddrocs are out as my primary style of build.
I've decided to stick with a BT-20 rocket focus for now, but I'm also going to build a BT-60 rocket (perhaps the Estes Patriot). I also think I'm going to do some experiments (eventually) to find a way to turn a "regular" BT-20 rocket (like the Viking, Yankee or Wizard type of rocket) into a temporary high drag, "low and slow" rocket. The goal is to keep a low altitude (75-200 feet), but have a lift off that parallels a Big Bertha as much as possible.
I'm leaning towards doing something proposed by @David_Stack earlier in this thread. Maybe some sort of cup-shaped ring that I can stick to the fins for low-and-slow flights, but easily remove it for the next flight if I so wish.
I've decided to stick with a BT-20 rocket focus for now, but I'm also going to build a BT-60 rocket (perhaps the Estes Patriot). I also think I'm going to do some experiments (eventually) to find a way to turn a "regular" BT-20 rocket (like the Viking, Yankee or Wizard type of rocket) into a temporary high drag, "low and slow" rocket. The goal is to keep a low altitude (75-200 feet), but have a lift off that parallels a Big Bertha as much as possible.
I'm leaning towards doing something proposed by @David_Stack earlier in this thread. Maybe some sort of cup-shaped ring that I can stick to the fins for low-and-slow flights, but easily remove it for the next flight if I so wish.
The Apogee Atomizer has a ring around the fins designed specifically for that purpose. It’s permanent but if you can produce a reliable attach-detach method, that’s not entirely out of the question.
High-drag lightweight rockets let you do some pretty cool stuff. With the Atomizer you can safely fly the A-D ranges and not break 700ft.
Angel_of_the_Skies
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I haven’t dug into HPR yet but my guess would be that the noise of a bigger motor and the sight a high flying rocket makes in the sky is one many admire
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Old thread, but it occurs to me that the Curvilinear is pretty much designed to answer the OP's question.
https://www.erockets.biz/estes-flying-model-rocket-kit-curvilinear-est-3231/
Also the cheapest source for that nose cone if you want to use it for something else.
https://www.erockets.biz/estes-flying-model-rocket-kit-curvilinear-est-3231/
Also the cheapest source for that nose cone if you want to use it for something else.
mh9162013
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I think that uses an Estes Patriot nose cone...I think.
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It does. If you want one of those for, say, an Alpha upscale, it's half the price of a Patriot kit. BTW, the fineness ratio of that cone is not exactly right for a scale Patriot, so the Estes kit is sport scale only.
The Curvilinear has a 13mm motor mount in the kit, so if you want to stick with T engines, you're all set. It's small/short/fat with a ring fin and light enough to get off the rod with the little motors.
As a life long rocketeer, go-kart racer and motorcyclist, I love little more than loud noises and stinking smoke! So, to enhance my fleet of low flying odd-rocs, I built some BT-80 and BT-70 models with stonking E and D motors, but to fly only to a low altitude.
Three smokey, noisy low flyers, E and D powered. All are equipped with trailing edge flaps on one side of the fins to induce rapid spin. This extra drag reduces altitude and increases stability, making for perfect flights, easily visible to one and all.
Three smokey, noisy low flyers, E and D powered. All are equipped with trailing edge flaps on one side of the fins to induce rapid spin. This extra drag reduces altitude and increases stability, making for perfect flights, easily visible to one and all.
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