Launch Report

[othersider]

My friends and I (5 people in total, but 3 only had one rocket) launched on Tuesday. It was a nice sunny day with winds about 5-10 mph. Mostly the motor range was 24mm. Our field is too small to fly anything higher than an E. We didn’t take many pictures because our local newspaper dispatched a cameraman to report on a nearby baseball game…evidently he thought rockets were cooler . Unfortunately, afterwards he told us we would have to buy the pictures!

NOTE for the pictures: For more detail, hold your mouse over it for a while. It’ll give you the option to zoom in. It should make the pictures more high quality and easier to see. You’ll enjoy them more ;-.

1. An Executioner I helped my friend build (it was his first and only rocket) went up 3 times on D12-3’s. After the first flight, the parachute melted a little bit and a shock cord snapped. We fixed this by attaching another small parachute. The second flight was flawless on a D12-3 again. I got a picture of the third flight (see attachment) of the Executioner…again on a D12. I planned on giving my friend an E to launch it on, but upon landing a fin popped out.

Here’s a pic of the first flight (only smoke—sorry guys):
https://www.deadbulb.com/rockets/2/xecutioner_firstlaunch_smoke.jpg

And here’s a pic of the Executioner’s last flight (nice launch):
https://www.deadbulb.com/rockets/2/xecutioner_liftoff.jpg


2. Shortly after the Executioner’s launch, we had the two failures: a Big Daddy and an unnamed scratch built. The Big Daddy went up perfectly on a D12. It was a picture-perfect flight right about our heads. The rocket started to arch over, and from up high we heard a dull pop. Uh-oh. The rocket came in ballistic and slammed into the track, popping a fin about 10 feet. The nose cone was broken into tons of tiny bits. The unnamed scratch built rocket engines ignited, but the launch lug was too tight and t sat there on the pad thrusting (weather?).

3. The Silver Comet went up perfectly on a D12-3, but never came down. It was snagged by a tree about 30 feet up. Hopefully someday I’ll get it (with help from my dad) using a long pole we have for installing lights.

4. Big Long Rocket—This rocket is a scratch-built that used tube fins. They work really well and the flights are always straight. Despite my doubts, the thing actually worked. Because it was about 7 feet tall and had uncalculated nose weight, I warned the newspaper guy who wanted me to launch it that it wouldn’t fly. He told me “as long as it gets up 10 feet, that’s fine”. I stuck a couple weights in the payload bay on the spot…ok, I used pocket change. It worked beautifully though. On a D12-3, it boosted nicely and came back flawlessly.

Next, I launched it on an E9-6. Awesome boost, but the parachute didn’t come out. The top half of the body tube was completely smashed. Maybe I’ll take a few pictures of it (I still have the BT).

I did some quick surgery at the launch site and it was ready to fly again on an E9-6. This time, my friend offered me a different and better parachute. I prepped, he packed. Unfortunately it was pushed down the BT and the coupler left over from the now-gone top section of the rocket was still there, blocking the parachute again. The payload bay and part of the nose cone was destroyed, and I had to cut the BT in half again! Motor mount nowhere to be found.

Here’s the liftoff:
https://www.deadbulb.com/rockets/2/longrocket_liftoff.jpg

…and the last crash (it used to be twice as long):
https://www.deadbulb.com/rockets/2/longrocket_crash2.JPG


5. I had another rocket just like the one above except half as long and painted silver. After the first crash, the two rockets were exactly the same length. Unfortunately, due to a change of nose cone and hence a change in CG, the rocket spun and landed on the hard track. The nosecone detached and couldn’t be found. A tube came off and one of the spirals on the cardboard tube split open. Repairable.

Here it is. The cups were *supposed* to form a payload bay. The foot is not mine!!!!!
https://www.deadbulb.com/rockets/2/ouch_rocket.jpg


6. I made a rocket designed for 24mm-29mm. Spinning flight due to CG problems—no damage whatsoever.

7. My sister’s alpha flew beautifully on an A. Perfect flight and recovery. She was happy ;-).

8. A Zeus was launched (unpainted). It flew well…not much else to say

Here’s the pic. You’ll have to tilt your monitor on it’s side too see it .
https://www.deadbulb.com/rockets/2/zeus_on_pad.jpg


There were a lot of other rockets, but I just listed the (somewhat) more interesting launches. Sorry for the lack of pictures, we were relying on the newspaper guy for nice pics .

 

[iceage]

Originally posted by othersider
4. Big Long Rocket—This rocket is a scratch-built that used tube fins. They work really well and the flights are always straight. Despite my doubts, the thing actually worked. Because it was about 7 feet tall and had uncalculated nose weight, I warned the newspaper guy who wanted me to launch it that it wouldn’t fly. He told me “as long as it gets up 10 feet, that’s fine”. I stuck a couple weights in the payload bay on the spot…ok, I used pocket change. It worked beautifully though. On a D12-3, it boosted nicely and came back flawlessly.

I love tubefin rockets. They fly straight and true into the wild yonder blue... 'snif..snif...'

My favorite tubefin rocket is 'R2R2's Evil Twin'


He flys great on G80 and G40 SU motors.

pic on the pad:

 

[iceage]

well I did something wrong

Here it is on the pad:

and in the air on a G80:

Don't know why I can't attach a file? It's less than 100k

Hope this works.

It sounds like you guys had a great time! I think I'll go to the park this weekend as the weather is going to be nice

Patrick

 

[astronboy]

othersider: great photos.

Boy, you are BRAVE. That is a pretty small field to launch E powered rockets in. Too many Rocket Eating Trees for my tastes!!

 

[othersider]

It's actually bigger than it appears in the photos--but I agree. E's are pushing it. Anything above that in my field is out of question.

Here are some pics from one of my past launches:

Ouch! The parachute didn't work and it landed hard on the track. The rocket literally disassembled itself on the spot. My friend gave up and handed me the debris. I've rebuilt it since. The 2-stage Comanche 3 is shown in the next pic (barely).
https://www.deadbulb.com/rockets/1/crash.jpg

Here's the back end of the Comanche 3 lifting off on a D. Everything worked perfectly, and the rocket came back.
https://www.deadbulb.com/rockets/1/midflight.jpg

This one stayed on the pad. Only 1/2 engines ignited. Oh well. The pic gives you a better perspective of the field though (astronboy):
https://www.deadbulb.com/rockets/1/ryans_rocket.jpg

 

[PGerringer]

Very creative scratch builts. Looks like you had some incredible weather and, even with the crashes, an incredible time. Way to go!