Elapid
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 2, 2009
- Messages
- 1,735
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just got back from BlackRock!
i decided not to stay for the Night launch or sunday and came home. I'm tired.
The Tumbleweed had its first flight!
a perfect launch on an Estes E9 and the recovery was also perfect.
My second flight was my first L1 attempt.
i got a witness and assembled the I154J motor exactly right. we took it to the flight line and i couldn't get the igniter to slide into the motor
i took the rocket back to the rso table and they also tried, but it wasn't going in, and all the trying had knocked the pyrogen loose from the igniter. we took the motor out of the rocket, and my witness started taking the motor apart, first the aft closure, then he unscrewed the forward closure about 3 twists before deciding that wasn't a good idea. we took the grains out of the motor and, sure enough, they were plugged with excess fuel.
i took a bic pen and cleared the grains, put the motor back together and took the rocket, loaded it up on the pad.
the flight was short, but spectacular.
up it went, and still under power, the ejection charge went off and the rocket did cartwheels in the sky before dumping the rocket hard on the playa. one broken fin and the inside of the body tube is pretty crispy.
when the forward closere got unscrewde, the delay grain must have dropped low enough that the o-ring got pinched, causing the failure.
i should never let anyone else touch my motors.
lesson learned.
well, after that failure, i was pretty bummed. it didn't appear that the goblin woul dfly anytime soon, so i was down to the HoJo or the Sonic 3100. i didn't think the HoJo would hold up to an I motor, so i decided take a break and launch some AT MP rockets. First up was my IQSY Tomahawk on a G80. it shot off the pad, but there was no delay between motor burnout and ejection.
the shock cord snapped cleanly, letting the beautiful rocket fall rudely to the playa. the chute carried the NC/payload bay about 100 yds out.
broken fin
next up was my AT Initiator on a G80
beautiful boost!
the parachute separated from the rest of the rocket at apogee, and down came the rocket...
broken fin.
well, that was about all i could take. i almost left, but i decided to make a last-ditch effort to get through this...I bought an adapter to put a 38mm motor into the 54mm MMT of the Sonic 3100. i built the adapter and when the epoxy was fured enough, i got it friction-fitted into the mmt. i used alot of tape and it was ugly. then i got a motor, I366R to be specific. i used it with a medium delay. the Launch director was my witness for this flight. he gave the model the twice over and i had to stress that the friction fit was a safe and valid technique, all the time trying to believe...
face it. my day wasn't the greatest so far.
well, i got it on a pad, they announced the Cert Flight. i heard a few "go ROB!!!!!!" and other encouraging voices, but my focus was on the rocket. i was taking video, but i wasn't even looking through the viewfinder and when the rocket roared to life, only a few tenths of a second of the rocket appeared...
BUT!
that rocket looked ssoooooooooooooo cool lofting skyward on a tail of red flame as long as the rocket itself! (it's 4' approx.)
WOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!
well... up, up it went...then coasted... then an event! (rocksim says 1 mile, just about on the nose! 5295' and nearly 700 mph)
while i was focussed on the rocket, there were a couple folks that said something flew off it at the pad. when i saw the chute open i howled, or hooted or hollered....
over the PA came the news... "it's coming down under the chute"
it took a few minutes for it to land... seemed like forever!
i jogged to the east and, to my delight, all the fins were in place, both launch lugs were in place.
everything was in place!
WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!
the walk back to get my rocket inspected was great! all the people were congratulating me and i was on top of the world!
anyway, i busted up a bunch of really cool rockets, but i got my Cert, and that's what i went for, so i decided to go home.
thanks to everyone who helped out, Scott from Just Rockets and Peter Clay and Judge (forgot your last mane) particularly, and all the other friendly folks from AeroPac!
i had a great time!
somehow i missed meeting Lee...i saw one of your rockets go up.
i decided not to stay for the Night launch or sunday and came home. I'm tired.
The Tumbleweed had its first flight!
a perfect launch on an Estes E9 and the recovery was also perfect.
My second flight was my first L1 attempt.
i got a witness and assembled the I154J motor exactly right. we took it to the flight line and i couldn't get the igniter to slide into the motor
i took the rocket back to the rso table and they also tried, but it wasn't going in, and all the trying had knocked the pyrogen loose from the igniter. we took the motor out of the rocket, and my witness started taking the motor apart, first the aft closure, then he unscrewed the forward closure about 3 twists before deciding that wasn't a good idea. we took the grains out of the motor and, sure enough, they were plugged with excess fuel.
i took a bic pen and cleared the grains, put the motor back together and took the rocket, loaded it up on the pad.
the flight was short, but spectacular.
up it went, and still under power, the ejection charge went off and the rocket did cartwheels in the sky before dumping the rocket hard on the playa. one broken fin and the inside of the body tube is pretty crispy.
when the forward closere got unscrewde, the delay grain must have dropped low enough that the o-ring got pinched, causing the failure.
i should never let anyone else touch my motors.
lesson learned.
well, after that failure, i was pretty bummed. it didn't appear that the goblin woul dfly anytime soon, so i was down to the HoJo or the Sonic 3100. i didn't think the HoJo would hold up to an I motor, so i decided take a break and launch some AT MP rockets. First up was my IQSY Tomahawk on a G80. it shot off the pad, but there was no delay between motor burnout and ejection.
the shock cord snapped cleanly, letting the beautiful rocket fall rudely to the playa. the chute carried the NC/payload bay about 100 yds out.
broken fin
next up was my AT Initiator on a G80
beautiful boost!
the parachute separated from the rest of the rocket at apogee, and down came the rocket...
broken fin.
well, that was about all i could take. i almost left, but i decided to make a last-ditch effort to get through this...I bought an adapter to put a 38mm motor into the 54mm MMT of the Sonic 3100. i built the adapter and when the epoxy was fured enough, i got it friction-fitted into the mmt. i used alot of tape and it was ugly. then i got a motor, I366R to be specific. i used it with a medium delay. the Launch director was my witness for this flight. he gave the model the twice over and i had to stress that the friction fit was a safe and valid technique, all the time trying to believe...
face it. my day wasn't the greatest so far.
well, i got it on a pad, they announced the Cert Flight. i heard a few "go ROB!!!!!!" and other encouraging voices, but my focus was on the rocket. i was taking video, but i wasn't even looking through the viewfinder and when the rocket roared to life, only a few tenths of a second of the rocket appeared...
BUT!
that rocket looked ssoooooooooooooo cool lofting skyward on a tail of red flame as long as the rocket itself! (it's 4' approx.)
WOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!
well... up, up it went...then coasted... then an event! (rocksim says 1 mile, just about on the nose! 5295' and nearly 700 mph)
while i was focussed on the rocket, there were a couple folks that said something flew off it at the pad. when i saw the chute open i howled, or hooted or hollered....
over the PA came the news... "it's coming down under the chute"
it took a few minutes for it to land... seemed like forever!
i jogged to the east and, to my delight, all the fins were in place, both launch lugs were in place.
everything was in place!
WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!
the walk back to get my rocket inspected was great! all the people were congratulating me and i was on top of the world!
anyway, i busted up a bunch of really cool rockets, but i got my Cert, and that's what i went for, so i decided to go home.
thanks to everyone who helped out, Scott from Just Rockets and Peter Clay and Judge (forgot your last mane) particularly, and all the other friendly folks from AeroPac!
i had a great time!
somehow i missed meeting Lee...i saw one of your rockets go up.
