My most embarrassing rocket meet moment was....

[flying_silverad]

My most embarrassing rocket meet moment was....

Okay folks...let's hear em!

 

[MissileDaughter]

Dad should remember this one.
I went to try for my level 1 certification. A woman, I forgot her name, took me step by step putting the motor together. My dad was at the launch controls and I wanted my level 1 cert to be special. I wanted my dad to launch it. Well, long story short, the rocket flew about ten feet into the air before the parachute came out. The rocket landed about 3 to 5 feet away from the launch pad.
This story has a happy ending though: after everyone was finished flying their rockets, my dad helped me with my motor. My rocket was the last to fly that day. It went up about 3,000 feet and everyone cheered! What a wonderful day!

 

[shockwaveriderz]

At the Launch Crue regional in April I was preppeing my PD and SD models, when it dawned on me that I had the taped the engines in backwards..oops..........

 

[BlueNinja]

Finally I get to admit it...


One day at a launch, a cone finned rocket went unstable on a G motor. After that at teh same launch, I hid under the launch table when a cone rocket went off.

Yea, now that i think about it it was kinda immature. I was new to rocketry at the time.

 

[jetra2]

shockie,

I don't think that counts...nobody 'cept you saw it!

I've got one...

Back about 3-4 years, after I had taken a year or so break from rockets for misc. reasons, my family and I were attending a local launch that we had found (Tampa Tripoli). I was really, really, really excited. I was in awe at seeing my first AP motors, and had to get in on it. I saw a guy that had an Estes (I think) Jayhawk. We started talking, and I asked him if he would like me to recover it. He said sure! So, after he was ready to go, he went put it on the pad, and the RSO launched it. JUST as soon as it finished boosting and started coming down under chute, I started running out on the range to go get it! That was a mistake. All you heard then was, "GET BACK HERE KID!" Needless to say, I felt kinda stupid, and very very embarrassed.


Jason

 

[Ryan S.]

I would have to say the time the rocket took off and flew into a tree, it would have been funny had my girlfriend not been there

 

[cls]

at XPRS last year ... put a D13 in my Delta II-alike (tube fins) model. about 15' up the motor mount rings came unglued and the motor moved up the airframe tube, the whole thing was then unstable and it took off ... to the LCO table! it wedged in the ground. LCO made some comment about being assassinated. oops, sorry!


this one I felt very keenly... one launch I had nothing but ignitor trouble, on every rocket. tried to launch the dual-turbo-2000-gliders-booster something like 4 times. grrr! finally got it to go, one of the last launches of the day. one glider nose-dived, the other made a bee line and flew a half mile across the desert.


first flight of my Edmunds Ecee Thunder. launch, burn-out, ejection, nose dive, splinters everywhere. didn't even try to glide!! waaaahhh!! it was an xmas present too.


probably my most embarassing moment was 1st flight of Aidan's Skunkworks Skeeter - I161 forward closure burn-through. spectacular flames and smoke and crash from 150' up. you can see some pix in the review on EMRR.

it was probably my fault, I think I must have installed the fwd seal disk and O-ring backwards (O-ring on propellant side). couldn't tell from the remaining evidence though.

Skeeter was rebuilt and went on to greater glory as L2 cert rocket, and has flown a bunch of times on I218Rs and J210s, even a J400.


come to think of it, Aidan's Initiator 1st flight ... ejection failure, pranged in to the asphalt. destroyed the airframe but with a new airframe, the parts have flown a dozen times more.


oh yeah, Diana's Sumo 2nd flight - the piston wedged, and the motor (H97) spat out and the shock cord separated and the NC flew away with the parachute. everything recovered and back in service.

 

[solrules]

Well, my most embarrasing expierence would be very close to jetra2's post. I will tell you my friends most embarrasing expierence (from my point of view), with his permission:

So he was loading up the apoclypse (sp.) (7x29mm) rocket, and had just finished prepping 3 H165R's at the time (I was done assembling a H268, other person was done with 3xH210's). He decided on using dipped daveyfire ematches for ignition. Since he did not bother to check weather or not the igniter would fit through the nozzle, I promptly took a daveyfire and one nozzle from his table. It did not fit! I told him he had unfold the daveyfire to get it to fit. Just then, it hit me: where did that nozzle come from? He had assembled all the motors, but there was a nozzle left! I looked down at the motors, and, sure enough, he had screwed the aft closure on without a nozzle in! He was embarrassed, but very proud when it lept off the pad.

 

[astrowolf67]

At BluesRocks first ever HPR launch earlier this year, the first rocket to be launched, and Alpha III, was on my home built launch system, and wouldn't light no matter what buttons we hit. Then, I happened to remember something, after I hooked the battery up, it ignited on the first try

 

[DynaSoar]

Grissom AFB air show, late 70's. We had the spot on the schedule just before the USAF Thunderbirds. We were launching very near where they were parked. Several launches went perfectly, and many many people were watching. Then, off went an Estes Spaceman. It tipped off at the end of the rod and headed straight for the rudder of one of the T-Birds. Luckily, it fell short. The crew chief was standing at parade rest in front of his bird. He heard it land and turned around and looked at us with a look like an incoming Sidewinder. Shook me up so much that I don't remember if the crowd clapped or laughed or screamed.

 

[KermieD]

If you want to know PGerringer's, go ahead and find the thread called "Of Dragons and Cows". Still the best thread on the Forum to date IMO.

 

[TheRadiator]

Just happened Saturday at Whitakers.

First time flying my Super Big Bertha on an E9. It shot up 2 feet on the rod and got stuck under power. Never had one get stuck before, but I put on new launch lugs when I got home so I didn't have that happen again!

 

[Len B]

In September, I flew my PML Lil' Lunar Express on a CTI I-350-SS. Perhaps a bit too much motor for a rocket with such huge fins and those teardrops on the ends. (It needed glass on the fins and foam in the boattail)

Just prior to launching, one of the most experienced flyers in Canada mentioned that he has only ever seen that particular rocket shred when it has flown.

Anyway the flight (My CAR L2 1st attempt) started flawlesssly and at about Max-Q it blew completely apart. A quick look at a video clearly shows flutter in the bottom section was to blame. This rocket (and its older brother the 54mm version) had just gorgeous automotive quality paint jobs.

As I was walking away I heard another senior flyer say, "Painting that was like putting lipstick on a pig." Ouch.

That was the worst so far. I put the big one away in the car for some fin re-inforcement to be done at a later date. The senior guys were great though as they STRONGLY encouraged me to take the large one over to the away pad and put a K445 in it. Bad boys!! I still haven't re-inforced it or launched it. I do wish I had the video or some in flight pictures though.

Len Bryan

 

[loopy]

I think the numerous time's I've had to leave the pad area to return to my van for an ignitor would be about it. Or having to apologize for my two year old son dropping trow next to my canopy and peeing in front of everyone...

 

[DavRedf]

Originally posted by KermieD
If you want to know PGerringer's, go ahead and find the thread called "Of Dragons and Cows". Still the best thread on the Forum to date IMO.

 

[sandman]

My most embarassing moments...everytime I think, "This time the copperhead will work."

sandman

 

[Milo]

First flight of a three stage Commanche I built...

I taped together the first and second stage motors wrong. The second stage motor never ignited of course and my brand new Commanche plowed into the ground.

I have a picture somewhere....

ah here it is.

 

[loopy]

Originally posted by Milo
First flight of a three stage Commanche I built...

I taped together the first and second stage motors wrong. The second stage motor never ignited of course and my brand new Commanche plowed into the ground.

I have a picture somewhere....

ah here it is.

Hey - I have one that looks almost exactly like that! Mine was a little more crumply though...Oh, and it was the first rocket I launched with the first club I've ever joined. Heck of a first impression, let me tell ya!

 

[kenobi65]

First rocket I ever launched (an Estes Patriot, 1977 or so)...

Shock cord wasn't tied tightly enough to the eyelet on the nosecone. At ejection, the nosecone floated merrily off on the parachute, while the body hurtled to earth, accordioning when it hit the hard ground of the baseball diamond.

 

[powderburner]

It might be the time I got caught using a hammer to 'adjust' a D13 motor out of a competitor's range box during a contest.

Or, it might be the time I got caught mixing black powder into the black tempera-paint tracking powder bottle out of a competitor's range box.

Either way, I was a kid then and it doesn't count anymore, right?



P.S. I will warn you before I show up at your contests.

 

[BlueNinja]

Originally posted by powderburner
Or, it might be the time I got caught mixing black powder into the black tempera-paint tracking powder bottle out of a competitor's range box.

Either way, I was a kid then and it doesn't count anymore, right?



P.S. I will warn you before I show up at your contests.

Hmm, a possible tracking formulation?

 

[Hospital_Rocket]

Ah yes

A perfect launch of my Big Daddy.

Beautiful coast.

None cone comes off

Waiting for deployment

Waiting

Waiting

Ah, the parachute deploys better if you actually install it before the flight!

 

[SwingWing]

Originally posted by Milo
First flight of a three stage Commanche I built...

I taped together the first and second stage motors wrong. The second stage motor never ignited of course and my brand new Commanche plowed into the ground.

I did the same thing with a friends Astron Farside (back in the day). He wanted me to help taping the motors together cuz he had never done it b-4. The middle stage DID light (backwards), long flame, no thrust, big prang. Thankfully, no upper stage ignition.:kill:

 

[jflis]

too darned many to count...

One where I didn't securely install the 3 motor cluster mount in my very first Saturn V and it kicked the motors instead of the chute... as i was trying to show my grandfather how much experience i'd learned in this hobby...

The time I set up 8 cub scout rockets for a group launch and was having problems with the launch controller... So I walk back out to the launch rack (by myself, fortunately...) *with* the launch controler... found the loose wire and standing right next to the rack I went to test Continuity and hit the launch button instead....

I don't think the dad's were too impressed. LOL

 

[Donaldsrockets]

I think my biggest embarassments are when I have to use crapperheads and they fail all because everyone's eyes are usually on my rocket when the launch is announced.

On the other hand, a few guys in my club have tried to launch Pro38 reloads without the casings. "FIRE IN THE HOLE".

One rocket burnt down to the forward centering ring.

 

[BlueNinja]

The grain fits in the tube???

 

[Donaldsrockets]

What happened was they accidently loaded the grain assembly into their rocket without screwing it into the casing first Then at launch, the propellant ignited and popped the top off the assembly more or less activating a blow torch inside your rocket.

The end result was the same, a slow but throughly roasted rocket. I even caught one on video but I have no way to post it.

 

[BlueNinja]

Got a website you could post it on?

 

[hokkyokusei]

There have been a few embarrassing moments in my rocketry career, but the mone that really springs to mind was putting the upper stage motor in upside down, on a two stage rocket built by a girl at a "make and take" at a big event. Doubly embarrassing, as it almost hit the car of some very good friends of mine.

 

[rsynoski]

All my L1 attempts, I never knew that there were so many way that a recovery system can fail.