New/Rebuilt Aerotech Phoenix Glider

[AstronMike]

Joe,

Congratulations, both for your second very successful flight, and for having the guts to even attempt it after the horror of the first! I can't wait to see a vid of this, especially the boost, as that would look really cool I'd bet!

 

[iter]

Thank you for sharing your experience Joe. It's an inspiration to me.

Ari.

 

[NorthwoodsRockets]

Joe,
It was great to see you, your son, and both Phoenix gliders at LDRS. I almost cried when the 2X version met, what seemed to be, a much too early demise. The build was impressive and the re-build by you and your son, virtually overnight, was unbelievable! I enjoyed the flight of 1X "From the Ashes" and I was out in the field searching for a rocket when you launched the 2X re-built from pieces/parts. What a spectacular flight! It was like watching a hawk or an eagle playing noiselessly in the sky overhead.
Thank you for the inspiration and marvelous show,
Matt Roy (3X Orbital Transport)

 

[iter]

Do you have an estimate of max altitude on the LDRS flight?

Ari.

 

[JoeG]

Matt,

Good to see you too. The support and encouragement from everyone was amazing. We talked about whether we should try to fly it again or not. I took the risk of vindicating myself or being the only person to crash the same complex rocket twice at one launch. After talking it over with Adam, my son, there really was only one way to go, no matter the consequences. His question to me was, “Did we come to fly or to watch?” I'm really glad we flew.

The “normal” sized Phoenix has put on some ounces over the years and needs to be trimmed down a little. It flies a little heavy. I was concerned about the gliding aspects of the big one after removing a full foot from the center section of the wing. The result was barely noticeable. It would hover into the 10mph wind. I particularly liked the part when I flew down the flight line and rockets were being launched as I flew by. The glider was further behind the launchers then it appeared but from the crowd's viewpoint it must have looked like surface to air missiles going after it.

It was a nice flight and completely made up for the crash on Saturday.

Ari, we estimate the altitude to have been somewhere in the 800 to 1000 feet but frankly I was busy doing stuff and don't really know. I was going to put an altimeter in it but ran out of time. Other observers could probably come closer to the actual altitude. I really expected a lot more altitude than that but with the wind and extreme launch angle I was happy with what we got. And it was certainly better than the first launch!!

 

[SSenesy]

Well, those of you who were at LDRS know what happened to the Super Phoenix.

The Saturday flight was going fine until the vertical (you were right parky) let go. However it wasn't the point of attachment that was the weak link. Actually it was still glued on. The structural integrity of the fin/rudder assembly was the problem and it just ripped apart. Probably from flutter. I had used a built up structure to try to save weight in the tail. The I59 that flew it actually has a boost grain in it that causes the initial thrust to be around 170ns. Then it drops to the 60ns average. I think the extra boost at the beginning is what did us in.

Once the fin came off, the glider skewed (yawed) into the direction of flight which put too much force on the wing and it folded. I don't know if anyone got photos but the fuse stuck in the ground like a fence post. The wing and what was left of the fin fluttered back to the ground in pieces. You may see the flight in all its glory on tv since the Science Channel was following it.

The rest of the story is that we put out a plea for parts to repair it and fly it again before the end of LDRS XXXI. Within minutes, parts, offers of help, and well wishers began pouring in. Adam, my son, and instigator of the repair effort, made a trip to a Rochester hobby shop to gather the couple of remaining parts that were not available at the field.

After working in the hotel room on Sunday night we finished up the utilitarian repair around 11 pm. It wasn't pretty but it was deemed flyable.

We put it on the tower loaded with the I59 once again. I had a less aggressive I49 but I'm a slow learner. The boost was perfect. It topped out at the end of the boost and turned into one of the most gentle gliders I have ever flown. We had to cut out about a foot of wing center section that was damaged and it didn't even seem to miss it. I was able to do a roll and a couple of loops before landing. The landing was dead center in the field between the low power pads and the first high power pads. I think I even heard some applause.

This flight will not make the tv show. The producer said they had all they needed. Carnage and mayhem sells better than success. I do think Rockets magazine was filming so maybe they got it.

I would be interested in at least seeing any photos or video of either flight. Not sure when I will fly it again but I feel we did vindicate ourselves.

Thanks to all who helped repair, offered their ideas, parts, condolences, and support.

What a great community to be part of.

Joe;

It was nice meeting you and getting the chance to admire your works of art. I don't have any pictures of the flight, but here are a couple taken after the rebuild. Please PM me if you'd like the full size files.