Parachute Landing on Launch Rod

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Bruce

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Has anyone ever had a perfect spot landing where the parachute lands on the launch rod?

We've flown several flights and always try to aim the rod so the rocket comes back to the pad, but so far this has never happened.

What are the odds?

Does anyone have a video of this happening?
 
That landed very close to the launch rod indeed! But using a streamer instead of a parachute makes it a little easier doesn't it?

I'd still like to see a video of a parachute actually snagging the launch rod. Anyone?
 
Now that was a spectacular flight!

It looks to me like the rocket takes off, but the ignitor wire stays with the rocket until it is off the rod causing the rocket to veer off to the side and down. It travels out of frame, where it bounces off of something and returns heading towards the pad. The shock cord tangles on the pad and the rocket spins around it like a tether ball.

Or do I have it all wrong?

The parachute didn't exactly land on top of the rod, but nonetheless it looked exciting to me.

Great video!

Thanks for sharing!

Who can top that?
 
"Two motor cluster rocket launch of Estes 36 D Squared.. One motor did not ignite. The rocket is designed to fly successfully even if one motor does not ignite. However, video makes it pretty clear the ignition system wires didn't release from the rocket, and the the wires pulled the rocket into an unstable flight. Then the rocket comes back to the 'pad,' and wraps itself around the launch rod. A Festivus Miracle of sorts." -- https://archive.rocketreviews.com/contests/video_contest3.shtml
 
Most club launches don't allow the rod to be angled for the flight to be upwind (for safety) so its lots less common at club launches, however at personal launches there are not necessarily such restrictions, and its simply good practice as a way to fly smaller fields and recover safely, so it has happened once or twice to me over the many years and launches on my own.
 
You don't remember if it was once or twice???

I think if we ever had a rocket land on the launch rod, we would never forget it!

Aren't the odds like a bazillion to one?
 
You don't remember if it was once or twice???

I think if we ever had a rocket land on the launch rod, we would never forget it!

Aren't the odds like a bazillion to one?

I been flying rockets for over 35 years with very few breaks and still fly several of my very first rockets an Estes Courier, Estes Sentinel, and a very beat up Space Shuttle Orbiter, many many launches and I know for a fact it has happened at least ONCE, more than likely more than once I've had a fair number literally land on the launch pad (draped over the pad). My kids fly six or eight flights at least every club launch of their Estes Crayons and other rockets so we fly a LOT.
 
That's great! I wish we could fly rockets that much.

I'm jealous!
 
That's great! I wish we could fly rockets that much.

I'm jealous!
Fly lots of Low Power, Mid and High Power is where the hobby gets expensive, I fly an M motor every two or so years and an L once a year (maybe), and maybe maybe a dozen total HPR flights per year. So if you want to fly lots fly the A-D motor range.
 
I had a rocket land TWO STEPS from where I was standing.

Literally, two steps. My daughter has a “live photo” of me taking two exaggerated steps and counting them out loud to pick up the rocket.

Shortest recovery”hike” EVAH!

I WIN!!
 

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Two steps away sounds great to me!

But landing with the parachute on the launch rod sounds even better...

No one has a video of this happening?

Perhaps a challenge?
 
I had a rocket land TWO STEPS from where I was standing.

Literally, two steps. My daughter has a “live photo” of me taking two exaggerated steps and counting them out loud to pick up the rocket.

Shortest recovery”hike” EVAH!

I WIN!!
Weird.

I cannot get the video or sound to play on my ipad but the sound will play on my pc...no video tho.

Apple...grrrr.

Let me fix it...
 
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I don't know about close to the pad, but I had every one at the launch scrambling.
There were only about 10 of us at the launch on a cold winter day and I had a Astron Avenger modified with a D12-0 to C6-7 on the LPR pads about 50 ft out with everyone gathered to watch. When fired, the D12-0 blew out the nozzle with enough energy to pop the rocket off the rod. It landed on the ground pointing towards us when it staged. The C6-7 fired, the rocket glanced off a corn stalk and gravity looped over our heads as it stuck in the ground 15 ft behind us. When some yelled "ejection" we all scrambled out of the way as the ejection charge shot the business end of the rocket back to where we all had been standing. It was the most excitement we had all day!
 
I haven't gotten that close to the pad but I once had a rocket land right by my truck in the parking area, almost landed it right in the bed too. Wouldn't have had to move it to prep for the next flight if it did.
 
The parachute didn't get caught on the launch rod, but I did see a rocket hit the launch pad it took off from as it landed at a club launch a year ago. Was an Estes Astrocam on a C motor if memory serves. Earlier this month, I flew a rocket on a J motor to about 3500' (pic of that flight shown in my avatar) that landed about 10 feet in front of the flight line. Looked like it was going to land on top of us or the parked cars right until the last moment.
 
I have been attending local and regional launches for more than 20 years. Only once have I witnessed a rocket land under parachute on its launch rod. It happened at our low-power club launch.

At the Winternationals launch in south Florida many years ago, Bernie Lalime launched a high-power rocket to about 4000 feet. It landed, under parachute, on his table in "vendor row."
 
Most club launches don't allow the rod to be angled for the flight to be upwind (for safety) so its lots less common at club launches, however at personal launches there are not necessarily such restrictions, and its simply good practice as a way to fly smaller fields and recover safely, so it has happened once or twice to me over the many years and launches on my own.

As an aside, I‘ll sim my rockets to get a feel for how they will perform in wind. Yes, I know imperfect but I actually like putting a few degrees on the rod/rail in a downwind direction. Why? Well it’s easy. If the rocket has a tendency to weathercock anyways into the wind (run the sim here), if the rod is pointed a few degrees downwind, the rocket will start to weathercock into the wind and what I try to achieve is a low energy apogee event that avoids zippering ”un” reinforced cardboard tubed rockets. Sure, modrocs can get away with an upwind rod angle as long as the rubber band doesn’t break but larger rockets with more mass, I like ‘em to be traveling as close to zero velocity when the apogee charge blows. Saves on loading the harness, drogue and/or main chute if apogee only deployment plus helps avoid a zipper if the positioning is wrong. When done right, the rocket starts downwind and then curves up to apogee going upwind due to weathercocking. If launching the rocket upwind (into the wind) weathercocking will add to the angle that’s been placed on the rod/rail to make the flight path more extreme. Hence the rocket will be in more of an arc and will have a higher velocity at apogee stressing the deployment system.

I have some fast flying rockets with relatively small fin area and indeed though they are optimized, I still notice a little weathercocking so I‘ll try to dial in 2 to 3 degrees of downwind angle on ‘em. I don’t fret it though and just eyeball it as best I can at the rod/rail. Haven’t had too much trouble with zippering since. If no wind? No problemo, point ‘em straight up.

Remember, if one botches the delay on a motor only deployment, a high velocity deployment of the main well on the down side of a descent can zipper a cardboard tube on a so built HPR rocket.

Actually, my opinion is if someone can consistently fly a cardboard tubed motor deploy only HPR rocket that doesn’t have electronics 2.5 to 4 inches in diameter, that‘s not fiberglassed without zippering, they’ve mastered the nuance of flight planning/simulation in my book!:D

If one can‘t picture what I’ve talked about, run some rockets on a computer simulation with different windspeeds and as long as they can display the trajectory they‘ll get a good picture of weathercocking and how dialing in downwind rod/rail angles will lead to a lower velocity apogee. Kurt Savegnago
 
We were doing tests for TRA of sparky motors at El Dorado near Vegas, wide paper out about 50 feet and count the burn holes.
A K was launched and airframe landed a few feet from rod and chute was hung on rod.
Somewhere I have a video, it may be on A dead computer though.

M
 
I, for one, would love to see your video of a K powered rocket landing with it's 'chute hung on the rod!!!!
 
Now that was a spectacular flight!

It looks to me like the rocket takes off, but the ignitor wire stays with the rocket until it is off the rod causing the rocket to veer off to the side and down. It travels out of frame, where it bounces off of something and returns heading towards the pad. The shock cord tangles on the pad and the rocket spins around it like a tether ball.

Or do I have it all wrong?

The parachute didn't exactly land on top of the rod, but nonetheless it looked exciting to me.

Great video!

Thanks for sharing!

Who can top that?

Mostly right. Bounced off ground. Technically there was no pad, only a rod stuck in the ground. Rocket hit the rod, broke apart from the hit, and then the shockcord allowed the cord and rocket to do the tether ball thing.

This was only the second day i used a slow motion camera, and we would have never known why this happened without the video. Clearly the igniter wire not releasing was the start of it all.

Bob
 
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