rfjustin
Well-Known Member
This 5.5” Nike Smoke started life as a direct from Curtis including the proper Nike Smoke nose cone around 2012 or 2013. The cone was the gel coat fiberglass cloth version, not pure filament wound. To make a long story short (rockdoc can add details if need be), the gel coat nose cone met its demise when it fell off of a storage rack and hit concrete. For many years, a new nose cone was not an option, and I eventually took over the project from rockdoc (sans Nike nose cone of course). I was not dissuaded by the lack of availability of the gel coat Nike Smoke shape nose cone, and ended up picking up a pure filament wound conical cone from Mad Cow plus a new, longer coupler to accommodate head end dual deploy. While I was on the Mad Cod site, I did notice the 5.5” Nike Smoke seems to be coming back: https://www.madcowrocketry.com/5-5-inch-nike-smoke/
Rockdoc had installed the 75mm motor mount, installed the fins, foamed the fin can, and applied nice external fillets as well. The rear centering ring was not yet installed, no rail guide holes, vent holes, or shear pin holes were drilled yet when I took over the project. Instead of using conventional dual deploy between the 33 inch booster and 12 inch upper airframe, I decided to go back and couple these sections back together via 6-32 PEM nuts. I also added a single 4-40 PEM nut which serves as the backing for the Additive Aerospace Mobius camera shroud. I wanted build this Nike with modularity in might just in case a single piece got damaged. I mounted (2) 8-32 PEM and (2) 10-24 PEM nuts for rail guides before the rear centering was adhered. I adhered the rear centering ring and some lightly amended west systems in the back, then drilled and tapped the holes for a flange mount Aeropack 75. For all intents and purposes, the booster is done. I might skip ahead to some filling, priming, and painting the booster as time will allow between working on the avionics bay/nose cone.
Rockdoc had installed the 75mm motor mount, installed the fins, foamed the fin can, and applied nice external fillets as well. The rear centering ring was not yet installed, no rail guide holes, vent holes, or shear pin holes were drilled yet when I took over the project. Instead of using conventional dual deploy between the 33 inch booster and 12 inch upper airframe, I decided to go back and couple these sections back together via 6-32 PEM nuts. I also added a single 4-40 PEM nut which serves as the backing for the Additive Aerospace Mobius camera shroud. I wanted build this Nike with modularity in might just in case a single piece got damaged. I mounted (2) 8-32 PEM and (2) 10-24 PEM nuts for rail guides before the rear centering was adhered. I adhered the rear centering ring and some lightly amended west systems in the back, then drilled and tapped the holes for a flange mount Aeropack 75. For all intents and purposes, the booster is done. I might skip ahead to some filling, priming, and painting the booster as time will allow between working on the avionics bay/nose cone.
