Personal Launch Report 2017-02-04

[gdjsky01]

So I won't wax poetically about launching in the 'Shadow of Mt Wilson' where Edwin Hubble toiled away... and how pretty the snow was on the mountains... Because for most of the time, it was shrouded in clouds... :lol:


Hadn't been to an SCRA (NAR 430) launch in 2.5 years... Was glad to get back to it. About 45 minute drive from my house in the morning... 90 minutes back... traffic don't ya know!
But for LPR and MPR on up to G impulse... it'll do nicely.

LOTS more people than I thought!! :surprised: Probably 6 or 7 TARC teams with adults. And a 10 or 15 boy scouts with Make-and-Take rockets...


It became apparent I had brought too many rockets.


First up I maidened the Estes Savage. The RSO warned me they had a tendency to tip off. For whatever reason. So I set the launch rod almost vertical as instructed.

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Using a D12-0 to a B6-4 sure enough... it tipped off anyways and headed down range. Not terrible, but still it was hustling when the chute came out. As the sustainer flew into the chute it became a parawad. No damage. Estes Altimeter said 930' (283m)

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[gdjsky01]

I have a Fliskits Deuces Wild I finished is a pseudo Saturn V/Saturn 1B decal set I printed. It's been battered a few times, but looks ok from a distance. :lol:

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Loaded with 2 Quest C6-5s and using two quest Q2G2 (I don't use them lightly as they may have gone the way of the dinos) it made a nice flight
With the rod angles everything takes an outbound arcing flight. So I got all of 447' (136m) accord to the Estes altimeter.

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Missed the focus on this.

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[gdjsky01]

This is a revival of my Custom Rockets Engage. Not its first flight.
One of my first two rockets back in 1996 when I became a BAR. Only the nose cone is original.

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Used an A code C5-3. everything seemed A-ok.... oint:

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Until it was not

At least the nomex protected the chute!

Just the shock cord got hosed. It will fly again. I have to report this under N.A.R.'s Expired Motor Program.
Funny thing is this is my first ever C5-3 failure. And I've flown quite a few.

 

[gdjsky01]

Built years ago, yet this was it's maiden flight.

I was using a C6-0 booster and a B6-4 in the sustainer.

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The launch and flight were perfect. Booster separation was clean and tumbled nicely.

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Yes that is the booster motor falling... apparently I need mo tape.

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And the Estes altimeter said... umm... where is it? ... yer kidding me right? Did I forget to hook it to the rocket??? I know I put it in there...
:eyeroll::bangpan::bangpan::bangpan::bangpan:

 

[qquake2k]

Another great report, Jeff. I too finally have two clubs to fly with again, one HPR and the local LPR/MPR. And I too have finally started launching and building again. It does feel good to get back to it. I need to upscale a Dueces Wild!

 

[gdjsky01]

I love the look of this rocket. But it is fragile. The fins and the paper nozzles. Still I always straighten it out and fly some more!

This time on a B6-4

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And another Future Launch Vehicle flight is in the past. And yes a fin came off on landing... :lol:
And no, I do not know the altitude as I was ticked off about losing yet another Estes altimeter (they are cheap enough... but still) that I said "To heck with it".

 

[gdjsky01]

Well that's all I could get flown in 3 hours. Ya know you fly in a round, you miss the next. Just a lot of people.
Not bad. Five flights. Eight motors. 1 D, 4 Cs, 3 Bs

All the photos including a very nice SLS Laser-X and more are here

https://flic.kr/s/aHskNt7Gqp


Comment, complaints, etc... welcome.

 

[Initiator001]

Jeff,

Glad to hear/see you are back to flying rockets.

Great pictures as usual.

I haven't been to a SCRA launch since before NARAM-58 last year. I need to get back there and fly some rockets.
My big issue is the drive: Two hours up, two-four hours to drive home depending on traffic. Ugh.

 

[gdjsky01]

Jeff,

Glad to hear/see you are back to flying rockets.

Great pictures as usual.

I haven't been to a SCRA launch since before NARAM-58 last year. I need to get back there and fly some rockets.
My big issue is the drive: Two hours up, two-four hours to drive home depending on traffic. Ugh.

As you know, I launch at ROC (or will if it dries out some day) which is 2.5 hours away and at MDARs also 2.5 hours. In general you can add 30 to 60 minutes for the drive back because of traffic.

One observation of course is ROC flies into the afternoon if the W holds off. Whereas SCRA pulls the plug at noon and MDARS usually by noon or 1. Big difference is there are almost no lines at one of those three. :wink::wink::wink:

If I were to make the drive you do, for LPR and MPR at SCRA I would :

1. prep everything the night before. I do this anyway. All I do when I get there is fluff the chute and add an altimeter. The flight cards are filled out, the wadding or chute protectors installed the night before, the motors set aside with starters, masking tape ready (for friction fit), spare starters in a small plastic case in my pocket... Oh and in the case of BP charges? If it's a motor charge, it's in there already the night before. An altimeter charge? I use known good canisters that are already hooked up and get the right amount of beeps. I just add BP at the launch and switch on the altimeter at the pad. Waste no time. IMO also
2. bring your own pad to launch almost every round
3. get there as early as possible
4. have an offline conversation with SCRA about letting you check in everything all at once and launch from your own pad every round (or almost every round). Especially you. You are a staple in rocketry. Not like someone they barely know.
5. pay some youngster to come with you who can fetch rockets. That way you launch, they fetch, and you don't miss a round. There were 9 today which is pretty good.

This weekend was a launch out in Holtville. SD-TRA. Might be better for you? DART? Launching into the ocean still scares me.

Best wishes!
Jeff

 

[o1d_dude]

Beautiful Deuce, Jeff.

Thanks for the report and for sharing your recipe for maximizing the number af flights.

 

[Buckeye]

I agree. The Savage has a lot of fin area and weathercocks like a son of a gun. My next flight, I will tilt the rod with the wind and see how she goes.

Also, the Savage is a two man tracking operation - one for booster, one for sustainer. On my maiden flight, I was the only one watching, lost sight of booster when it ejected, and focused only on the sustainer. Luckily, I heard the thud as the booster hit the ground near me, after what seemed to be an eternity in the air. I recovered both pieces. Next time, I will try to rig up a streamer for the booster to help find it.

 

[gdjsky01]

I agree. The Savage has a lot of fin area and weathercocks like a son of a gun. My next flight, I will tilt the rod with the wind and see how she goes.

Hi Buckeye. Yeah... I guess the proof is in the pudding. However there are a lot of 2 stagers I think have as much if not more 'proportional' fin area. Nonetheless, it tipped off quite a bit even though I had set the rod angle close to vertical.


I could not agree more with the tracking! I was mortified I'd lost tracking of the sustainer of the Corona because I took my eye off it to track the booster. Turns out of course MOST people watch the sustainer. Sure, its the 'sexy' part. But losing the booster sucks. What I did with the Savage was as the booster dropped off, I just POINTed my arm that way and watched the sustainer. Just kept my arm pointed. Since I saw where the sustainer landed, and had my arm pointed to the booster's 'rough' fall path, I could walk and find the booster while keeping my eye where the sustainer went down.

But the Corona's sustainer went into the Sun. I lost both. It was only the LCO being able to track the sustainer, that let me watch as it landed, and simply "Walking a line from the sustainer back to the pad" that I was able to find the booster. It is best to ASK someone, anyone, to track the booster.

 

[gdjsky01]

Another great report, Jeff. I too finally have two clubs to fly with again, one HPR and the local LPR/MPR. And I too have finally started launching and building again. It does feel good to get back to it. I need to upscale a Dueces Wild!

So glad... funny how we have too dry... then too wet... But that is exactly what 'climate weirdness' predicts. But forget that!! Glad you are building and launching! I went under the weather when I had the heart valve replacement. And started a new job right after that, in a startup... intense. I basically quit everything. Astronomy and Rocketry. And R/C.

The deuces upscale has been done right up to really large HPR. But it's still a worthy scratcher! Especially at the MPR to low HPR. I mean a 2 G RMS flight is $50 or so... or a F impulse sounds better at maybe $30?

Thanks for commenting... someday we MUST launch together! You, me, Kit, and so many more up there!