"Strap on fun" - will it fly?

[pinter75]

Hi,

Will a 55g PenCam simply strapped to the side of an Estes Big Daddy fly on a D12? I would have thought that extra weight on one side will cause the rocket to tip during flight? I thought about evening out the extra weight by putting the batteries on the opposite side, thus a near 50-50 weight distribution. The cam will not fit inside the airframe and I don't really want to start hacking away plastic nose cones.

I am not all that concerned with extra drag etc (yet), simply what will happen when I push the big red button. RockSim says it will fly but is only marginally stable.

Finally will a C6 lift both rocket and 55g of camera? I was thinking of building it into a Quest Big Rage or Estes Big Bertha?

Any ideas?

Steve.

 

[Stymye]

One thing for sure ..the big daddy doesn't need any help going squirlly sometimes

A longer rocket would be a much better choice ....I wouldn't even try it on a C-6 ...mine literally plowed the ground once on a E-9 in 10mph wind.( although this could have been rod whip). just the baffle I installed in it made a difference..

 

[Damage...]

Try getting a longer piece of tube the same size as the Big Daddy, add a connecting tube and bulkhead in the back (fitting into the original airframe) so the recovery charge can blow it and the chute out (with something to attach the cord to!) then you can hack around the new tube to accomodate the camera INSIDE, with the lens pointing out giving it its own section, and adding protection.

Longer rocket = more stability

You can also mount the camera nearer the nosecone, adding to your stability,

You could also put make room for another chute just under the nosecone (again keeping the weight forward) to further cushion the landing. This will deploy with the "shock" of the decelleration caused by the other chute deploying.

I did similar with a "Warthog" (now a "Streched Warthog) and it flies very well. Play around on RockSim and you'll soon find the ideal configuration.

Call it a Mega Daddy!

Good Luck

Damage...

 

[Stymye]

Steve how is the camera activated..?

 

[pinter75]

The shutter is operated in video mode like this (Internal cam). In order to take higher res pics I need to built a simple timer circuit that will operate a ultra small relay to activate the shutter.