Tree Recovery

[AlfaBrewer]

The last two flights at the DARS launch yesterday ended with the rockets at the top of some trees. One of them happened to be my upscaled Mudwasp with a 29/40-120 case. I've read plenty of threads on tree recoveries and knew the weight and rope technique. I had a back-up plan, which was to send my nephew up the tree. Really, my nephew was the primary plan, but he was delayed this morning, so I started with the rope and weight.

This wasn't going too well. Throwing 4oz stuffed inside a tennis ball straight up over a shock cord 50ish feet in the air is harder than it sounds. After several attempts, I managed to get the ball high enough in the tree. It turns out I hadn't gotten over the shock cord.



Luckily my nephew showed up before I managed to hurt my shoulder. He was up the tree and working on freeing my rocket within a couple of minutes.

Look closely, he's in there.

A quick half hour later and he had both my rocket and the other one back. Now I just need to buy him a bunch of bananas.

 

[tightwad]

Congratulations. Any recovery of a rocket from a tree demands a celebration of some sort. Now go party! Oh yes, buy your nephew those bananas, because he saved your bacon...er, rockets.

 

[Gary Byrum]

Here's a must have product every rocketeer should have. Just spray a little of this on your chute and you're good to go.

 

[blackbrandt]

Here's a must have product every rocketeer should have. Just spray a little of this on your chute and you're good to go.

What?

 

[Gary Byrum]

What?

I forgot the attachment. It's there now.

 

[cwbullet]

Do they have a can to spray away ponds, ditches, and gators?

 

[Gary Byrum]

Do they have a can to spray away ponds, ditches, and gators?

I don't think it's gotten that far yet. Trees are magnetic to rockets and this stuff works like the opposite side of a magnet. It'll avoid the tree.

 

[blackbrandt]

I need that. The only annoying part about the field I launch in is the guy who owns it hunts dove in the windless days. So I have to launch in a smaller field which nose blow recovery from 300 feet sticks it in the trees in 5 mile an hour winds.

 

[cwbullet]

I don't think it's gotten that far yet. Trees are magnetic to rockets and this stuff works like the opposite side of a magnet. It'll avoid the tree.

We have trees here also, but sometime if it misses the tree and hits the swamp, you have added difficulty of gators and cotton mouths. I will take a gator over a cotton mouth any day.

 

[Gary Byrum]

We have trees here also, but sometime if it misses the tree and hits the swamp, you have added difficulty of gators and cotton mouths. I will take a gator over a cotton mouth any day.

I'll have to see about the swamp and gator repellent. At least there's a cure for that ominous tree.