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user 35280
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- Joined
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- Reaction score
- 869
Don’t know.
Scenic launches at Sandy Beach including three flight videos
Finally ventured out to the east side of the island with Gary and Christopher. Waipahu is usually a little less windy than Sandy Beach, plus there's less tourists to harass with our rockets. There was a slight drizzle at the end but overall excellent conditions. Gary's Fliskit UFFO was the highlight. It went slowly up and slowly down. Just a little touch up with epoxy and good as new.
Got three out of four flight videos with obligatory beach shots. I lost my two Astrocam cams so using a Cube cam that's easy to use. For some reason, the fourth video on the Dark Silver didn't save. Two of the SD cards were corrupted and had to be fixed. I also had to scrub the videos in VidCoder so they'll play in the video renderer without crashing the program.
I made another ornament rocket from my recent Estes order. I drilled out the end, inserted clay, epoxied a BT-20, glued in motor block, and epoxied a lug. Tried the Curvilinear again which was sent to me by a viewer after I sent him the free t-shirt. I added some NC weight, so it flew straight but not enough thrust on the A10. I'll convert it to 18mm and try again.
Towards the end, the motors were having a hard time igniting. I think it was because of the dewy grass and subsequent humidity. Let's just say I was a bit too close for comfort to the ESAM when it launched. Got a great flight video out of it. The Gryphon still didn't go straight up, and the glider ended up in the golf course. RIP.
0:00 Intro
0:12 Jayhawk Ornament 3pts
0:52 Curvilinear 3pts
1:34 Quest Turbo 5pts
2:43 Flight video
3:39 Conquest 6pts
5:01 Flight video
5:56 ESAM-58 5pts
6:29 Flight video
6:55 Gryphon 2pts
7:51 Dark Silver 5pts (no cam)
9:12 Whatchamacallit
9:33 UFFO
10:13 Overdue
10:42 Mix N Match 55
11:37 Total 29pts + 5 bonus = 34pts
The live stream can be found at .
Finally ventured out to the east side of the island with Gary and Christopher. Waipahu is usually a little less windy than Sandy Beach, plus there's less tourists to harass with our rockets. There was a slight drizzle at the end but overall excellent conditions. Gary's Fliskit UFFO was the highlight. It went slowly up and slowly down. Just a little touch up with epoxy and good as new.
Got three out of four flight videos with obligatory beach shots. I lost my two Astrocam cams so using a Cube cam that's easy to use. For some reason, the fourth video on the Dark Silver didn't save. Two of the SD cards were corrupted and had to be fixed. I also had to scrub the videos in VidCoder so they'll play in the video renderer without crashing the program.
I made another ornament rocket from my recent Estes order. I drilled out the end, inserted clay, epoxied a BT-20, glued in motor block, and epoxied a lug. Tried the Curvilinear again which was sent to me by a viewer after I sent him the free t-shirt. I added some NC weight, so it flew straight but not enough thrust on the A10. I'll convert it to 18mm and try again.
Towards the end, the motors were having a hard time igniting. I think it was because of the dewy grass and subsequent humidity. Let's just say I was a bit too close for comfort to the ESAM when it launched. Got a great flight video out of it. The Gryphon still didn't go straight up, and the glider ended up in the golf course. RIP.
0:00 Intro
0:12 Jayhawk Ornament 3pts
0:52 Curvilinear 3pts
1:34 Quest Turbo 5pts
2:43 Flight video
3:39 Conquest 6pts
5:01 Flight video
5:56 ESAM-58 5pts
6:29 Flight video
6:55 Gryphon 2pts
7:51 Dark Silver 5pts (no cam)
9:12 Whatchamacallit
9:33 UFFO
10:13 Overdue
10:42 Mix N Match 55
11:37 Total 29pts + 5 bonus = 34pts
The live stream can be found at .
Very productive day with several high altitude flights from the park and odd rockets
The live stream can be found at https://youtu.be/efZNbHgIVeY. We were at the park for almost 3 hours. I think the app crashed after 2 hours. I also discovered a major drawback to the remote controller. It doesn't work if I leave the remote at home. Fortunately, I bring two backups with me.
After launching on Friday, I was done for the weekend but couldn't resist the low winds on Sunday. I decided I was gonna go for the gusto and launch old rockets with big motors. I had several cam launches on Friday so wanted to focus on altimeters. This time, the Parks finally mowed the lawn but used the B-team because it was a sloppy job. They might've fixed the water pressure. The field was water logged and swampy in several places. Usually the exhaust smoke lingers in the grass until the dew evaporated in the equator sun. Instead, the smoke lingered all morning.
I'm down to one Flightsketch that was damaged from a lawndart. I suspect it turned off at the ejection. I have two Estes altimeters. One has survived many launches, but tends to have a corrupted display after launch. Turning it on/off tends to fix it. I had to remove the cover and move the battery. It's at 5.4v out of 6v so should be fine. I was hesitant putting the altimeter in the Star Orbiter so didn't.
The Dude was awesome. Gary said that Estes sold it about 20 years ago. I saw a video of someone launching it but had a leak and was flopping in the wind like at a car dealership. With the BB4, the hem of the nylon chute got caught on the swivel hook. I can tape the swivel but that's a pain. In the Air Walker, it was a good thing the altimeter was in the payload tube because the composite acceleration broke the NC hook, but the altimeter was contained in the payload. Fortunately, the rocket did not land on the pickleballers this time.
0:00 The Dude
1:05 Curvilinear 3pts
1:46 Helios 1193ft 5pts
3:32 Star Orbiter 4pts
5:40 Multi-Roc 4pts
6:43 Black Brant IV 1013ft 5pts
8:16 Mini Executioner 974ft 5pts
9:55 Air Walker 1014ft 5pts
11:10 F-16 5pts
11:49 Flight video
12:34 Turbo Vortico
12:58 Whiplash II
13:57 Firefly
14:41 Teros
15:09 Squareros
15:36 Firecat 4
16:03 Total 36pts + 5 bonus = 41pts
The live stream can be found at https://youtu.be/efZNbHgIVeY. We were at the park for almost 3 hours. I think the app crashed after 2 hours. I also discovered a major drawback to the remote controller. It doesn't work if I leave the remote at home. Fortunately, I bring two backups with me.
After launching on Friday, I was done for the weekend but couldn't resist the low winds on Sunday. I decided I was gonna go for the gusto and launch old rockets with big motors. I had several cam launches on Friday so wanted to focus on altimeters. This time, the Parks finally mowed the lawn but used the B-team because it was a sloppy job. They might've fixed the water pressure. The field was water logged and swampy in several places. Usually the exhaust smoke lingers in the grass until the dew evaporated in the equator sun. Instead, the smoke lingered all morning.
I'm down to one Flightsketch that was damaged from a lawndart. I suspect it turned off at the ejection. I have two Estes altimeters. One has survived many launches, but tends to have a corrupted display after launch. Turning it on/off tends to fix it. I had to remove the cover and move the battery. It's at 5.4v out of 6v so should be fine. I was hesitant putting the altimeter in the Star Orbiter so didn't.
The Dude was awesome. Gary said that Estes sold it about 20 years ago. I saw a video of someone launching it but had a leak and was flopping in the wind like at a car dealership. With the BB4, the hem of the nylon chute got caught on the swivel hook. I can tape the swivel but that's a pain. In the Air Walker, it was a good thing the altimeter was in the payload tube because the composite acceleration broke the NC hook, but the altimeter was contained in the payload. Fortunately, the rocket did not land on the pickleballers this time.
0:00 The Dude
1:05 Curvilinear 3pts
1:46 Helios 1193ft 5pts
3:32 Star Orbiter 4pts
5:40 Multi-Roc 4pts
6:43 Black Brant IV 1013ft 5pts
8:16 Mini Executioner 974ft 5pts
9:55 Air Walker 1014ft 5pts
11:10 F-16 5pts
11:49 Flight video
12:34 Turbo Vortico
12:58 Whiplash II
13:57 Firefly
14:41 Teros
15:09 Squareros
15:36 Firecat 4
16:03 Total 36pts + 5 bonus = 41pts
It’s actually old tent poles with a small rake attached. For Christmas, son got me a telescoping pole for hanging holiday light. Worked great last Sunday.
WCC and HCC students with lots of expositionary B-role
Launches with the NASA program students at UH. The best part is drinking beer afterwards at Ruby Tuesday with the mentors. We always toast to having all fingers and toes. I try to exclude the students from the video as best I can but sometime difficult to avoid. The Helios took a 2 inch core sample of the turf. She's a strong warrior. I had to insert a second starter in the Chiller booster, perhaps because I had the motor in the booster for about a month waiting for it's time. I imagine the rocket didn't want to go because it woulda landed inside the transformer cage but instead landed just outside.
We think the ornament rocket landed on the roof. We looked around and couldn't find it. I don't imagine it's in one piece. I have another ornament that Estes mailed me, and there's always next Christmas. I'm not sure why the Flip Flyer didn't fly straight. It worked fine before but needs more NC weight now. There's no Handycam footage of the Quinstar and MHJ because my son was walking still looking for the ornament rocket.
0:00 Helios 4pts
2:09 Flight video
2:36 Chiller boosted 5pts
4:11 Double Ringer 5pts
5:15 Patriot 5pts
6:45 Flight video
7:41 Estes Ornament Jayhawk 2pts
8:47 Flip Flyer 2pts
9:07 Quinstar 3pts
9:17 Mini Honest John 3pts
9:28 Mentor and student launches
Total 29pts + 5pts = 34pts
No takers yet on the Eggtimer Classic.
Launches with the NASA program students at UH. The best part is drinking beer afterwards at Ruby Tuesday with the mentors. We always toast to having all fingers and toes. I try to exclude the students from the video as best I can but sometime difficult to avoid. The Helios took a 2 inch core sample of the turf. She's a strong warrior. I had to insert a second starter in the Chiller booster, perhaps because I had the motor in the booster for about a month waiting for it's time. I imagine the rocket didn't want to go because it woulda landed inside the transformer cage but instead landed just outside.
We think the ornament rocket landed on the roof. We looked around and couldn't find it. I don't imagine it's in one piece. I have another ornament that Estes mailed me, and there's always next Christmas. I'm not sure why the Flip Flyer didn't fly straight. It worked fine before but needs more NC weight now. There's no Handycam footage of the Quinstar and MHJ because my son was walking still looking for the ornament rocket.
0:00 Helios 4pts
2:09 Flight video
2:36 Chiller boosted 5pts
4:11 Double Ringer 5pts
5:15 Patriot 5pts
6:45 Flight video
7:41 Estes Ornament Jayhawk 2pts
8:47 Flip Flyer 2pts
9:07 Quinstar 3pts
9:17 Mini Honest John 3pts
9:28 Mentor and student launches
Total 29pts + 5pts = 34pts
No takers yet on the Eggtimer Classic.
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FLV is ready to drag race with Gary this Sunday. Center rocket is a scratch built on the Quest fin can I bought. I put an Estes sticker on it and called it done. I still have to paint the turbines on the Dark Silver
This should last me a year.
This should last me a year.
Many malfunctions and mistakes on a humid Hawaiian morning
Gary had a better day than I at the park. First, I forgot to bring my launch pad so had to share Gary's. Unfortunately, this means one has to wait for the other to troubleshoot their rocket on the pad. Next, both GoPros eventually failed. I think the GoPro8 had reset and was stuck on the intro screen. Sometimes it would work then shut off. I've burned through two batteries that swelled so trying something new. The GoPro3 battery died after an hour. It's old so might be reaching it's end of life. I've been trying new recharging stations at home but not sure yet if that's the culprit.
Next, the cell phone stream stopped after an hour again. This might be due to the phone overheating. Next, the launcher stopped working. It worked fine at home but not in the field. I then used Gary's launcher which worked most of the time. When I tested the launchers after trying to launch the DBOM, my launcher stopped igniting the starters and Gary's sorta worked. As a result, I decided not to the the DBOM again. We did have a guest tennis player visit us while waiting for their tournament game to begin. I let him push the launch button but unfortunately, the DBOM wouldn't go. Seems to be happen often with our visitors lately.
Next, one of the Estes altimeter flights didn't work. I think the battery is too weak at 5.4v out of 6v. Next, one of the FS altimeter flights didn't work. I don't think it was the FS altimeter's fault since it was the Quest Can's flight. I call the rocket that because it's a fin can I bought from Quest and built the rocket using two spare tubes. Next, one of the AC cam flights didn't work. It was working fine on the Dark Silver then stopped working before launch. The Qjet B6-4W in the Quest Can was the one that wouldn't ignite last week. I scratched the inside of the motor with a paperclip like Gary R suggested. It looks like it went up about 10 feet, then the rest of the propellent kicked in. I think the AC cam popped out of the cradle on impact. After a quick search, I was fortunately able to find it in the grass. I'm not sure if Estes' warranty would cover that. Gary's Super Shot also had a Qjet problem. Looked like the clay nozzle broke. It angled for the trees and fortunately fell short.
The Vesta Interceptor had an amazing flight on the D12-5. Last time, the tube lawndarted after being separated from the NC. The D22W ejection was too much for the elastic cord. Fortunately, the strakes protected the tube with minor damage. I added thin CA on the inside for strength, but this cause the NC to be tight despite sanding. I was worried it might lawndart again so used the old Estes altimeter instead. However, it was too old to work properly so will be retired.
I bought 1/8" (3ft), 3/16" (6ft), and 1/4" (6ft) stainless steel rods from Grainger with free shipping. I also picked up a 1010 rail. Just had to pick them up from the local store. The 3/16" only came in 6 foot lengths. This is way too wobbly so need to cut off 2 feet. I need to create a holder for the 1010 rail.
We never did find the Blue ornament. It probably went in ballistic so wasn't gonna find it without stepping on it which is how Gary found my ornament two weeks ago. The Espresso and Mocha Java were interesting Styrofoam cup rockets. Needless to say, the descent was very slow.
0:00 Intro
0:54 Tri-Viking 5pts
2:01 Vesta Intruder 5pts
3:19 Flight video
4:11 DBOM 0pts
4:25 Dark Silver 146ft 5pts
5:03 Quest Can 4pts
6:14 Blue ornament
7:04 Espresso
8:04 Super Shot
8:44 Goblin
9:21 FLV
9:54 Mocha Java
10:24 QCR Micro Auta Sight, MMX motor
10:42 Total 19pts + 5 bonus = 24pts
https://youtu.be/LqMAIVqZxVs
Gary had a better day than I at the park. First, I forgot to bring my launch pad so had to share Gary's. Unfortunately, this means one has to wait for the other to troubleshoot their rocket on the pad. Next, both GoPros eventually failed. I think the GoPro8 had reset and was stuck on the intro screen. Sometimes it would work then shut off. I've burned through two batteries that swelled so trying something new. The GoPro3 battery died after an hour. It's old so might be reaching it's end of life. I've been trying new recharging stations at home but not sure yet if that's the culprit.
Next, the cell phone stream stopped after an hour again. This might be due to the phone overheating. Next, the launcher stopped working. It worked fine at home but not in the field. I then used Gary's launcher which worked most of the time. When I tested the launchers after trying to launch the DBOM, my launcher stopped igniting the starters and Gary's sorta worked. As a result, I decided not to the the DBOM again. We did have a guest tennis player visit us while waiting for their tournament game to begin. I let him push the launch button but unfortunately, the DBOM wouldn't go. Seems to be happen often with our visitors lately.
Next, one of the Estes altimeter flights didn't work. I think the battery is too weak at 5.4v out of 6v. Next, one of the FS altimeter flights didn't work. I don't think it was the FS altimeter's fault since it was the Quest Can's flight. I call the rocket that because it's a fin can I bought from Quest and built the rocket using two spare tubes. Next, one of the AC cam flights didn't work. It was working fine on the Dark Silver then stopped working before launch. The Qjet B6-4W in the Quest Can was the one that wouldn't ignite last week. I scratched the inside of the motor with a paperclip like Gary R suggested. It looks like it went up about 10 feet, then the rest of the propellent kicked in. I think the AC cam popped out of the cradle on impact. After a quick search, I was fortunately able to find it in the grass. I'm not sure if Estes' warranty would cover that. Gary's Super Shot also had a Qjet problem. Looked like the clay nozzle broke. It angled for the trees and fortunately fell short.
The Vesta Interceptor had an amazing flight on the D12-5. Last time, the tube lawndarted after being separated from the NC. The D22W ejection was too much for the elastic cord. Fortunately, the strakes protected the tube with minor damage. I added thin CA on the inside for strength, but this cause the NC to be tight despite sanding. I was worried it might lawndart again so used the old Estes altimeter instead. However, it was too old to work properly so will be retired.
I bought 1/8" (3ft), 3/16" (6ft), and 1/4" (6ft) stainless steel rods from Grainger with free shipping. I also picked up a 1010 rail. Just had to pick them up from the local store. The 3/16" only came in 6 foot lengths. This is way too wobbly so need to cut off 2 feet. I need to create a holder for the 1010 rail.
We never did find the Blue ornament. It probably went in ballistic so wasn't gonna find it without stepping on it which is how Gary found my ornament two weeks ago. The Espresso and Mocha Java were interesting Styrofoam cup rockets. Needless to say, the descent was very slow.
0:00 Intro
0:54 Tri-Viking 5pts
2:01 Vesta Intruder 5pts
3:19 Flight video
4:11 DBOM 0pts
4:25 Dark Silver 146ft 5pts
5:03 Quest Can 4pts
6:14 Blue ornament
7:04 Espresso
8:04 Super Shot
8:44 Goblin
9:21 FLV
9:54 Mocha Java
10:24 QCR Micro Auta Sight, MMX motor
10:42 Total 19pts + 5 bonus = 24pts
https://youtu.be/LqMAIVqZxVs
Very nice flight on the Vesta Intruder, good to have that thick grass for landing.
I wish we got to hear more about your builds, since it would appear you're building just about every interesting kit that exists in the world.
I wish we got to hear more about your builds, since it would appear you're building just about every interesting kit that exists in the world.
My desk is way too messy for polished photos of the build process. Each build also takes several days to complete and paint so would have to take notes while I'm building and who has time for that. I can't even keep track if it's the Intruder or Interceptor.Very nice flight on the Vesta Intruder, good to have that thick grass for landing.
I wish we got to hear more about your builds, since it would appear you're building just about every interesting kit that exists in the world.
I was pleasantly surprised with how well the VI flew on the D12-5. The fins have fared rather well. I didn't bother using fillets so it'll be easier to reattach. One cracked a little at the attachment and was easy to CA. The D22W didn't end well last time but the strakes protected the tube. I wonder how it would do on a D20W? I guess I could also put the AC cam on the 3/4" gap between the strakes and the fins.
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Attempted drag race and JLCR stuck in field lights
I was hoping the winds would be lighter but ended up being around 10mph. It was relatively chilly at 62F then quickly increased to upper 70s by 10am. I was able to overcome many of the technical problems from last week. I believe the remote controller developed faults from the grass dew so switched back to the Thomas controller with the 12v recharger. I've tried other remotes, and I've not been able to get them to work with the recharger. At home, I tested more of the Testors silver dipped starters and about half failed (sputter). I'll need to use the 18v DIY controller for these to ignite the Quick Dip. I successfully cut the 3/16" stainless steel rod I bought from Grainger. The 4ft rod has less whip.
We're not sure why my FLV didn't launch during the drag race. Both rockets were connected to the same 12v controller, and I used a Startech igniter. Gary's flight was 17s and mine was 15s, so Gary's flight was longer and I was closest to the pad. Gary was gonna use a Quest C6-5 motor, but after appealing to the Olympic Committee, it was decided we would use B6-4 motors and next time, he'll use the Quest BP motor and I'll use the Estes BP motor. The two rockets looked very majestic on the launch pads.
The Tri-Viking worked well. Not as high as I hoped, but all three A8-3 motors ignited at the pad. It's hard to tell if the rocket was stable in flight. Maybe I'll try to add a bit of NC weight to each. I have plenty of A8-3 motors. The Flip Flyer flew straight this time with more NC weight. Not sure why it flew straight on a C6-3 without clay, then somersaulted on a B6-4 before adding clay.
I got a replacement Jolly Logic Chute Release from John Bean so very much appreciative. Turns out the JLCR, Estes altimeter, and AC cam were too much weight for the Harpoon and made a bullseye for the field lights. I'm not sure when the Parks will be able to retrieve the rocket if ever. I'm gonna be a lot more conservative with the chute release from now on.
We could see Gary's Renegade D float down behind and between the apartments across the street. Gary said there was a guy sitting there so didn't want to go past him to look on their property. About five minutes after coming back, my son's boss' boyfriend's grandmother walked out to us with the rocket. She said about five times that he needs to look harder next time. This is the second time she's returned our rockets. We told her she's our Guardian Angel at the park.
00:00 Intro
00:28 Tri-Viking 5pts
01:23 Flip Flyer 4pts
02:11 Loadstar 7pts
03:42 Harpoon 3pts
04:32 Orbit 5pts
05:21 Gary's FLV
06:39 Ronz's FLV 4pts
07:31 Mini Honest John
07:48 Hornet
08:20 SuperBird
09:07 Renegade D
10:10 Total = 28pts + 5 bonus = 33pts
I was hoping the winds would be lighter but ended up being around 10mph. It was relatively chilly at 62F then quickly increased to upper 70s by 10am. I was able to overcome many of the technical problems from last week. I believe the remote controller developed faults from the grass dew so switched back to the Thomas controller with the 12v recharger. I've tried other remotes, and I've not been able to get them to work with the recharger. At home, I tested more of the Testors silver dipped starters and about half failed (sputter). I'll need to use the 18v DIY controller for these to ignite the Quick Dip. I successfully cut the 3/16" stainless steel rod I bought from Grainger. The 4ft rod has less whip.
We're not sure why my FLV didn't launch during the drag race. Both rockets were connected to the same 12v controller, and I used a Startech igniter. Gary's flight was 17s and mine was 15s, so Gary's flight was longer and I was closest to the pad. Gary was gonna use a Quest C6-5 motor, but after appealing to the Olympic Committee, it was decided we would use B6-4 motors and next time, he'll use the Quest BP motor and I'll use the Estes BP motor. The two rockets looked very majestic on the launch pads.
The Tri-Viking worked well. Not as high as I hoped, but all three A8-3 motors ignited at the pad. It's hard to tell if the rocket was stable in flight. Maybe I'll try to add a bit of NC weight to each. I have plenty of A8-3 motors. The Flip Flyer flew straight this time with more NC weight. Not sure why it flew straight on a C6-3 without clay, then somersaulted on a B6-4 before adding clay.
I got a replacement Jolly Logic Chute Release from John Bean so very much appreciative. Turns out the JLCR, Estes altimeter, and AC cam were too much weight for the Harpoon and made a bullseye for the field lights. I'm not sure when the Parks will be able to retrieve the rocket if ever. I'm gonna be a lot more conservative with the chute release from now on.
We could see Gary's Renegade D float down behind and between the apartments across the street. Gary said there was a guy sitting there so didn't want to go past him to look on their property. About five minutes after coming back, my son's boss' boyfriend's grandmother walked out to us with the rocket. She said about five times that he needs to look harder next time. This is the second time she's returned our rockets. We told her she's our Guardian Angel at the park.
00:00 Intro
00:28 Tri-Viking 5pts
01:23 Flip Flyer 4pts
02:11 Loadstar 7pts
03:42 Harpoon 3pts
04:32 Orbit 5pts
05:21 Gary's FLV
06:39 Ronz's FLV 4pts
07:31 Mini Honest John
07:48 Hornet
08:20 SuperBird
09:07 Renegade D
10:10 Total = 28pts + 5 bonus = 33pts
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Any abuse you receive for this statement will be entirely deserved.
Not to mention the knit hat he wore...And Chris was wearing long pants.
I called him a wuss.
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2011
- Messages
- 11,594
- Reaction score
- 6,215
hey, they got snow this year, I think!
I thought that was more of a fashion statement.
We get snow every year. On top of Mauna Kea.
At least I don't have to worry about landing in a volcano. I've lost two to rattlesnakes, however.
I've lost two to rattlesnakes, however.
Ha! So true!
And your better half putting their feet on your stomach or back to keep warm in bed.
What is it with women and cold feet?
Oops, too much information.
Surprisingly excellent launches on blue sky day plus got back two missing rockets
The morning started out slightly breezy, then the wind died and had several terrific flights. Afterwards, I talked to a park staffer to find out if they submitted the request to retrieve my rocket from the field lights. He said maybe but has two rockets they've retrieved from the roof. I told him I still have several on the gym roof. The rockets are in bad shape. One I can easily restore. Christopher entertained the live stream chat with his balloon escapades. I forgot to clear space on my cell phone which is why it keeps shutting off midstream.
The DBOM flew straight on the E16-6 and only made it to 295ft. I plan to try it again on a F15-4. I'll have to figure out how to reattach the taglines to the chute. The DBOM landed with a thud near a guy holding a clipboard. Later, his associate walked up to us and said they're having a Park senior activity and please keep the rockets from landing near them. We assured him we always try to keep our rockets from landing near the courts and swimming pool.
The Quest Can appears too top heavy for BP motors so will need to try a composite, maybe a C12. I haven't heard back from Aerotech about the poorly performing B6-4W it flew with last time. I used the RaceRender software with the Dark Silver, Citation Patriot, and Protostar. However, I used the Estes altimeter to extrapolate the trajectory using the altitude, launch, apogee, and landing time which provides a rather close approximation of the flight. I didn't bother using the software with the Quest Can since it's difficult to determine exactly when the apogee occurred in the video. The Supernova booster was a real mystery. I'm not sure how the booster stayed on the sustainer. It popped off at landing so wasn't on very tight. There sure was a lot of carbon scoring in this droid. All morning was helicopter after helicopter, sometimes two at once. There was also a rare contrail.
Gary is determined to use the 50 MX igniters but have been problematic. He said he plans to cut open the cartridges and hope they'll work better. The D12-3 on the Liberty ripped off the chute taglines. Landed fine without. The conditions were so optimal that I decided to try one more with the Supernova. Gary brought the repaired Decaffeinator, FLV, and original SpaceX Falcon. He forgot to bring D12 motors and broke a fin off his FLV so no drag race. I used full force peer pressure to get him to launch his Falcon during the perfect conditions but he resisted.
0:00 Intro
0:48 Orange Bullet 3pts
2:00 DBOM 295ft 5pts
3:39 Quest Can 233ft 6pts
4:51 Flight video
5:24 Dark Silver 142ft 6pts
6:18 Flight video
6:48 Citation Patriot 485ft 6pts
8:02 Flight video
8:59 Protostar 764ft 6pts
10:23 Flight video
11:50 Supernova 585ft 6pts *C6-0/B6-4
13:14 Booster explanation
14:11 MX Orbital Transport
14:38 MX Goblin
15:19 Liberty
16:15 Total 38pts + 5 bonus = 43pts
Live Stream: https://youtu.be/B7pAuejERyQ
The morning started out slightly breezy, then the wind died and had several terrific flights. Afterwards, I talked to a park staffer to find out if they submitted the request to retrieve my rocket from the field lights. He said maybe but has two rockets they've retrieved from the roof. I told him I still have several on the gym roof. The rockets are in bad shape. One I can easily restore. Christopher entertained the live stream chat with his balloon escapades. I forgot to clear space on my cell phone which is why it keeps shutting off midstream.
The DBOM flew straight on the E16-6 and only made it to 295ft. I plan to try it again on a F15-4. I'll have to figure out how to reattach the taglines to the chute. The DBOM landed with a thud near a guy holding a clipboard. Later, his associate walked up to us and said they're having a Park senior activity and please keep the rockets from landing near them. We assured him we always try to keep our rockets from landing near the courts and swimming pool.
The Quest Can appears too top heavy for BP motors so will need to try a composite, maybe a C12. I haven't heard back from Aerotech about the poorly performing B6-4W it flew with last time. I used the RaceRender software with the Dark Silver, Citation Patriot, and Protostar. However, I used the Estes altimeter to extrapolate the trajectory using the altitude, launch, apogee, and landing time which provides a rather close approximation of the flight. I didn't bother using the software with the Quest Can since it's difficult to determine exactly when the apogee occurred in the video. The Supernova booster was a real mystery. I'm not sure how the booster stayed on the sustainer. It popped off at landing so wasn't on very tight. There sure was a lot of carbon scoring in this droid. All morning was helicopter after helicopter, sometimes two at once. There was also a rare contrail.
Gary is determined to use the 50 MX igniters but have been problematic. He said he plans to cut open the cartridges and hope they'll work better. The D12-3 on the Liberty ripped off the chute taglines. Landed fine without. The conditions were so optimal that I decided to try one more with the Supernova. Gary brought the repaired Decaffeinator, FLV, and original SpaceX Falcon. He forgot to bring D12 motors and broke a fin off his FLV so no drag race. I used full force peer pressure to get him to launch his Falcon during the perfect conditions but he resisted.
0:00 Intro
0:48 Orange Bullet 3pts
2:00 DBOM 295ft 5pts
3:39 Quest Can 233ft 6pts
4:51 Flight video
5:24 Dark Silver 142ft 6pts
6:18 Flight video
6:48 Citation Patriot 485ft 6pts
8:02 Flight video
8:59 Protostar 764ft 6pts
10:23 Flight video
11:50 Supernova 585ft 6pts *C6-0/B6-4
13:14 Booster explanation
14:11 MX Orbital Transport
14:38 MX Goblin
15:19 Liberty
16:15 Total 38pts + 5 bonus = 43pts
Live Stream: https://youtu.be/B7pAuejERyQ
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Nice montage, as usual. The AstroCam shots came out really well. Several of those rockets had really nice fin placement with very little rotation on ascent, always nice for filming.
Also, the swivel on the shock cord helps to reduce twisting on the way down. I bought four of the AC cams and two of the Estes altimeters, so have no fear now with launching the electronics in the park. The JLCR is a different matter. When Russ is able to restock the FS Mini, I'm buying six.
That said, I'm not brave like @Patternflyer to fly with two AC cams at once.
Did you notice the Citation Patriot didn't appear to arc over before ejection?
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Flightsketch data for the Supernova booster mystery where the booster apparently stuck to the sustainer and dislodged after landing. The booster was loosely attached to the sustainer motor. Inspired by @BEC's vNARCON presentation, here's what I see. Liftoff at 0.24s, burnout at 0.44s, ignite the 2nd stage at 2.22s, motor ignites at 2.42s then wobbles until 3.18s, then coasts until 6.0s and chute ejects.
11:50 Supernova 585ft 6pts *C6-0/B6-4
13:14 Booster explanation
https://flightsketch.com/flights/3328/
Repaired the booster. You can see the heat damage with the bubbles in the paint.
11:50 Supernova 585ft 6pts *C6-0/B6-4
13:14 Booster explanation
https://flightsketch.com/flights/3328/
Repaired the booster. You can see the heat damage with the bubbles in the paint.
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JC Hobbies
Member
That was definitely a strange occurrence. One of those "have to see to believe" situations. Luckily it recovered safely even with the cord wrapped around the rocket.
Welcome JC.
Always enjoy your comments on Ron's You Tube channel.
I think all but one (CP) had the cord wrapped around the rockets.
I tried to lose the Orange Bullet with a B4-4 but refused to go on an adventure. It’ll probably go to 1000ft on a C6-0.
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