After my failed L1 I decided to upgrade my 4" Patriot in order for it to be successful.
During my L1 my nosecone fell off, so I'm taking precautions against it. The nosecone I ordered online to replace it ended up being the version that is 2 inches longer than the original due to them sending me the wrong one. I think this might be better for stability reasons due to the mass being able to be further forward. Feel free to express your opinions on it.
So far I have:
- Replaced 3 foot parachute with a 4 foot one.
- Replaced nosecone and added 4 plastic rivets holding it to payload bay in addition to friction fitting with tape.
- Added 1/4" quick connects (the huge ones) to the eyebolts connecting the body to the payload bay.
I plan on:
- Adding a 5/15" all thread rod from the tip of the nosecone all the way to the cap where it would be bolted on both sides. This adds 100 grams to the nosecone for stability and allows for the nose weight to be secured.
- Adding 300-400 grams of epoxy/bbs to nosecone, helping to secure the eye bolt and allowing the mixture to be supported by something. This would push up my CG significantly, I would test my CG before adding too much.
- Tying a butterfly knot in the nylon rope about 1/3rd down from nosecone to add the parachute. I plan on using a 220 parachute swivel and a small quick connect to hold it on. Not sure if the 220 swivel is strong enough, so I would greatly appreciate some feedback regarding it.
These are my improvements/ideas so far, all feedback regarding the change in design would be greatly appreciated. If you have a 4" Patriot as well, please share what you have done with it and what has worked out.
During my L1 my nosecone fell off, so I'm taking precautions against it. The nosecone I ordered online to replace it ended up being the version that is 2 inches longer than the original due to them sending me the wrong one. I think this might be better for stability reasons due to the mass being able to be further forward. Feel free to express your opinions on it.
So far I have:
- Replaced 3 foot parachute with a 4 foot one.
- Replaced nosecone and added 4 plastic rivets holding it to payload bay in addition to friction fitting with tape.
- Added 1/4" quick connects (the huge ones) to the eyebolts connecting the body to the payload bay.
I plan on:
- Adding a 5/15" all thread rod from the tip of the nosecone all the way to the cap where it would be bolted on both sides. This adds 100 grams to the nosecone for stability and allows for the nose weight to be secured.
- Adding 300-400 grams of epoxy/bbs to nosecone, helping to secure the eye bolt and allowing the mixture to be supported by something. This would push up my CG significantly, I would test my CG before adding too much.
- Tying a butterfly knot in the nylon rope about 1/3rd down from nosecone to add the parachute. I plan on using a 220 parachute swivel and a small quick connect to hold it on. Not sure if the 220 swivel is strong enough, so I would greatly appreciate some feedback regarding it.
These are my improvements/ideas so far, all feedback regarding the change in design would be greatly appreciated. If you have a 4" Patriot as well, please share what you have done with it and what has worked out.