What did you do rocket wise today?

[berlinetta]

Yesterday, I finally epoxied the fin unit into the body of the Magnum. It's actually starting to look like a rocket now. Now comes the fun part. Fill in any gaps with 5 minute epoxy gel, then do the external fillets. Plus I have to do a fillet around the aft centering ring.

 

[prfesser]

Still need to work on the fillets a bit. This is now the Hi-Flier XXL, with an 18" BT-60 replacing the 11.25" that came with the kit....

 

[prfesser]

...and this is the Hi-Flier XXXL, with the 11.25" tube as a payload section. Unintentional kitten tax provided.

 

[jqavins]

Is that Smudge Pot? Still around?

 

[Doug Holverson]

I've been trying to finish up a bunch of glider and other projects over the past few days and weeks. I went to a launch this morning that got sprinkled out. I stopped at Hobbytown and Hobby Lobby on the way home.

This is one of the other projects: working up a retro-booster for my Astro-Cam.




It may be familiar to some old timers.... :3

Party like it's 1975!

 

[Adam3836]

Picked up a original august 1969 LIFE magazine Special Edition for the Moon Landing

 

[lakeroadster]

Made some updates to the Launch Horse.

 

[OverTheTop]

Just heading off to the awards ceremony at Spaceport America Cup. Let's see how the Aussies did .

 

[smstachwick]

...and this is the Hi-Flier XXXL, with the 11.25" tube as a payload section. Unintentional kitten tax provided. View attachment 524330

Kewl! Both of them, really.

What have you got in mind to get those up? E12s or something more substantial?

 

[kuririn]

Launched a few on a small field and a breezy day.


And the other day I assembled a cluster bomb and bomblets.


Now I'm going to take a nap.

 

[teepot]

I'm sitting and thinking about what to build next. After the last one I think I'll do something less involved.

 

[Cape Byron]

Worked on the Bindi instructions, even though the proto has yet to fly. I find it easier to go back and make alterations to instructions rather than starting from scratch later. It's a brain thing.

Exploded Expanded diagram is done (I think). I don't know why but I really like drawing these things.

 

[BrendanH69]

Found the ELA (Equatorial Launch Australia) countdown page for the 1st NASA launch in Australia's Northern Territory, which is also Australia's first ever commercial space launch! Exciting times!

LESS THAN 4 HOURS TO GO!!!!!!!

https://ela.space/

 

[Wayco]

Back in Goodyear for a couple of weeks, doing repairs on several rockets we flew up North last month. I started building a new fincan for "Slick Willy" after a 76/6000 SS-2 motor blew the nozzle on ignition. There was enough thrust to send it up a couple hundred feet, but not high enough to engage the altimeters, so no deployment of the recovery system.
I bought an new 4" Punisher kit from Wildman and was pleasantly surprised with the improved nosecone. Our previous versions were 5 to 1 Von Karmen I believe, but this one looks more like a 6 to 1:


This is a drastic improvement in my opinion, not only ascetically, but for a Head in rocket, it gives you more room for recovery. "Slick Willy" will never look the same after this repair.
Started this morning with the traditional wash job and sanding, then I got the "Y" harness glued into the MMT, both centering rings tacked on and the AeroPack tail-cone retainer glued on.

 

[prfesser]

Kewl! Both of them, really.

What have you got in mind to get those up? E12s or something more substantial?

They'll start on E12s, then maybe some homemade F motors.

 

[bjphoenix]

Why do I keep hearing BT-70 in my head now..?

I would like to try a simple BT-70 based design with 24mm mount to launch with D12 motors. I have an Executioner and it flies reasonably well on a D12 but a little bit low, and I have BT-60 based rockets that fly on the too high side with D12. I think BT-70 would be the sweet spot.
(Likewise I think BT-55 is the sweet spot for 18mm B and C engines, or the very simplest and lightest BT-60 model.)
So now on my list is to clone a few designs to BT-55 and BT-70.

 

[KenECoyote]

Launched these two custom designs




The first one has an experimental canard stabilization system I thought up and this is the first test...flew pretty good.

The second one is a trickster and does launch the way you see it, but it was so long since I've launched it that I got the wrong delay...no biggie. fun fun.

 

[Antares JS]

Big Max and Gravity Rider completed.

 

[OverTheTop]

USYD Rocketry team won the Payload category at Spaceport America Cup. We should get some other results in a few days I hope. Main categories and cup were not announced.

 

[rocket_troy]

USYD Rocketry team won the Payload category at Spaceport America Cup. We should get some other results in a few days I hope. Main categories and cup were not announced.

Well done.

TP

 

[jd2cylman]

Two of three sets of internal fillets done on the 6” WM Punisher. Pic is of initial tacking of fins.

 

[Cape Byron]

Actually did not fall off a truck. It's just an expression I like. It was delivered by UPS. Ordered from Sirius Rocketry, paid in full by me.

Seriously, if it were delivered by UPS it probably fell from a variety of trucks and was promptly thrown back on.

 

[lakeroadster]

Created a "Rocket Fleet Launch Data Card". A quick reference card to ensure correct motors and parachutes are used on launch day.

Not flying at an event.. just the local park, therefore no need for any additional data.

 

[Lord Rory Gin]

Launch day - Gryphon, Tazz, Heli-rok X2, Zephyr, Skywriter, Miss Riley, Birdie, Star Hopper, and Mustang. I angled the launcher into the 20 kph wind for the Mustang - and oops - it proceeded up and then mostly sideways about 1000' away on an F motor. While carrying it back to launch area, I stumbled on a gopher hole, fell, and crushed the body. Drat!! I will try to repair it with a coupler. And I'm also running low on mini-motors - time to order a few more packs for my smaller rockets.

The Zephyr needed some air time on G-motors before going to Rock Lake next weekend for the L-1. Good thing too because I realized that the parachute protector rode up the parachute lines and prevented full opening. It landed a bit harder than I would have liked but still quite intact. Now I have that fixed up and am ready to go again.

Tomorrow, they all fly again including a few Black Brants too!

 

[Funkworks]

I can mentally prepare to sand 12 fins by hand. I can even enjoy it to some extent, especially if it's balsa.

What is more difficult to deal with is realizing I used a wood filler that hardens harder than balsa, having to sand THAT, and then having to start over with a balsa filler, thereby sanding the 12 fins twice. .

But it's done now!

 

[KenECoyote]

Put out the laundry!

 

[Jerry F.]

...The Zephyr needed some air time on G-motors before going to Rock Lake next weekend for the L-1. Good thing too because I realized that the parachute protector rode up the parachute lines and prevented full opening. It landed a bit harder than I would have liked but still quite intact. Now I have that fixed up and am ready to go again.

Tomorrow, they all fly again including a few Black Brants too!

Really looking forward to Rock Lake!!!! Trying to get everything in order to be ready for 3 days of flying....

See you there!!!!

 

[Adam3836]

Good luck on your level 1 coming up.

Launch day - Gryphon, Tazz, Heli-rok X2, Zephyr,

Skywriter, Miss Riley, Birdie, Star Hopper, and Mustang. I angled the launcher into the 20 kph wind for the Mustang - and oops - it proceeded up and then mostly sideways about 1000' away on an F motor. While carrying it back to launch area, I

stumbled on a gopher hole, fell, and crushed the body. Drat!! I will try to repair it with a coupler. And I'm also running low on mini-motors - time to order a few more packs for my smaller rockets.

The Zephyr needed some air time on G-motors before going to Rock Lake next weekend for the L-1. Good thing too because I realized that the parachute protector rode up the parachute lines and prevented full opening. It landed a bit harder than I would have liked but still quite intact. Now I have that fixed up and am ready to go again.

Tomorrow, they all fly again including a few Black Brants too!

 

[Lugnut56]

Put away canopy, tool and motor box, etc. after yesterday's launch. Cleaned and inspected the flown rockets for any damage. Working on filling out the post-flight forms I keep for future reference. Even though I left the launch early due to the winds picking up and my allergies started kicking in, it was still a great day of flying. I decided it was time some of the rockets I hadn't flown yet were due to fly. If you have rockets you've been putting off flying, load' em up and launch' em. The sight of seeing them fly after setting on shelf for a year or more was exhilarating.



MLAS flew great on a Quest D16-4 and both pieces were recovered with 20' of each other.



The Little Bucky Jones flew great on a D12-5.



Also took another turn as LCO. If you haven't tried it, you're missing out. It's kinda like launching your rockets except you don't have to prep or recover them.

 

[Wally Ferrer]

All that's left now is to fly 'em...