What did you forget?

[dpower]

This poll was inspired by the Madcow Bomarc thread and countless other threads regarding our embarrassment when we discover we forgot something, usually in front of our fellow fliers; What have you forgot to do on a rocket the most often, discovered only when you get to the range or after you press the launch button? I'm thinking LPR & MPR, so haven't included electronics. Launch lugs? Igniter? Recovery wadding? Parachute/Streamer? RMS O-Rings? Motor retention? Other? To embarrassed to say?

I'll start it off with Launch Lugs, since I often forget them until I've completely painted the rocket. A close second is igniters, can't count how many times I've put the rocket on the pad, went to hook up the clips, only to find nothing to clip to .

 

[Gillard]

First time i used a baffle in a rocket, i was so set on not using wadding that i forgot the parachute as well, luckily it was a rocket that splits in the middle, so there was no damage when in landed flat.

 

[FROB]

Once after driving 2 hours to the launch site i realized to my horror i had brought everything on my list ( a long one) except the one item that was so obvious i didnt write it down - the rocket itself. DOH!
most of the time is more mundane stuff- masking tape ( it gets borrowed for painting on occasion) recharge the cordless drill, stuff like that.

 

[DAllen]

Recently, I forgot pop-rivets I use in a 2.1" dual-deploy rocket. That was annoying. Usually, I avoid most of the silly forgetfulness by packing my car the night before. I find I remember things better when I am not in a rush to get to the launch.

-DAllen

 

[judo]

Wadding. On one of my original Estes X-wings, I had a near successful flight, losing only one laser tube. Usually something important broke off. I excitedly refolded the parachute and reloaded a motor. It had a ballistic recovery right into the asphalt parking lot.

On another occasion, I had my Aerotech Initiator spit out my reload case. I had the motor hook firmly set in the notch, but didn't know I should reinforce the clip itself.

 

[jadebox]

Twice in recent months I've prepped a large rocket on-site only to realize that I had forgotten to install rail guides. The first time, I had some with me along with the tools necessary to install them. The second time, fortunately, there was a vendor onsite who sold me some.

-- Roger

 

[jadebox]

I won't mention the time I flew a rocket after forgetting to install the main parachute. Fortunately, it wasn't going to fly very high, so I used a larger-than-necessary drogue 'chute and it came down safely. But, it was a bit embarrassing.

I also won't mention the time my friend forgot the casing for his CTI motor. I don't mean that he forgot and left it at home. I mean, he forgot it in the rocket. Motors don't work very well without a casing.

-- Roger

 

[dave carver]

We left the ammo box with the fuel in it. It's a WW2 105mm fuse box, kinda big and green like 14" x16" x 18".

We didn't fly much that day, about 100 mile round trip

 

[MKP]

I've forgotten the legs to my launch pad (and, hence, the launch rods, which are stored inside said legs). Twice, actually.

 

[sunward]

You can usually get by if you forget something small by buying or borrowing at the launch site.

But personal items can be a real pain to forget.

Considering all the things you can bring to a launch (from pens to chairs to empty bags), there is a better solution.

I have a form I have built over time that I check off as I am getting ready to leave. During and at the end of the launch, I can write down any changes for the next time.

Amazing how the list can grow and how imprtant it becomes.

 

[DexterLB]

I've forgotten to put the launch lugs on a rocket twice, and both times I discovered it at the launch site (e.g. 10 miles away from home)

 

[REAPER]

I voted for other because the only thing I forget was to arm the electronics,and it was big. Lawn darted my Firestorm 54 on a J90,completely destroyed. Only got the motor back when someone else found it over a month later.

 

[Balsa Bob]

During NARAM 50 I invited friends to come out and watch my 4" Bullpup fly on an AT I161. I assembled the motor, prepped the rocket and began loading the recovery components until I got to the part where the shock cord connects to the nosecone eye-bolt. Only there was no nosecone because I'd left it sitting on my workbench at home.

 

[CharlaineC]

for me the thing i seem to forget the most is the launch lugs though i have forgotten my motors more then once. though I have gone to the range ready to prep a rocket and realize that It one that i had to replace the shock cord in. and well forgot to.

 

[Swampworks]

My most embarassing incident was when I loaded up my AT Mustang with my first ever homebrewed ignitor. I was anxious as to whether it would work. Well, it worked perfectly and the rocket flew beautifully. It reached apogee and started to backslide. As the seconds continued to pass, I remembered.....There on the table, still inside the little plastic bag was the small red plastic item. The rocket fell in an almost feather-like fall the whole way back, finally slamming to the ground about 30 feet in front of a sheriff's car who had parked to watch us launch.. I still, to this day, cannot figure out what caused it to fall in the manner it did. Every other launch I have had with this rocket when the delay has been longer than required has resulted in an arching over before ejection. I just got lucky that day.

 

[Der Red Max]

Once after driving 2 hours to the launch site i realized to my horror i had brought everything on my list ( a long one) except the one item that was so obvious i didnt write it down...

Somewhat similar experience but I later explained to my mother-in-law that leaving her behind was an "accident".

 

[sandman]

Somewhat similar experience but I later explained to my mother-in-law that leaving her behind was an "accident".

Just don't forget you tied her dog to the rear bumper.

 

[rstaff3]

Yeah, I never forget the 'chute...but I've been known to forget to hook all the laundry together

 

[Gillard]

this is a great thread

i thought it was just me - but it seems quite a few people make the odd mistake as well.

i could add the biggest thing that i have forgot was....

to move out of the way of that horizontal flying rocket that hit me square in the chest.

 

[Balsa Bob]

Just don't forget you tied her dog to the rear bumper.

I know of an instance where this actually happened - one person tied the dog to the car, another person drove away a short time later... very sad.

 

[Delta-IV]

I once packed up the goodies and family and headed for the compound (36 miles away). Once there we had a launch pad, electrical wiring, motors, igniters....but no rockets.

 

[MarkII]

My biggest bonehead move occurred when I participated in my first (and do far only) eggloft duration contest. I had been up the entire night before, putting together kits for the handful of events. I had constructed the egglofter, which was easy, but the item that took me the longest time and caused me the most frustration was assembling the 36" Mylar chute that I planned to use. The only flat space that I had that was large enough to lay it out on was the floor, so I had lots of fun a 4:00 am scooting around the perimeter of this thing, trying to lay out shroud lines that went over the top of the canopy and making sure that they were even all around, and then spot welding them to the Mylar with fast CA. Well, I finally got the thing done after much arthritic joint bending, gluing of fingers together, bonding of canopy to floor, and the nearly continuous expression of abundant and florid profanity.

After a two and a half hour drive, I got to our club's launch site, and the CD instructed me to fly my ELD first. You can probably guess the rest. Yup, after carefully packing my egg and taping in my motor, I discovered to my horror that I had left that big chute at home on the dining room table folded all nicely and neatly packed in a baggie. The only good thing about the whole episode was that the only other person present at the site at the time was the CD, who was also making his eggloft duration flight.

For the B ELD, I used the next largest chute that I had with me, which was a regular 18" nylon parachute. I had a successful flight and placed 5th (out of 6).

(In case you haven't figured it out, I'm not a very serious competitor. )

Along with "Parachute/Streamer" I also checked "Other" in the poll because I have brought the right rockets but the wrong motors to so many launches that I have lost count. It's great to go to a launch with your collection of new mini motor builds, all ready to make their maiden flights, and then find that you only grabbed the 18mm motor box when you left the house. You can adapt smaller motors up, but it's pretty hard to adapt larger motors down.

Mark \\.

 

[georgegassaway]

Mark-II: At NARAM-48, there was someone who FORGOT TO PUT ANY CHUTE in his B eggloft Duration model. At ejection, just shock cord, no chute there at all. The other nutty thing is that model bounced on the ground yet the egg did not break. Really puts leaving your biggest best chute at home in perspective, doesn’t it? Photo of it bouncing, below. For more see Chris Taylor's NARAMlive archive, starting with the 5th photo (liftoff).
https://naramlive.com/naramlive-2006/naramlive/05tuesday/05.html

For myself, everything that comes to mind is “Other”.

Forgetting to bring something: The worst one that comes to mind was simply when I was a kid, forgot to bring my box of all my rocket engines, to a local launch. Fortunately, it was not too far from home so I went back and got it, but still that was very annoying. I keep fearing I will go on a big trip like NARAM and forget to bring something critical like an R/C transmitter (with the all-important model memory settings in it, making a borrowed transmitter moot), or key model part, or even a model, but I have not.

Forgetting to do something important for flight: Several times, have forgotten to turn on the transmitter to an R/C RBG before launch. Fortunately that has only resulted in three crashes since I started flying them in 1980. Really SUCKS when that happens. This is one reason why the normal procedure before launch is to wiggle the sticks and confirm the model is responding, but each of those times I was not doing the normal procedure. In the other photos below, a before photo of a Cuda-Flap model before I had added the top sheeting to the nose. Then the after photo. And then how mangled the servos were. The only thing salvageable was the 24mm R/C reload casing.

The above must be absolutely everything in rocketry I have ever forgotten to do.... ever. Unless I forgot the others......(yeah, there are undoubtedly more, it's just that no big other ones come to mind at the moment.).

I will say I await "Guy Noir's” Tucson incident addition to this thread..... (I was going to make a less obtuse reference, but it's best that he does it and nobody else spoil it).

Good thing this thread is about forgetting something, and not installing something wrong, or I would have another biggie to add there.... (at least it was not anything R/C, and was not badly damaged)

- George Gassaway

 

[PunkRocketScience]

I can't believe that this thread has gone 23 posts so far and no one else has said that "RMS Ejection Charge" should have been a choice too...

Man... That is just embarrassing! I've done it twice, years apart... First time crushed my brand new altimeter and my NARTREK gold rocket. The second more fortunately was just the rocket crushing to save the motor casing...

 

[dwmzmm]

I've forgotten to bring the engines with me several times (after spending hours pre-prepping my models at home). So, I voted in the "Other" category.

 

[blackjack2564]

I drove 400 mi to winternationals, only to discover that I had left my box full of cases and motors back home!
Looks like alot of other votes, wonder how many were motors aslo.

 

[dlb]

My head

 

[jeff_in_AZ]

One time I borrowed my wife's mini van to
haul my stuff to a launch and forgot to leave
her the keys to my car. That day I also forgot
to turn on my cell phone, so I didn't find
out about it until I was ready to go home
many hours later.

After I listened to her voicemail, I decided
to take the long way home.

 

[Micromeister]

This poll was inspired by the Madcow Bomarc thread and countless other threads regarding our embarrassment when we discover we forgot something, usually in front of our fellow fliers; What have you forgot to do on a rocket the most often, discovered only when you get to the range or after you press the launch button? I'm thinking LPR & MPR, so haven't included electronics. Launch lugs? Igniter? Recovery wadding? Parachute/Streamer? RMS O-Rings? Motor retention? Other? To embarrassed to say?

I'll start it off with Launch Lugs, since I often forget them until I've completely painted the rocket. A close second is igniters, can't count how many times I've put the rocket on the pad, went to hook up the clips, only to find nothing to clip to .

Paul:
it's almost a standing joke with the better 2/3rds and many of the club members... Hey John did you remember the Launch lugs? Doh! is usually the response They just seem to skip my mind...even on micros.

 

[droopy]

During winter launches, our club usually has folks bring their own equipment due to the low turnout (It's freeking cold!!) and the difficulty getting our club trailer from the road to the actual launch site.

Well, we had a launch right after New Years and a couple of us coordinated to bring a couple pads and launchers. I brought my controller and pad, but forgot the rail and rods... Another guy brought his pad and rail, but forgot his controller. Third guy was supposed to bring some rods and forgot. Later, someone showed up with a rod.

At least we had offsetting dementia and could at least fly our rockets using my controller, his pad and rail, and the other rods!!

John
TRA Lvl 3