What happens to a rocket when stuck in a tree for 4 months

[Cabernut]

I finally got(yanked) my Cosmic Interceptor out of a tree this last weekend. The chute and nose come are still there and will probably be there for a long time.
It's been up there since March 20th, so nearly 4 months of Ontario snow, wind and rain.

So what happens? This is what happens. At least to cardboard-type rockets anyway.









This however is ultimately why I spent an hour in the heat getting cuts, bruises, and a dozen mosquito bites to get the darn thing down:

Wrecked motor mount that contains a once-used 24/40 case.


The case was still pristine after washing the dirt off.

 

[Bat-mite]

Looks pretty good, all things considered!

 

[ksaves2]

The casing is the important part. I had an Estes Eliminator go AWOL at the beginning of the launch season in a central Illinois cornfield that was just starting to come up. I was out recovering another rocket in the fall that landed in some still standing corn (it had a tracker) and I stumbled on the melted Eliminator with the
the plastic fincan and NC intact but the cardboard pretty much melted and the Top Flite chute I used was of course salvageable. Got the rocket with the Rf tracker
and "screamer" back too. Screamers are great for tall corn.. Stick 'em in modrocs if you got room. You catch a glimpse where it goes into the corn and follow a line to it. Once within "earshot" your ears (or someone else's if you're hard of hearing) can home right in. Also if the launch area is relatively quiet, you sometimes can
get an "audible" fix while the rocket is still in the air to point your eyes at. That works better in cold winter air for some reason.

I used to launch R/C gliders up on a high start in winter just to get a bit of a flying fix. Yeah, no thermals and just a gentle glide down but I was surprised I could
hear the servos working 400 feet up. Those were fun days. Kurt

 

[jadebox]

Even if little is salvageable, it is still a good feeling to recover a lost rocket.

My YouBee spent a month in a tree. It used 5.5" diameter LOC tubing. When I finally got it back after a couple celebrating their honeymoon hunting hogs found it, I thought that it looked remarkably good. Then, after letting it dry out for a while, I tried to pull the sections of bodytube apart. The tubes just fell apart. The glue in the layers of cardboard had dissolved.

-- Roger

 

[Zeus-cat]

For some reason finding the remains of your lost rocket reminded me of this old movie.

TV Movie: Sole Survivor starring Richard Basehart and William Shatner

Synopsis: When a bomber believed to have crashed in the ocean 17 years ago is found in the Libyan desert, a Colonel (William Shatner) and Major accompany the only surviving member of the crew (Richard Basehart), who is now a General to figure out what happened. The General claims that he and the other members of the crew jumped over the ocean when in reality he bailed out leaving the others to fend for themselves. And while the Colonel just wants the whole thing closed, the Major insists on finding the truth. And watching them are the ghosts of the crew.

 

[ksaves2]

Even if little is salvageable, it is still a good feeling to recover a lost rocket.

My YouBee spent a month in a tree. It used 5.5" diameter LOC tubing. When I finally got it back after a couple celebrating their honeymoon hunting hogs found it, I thought that it looked remarkably good. Then, after letting it dry out for a while, I tried to pull the sections of bodytube apart. The tubes just fell apart. The glue in the layers of cardboard had dissolved.

-- Roger

If an RMS motor it's nice to get that case back. I've got some small RMS cases but I'm afraid I'd loose them in some of the rockets I have. Lose a case and have to dig deep to get a replacement.
Losing modrocs with SU motors? That's part of the hobby. It's like fishing in that you can't expect to catch fish if you don't lose some tackle/lures. Kurt

 

[Cabernut]

... That's part of the hobby. It's like fishing in that you can't expect to catch fish if you don't lose some tackle/lures. Kurt

You know, that's true. I'm going to remember that analogy. Ever lost the pole and all in a deep lake? Same feeling when you lose hardware.

 

[Bat-mite]

You know, that's true. I'm going to remember that analogy. Ever lost the pole and all in a deep lake? Same feeling when you lose hardware.

MDRA slogan -- if you don't want to lose it, don't launch it.

 

[AfterBurners]

Just some lite sanding and paint touch up

 

[rstaff3]

Looks better than my PE Ultra Fatboy after it lived in the trees for about 2 years. The purple paint had turned gray (something I am beginning to relate to). Anything cardboard was toast. The fins were rotten from the inside out. The plastic cone, tail cone, lugs and the chute were fine. The big surprise was that chute. I had patched it numerous times with self-adhesive rip-stop nylon tape. There was no sign of the tape lifting. Amazing!

 

[Rockiteer]

For some reason finding the remains of your lost rocket reminded me of this old movie.

TV Movie: Sole Survivor starring Richard Basehart and William Shatner

Synopsis: When a bomber believed to have crashed in the ocean 17 years ago is found in the Libyan desert, a Colonel (William Shatner) and Major accompany the only surviving member of the crew (Richard Basehart), who is now a General to figure out what happened. The General claims that he and the other members of the crew jumped over the ocean when in reality he bailed out leaving the others to fend for themselves. And while the Colonel just wants the whole thing closed, the Major insists on finding the truth. And watching them are the ghosts of the crew.

I remember this movie... Great premious and ending. Too bad it was a made for TV movie. It would of ranked up there with such classics like "Flight of the Phoenix" with Jimmy Stewart and Richard Attenborough (the 2004 remake sucked).