Launch Report ROCI at AMA

Launch report

On Saturday I loaded up the boys and half a dozen rockets into the van and made the 30 mile pilgrimage to Muncie for ROCI's launch at the AMA facility. When you're in between the ages of 3 and 7, a rockets launch is serious fun. A high power launch is even more serious fun. The Dude stayed home. High power peopel are NOT impressed by the Dude.

After missing our exit we rolled up at 1:30, Checked in and got our badges. You could not ask for a better day to fly. Light/no wind, crystal clear sky and low 70's temps. We first prepped the Fiesta (B6-4) the Flash(C6-3), and the Prowler (C6-3). Three guys, three rockets. Cool.

The winds were light and the fiesta stayed true to form. Straight up, way up. That rocket is proof that you can hit impressive altitudes with $2.00 motors in $5.00 rockets. Came straight back down on the streamer. The flash displayed all the qualities that we love about Estes shock cord. Both parts were recovered.

The prowler: This is a good example of the need for a core burning C motor from Estes. The rod had a bit of tip, maybe 5-6 deg. This rocket is just at the upper limit of the weight you can push with a C6. 2/3 the length of a mean machine, half the motor:-(. Launch, creep up the rod, tilting over and accelerating, ... burnout ... apogee... counting the three second delay .. (fortunately a rocket this big has lots of drag even when returning ballistic) Ejection and clean deploy about 100' off the deck. We collect up the debris from the first round and go back to the van for bigger rockets.

I think we loaded up the Fiesta with the C6-5 and the big daddy with the D12-3. A light big daddy could take a 5 second delay to reduce the running required to get it. The fiesta went up to the point where you could only see the tracking smoke, popped the streamer, and came back. The vinyl streamer is getting ejection burn damage. Any ideas for a replacement?

The Big Daddy did nicely. (I need to keep better notes at launches). One interesting characteristic of this Big Daddy is its spiral. All 4 fins are flat on one side and airfoiled on the other. This imparts a nice spin that starts at the top of the launch rod. Tapering the trailing edge left the fin tips thin and weak so they have all suffered damage.

Both my Big Daddy and my Executioner have motor mounts which will hold the Estes E9. BUT I only brought one of the orange adaptor tubes to put the D12-into the E9 mount so I could not prep both to fly D's at the same time. Now that the BD had gone up once on the D, IT got an E9 and the Executioner, which was out for its first flight got a D12. While doing this round of prepping, one of the gliders from the AMA duration event next door whacked into an un occupied lawn chair at my van. The glider was OK (they use kevelar) but a Bad Omen.

The executioner on the D12 did nicely. It has 1/4" lugs so it went off one of the big pads with the long rod. Good idea. The Big Daddy went up on a 3/16" rod. It weather cocked. The E9 adds weight and does not have as high an initial thrust as the D12. The big daddy was headed for the AMA glider contest on a nice arcing ballistic trajectory. Then the shock cord broke on ejection. The nose and chute came down OK. The rocket body started tumbling and landed/bounced off the roof of a van. I don't think the glider guys were expecting counter battery fire. Two fins were cracked and the top launch lug was squashed. It will fly again. The van was OK. That's why we make modrocs out of paper and balsa.

After bombing the glider van with E9, I decided that the Executioner, which weighs MORE than the Big Daddy, will never fly on an E9. At least not safely. I dug out an E30-7 I picked up last year. That is THE right motor for that rocket. There was no question as to direction of travel by the time it got to the end of the launch rail. UP! Landed about 100 ft from the pad.

AMA is nice because ROCI can launch from the corner of the parking lot and if they choose the right corner, most/all the landings will be in the field. At Ft Harrison, where AMOREA flies, they have to keep the range head about 50 ft from the paved lot. If the wind is from the south and you get a weathercock, you're into the asphalt. Not anyone's fault, just a different situation. Is AMOREA flying next Sunday?

All in all a good day. Thanks ROCI. Boys had fun, I had fun and all the rockets came home. And the glider guy with the van didn't come looking for me.

Reply to
Dana Miller
Loading thread data ...

neither are low power people :^/

...

that's been our experience with Flash. 4 flights, 3 of 'em on Estes motors separated. use Quest motors, the ejection charge isn't as strong.

I bought a 600' roll of bright orange vinyl streamer tape from the hardware store for $1.79. that should last a while! look for it next to the measuring tapes & marking chalk & line etc.

we haven't built a Fiesta but we have built nearly all of the other Custom rockets. We love Custom rockets!! they build light and they really power great. in general. haven't had good results with Galileo, although the Twister works fine.

we built a Redliner yesterday. we're putting a D13-7 in it next weekend. hope we find it!

Reply to
Cliff Sojourner

Either 'bash your prowler for 24mm motors, or pick up the StormCaster, which already has the 24mm MMT.

I haven't compared weights, but the executioner should be lighter than the Big Daddy. The Daddy has a very heavy tube and nose cone. Plus it's larger diameter. We've flown several Executioners on E9s successfully. In fact, I flew mine on an E9 last year at Muncie! I wouldn't recommend the E9 for the Big Daddy.

Just watch out for those power lines :-(

I wish I could have made it. But nira had WTGG on Saturday and our regular launch on Sunday. Plus there's that #!^@ wisdom tooth that's still bothering me...

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Reply to
Bob Kaplow

I went up with my wife and 3 kids on Sunday. It was a bit windier (one of our first flights, a Big Betty on a C6-5 ended up in the corn.) We were very happy with the launch. Mario, and everyone else there was very helpful (I've launched a fair number of rockets, but this was my first time at an organized launch.) One of the ROCI members helped us with finding the rocket in the corn, and about the time we discovered that the first stage of a two stage rocket had not been recovered, Mario walked up with it. And there were no lines any time we were ready to launch.

I made two flights on an ~6 year old never flown warthog, using an ~6 year old never used RMS 24/40 case. The first flight was on a F24-4W and the second was on a E18-4W. Both flew perfectly using the supplied copperhead igniters after applying the bic treatment.

We had three flights on our Executioner using E9s. All were good flights except for the last which shredded the chute and came down in streamer mode.

I will have to try this next week with my Cub Scout den.

I agree - a well run launch and a very enjoyable day.

Sam Midkiff to reply, remove slim from slimmidkiff, and change boilers.edu to purdue.edu.

Reply to
Sam Midkiff

I actually weighed them. Bothe weights are dry, no engine, no chute

Big Daddy: 190g Executioner:235g

The big daddy has a SHORT body, and balsa fins the Ex's long body and G10 fins make up for the smaller diameter.

I'm collecting weights to test in my web based rocket simulator (not public yet)

Reply to
Dana Miller

Maybe amused is the right word. I think it would be more amusing on a high thrust E or F

Reply to
Dana Miller

Would pistoning make up for the lack of a core burning B or C engine? It certainly makes a difference in a C egglofter with two eggs.

I've been thinking of launching an Estes Transwing on a pistoned B6-2...

Zack Lau W1VT NAR 80361

Reply to
Zack Lau

Never seen an extes kit with G10 fins...

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Reply to
Bob Kaplow

Yes.

Yes. Recommended.

Reply to
Jerry Irvine

Executioners are great on H128's

Reply to
Stephen

It was some sort of plywood. My assumption that it was G10 might be wrong.

Reply to
Dana Miller

G10 is a fiberglass/epoxy laminate like circuit board material. Definitely not something that grows on trees.

I'll have to go back and check my Executioner and see what the fins are. Thin plywood perhaps.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Reply to
Bob Kaplow

Definately leaning to the plywood vs balsa.

Reply to
Dana Miller

Mine are made from laser cut plywood. Stock in the kit.

Karl Perry QUARK, Cincinnati, OH

Reply to
KG8GC

Just ran out to the garage. The Executioner has 3/32 plywood fins. 3 ply, with a tab about 50% of the fin root that fits the same slot used by the Fat Boy.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Reply to
Bob Kaplow

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.