Reward! Please help if you can!

[Kevin Huddleston]

I was at the launch yesterday (7/26) at Bong and sent up my Binder Design Velociraptor. Was only to go up about 2,300 ft., drogue and then deploy the main at 800 feet. It went JUST far enough over that it landed in the tall brush just before a small clump of trees and a line of bushes. I made three trips out to trudge through the brush to find it and finally had to quit. I live in Deerfield, WI, so I'm quite a ways off. If anyone is inclined to help a fellow club member out and give it a shot looking for this expensive rocket, I would be eternally grateful -- I'd pay a nice reward for it! Below is a pic of the rocket and a hand-drawn map of where everyone saw it go down.

Thank you!

PS - I would have had a tracker on it, but I didn't know the club had them to loan out until it was too late...

http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=41593&stc=1
http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=41594&stc=1

[DeanHFox]

This is the kind of situation where I wish the club owned a nice quadcopter with onboard video - so we could have someone fly it over an area and look down into the brush from above. Bet we'd spot stuff faster...

[Kevin Huddleston]

This is the kind of situation where I wish the club owned a nice quadcopter with onboard video - so we could have someone fly it over an area and look down into the brush from above. Bet we'd spot stuff faster...

That's funny you say that as I was thinking the same thing yesterday, "Man, if I could just get some height and look down, I bet I'd spot it!"

If anyone finds it, even if rain has ruined the cardboard tubing, I still would like to have it for everything else on it that won't be ruined.

Thanks

[LeeR]

This is the kind of situation where I wish the club owned a nice quadcopter with onboard video - so we could have someone fly it over an area and look down into the brush from above. Bet we'd spot stuff faster...

Perfect application for one! In the 90s we flew up in Walden, Colorado, in the mountains. It was a large valley surrounded by mountains, and was covered with sage brush. You could lose a rocket in that stuff easily, if the rocket and chute went down in between plants, even if you had a pretty good bearing on it. You might not see it until you were practically on top of it. A quadcopter would have been perfect to overfly the suspected location.

[Kevin Huddleston]

Perfect application for one! In the 90s we flew up in Walden, Colorado, in the mountains. It was a large valley surrounded by mountains, and was covered with sage brush. You could lose a rocket in that stuff easily, if the rocket and chute went down in between plants, even if you had a pretty good bearing on it. You might not see it until you were practically on top of it. A quadcopter would have been perfect to overfly the suspected location.

I bet. I wish I had one! I'm just sick about this... $200 rocket + $40 altimeter... Ugh.... :mad:

[jeffyjeep]

Do you know which way is North on your map? And what colors are the parachutes?

[Kevin Huddleston]

Do you know which way is North on your map? And what colors are the parachutes?

Thanks for asking! The approximate area coordinates are 42.624476, -88.163757. On my map, the launch area is East to West, so the area where this rocket landed is SW of the landing site. Does that make sense?

[jeffyjeep]

Thanks for asking! The approximate area coordinates are 42.624476, -88.163757. On my map, the launch area is East to West, so the area where this rocket landed is SW of the landing site. Does that make sense?
It makes sense. What color are the parachutes?

[Kevin Huddleston]

It makes sense. What color are the parachutes?

Drogue was red. Main was yellow. Main might also have black in it (trying to remember -- so many rockets!)

[PaulK]

Hey Kevin,

I chatted with you a bit as we were closing the range down - that's a bummer for sure, most of us club members have lost birds in the tall grass at Bong. I don't have time to get out there, but sometimes, if enough time is spent, rockets like these can be found. Occasionally, they get turned into the Ranger, and if you have your name and phone # on there, they'll call. If not, it's worth a call somewhere down the road to see if it has been found & turned in. I've been flying with the club for years, but didn't start using the club tracker until recently, after losing some, and having too many close calls. A tracker won't guarantee recovery (trees & marshes), but they increase odds significantly.

I know this doesn't help, but it is sort of a rite-of-passage at Bong. Most of us, myself included, realized how tall the plants get out there in summer, until having to walk through them.

Lastly, get yourself on the club e-mail list (details on the website). It gets seen by more club members than this forum.

-Paul

[Kevin Huddleston]

Thanks, Paul. Yeah, lesson learned, I guess. If it was a $50 or even $75 setup, I probably wouldn't be so sick about it. But, again, live and learn. Thanks for the tips.

[Kevin Huddleston]

I had hoped maybe someone would have stumbled across this big ole rocket at the last launch... no such luck, I guess. :(

[bernomatic]

Are we not rocketeers? Why a quadcopter? Shouldn't we fly an Oracle to get the aerial images?

[Kevin Huddleston]

It's been awhile... I assume no one has come across this beast? Even if the body is toast from the weather, I could still salvage the nosecone and potentially the electronics inside. Anyone? It came down SOMEWHERE around 42.625358, -88.168044.

[Rex R]

a velociraptor was turned into the ranger station better than 60 days ago, the rocket is now in the hands of the club(Woosh) it is a bit worse for the wear bit still in recognizable shape with all 6 fins. best to get a hold of Mark.
Rex

[luke strawwalker]

Are we not rocketeers? Why a quadcopter? Shouldn't we fly an Oracle to get the aerial images?

Bah... Oracle... outdated junk. You'd have better luck with a guy with a white cane looking for it...

Later! OL J R :)

[Kevin Huddleston]

a velociraptor was turned into the ranger station better than 60 days ago, the rocket is now in the hands of the club(Woosh) it is a bit worse for the wear bit still in recognizable shape with all 6 fins. best to get a hold of Mark.
Rex

That's great! Probably not much to salvage (maybe fins, nosecone, chute is probably rotten, but a slim chance the electronics might still function...), but it will still be great to get it back. Thanks for the update!

[Rex R]

I am curious, did you build yours with launch lugs?
Rex

[Kevin Huddleston]

I am curious, did you build yours with launch lugs?
Rex

It would have had rail buttons for sure, and it might have had launch lugs as well. I was still including those on most of my earlier builds. I don't recall on this one specifically.