Flight Database - Anyone an expert at MS Access?
 

Hi again,
I seem to be all over the place if one were to look at the time stamps tonight- I appologize, I'm not usualy a Serial Poster, but I've been thinking a lot lately.

How do you guys keep track of your flights? Do you bother? I bought an iPhone App called iPower Rocket, which does some nice on-field calculations, but they mostly seem catered to the HPR suite. It's a good app, but there's no pre-existing database for LPR or MPR (or HPR for that matter) birds. I use it to predict altitude after programming in my flock. It's also useful for calculating the proper parachute size for those of us that haven't yet developed an "eye" for that sort of thing.

It further has a flight log, but as I've used it, I've become frustrated with the cumbersome nature of it. It's meant more for HPR where a project flies once, and that's all one launches on that day. It has a calculator for quantity of BP to pressurize a given airspace to a desired pressure, but if you're like me and mix LPR with MPR (or regardless, fly more than one rocket at a location) entering in the flight log details can be a bear.

It was $9.99 I think, and I lept at the opertunity because I love technology, but soon realized that it wasn't what I needed. That's when I got the bug in my head that I could build something more suited to what I want in MS Access. I got pretty dang far, but I hit a wall. It'd be nice if I could commercialize it, and defray some of the cost of my hobby, but the truth is, I'm not smart enough to create a marketable product on my own. I got far enough to make it somewhat workable for tracking which rockets needed which ground-support equipment, and further, which engines did what in a bird, but I have ideas that I just can't actualize.

In a nutshell, the database I created allows you to input the paramters of your fleet, and has a form that tracks multiple launches per day from the same launch site. Despite my frustration with it, it's actually pretty useful for the anal-retentive rocketeer, and is easy to use.

I hope to find at least one brain here that can take it to the next level- I can picture it in my head, but I have absolutly no idea how to actually get there. I guess what I'd like to do is adopt my baby out (if there's interest) in the hopes that I can one day achieve joint custody; not in an ownership way, but if you can build on what I've done, and promise to keep it open-source and free, I can rejoin with it to benefit myself and all others in this field.

If someone were to turn this into a commercial venture, I'd be mighty cross...after reading the thread on morerockets.com I've leared a few things on intellectural property. However, I'm naive enough to post this blanket offering- if you want to try a blank copy of my database, PM me. If you're a VB wiz and want to expand on it, PM me. All I ask is that I, and the rest of this community, share in the benefits of development.

I'd post the darn thing right now, but my own PC warns me that some of the script can be perceived as viral (hah, I assure you it's not...as if that ever works). Here's some screen shots to give you an idea: if you're either daft or brilliant enough to turn a profit in some way, please remember your origins and toss me a coin every now and then!

I use Access at work until I am bleary-eyed. I have in the past sketched a rocket data model on paper and that was as far as I got, not enough time to build it. My interests were tracking motors on hand, and being able to run a report on flights by rocket, flights by day, and flights by launch (for mulitple day launches). I don't think enough users have Access to bother to market it. It looks like you have a lot covered in what you built so far. Can you describe the wall you hit?

I am an MS Access user and I'm fairly adept in it (SQL and VBA). I only use it when I need a "heavy lift" application that Excel can't or shouldn't handle. Excel is the hammer; Access is the sledge.

Currently, all of my rocket data are in Excel, and for me that's enough.

Greg

It does a great job tracking my flights- I use a flight form with a detail subform to track mutliple flights on the same day. Some of the issues I'm having (and I'm sorry I can't be more specific- if I knew what the problem was I'd be :) !). I've split the list into "really ticks me off" and "would be cool to have":

First, the kickers-
1) I track rocket status- have a lookup to a table that lists the possible conditions (everything from New, never launched to CATO- Retired). When I log multiple flights on the same rocket (even if different dates), all previous "status" records change to the last-selected. I use the same type of lookup to track motors used, and that behavior doesn't happen with motors.

2) Report formatting- I chalk this up to frustration compounded by lack of skill- I'm sure I could work out the formatting if I actually put my head to it.

3) I guess that's really it for the "I hate this stupid thing" problems...I thought there were more, maybe I just can't think of them.

For the wish-list:
1) Like you, I want to be able to key in my inventory, and when I fly a motor, I want the inventory to decrement by 1 (or however many used). Lack the know-how to muscle that out.

2) Would like to incorporate "flight planning"; using above inventory plus projected altitude (probably just tables manually created from wRASP (or similar) to build the line-up for launch day.
2a) as long as I'm dreaming, this would include

3) Would like to include a picture of the rocket on the report for that particular bird (not hard, but I've read that it's not a good idea to clutter the DB with non-data items).

As far as lack of Access making it not a widely adaptable product, I once created a database for the lab I worked in. I was able to (somehow, can't recall at the moment) convert it to a standalone program in Access so Access itself wasn't required to run it. With that I was able to put it on every PC in the space, so things like fridge and incubator temps could be tracked electronically. I was hoping to do the same for this, and make it available to anyone who wanted it...

Thanks for your feedback- it's easy to feel overwhelmed by a project only to realize (when asked "what's wrong with it?") that maybe it's NOT such a Charley Foxtrot!