I wish I had a motorcycle to choose after today.

Hell, I wish I had a motorized scooter after this.

__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc - Starfighter Scorpion Centuri - Mini Dactyl Estes - F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II, Xarconian Cruiser Semroc - Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark

UFO Invader on pad.

And leaving the pad.

__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc - Starfighter Scorpion Centuri - Mini Dactyl Estes - F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II, Xarconian Cruiser Semroc - Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark

THAT explains why my nose started burning so badly this afternoon!

Was it due to launch acceleration, or landing impact from the first flight, that you think caused the fins to fail? Those fins had a large footprint against the body tube; did they simply sheer away, or shred into splinters?

__________________
Craig McGraw

BARCLONE Rocketry -- http://barclone.rocketshoppe.com
BARCLONE Blogsite -- http://barclone.wordpress.com
BARCLONE Forum -- BARCLONE Forum

BARs helping BARs

SAM 0044
AMA 352635

BOY, did they splinter! I've got a movie of both flights. The first one is almost picture perfect except for the weathercocking, but what could you expect? The second one is a lightning quick launch, then a sky full of balsa shards. I got so excited that I pressed the button on my camera in mid curse. All you hear is "S#1T THE BISC" and then the film ends. I picked it right up again when I realized what I had done. On the second film all you see is the remains plumetting to earth. Pretty funny, except for the incredible damage. The fin that remains is perfect, and the two that left were clean breaks, so I'll be hitting Hobby Lobby for some more large sheets of 1/8" balsa this week. I found my C5-3s after the cleanup.

__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc - Starfighter Scorpion Centuri - Mini Dactyl Estes - F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II, Xarconian Cruiser Semroc - Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark

Almost forgot. I did make several other flights today. I flew the UFO Invader that I made out of the remains of the SSV Scorpion. It was a C6-3 flight and it was perfect. I also flew the Estes D.O.M. Argus on a C6-5, but since I haven't done the decals, that flight was a little boring. I made three flights with the 24mm SPEV that I built a couple of weeks back. This is a great rocket for a power upscale. I also drilled out the lower transition and made it separate at the mid-point. This gives me a little more room for the chute and lets me add some nose weight. It flew on a C11-5, D12-5 and D12-7, with only a broken fin fillet to show as far as damage. Last but not least was the Semroc Recruiter on a B6-4. Arrow straight flight and parawad recovery.
This was a good day, despite the carnage.

__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc - Starfighter Scorpion Centuri - Mini Dactyl Estes - F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II, Xarconian Cruiser Semroc - Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark

Lost two rockets today due to Estes engine malfunctions... no ejection charge! The Big Bertha lawndarted and was destroyed and our RTF NSA Starship just disappeared... there was no tracking smoke and we only have a rough idea of where it was headed.

__________________
Daniel Runyon Net

That sucks. Fill out a MESS form at the NAR site here:

http://wwwtest.nar.org/NARmessform.html

Contact Estes and they will probably take care of you with a new kit and motors. You'll probably need to take digitial photos of the rocket and of the motor showing the clay cap still in place.

__________________
Scott D. Hansen
Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe - Your One Stop BAR Shoppe!
Ye Olde Rocket Plans - OOP Rocket Plans From 38 Companies!
Ye Olde Rocket Forum
WOOSH NAR Section #558

Bummer about the Bertha. I encourage you to re-evaluate its demise. I've core sampled several but have almost always been able to splice in a new forward section.

As for the Starship, I'm not sure you can count that as having "no tracking smoke". If it just disappeared, could you have just not seen it (the smoke)? I know I lose track of them sometimes, and the tracking smoke helps me reacquire track, but only if I'm looking in the right spot for the smoke.

Doug

Done and done!

Here's some Bertha damage... I've VERY grateful that I hadn't yet gotten around to finishing it! The engine mount is also damaged... the motor was shoved forward and the hook now moves back and forth.



Here's the engine:






Nah... I've NEVER lost track of it... sometimes I can only see the rocket itself as a little black spot but can EASILY see the tracking smoke, and also we had already flown several rockets that day (including it) with very consistent launching / landing patterns... if that chute would have opened we would have seen it, no doubt! The chute was one of my orange Top Flight nylons.

__________________
Daniel Runyon Net

With that evidence you should have no problem getting a replacement BB and a pack of motors from Estes.

__________________
Scott D. Hansen
Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe - Your One Stop BAR Shoppe!
Ye Olde Rocket Plans - OOP Rocket Plans From 38 Companies!
Ye Olde Rocket Forum
WOOSH NAR Section #558