Sky Dart help

[Green Dragon]

had to add this one to the que - already cut and glued the multi-piece wing and tail surfaces, looks good so far.

Got a question for those who might know, :-) , is ... could not find any reference to the length of the BT20 motor mount / stuffer tube / pod - not on the Jim Z plans of the tube lengths guide on YORP.

ANy input , or verification on the tube length ?

other tricks or tips I should know about ? lol .

thanks again,

~ AL

[barone]

Al,

The YORP pans show it to be 12". http://www.oldrocketplans.com/estes/estK-57/estK-57.htm

[ghrocketman]

I concur with the 12" length...I just built a clone of this one 2mos. ago.

[Gus]

Al,

The moderator of this forum, Eagle3, is the master of all Sky Dart builders. He flies his without the nacelles and without paint. Truly jaw-dropping flights which are always a thrill to watch.

Two months ago he led our NAR group in a clone Sky Dart building session.

Our fins were laser cut so the entire build (without finishing) was doable in about 2 hours.

If you want laser cut Sky Dart fins call Commonwealth Displays. It's not one of their regular items but the person who cut ours is their Laser Guru so I bet they can arrange to sell you a set.

As for the stuffer tube, don't pre-cut it to length. Put your nosecone in the outer body tube, then put your stuffer tube inside and push it up until it hits the nosecone. Then mark the tube where it exits the outside tube for the right length.

Another tip. Although the nosecone gets glued into the body tube do not glue it until after you have completed the build and finishing. You may need to add or subtract weight from the nose and if you've glued the nosecone (not that I would have done that :eek: ) it is really more difficult.

[Eagle3]

Thanks for the kind words Gus! I'm looking forward to everyone coming to a JMRC launch so we can do a Skydart mass launch. :)

GD, Gus is right on with his tip about marking the power pod tube. Even if you're using an authentic BNC-50K, it's best to measure it in the main body. Also, like Gus says, wait until after the balancing step to glue in the nose cone. Chances are you won't need to add nose weight, but J.I.C.....

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Thanks for the kind words Gus! I'm looking forward to everyone coming to a JMRC launch so we can do a Skydart mass launch. :)


What about doing one at NARAM? I'll get started building right now. :D