Gotta post pictures when she goes! Especially staging!

Pics nuthin'... I want VIDEO !

Even better!

The Ute Tomahawk will fly first - the flight computer of my choice is in it already. Kevin Harnack got a great picture of a CTI 38-1G starter pellet problem CATO on the first flight attempt. All repaired and ready to go this Saturday, weather permitting.

Getting a good staging video is going to be tough, even with staying will smaller booster motors. Keeping it low - and good thrust:weight - is a motor selection challenge.

Nike Tomahawk-12 on the pad.



Nike Tomahawk-12 in the air.
Staging done by an Eggtimer Proton timing from burnout. A great option.
CTI H295SS to CTI H53MY. 4 seconds of sustained goodness.

https://youtu.be/rudj6HBE2WE

My ground search though the so-called grasslands of Bong.
Still missing.
Serves me right, I suppose, for pulling the Eggfinder at the last minute and relying on
visual tracking of a mylar streamer. What works at 1500’ doesn’t work at 3500’.
<sigh>

Well, that was a great boost and nice flight!

Does your tracking software (screen grab you shown) provide GPS coordinates at the point of touchdown? Even if not, you've got a pretty good pinpoint of where she came down. Hopefully, some additional searching will do the trick.

Yeah, above about 2500' feet or so, rockets this size tend to disappear. Even with larger rockets and more 'visual' help (mylar streamers, etc.), various sun angles and atmospheric conditions can render visual location efforts woefully lacking. Still, its fun watching nice two-stagers like this one hit the giddy-up gear and scoot!

Earl

The screen grab is from a walk/hike tracker I was trying on the phone in order to try to help stay on the last known sight line.

I found my eggfinder had a broken battery lead when I was prepping on-site. So I pulled it out of the rocket, thinking that the 4"x10' mylar streamer would be sufficient.

I lost sight of the sustainer several seconds before apogee, based on when I stopped the video and later counting out the seconds. Never saw it again. Other people saw it, which is why I have a sight line.

Wind and descent rate says it should have come down before the road, but the witnesses said it was -way- out. If the chute came out at the top, then it would be a lot farther, which is why I went so far out on foot. And 2 days later. I had winery work to do launch day and Sunday, so I couldn't spend the time Saturday to explore when the altimeter still had battery. I didn't even think that the on-board WiFi would have let me know I was close until a day and a thunderstorm later.

Aaah, got it. Well...don't give up hope. It may turn up yet, possibly by someone else. I remember on a few different occasions some of us Georgia guys getting calls well after returning from LDRS's in Kansas and other remote locations saying "some farmer found your rocket" and having it returned after some shipping arrangements were made with the respective finder.

But yeah, it's frustrating because you know 'it's out there somewhere', if only you knew exactly where.

Earl

I plan on checking the park lost and found after hunting season. Lots of rockets get brought in.

I'm hoping it's not in the actual swamp, but just hidden in the amazingly wet 'grasslands'.

Get a drone or ask someone who has one to fly around with the video camera going.
You'll have a great chance of finding it that way, I think.

Allen