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  #1  
Old 07-10-2005, 09:42 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Default Black Sunday - part II

Once the sun was low enough in the sky it was beautiful weather for a launch. (Well, better than Craig was having.) It was still hot, but not blazing as it had been when I was out painting the garage earlier in the day. (YUCK!!!!) Once again, I had to wait for baseballers to clear the field, but that gave me time to fill up the wifes car. The baseball team was clearing out when I came back, so I took over the field. First on the pad was the Excelsior Goonybird Zero on a B6-4. Great flight, but another early ejection that luckily caused no damage. The sound drew a group of kids, all of them from my kids class at school. They became my launch and recovery crew, both jobs that I'm always happy to relinquish.
Flight #2 was my MPC Nike Patriot on a B6-4. This was a very cool flight with a visible flame all the way up and a true 4 second ejection charge. Austin Rosenhagen ran it down like a fly ball and caught it before it hit the ground. Pretty impressive. I wish I had his energy.
Flight #3 was the Estes Big Dawg on a B6-4 minus 2. Another early ejection, but also another great catch by Austin.
Flight #4 was the Holverson Wicked Winnie. Pretty decent air for a big rocket and the kids freaked when the chute didn't immediately open, but that was by design as I had wrapped the shock cord around the chute to let it drop below tree level before it opened. (Wish I'd have done that more often.) Still broke a fin on landing, but at least it will fly again.
Flight #5 was an old Estes Mini Bomarc that I rescued from Ebay. An A3-4T flight with nice flame in the twilight. Very cool and Austin was there to catch it again.
Flight #6 was the Semroc Taurus, which the kids were all impressed with. Impressive flight on a B6-4. The flames were now clearly visible with each flight and the Taurus was especiall cool.
This was where things started to go bad. Flight #7 was the Goonybird Zero again on a B6-4. It kicked to the right off the pad and was obviously in trouble from the moment it ejected. It wound up sixty feet up in the same tree that devoured my Centuri Scram Jet four years ago. They can exchange war stories now.
Flight #8 was a command performance for the Semroc Taurus. Another impressive flight in the twilight, but this time the B6-4 ejection charge blew the whole side out of the rocket at the bottom transition. Found both pieces, but I think its career is done. (See pics and you'll understand why.)
Flight #9 was the Estes Solar Sailer II that I bought off Ebay in 2001, but only recently finished. Awesome flight on a B6-4 because now the shadows were creeping in and the flame was very bright. Coo-l, if I do say so myself.
Flight #10 was the MPC Nike Patriot again. This time it wound up skirting through the leaves and just missing a tree berth with the Goony. Living lucky on a B6-4.
This was where my luck ran out. I gave the Big Dawg another shot because Taylor, Austin's twin sister who was one of my Brownies years ago, wanted to launch one. The Dawg was gone as soon as it left the pad. It wound up in a tree in a neighborhood on the other side of the field. I should have cut my losses and quit, but Turtle wanted to launch one.
The final flight of the night, #12, was the Solar Sailer II again on a B6-4. This was another impressive, fiery flight, but things went bad immediately at ejection. It started drifting and wound up in the tree next to the Goony. Atleast they'll be able to keep each other company later this week when the hurricane remnants blow through.

So, for the day, 12 flights, one destroyed, one damaged and three lost. Still a hell of a lot more fun than painting.
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Bill Eichelberger
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http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #2  
Old 07-10-2005, 10:41 PM
Vanel Vanel is offline
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Bill,

Oh man, that Taurus looks like it is in major pain

Sorry about your losses - I sympathize. I have noticed that even if there is only one tree in a very large field, my rockets will be drawn into it. As a result, I only launch in areas where there are no trees. Fortunately, there is a big field near my place that is perfect for LPR - until the cotton starts to grow.

Even with your losses, it sounds like you had a good time... Still, I have one question:

Can I borrow your recovery crew?
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  #3  
Old 07-10-2005, 10:55 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vanel
Even with your losses, it sounds like you had a good time... Still, I have one question:

Can I borrow your recovery crew?


Yeah, a bad day launching beats a good day of home improvement anytime.

As for the recovery crew, I know the parents, and I'm sure they'd entertain offers. You'd have to feed Kody, though. That doesn't leave much in the way of motor money.
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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #4  
Old 07-11-2005, 12:44 PM
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CPMcGraw CPMcGraw is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by A Fish Named Wallyum
Once the sun was low enough in the sky it was beautiful weather for a launch. (Well, better than Craig was having.)


Looks like those over-zealous deployment charges found a weakness in your transition. It also looks like the parachute might have jammed in the tube, too. Had that happen on a Quest Gamma-Ray. Loud pop when the motor blew out...

You didn't use a liner tube? The damage doesn't really look irrepairable -- biggest challenge is removing the remains of the shoulders out of the tubes without damaging them any more.

The careful application of a Dremel with a fine grinding stone should do the trick...

I'd suggest using a piece of ST-5 the same length as the transition and shoulders as your pressure ducting when you rebuilt. If you look at the end of an 18mm motor, that's about all the inside area the casing allows anyway.

Make a core-cutting tool out of a piece of brass tubing the same size or a fraction larger than a piece of ST-5 (or BT-5), with the inside edge ground to a sharp taper. Use a drill of a matching diameter to the inside of the tubing to remove the excess from the center of the core, pushing the brass tubing along as you go. Sort of a make-shift round mortising tool. When you remove the brass tube, glue in a piece of ST-5, and you now have a stiffening backbone through that transition. The tubing will take the stress of ejection better.

Dennis is about to make your week a bit soggy, from what I'm seeing on TWC. Atlanta seems to be underwater, and it wasn't even in the direct path. Mobile came out with mostly downed power lines and maybe some broken tree limbs, but not much more.

Craig
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  #5  
Old 07-11-2005, 12:52 PM
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Doug Sams Doug Sams is offline
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Quote:
for the day, 12 flights, one destroyed, one damaged and three lost. Still a hell of a lot more fun than painting.
Bill, I'm glad you can take it that well. I'd be mighty bummed about the losses. I've been known sneak out with a saw, too :)

While the Taurus is hurting, it looks repairable. You might have to make some mod's - ie, cut the broken ends back to fresh material then build a new transition - but it looks like you can build a Taurus-lite out of it without having to completely overhaul it. BTW, what caused it to let go? Did you do a post mortem? Overly hot ejection charges?

At least the broken fin wasn't on your favorite rocket :)

Doug
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  #6  
Old 07-11-2005, 01:11 PM
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Doug Sams Doug Sams is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CPMcGraw
Looks like those over-zealous deployment charges found a weakness in your transition. It also looks like the parachute might have jammed in the tube, too.
I was wondering about that. The forward section looks kinda small (when the base of the nosecone is considered). I guess that means the chute has to be pushed all the way down into the narrower middle tube?

BTW, Glad to hear/see you're OK.

Doug
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  #7  
Old 07-11-2005, 07:24 PM
Eagle3 Eagle3 is offline
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Bill, I kept my transition solid and put the chute in the main lower BT. There's plenty of room for a good sized chute and protection FWIW.
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  #8  
Old 07-11-2005, 08:09 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eagle3
Bill, I kept my transition solid and put the chute in the main lower BT. There's plenty of room for a good sized chute and protection FWIW.


That's what I'll do with the next one. I just wanted to do something a little different.
I'm also going back to the white pods and rounded cones.
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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #9  
Old 07-12-2005, 11:22 AM
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CPMcGraw CPMcGraw is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Sams
BTW, Glad to hear/see you're OK. Doug


The most-often-used phrase by all of the administrators and EOC people down here in Mobile and Baldwin Counties has been "We dodged a bullet". It's the folks farther north of us that are feeling the hurt, with all the rain that's getting dumped...

Craig...
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  #10  
Old 07-12-2005, 11:32 AM
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CPMcGraw CPMcGraw is offline
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Bill,

Didn't ask this, but were you using traditional recovery wadding sheets, or the shredded newsprint?

My Gamma Ray had the shredded stuff, and it plugged itself very tight on the aforementioned flight...

Took quite a bit of prodding and poking to work it loose...

Gotta stop feedin' em so much cheese...

Craig...
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