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  #1  
Old 04-18-2005, 11:15 AM
six-o-one six-o-one is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: collierville, tn
Posts: 131
Default Update: Build two--fly one (Story)

Well, I had made mention in the Vendors section of the board that I built the Thrustline Cherokee-D clone and it came out so nice I hated to fly it. Should have gone with my instincts. If you don't fly it, it's not a rocket, right? So, yesterday, took my boy out to fly. Did a few other flights, then came time for the Cherokee-D.
Now, let me preface this by describing our flying field. The field itself is approx. 2000' x 2000' of open space, with another six soccer fields and more open area to the north and east. directly east to southeast is a fenced off area of trees (foreshadowing). OK, load her up and launch. Simply gorgeous. Straight as an arrow into a clear blue sky, probably 1000'-1200' conservatively. Ejection and chute deployment at or near apogee give or take a few feet. Well, the wind (7 mph according to the weather) was blowing to the northeast, so when I saw the altitude I figured I had a decent walk to a soccer field in my future. She started down and was floating NE as predicted, and not looking to land as far away as I first thought. Then, descent seemed to stop and it began to drift E. Yep, you guessed it. Just clipped the corner of the fenced off tree area, about 25' in, and of course, at the top of a 75'tree. AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH. Well, I am not one to just give up. Finished up, took the boy home, and got a bag of baseballs. Came back, and it took five throws to hit the chute and down she came---25 ft. Still hanging about 50' up. So now I figure no problem. Wrong. Probably hit the chute 20 more times, but it's just hung up. Hated to leave it over night, but there was little to no dew moisture last night, so am hopeful as to the condition of the rocket. Came to work today, and we have 10' sections of 1.5" PVC with couplers (I am a P.E. teacher and have no idea why exactly we have all of this PVC). Gonna tape a coat-hanger hook to the top section, and go after her this afternooon. I'll update tonight.

Last edited by six-o-one : 04-18-2005 at 11:17 AM. Reason: mistake
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Old 04-18-2005, 03:54 PM
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Tweener Tweener is offline
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Location: Ottawa, Ohio
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Quote:
Originally Posted by six-o-one
Finished up, took the boy home, and got a bag of baseballs. Came back, and it took five throws to hit the chute <snip>

You must have a good aim. I'd probably hit the rocket. (I always sucked at the Dunk 'em booth at the school carnival. There were a few teachers I would have LOVED to dump in, too.)
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  #3  
Old 04-18-2005, 07:47 PM
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dwmzmm dwmzmm is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Katy, TX
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Default I Fly Vintages!

One of our members of the Challenger 498 Section always has a tree trimmer in the back
of his pickup at all of our launches (both sport and NAR Sanctioned contests). Last month,
at the Spring Fling Regional meet here at Rushing Park, Katy, TX my very vintage CMR
Buzzard was flown for the A R/G event, which nabbed my team a first place. But, in the
process, it got snagged in a tree downrange. Using the tree trimmer provided by Chase,
I was able to get my prized Buzzard down...
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Old 04-18-2005, 08:44 PM
six-o-one six-o-one is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: collierville, tn
Posts: 131
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Well, update time. But first...

Tweener: I am, or was (just retired to be with my kids) a high school baseball coach. Played until I was 27, pitched, yada yada yada. Accuracy with a baseball is just the results of what my wife would say is a mis-spent youth and adulthood. Gotta admit, pretty lucky on that one too.

dwmzmm: You know, I came home and called a friend to see if they had a tree trimmer. They did, but it was only 25 feet, nowhere close.

On to today. A six foot ladder with me standing on top, three ten-foot lengths of pvc with a coat-hangar hook on top, and an hour and a half later I managed to basically rip the rocket from its shock cord. 17.5" body tube, and all but the top 1" were still perfect. Small zipper, highly repairable. Oh yeah, nose cone wouldn't give up the ghost, and remains in the tree.
So, I guess I got what I had intended. I will repair this one and it should be 100% for flights and I will build another one for aesthetics (probably fly it once though, just to meet my "gotta fly to be a rocket" criteria----in a very big field with NO trees). If you read this, thanks for your time.
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Old 04-18-2005, 08:52 PM
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Bob H Bob H is offline
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Location: Douglas, MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by six-o-one
I will repair this one and it should be 100% for flights and I will build another one for aesthetics (probably fly it once though, just to meet my "gotta fly to be a rocket" criteria----in a very big field with NO trees). If you read this, thanks for your time.


You could make an adapter and fly it on a "B" or "C" to satisfy the "gotta fly to be a rocket".
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  #6  
Old 04-18-2005, 09:33 PM
six-o-one six-o-one is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: collierville, tn
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Yeah, good suggestion. Guess I am a bit of an altitude junkie though, and just love the Cherokee-D flights--admirable alt without disappearing. And an addendum to the story. Also found out why it drifted so far, well, in part anyway. It ejected the motor. Don't know how, clip seems just right, but did it anyway. Spent D-12 weighs .64 ounce, fully 20% of the rockets total weight post-boost. Just enough weight missing to get it that last 25 ft into the trees.
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