I cloned a Midget about ten years ago, but had terrible luck with it.

Once, the upper stage did not ignite and the upper stage crunched.

I rebuilt it.

The next time, staging occurred, but the lower stage didn't separate. The sustainer thrust cooked the inside of the booster, and the thrust was insufficient and the model pranged again.

I still have the wreckage. I don't know what to do with it.

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NAR #27085 - Oregon Rocketry - SAM

Delayed separation may very well have been the culprit. Some of the old competitors might need to chime in, though. I've heard that some competitors glued two motors together to gain performance in contests, which was soon outlawed.

Another possibility might be that you accidentally used an 1/2A6-2 motor as a booster. I've heard that ejection charges will ignite an upper stage, but I've never tried it. Delay trains do produce a small flame, which might be mistaken for the sustaining phase of a booster when viewed at very low altitudes.

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I love sanding.

That would make sense.



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I love sanding.

That's what I was wondering. You should be worried. We're thinking alike.

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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

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

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

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

Daddy like!

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-Brain
SKY AYE ROCKETRY
Follow Your Impulse!

My parents firmly believed that model rocketry was borderline illegal and that it only appealed to people that were "disturbed." I tried to show then literature that Estes Industries had sent me but it had no effect on them. We had several heated discussions about this. As a result I had to keep it all on the down low. I had to watch for the mailman and run out an grab the box whenever I received an order and quickly sneak it back into the house before anyone saw it. I kept my rockets and gear in various hiding places (crawl spaces, etc.) around the house to keep them from finding it. Then I had to sneak everything out of the house, pack it onto my bike and hurry off to meet up with my friend when I wanted to go launching. They eventually discovered that I had it, and afterward never hesitated to let me know how much they disapproved of my hobby. My mother was always especially concerned that I kept live motors (never more than five) stashed in a box in the back of my closet. We maintained a truce as along as I kept everything out of sight and didn't do or say anything to remind them that I was still involved in it.

In the end we all survived the experience with our relationships toward each other intact. It was a source of conflict for awhile, but we got over it. A lot of things about the 1960s ended up like that.

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SAM # 0011

No, it was definitely a booster motor. I thought it was cool that I could look down and see the actual propellant grain instead of a paper cap. Remember that this was my first multi-stage launch and these were my very first booster motors. (I may have had only one but I think I had two.)

I could barely afford the hobby back then and the motors were the most expensive item for me. No hobby shops carried them at the time so I had to get all of mine direct from Estes. An order from me would typically include two or three individual motors, all different from each other. I only made a handful of launches each year. I had planned this launch for quite some time. If it had been burning a delay after the initial upward travel the rocket most likely would have continued on an arc and come down nose first. In order for it to display the slow, stable backsliding descent there had to have been some trust coming out of the nozzle.

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SAM # 0011

Not necessarily. I've had dozens of flights where rockets flew vertical and backslid during delay before ejecting. It's all about vertical flight, calm air, and going without thrust long enough to stop climbing. I've got a couple that I can guarantee backsliding in calm air. However, if your motors were old enough to have the paper cap and you noted it wasn't there, then you didn't use the wrong motor.

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I love sanding.

Yes, this occurred back in 1970. The motors were purchased in 1969, so they were definitely old-style.

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SAM # 0011

I'd start over rather than trying to salvage anything. A twice-crumpled, twice-repaired sustainer will surely be extra heavy.

I thought the instructions (K-40) called for an aft thrust ring in the booster which ensures stage separation. Or did you build the Mini Brute version (EST0840)? I don't think that one had the rear ring in the booster.

On my clones, I've always included that. It's a major bummer to fry a booster.

Doug

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YORF member #11