Level 1 Cert

Yay! it's here, and it's friggin huuuuuge! seriously, I've toted other HPR rockets around before but the IROC jsut seemed BIG when I took it out of the box! Well, pics to follow...

Experimental

I soooo want to make a sugar motor

SUGAR!

Damn Good Ideas

This Guy has given me a whole bunch of ideas today, isn't funny how some people can make you feel just downright dumb? Well this guy has done it, not with exceptionally over engineered and complicated procedures and processes but, with his simplicity.

First thing I'm gonna do is to design an electronics bay around PVC threaded tubing so you can just unscrew your electronics out of their bay. Take a look at his Nose Cone and you'll get my idea.

EMRR Challenge

OK, made the order to BRS for two 24mm BT60 motor mounts, some launch lugs, and a couple tube couplers. Now I just need to get that stuff in, maybe some wooden dowel, a little foam board to make a bulkhead at the top of the boosters (not going to use a nosecone for weight reasons, that and it is ejecting from the tube coupler in the middle) and I should be good to go

EMRR Challenge

ok, first up, parrellel staged rocket

This will be my shortened Estes Executioner (don't ask about the "shortened" part) and my Estes mean machine. I really like the executioner and always flew on E9's but, the delay was always too long, zippered a couple of time pretty good but was always repairable. It's a pretty damn stable and substantial rocket that is pretty hard to kill. The mean machine however, is just too damn big and flexible, time to cut it down to size.

The other great thing is, I only need a few parts to get this done:

2 BT60 tube couplers

2 24mm, BT60 motor mounts

some kevlar string

2 decent chutes, nothing spectacular, estes trash bags would be fine


that's about it really, I'll take some pics as this goes along, going to need it for EMRR anyway.....

Level 1 Cert

ya, I'mtotally going with the QwikLOC SlimLine system, exactly what I want from Giant Leap

I'll be sure to put a little vaseline on the threads though just to help keep them clean and non-corroded...

Level 1 Cert

So, the guys at RedArrow said I should have my O-ROC Monday or Tuesday, I'm thinking about motor retention. Coast Rocketry has a few different options but I really like the threded slimline type mount. I know the I-ROC comes with motor retention now, I'll have to see what it is when I get it, but I really like the idea of a threaded retainer. The whole ides of a big plate that srews down over your motor just doesn't sit well with me, first you have to make sure you have a solid spot for the screws to screw into your bird and hope that A. they hold and don't rip out, and B. The hold and don't rip out the whole aft end of your rocket. The other thing is, these are exposed screws, they aren't jsut exposed to the environment but they are exposed to rocket exhaust wich isn't the kindest on materials.

Well, we'll see what comes with the I-ROC and go from there, at least I know I can just leave a half in of motor tube out and can put the retainer on later if I want. I'll probably wait though, just need to decide if the bell shaped retainer would look better heheh...

Launch Equipment

Need to recover almost completed but functional launch box from dear Mother's house (used to lauch in her backyard/field) and need to finish it up, also need to design/build new pad to incorporate rail, time to move up I spose.....

Parellel Staging Project

Well, I think I'm going to go witha parellel staged rocket for my next project (along with my I-ROC for level 1 and maybe 2 Cert)

Was surfin on Essence's and found a few parellel staged projects. This one seemed interesting. I have been tryn to work out a good way to mount the boosters so that they will stay there when you want them but will deploy when you want without interfering with the sustainer. I like the way his boosters split in half to deploy and pop shutes

I think I'm going to use my Executioner and Mean machine for this project. Sadly I won't be able to count it as a kit bash becasue I'll need more parts than wht comes in the two kits together...

Experimental

Well, I was going to work on a counter-weight based simple guidance system but, after careful consideration, it jsut aint' gonna werk. I could go with a gyro but, that means lots and lots of money. My epiphany came from This site wich really had some great info on gudiance theories. Another great site is The UK Rocketman.

After seeing that my low budget guidance system wasn't going to work as well as I would have liked and it would require a much larger budget than I am able to provide to create the guidance system I want (gyro's themselves go way over not to mention the guidance computer development and hardware along with the flight computer)I may very well work on a strap-on booster design that will also satisfy Essence's EMRR Challenge.

I remember when I had an Estes Gemini kit with the rear ejection and instead of ejecting the chutes, it wound up ejecting the strap-on's.

Perhaps the guidance system will be put onthe back burner for a while, no cost to do some planning and theoretical work on it, at least it will get me a little more experience for later on.....

Level 1 Cartification

OK, one of the many projects I'm going to take on this semester is my level 1 high power certification. At first I wanted to design and fly my own rocket but, as I got going on an actual design and working out a parts list and cost, I jsut couldn't build what I wanted, wich was a bird I could use for both level one and level two, cheaper than what I could just buy a kit for. So after much browsing and reasearch, and checking my paypal account, I went to Red Arrow Hobbies and ordered up a fresh new LOC/Precision I-ROC , should be fine to fly on H and J's , 38mm motor mount, hopefully it will get here soon...