2016 Launch Reports: Difference between revisions

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__FORCETOC__
==NAR Regional / Sport Launch, May 21-22 2016, Walnut Grove MO==
==NAR Regional / Sport Launch, May 21-22 2016, Walnut Grove MO==


Line 5: Line 7:
The field does have its challenges. It is an active cattle ranch covering many acres of rolling hills in southwestern Missouri, which means hazards include: tall trees, small ponds, cows (which have been known to pick up rockets and walk off with them), and cow…byproducts. Watch your step.
The field does have its challenges. It is an active cattle ranch covering many acres of rolling hills in southwestern Missouri, which means hazards include: tall trees, small ponds, cows (which have been known to pick up rockets and walk off with them), and cow…byproducts. Watch your step.


===Day 1===
On the first day, I was assisting some other SLRA members with certification flights (all successful!), so I did not start working on prepping my own first flight until fairly late in the morning.


I was assisting some other SLRA members with certification flights (all successful!), so I did not start working on prepping my own first flight until fairly late in the morning. My first goal for the weekend was to fly Ursa Major with the parachutes and deployment bag that I'll be using for my level 3 certification flight in November, as a test to make sure they deploy as expected. For this, I decided to use the CTI J430 motor that I had originally bought as a first-flight motor for Black Widow. It would put Ursa Major up to around 1,000 feet, and deploy the entire recovery system at apogee, where we could easily see it, and not drift too far away on the oversized parachutes.
===Ursa Major, J430===
 
My first goal for the weekend was to fly Ursa Major with the parachutes and deployment bag that I'll be using for my level 3 certification flight in November, as a test to make sure they deploy as expected. For this, I decided to use the CTI J430 motor that I had originally bought as a first-flight motor for Black Widow. It would put Ursa Major up to around 1,000 feet, and deploy the entire recovery system at apogee, where we could easily see it, and not drift too far away on the oversized parachutes.


I had a couple of false starts with a bad igniter on the first attempt and a no-fire on the second attempt. Gary Cole, the RSO, handed me a "fat boy" igniter with an inch-long pyrogen slug on the end for my third attempt. Ursa Major ripped off the pad, hit its sim altitude almost exactly, and deployed the new parachutes beautifully. Successful test!
I had a couple of false starts with a bad igniter on the first attempt and a no-fire on the second attempt. Gary Cole, the RSO, handed me a "fat boy" igniter with an inch-long pyrogen slug on the end for my third attempt. Ursa Major ripped off the pad, hit its sim altitude almost exactly, and deployed the new parachutes beautifully. Successful test!


Weather conditions at launch time: Partly cloudy, winds variable @ 5 mph, 70 F, 49% RH
{| class="wikitable"
 
|+LOC Doorknob “Ursa Major” flight #2:
Ursa Major flight #2:
|-
 
|Launch date:||Saturday, May 21, 2016
Motor: Cesaroni Pro54 821J430-18 White Thunder
|-
 
|Weather conditions:||Partly Cloudy, wind variable @ 5 mph, 70 F, 49% RH
Altitude: 1030 feet AGL
|-
 
|Motor:||[http://www.pro38.com/products/pro54/motor/MotorData.php?prodid=821J430-18A Cesaroni Pro54 821J430-18 White Thunder]
Max velocity: 308 ft/sec (210 mph)
|-
 
|Max altitude:||1030 feet AGL (Raven, barometric)
Motor burn time: 1.9 sec
|-
|Max velocity:||308 ft/sec (210 mph) (Raven, accelerometer)
|-
|Max acceleration:||7.01 G (Raven, accelerometer)
|}


Peak acceleration: 7.01G
The recovery system deployed as expected at 1000 foot apogee. Rocket was launched to the southeast and drifted back to the west under chute, landing less than a quarter mile south of the launch pad. It was retrieved via ATV by Steve Aubuchon. Later review of on-board video showed that there was a collision between the airframe and the nose cone as the parachute was deploying. The descent rate was 12.19 ft/sec (8.3 mph) under the main and pilot parachutes.


Descent rate: 12.19 ft/sec (8.3 mph) under main and pilot parachute
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/ursamajor-flight2-j430-2016-05-21.FIPa Flight data file] (viewable with the [https://www.featherweightaltimeters.com/interface-program.html Featherweight Interface Program])
Result: Recovery system deployed as expected at 1000 foot apogee. Rocket was launched to the southeast and drifted back to the west under chute, landing less than a quarter mile south of the launch pad. It was retrieved via ATV by Steve Aubuchon. Later review of on-board video showed that there was a collision between the airframe and the nose cone as the parachute was deploying.


Flight data file (viewable with the Featherweight Interface Program)
{{#evu:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH3ciY9SmmA
|alignment=center
}}


(TODO: images, videos)
<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:Walnut-grove.jpg|The Walnut Grove field.|alt=A photo of several cows standing around a pond in rolling green fields.
File:Ursa-major-flight-2-deployment.jpg|Pilot chute deployment.|alt=A photo from the rocket's onboard camera showing deployment of the red and white pilot parachute. A fragment of the ejection charge canister is visible.
File:Ursa-major-flight-2-collision.jpg|Apparent collision between the nose and airframe.|alt=A photo from the rocket's onboard camera with the shoulder end of the nose cone touching the aft end of the airframe.
File:Ursa-major-flight-2-parachute-test.jpg|Successful deployment|alt=A photo of a distant yellow rocket against a blue sky, descending under a black and orange main parachute and a red and white pilot parachute.
</gallery>


Later in the day, I began preparing Black Widow for its first flight, but made the mistake of not aligning the electronics sled in the coupler correctly, so the arming switch did not align with the access hole and the rocket could not be armed. As it was late in the day, I decided to wait and try again the following day. However, that turned out to be the first of several missteps with Black Widow that resulted in it not flying at all during the weekend - read on…
Later in the day, I began preparing Black Widow for its first flight, but made the mistake of not aligning the electronics sled in the coupler correctly, so the arming switch did not align with the access hole and the rocket could not be armed. As it was late in the day, I decided to wait and try again the following day. However, that turned out to be the first of several missteps with Black Widow that resulted in it not flying at all during the weekend - read on…


===Day 2===
----


The second day's weather was similar to the first's, but slightly warmer and somewhat windier. I started prepping Black Widow, but found that once the rocket had been in the sun for a short time, the fit of the coupler in the lower airframe was very tight, so I spent approximately half an hour sanding it down to the point where it fit properly again. After getting the rocket fully assembled, I discovered that once again I had put the sled in the coupler incorrectly (this time, I had reversed the sled end-to-end), so, once again I had to pull the shear pins out, disassemble and reassemble.
The second day's weather was similar to the first's, but slightly warmer and somewhat windier. I started prepping Black Widow, but found that once the rocket had been in the sun for a short time, the fit of the coupler in the lower airframe was very tight, so I spent approximately half an hour sanding it down to the point where it fit properly again. After getting the rocket fully assembled, I discovered that once again I had put the sled in the coupler incorrectly (this time, I had reversed the sled end-to-end), so, once again I had to pull the shear pins out, disassemble and reassemble.
Line 41: Line 55:


At this point, I believe that I could have drilled the access hole out to a larger diameter and made it work. However, after two hours of frustration and repeated mistakes, I decided that the best thing was to put the project aside and bring it back to the next launch.
At this point, I believe that I could have drilled the access hole out to a larger diameter and made it work. However, after two hours of frustration and repeated mistakes, I decided that the best thing was to put the project aside and bring it back to the next launch.
===Blue Phenix Jr., G79===


After clearing the prep table and my mind at the same time, I flew two of my smaller rockets that I probably wouldn't have gotten out otherwise. My Madcow Nike Smoke got its second flight on an H125 to somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 feet, landing in the nearby NAR contest range, and my ARR Blue Phenix Jr. got its second flight (more than two and a half years after its first!) on a G79 to 2034 feet. I was glad to have brought those smaller, simpler rockets so my day wasn't a complete loss.
After clearing the prep table and my mind at the same time, I flew two of my smaller rockets that I probably wouldn't have gotten out otherwise. My Madcow Nike Smoke got its second flight on an H125 to somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 feet, landing in the nearby NAR contest range, and my ARR Blue Phenix Jr. got its second flight (more than two and a half years after its first!) on a G79 to 2034 feet. I was glad to have brought those smaller, simpler rockets so my day wasn't a complete loss.


Blue Phenix Jr. flight #2:
{| class="wikitable"
 
|+Blue Phenix Jr. flight #2:
Motor: AeroTech G79-10W White Lightning SUL
|-
 
|Launch date:||Sunday, May 22, 2016
Altitude: 2034 feet
|-
|Weather conditions:||Partly Cloudy, wind variable @ 5 mph, 70 F, 49% RH
|-
|Motor:||[https://www.thrustcurve.org/motors/AeroTech/G79W%2FL/ AeroTech G79 W/L White Lightning]
|-
|Max altitude:||2034 feet AGL (AltimeterTwo, barometric)
|-
|Max velocity:||378 ft/sec (258 mph) (AltimeterTwo, accelerometer)
|-
|Max acceleration:||11.2 G (AltimeterTwo, accelerometer)
|}


Max velocity: 258 mph
The rocket landed in the field west of the launch area. The shock cord got pretty badly sliced / frayed where it rubbed on the end of the body tube.


Motor burn time: 1.7 sec
{| class="wikitable"
 
|+Madcow Nike Smoke flight #2:
Peak acceleration: 11.2 G
|-
 
|Launch date:||Sunday, May 22, 2016
Average acceleration: 7.1 G
|-
 
|Weather conditions:||Partly Cloudy, wind variable @ 5 mph, 70 F, 49% RH
Coast time to apogee: 10.6 sec
|-
 
|Motor:||[http://www.pro38.com/products/pro38/motor/MotorData.php?prodid=266H125-12A Cesaroni Pro38 266H125-12A Classic]
Apogee-to-ejection time: -0.8 sec
|-
 
|Max altitude:||Unknown, approx. 3000 ft. AGL (no altimeter on board)
Ejection altitude: 1978 feet
|}
 
Average descent velocity: 12 mph
 
Total flight duration: 117.7 sec
 
Result: Landed in field west of launch area; minor fraying of shock cord


==NARAM 58, July 23-24 2016, Walnut Grove MO==
==NARAM 58, July 23-24 2016, Walnut Grove MO==
Line 74: Line 94:
We had a HOT HOT HOT weekend for sport flying at the beginning of NARAM 58 in Walnut Grove. Just as I did at AirFest last year, I made limited plans, got my flights done early, and high-tailed it back into air conditioning in the afternoons.
We had a HOT HOT HOT weekend for sport flying at the beginning of NARAM 58 in Walnut Grove. Just as I did at AirFest last year, I made limited plans, got my flights done early, and high-tailed it back into air conditioning in the afternoons.


===Day 1===
===Black Widow, J449===


As a lead-up to still hopefully putting an L1040 in Black Widow at this year's AirFest, I wanted to get a J and a K flight under my belt on the new rocket. I still had the assembled J449 from the May launch, and prepped the rocket for that motor on Saturday morning. With the tweaks to the av-bay design that I'd made since, then, I had no problems putting it together apart from not having the nose cone marked correctly with respect to the rail (which resulted in me putting the first shear pin in with the nose turned the wrong way).
As a lead-up to still hopefully putting an L1040 in Black Widow at this year's AirFest, I wanted to get a J and a K flight under my belt on the new rocket. I still had the assembled J449 from the May launch, and prepped the rocket for that motor on Saturday morning. With the tweaks to the av-bay design that I'd made since, then, I had no problems putting it together apart from not having the nose cone marked correctly with respect to the rail (which resulted in me putting the first shear pin in with the nose turned the wrong way).
Line 80: Line 100:
The J449 flight went fine. The rocket rolls more than Home Alone did, and under drogue the forward airframe falls nearly nose-down, which I'm not super happy about. But everything worked.
The J449 flight went fine. The rocket rolls more than Home Alone did, and under drogue the forward airframe falls nearly nose-down, which I'm not super happy about. But everything worked.


Weather conditions at launch time: Clear, wind SSW @ 6.9 mph, 89 F, 61% RH
{| class="wikitable"
|+Rocketry Warehouse Dominator 3 “Black Widow” flight #1:
|-
|Launch date:||Saturday, July 23, 2016
|-
|Weather conditions:||Clear, wind SSW @ 7 mph, 89 F, 61% RH
|-
|Motor:||[http://www.pro38.com/products/pro54/motor/MotorData.php?prodid=1261J449-15A Cesaroni Pro54 1261J449-15A Blue Streak]
|-
|Max altitude:||4212 feet AGL (TeleGPS, GPS), 3943 feet AGL (Raven, barometric)
|-
|Max velocity:||619 ft/sec (422 mph, Mach 0.56) (Raven, accelerometer)
|-
|Max acceleration:||9.8 G (Raven, accelerometer)
|}


Black Widow flight #1:
Nominal flight. Lower and upper airframes almost collided after apogee deployment (see video). Unusual spinning of upper airframe just before main deployment (see video) but this did not appear to affect deployment. TeleGPS reported data throughout flight; contact was lost upon landing as landing point was out of line-of-sight from launch area but regained upon approaching the rocket. Rocket recovered by use of TeleGPS.


Motor: Cesaroni Pro54 1261J449-15A Blue Streak
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/blackwidow-flight1-j449-2016-07-23.FIPa Flight data file] (viewable with the [https://www.featherweightaltimeters.com/interface-program.html Featherweight Interface Program])


Altitude: 4212 feet AGL [GPS], 3943 feet AGL [barometric]
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/blackwidow-flight1-j449-2016-07-23.kml GPS track of flight] (viewable with [http://earth.google.com/intl/en/ Google Earth])


Max velocity: 619 ft/sec (422 mph, Mach 0.56) [accelerometer]
===Black Widow, K530===
 
Motor burn time: 2.5 sec
 
Peak acceleration: 9.8G
 
Descent rate: 78 ft/sec (53 mph) under Spherachutes Apex drogue (small), 26 ft/sec (17.5 mph) under SkyAngle main
 
Result: Nominal flight. Lower and upper airframes almost collided after apogee deployment (see video). Unusual spinning of upper airframe just before main deployment (see video) but this did not appear to affect deployment. TeleGPS reported data throughout flight; contact was lost upon landing as landing point was out of line-of-sight from launch area but regained upon approaching the rocket. Rocket recovered by use of TeleGPS.
 
Flight data file (viewable with the Featherweight Interface Program)
 
GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)
 
(TODO: images, videos)
 
===Day 2===


Sunday was a little more bearable as we had some early cloudiness which kept it from warming up as quickly. I prepped a four-grain smoky motor, a K530, which would have a very similar flight profile to the J449. And indeed, the flight was very similar to Saturday's - just a little bit higher and a little bit faster.
Sunday was a little more bearable as we had some early cloudiness which kept it from warming up as quickly. I prepped a four-grain smoky motor, a K530, which would have a very similar flight profile to the J449. And indeed, the flight was very similar to Saturday's - just a little bit higher and a little bit faster.


I decided to try a 100“ streamer instead of the Spherachutes drogue to see if that made the rocket fall flatter. It turned out not to make any difference.
I decided to try a 100“ streamer instead of the Spherachutes drogue to see if that made the rocket fall flatter. It turned out not to make much difference.


Weather conditions at launch time: Clear, wind W @ 9.2 mph, 88 F, 57% RH
{| class="wikitable"
|+Rocketry Warehouse Dominator 3 “Black Widow” flight #2:
|-
|Launch date:||Sunday, July 24, 2016
|-
|Weather conditions:||Clear, wind W @ 9 mph, 88 F, 57% RH
|-
|Motor:||[http://www.pro38.com/products/pro54/motor/MotorData.php?prodid=1412K530-16A Cesaroni Pro54 1412K530-16A Smoky Sam]
|-
|Max altitude:||4819 feet AGL (TeleGPS, GPS), 4491 feet AGL (Raven, barometric)
|-
|Max velocity:||648 ft/sec (442 mph, Mach 0.58) (Raven, accelerometer)
|-
|Max acceleration:||11.6 G (Raven, accelerometer)
|}


Black Widow flight #2:
Nominal flight. Spinning under drogue observed again. Main did not deploy upon firing of primary charge, but did deploy upon firing of backup charge. As before, TeleGPS reported data throughout flight but was blocked by line-of-sight when rocket landed over the hill. Came close to landing in a tree next to a creek. Rocket recovered by use of TeleGPS.


Motor: Cesaroni Pro54 1412K530-16A Smoky Sam
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/blackwidow-flight2-k530-2016-07-24.FIPa Flight data file] (viewable with the [https://www.featherweightaltimeters.com/interface-program.html Featherweight Interface Program])


Altitude: 4819 feet AGL [GPS], 4491 feet AGL [barometric]
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/blackwidow-flight2-k530-2016-07-24.kml GPS track of flight] (viewable with [http://earth.google.com/intl/en/ Google Earth])


Max velocity: 648 ft/sec (442 mph, Mach 0.58) [accelerometer]
{{#evu:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd7Kc2gr7Dg
|alignment=center
}}


Motor burn time: 2.4 sec
<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:NARAM58-weather.png|Typical Missouri summer weather.|alt=A screen shot of a weather app showing a "feels like" temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit.
File:NARAM58-looking-up.png|Black Widow ready for flight.|alt=A photo from the rocket's onboard camera showing Danno looking up at it.
File:NARAM58-aerial-1.png|Aerial view of the Walnut Grove field.|alt=A photo from the rocket's onboard camera showing a view of the launch field from about 1500 feet altitude. A green field dotted with trees and a few ponds.
File:NARAM58-aerial-2.png|Aerial view of the Walnut Grove field (a little higher up).|alt=A photo from the rocket's onboard camera showing a view of the launch field from about 2500 feet altitude. A green field dotted with trees and a few ponds.
File:NARAM58-blue-streak.jpg|Black Widow liftoff (first flight).|alt=A photo from a camera very near the launch pad, showing Black Widow just clearing the launch rail with a brilliant blue exhaust flame.
</gallery>


Peak acceleration: 11.6G
==Airfest 22, September 2-5 2016, Argonia KS==


Descent rate: 92 ft/sec (63 mph) under drogue streamer, 26 ft/sec (17.5 mph) under SkyAngle main
I made the drive down to Argonia Kansas for the second year in a row to attend AirFest. The weather was MUCH better than last year. It was windy, as always, but heat exhaustion was not an issue.


Result: Nominal flight. Spinning under drogue observed again. Main did not deploy upon firing of primary charge, but did deploy upon firing of backup charge. As before, TeleGPS reported data throughout flight but was blocked by line-of-sight when rocket landed over the hill. Came close to landing in a tree next to a creek. Rocket recovered by use of TeleGPS.
===[[Buster]], L1355===


Flight data file (viewable with the Featherweight Interface Program)
My main goal was to test-fly Buster on an L motor, so I got that done straight away. Spoiler alert: everything worked great.


GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)
{| class="wikitable"
|+Rocketry Warehouse Terminator 5 [[Buster|“Buster”]] flight #1:
|-
|Launch date:||Friday, September 2, 2016
|-
|Weather conditions:||[https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/ks/wichita/KICT/date/2016-9-2 Scattered clouds, wind E @ 10 mph, 76 F, 58% RH]
|-
|Motor:||[http://www.pro38.com/products/pro75/motor/MotorData.php?prodid=4025L1355-P Cesaroni Pro75 4025L1355-P Smoky Sam]
|-
|Max altitude:||6686 feet AGL (TeleGPS, GPS), 6058 feet AGL (RRC3, barometric)
|-
|Max velocity:||653 ft/sec (445 mph, Mach 0.58) (RRC3, barometric)
|-
|Descent rate:||76 ft/sec under drogue, 18.5 ft/sec under main, nose @ 17 ft/sec under pilot chute
|}


(TODO: images, videos)
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/buster-flight1-l1355-2016-09-02.rff Flight data file] (viewable with [http://www.missileworks.com/downloads/ mDACS])


==Airfest 22, September 2-5 2016, Argonia KS==
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/buster-flight1-l1355-2016-09-02.kml GPS track of flight] (viewable with [http://earth.google.com/intl/en/ Google Earth])


I made the drive down to Argonia Kansas for the second year in a row to attend AirFest. The weather was MUCH better than last year. It was windy, as always, but heat exhaustion was not an issue. My main goal was to test-fly Buster on an L motor, so I got that done straight away. Spoiler alert: everything worked great.
{{#evu:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m1dxSpdxwA
|alignment=center
}}


Weather conditions at launch time: Scattered clouds, wind E @ 10 mph, 76 F, 58% RH
===Black Widow, L1040===
 
Buster flight #1:
Motor: Cesaroni Pro75 4025L1355-P Smoky Sam
Altitude: 6686 feet AGL [GPS], 6058 feet AGL [barometric]
Max velocity: 653 ft/sec (445 mph, Mach 0.58) [barometric]
Motor burn time: 2.6 sec
Descent rate: 76 ft/sec under Spherachutes 24” drogue, 18.5 ft/sec under Fruity Chutes 84“ toroidal main, nose @ 17 ft/sec under Fruity Chutes 48” toroidal pilot chute
Result: Nominal flight, easy recovery.
 
Flight data file (viewable with mDACS)
 
GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)
 
(TODO: images, videos)


The next day, I put a Loki L1040 in Black Widow. The only problems with the flight were camera-related: the smoke from Buster's smoky motor had done something unfortunate to my pad camera, causing it to quit working, and I forgot to turn on the on-board camera. Therefore, the only video of this flight is from my camcorder in the spectator area.
The next day, I put a Loki L1040 in Black Widow. The only problems with the flight were camera-related: the smoke from Buster's smoky motor had done something unfortunate to my pad camera, causing it to quit working, and I forgot to turn on the on-board camera. Therefore, the only video of this flight is from my camcorder in the spectator area.


Weather conditions at launch time: Mostly cloudy, wind SSE @ 10 mph, 80 F, 56% RH
{| class="wikitable"
|+Rocketry Warehouse Dominator 3 “Black Widow” flight #3:
|-
|Launch date:||Saturday, September 3, 2016
|-
|Weather conditions:||[https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/ks/wichita/KICT/date/2016-9-3 Mostly cloudy, wind SSE @ 10 mph, 80 F, 56% RH]
|-
|Motor:||[https://www.thrustcurve.org/simfiles/5f4294d20002e9000000083b/ Loki Research L1040LR Loki Red]
|-
|Max altitude:||13,570 feet AGL (TeleGPS, GPS), 12,747 feet AGL (Raven, barometric)
|-
|Max velocity:||1325 ft/sec (903 mph, Mach 1.18) (Raven, accelerometer)
|-
|Max acceleration:||17 G (Raven, accelerometer)
|}


Black Widow flight #3:
Nominal flight, recovered not terribly far from the road east of the launch area. No on-board video due to user error. Flight data implies that the primary main ejection charge did not get the parachute out - main didn't fully open until about 350 feet AGL.


Motor: Loki Research L1040 Loki Red
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/blackwidow-flight3-l1040-2016-09-03.FIPa Flight data file] (viewable with the [https://www.featherweightaltimeters.com/interface-program.html Featherweight Interface Program])


Altitude: 13570 feet AGL [GPS], 12747 feet AGL [barometric]
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/blackwidow-flight3-l1040-2016-09-03.kml GPS track of flight] (viewable with [http://earth.google.com/intl/en/ Google Earth])


Max velocity: 1325 ft/sec (903 mph, Mach 1.18) [accelerometer]
{{#evu:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJTRouu1Yvg
|alignment=center
}}


Motor burn time: 3.5 sec
<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:Airfest-2016-bustermotor.jpg|First motor installed in Buster.|alt=A photo of the nozzle end of an orange high-power rocket lying horizontally on a rack in the workshop.
File:Airfest-2016-motorsbuilt.jpg|Motors Built for Airfest: 75mm L1355 for Buster, 54mm L1040 for Black Widow, and a 54mm K650 meant for Black Widow which didn't fly until a later launch. |alt=A photo of three rocket motors on a workbench.
File:Airfest-2016-cartetris.jpg|Car Tetris, Airfest 2016 edition.|alt=A photo of a hatchback car loaded floor to ceiling with rocket stuff.
File:Airfest-2016-transportingbuster.jpg|Who needs a truck?|alt=A photo of a ten foot long orange rocket being transported in a hatchback car. The rocket protrudes from the front passenger side window.
File:Airfest-2016-busteronpad65.jpg|Buster ready for launch from pad 65.|alt=A photo of a ten foot tall orange rocket on a launch pad in a Kansas field under a partly cloudy sky.
File:Airfest-2016-busterlanded.jpg|Buster's first landing.|alt=A photo of an orange rocket separated in three pieces, strung out across a field.
File:Airfest-2016-padmanaging.jpg|40s pads.|alt=A photo of a row of high power rocket launch pads, with five rockets ready for flight. An upscaled Big Bertha about seven feet tall is in the center. A man in a blue shirt prepares the next rocket.
File:Airfest-2016-marslander.jpg|Upscaled Mars Lander - it flew on an M motor.|alt=A photo of a white capsule-like rocket on four red lander legs, about six feet tall, under a blue canopy tent.
File:Airfest-2016-stlouiscamp.jpg|The St. Louis camp at Airfest.|alt=A photo of several tables laden with rockets and rocket equipment, under a large yellow canopy tent.
File:Airfest-2016-widowlanded.jpg|Black Widow's landing.|alt=A photo of a black rocket landed in a dusty field, with the shock cord and parachute stretched out in the distance.
File:Airfest-2016-widowinthedust.jpg|Black Widow in the dust.|alt=A photo of the lower airframe of the black rocket, with the "Black Widow" decal visible in red letters, covered with dust.
File:Airfest-2016-louprep.jpg|Lou, Dan and Craig prepping Lou's minimum diameter rocket.|alt=A photo of three men standing around a table under a white canopy tent, working on a four inch diameter rocket about twelve feet long.
File:Airfest-2016-spider.jpg|The Spider rocket in a predicament.|alt=A photo of a spider-shaped rocket made of black pool noodles, hanging from a power line, with its parachute flying in the wind.
File:Airfest-2016-slu-team.jpg|The St. Louis University Rocket Propulsion Lab team preparing their rocket.|alt=A photo of several university students standing around a blue and orange rocket, about six inches in diameter and twelve feet tall.
</gallery>


Peak acceleration: 17 G
==Midwest Power 14, November 4-6 2016, Princeton IL==


Descent rate: 79 ft/sec under Spherachutes Apex drogue (small), 21 ft/sec under 60“ circular main
===[[Buster]], M1401===


Result: Nominal flight, recovered not terribly far from the road east of the launch area. No on-board video due to user error. Flight data implies that the primary main ejection charge did not get the parachute out - main didn't fully open until about 350 feet AGL.
Finally…the day had come to launch my level 3 certification flight, after almost a year's planning and many months of work. I am pleased to say that launch day went off without a hitch. I had a nervous moment when Buster came VERY close to the power lines south of the launch pads on its way back down, but at least that meant I had a short recovery walk! As you can see in the video below, the rocket crossed directly over the power lines about two and a half seconds before touching down. The descent rate was about 20 feet per second, so it was only about fifty feet up at that point.


Flight data file (viewable with the Featherweight Interface Program)
{| class="wikitable"
|+Rocketry Warehouse Terminator 5 [[Buster|“Buster”]] flight #2:
|-
|Launch date:||Friday, November 4, 2016
|-
|Weather conditions:||[https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/il/peoria/KPIA/date/2016-11-4 Scattered clouds, Clear, wind calm, 51 F, 95% RH]
|-
|Motor:||[http://www.pro38.com/products/pro75/motor/MotorData.php?prodid=6268M1401-P Cesaroni Pro75 6268M1401-P White]
|-
|Max altitude:||10127 feet AGL (TeleGPS, GPS), 10554 feet AGL (RRC3, barometric)
|-
|Max velocity:||989 ft/sec (674 mph, Mach 0.88) (RRC3, barometric)
|-
|Descent rate:||76 ft/sec under drogue, 17 ft/sec under main, nose @ 12 ft/sec under pilot chute
|}


GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)
Nominal flight, easy recovery. While descending under drogue, at one point the shock cord wrapped itself several times around the lower airframe (see video), but it came unwound before main deployment. Rocket landed very close to power lines but did not appear to hit them on the way down.


(TODO: images, videos)
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/buster-flight2-m1401-2016-11-04.rff Flight data file] (viewable with [http://www.missileworks.com/downloads/ mDACS])


==Midwest Power 14, November 4-6 2016, Princeton IL==
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/buster-flight2-m1401-2016-11-04.kml GPS track of flight] (viewable with [http://earth.google.com/intl/en/ Google Earth])


Finally…the day had come to launch my level 3 certification flight, after almost a year's planning and many months of work. I am pleased to say that launch day went off without a hitch. I had a nervous moment when Buster came VERY close to the power lines south of the launch pads on its way back down, but at least that meant I had a short recovery walk! As you can see in the video below, the rocket crossed directly over the power lines about two and a half seconds before touching down. The descent rate was about 20 feet per second, so it was only about fifty feet up at that point.
{{#evu:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBl6fGiQCgM
|alignment=center
}}


Weather conditions at launch time: Clear, wind calm, 51 F, 95% RH
===Black Widow, K830===


Buster flight #2:
The next day, I launched Black Widow for its fourth flight on the Loki K830 Spitfire motor that had been sitting on my shelf for over a year.
Motor: Cesaroni Pro75 6268M1401-P White
Altitude: 10127 feet AGL [GPS], 10554 feet AGL [barometric]
Max velocity: 989 ft/sec (674 mph, Mach 0.88) [barometric]
Motor burn time: 3.95 sec
Descent rate: 76 ft/sec under Spherachutes 24” drogue, 17 ft/sec under Fruity Chutes 84“ toroidal main, nose @ 12 ft/sec under Fruity Chutes 48” toroidal pilot chute
Result: Nominal flight, easy recovery. While descending under drogue, at one point the shock cord wrapped itself several times around the lower airframe (see video), but it came unwound before main deployment. Rocket landed very close to power lines but did not appear to hit them on the way down.
 
Flight data file (viewable with mDACS)


GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)
{| class="wikitable"
|+Rocketry Warehouse Dominator 3 “Black Widow” flight #4:
|-
|Launch date:||Saturday, November 5, 2016
|-
|Weather conditions:||[https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/il/peoria/KPIA/date/2016-11-5 Clear, wind WSW @ 8mph, 67 F, 50% RH]
|-
|Motor:||[http://www.thrustcurve.org/simfilesearch.jsp?id=2119 Loki Research K830 Spitfire]
|-
|Max altitude:||7806 feet AGL (Raven, barometric)
|-
|Max velocity:||994 ft/sec (678 mph, Mach 0.88) (Raven, accelerometer)
|-
|Max acceleration:||19 G (Raven, accelerometer)
|}


(TODO: images, videos)
Nominal flight, recovered after a lengthy walk from the road.


The next day, I launched Black Widow for its fourth flight on the Loki K830 Spitfire motor that had been sitting on my shelf for over a year.
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/blackwidow-flight4-k830-2016-11-05.FIPa Flight data file] (viewable with the [https://www.featherweightaltimeters.com/interface-program.html Featherweight Interface Program])


Weather conditions at launch time: Clear, wind WSW @ 8mph, 67 F, 50% RH
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/blackwidow-flight4-k830-2016-11-05.kml GPS track of flight] (viewable with [http://earth.google.com/intl/en/ Google Earth])


Black Widow flight #4:
{{#evu:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEt0TqQ-ACo
Motor: Loki Research K830 Spitfire
|alignment=center
Altitude: 7806 feet AGL [barometric]
}}
Max velocity: 994 ft/sec (678 mph, Mach 0.88) [accelerometer]
Motor burn time: 2.6 sec
Peak acceleration: 19 G
Descent rate: 77 ft/sec under Spherachutes Apex drogue (small), 24 ft/sec under 60“ circular main
Result: Nominal flight, recovered after a lengthy walk from the road.


Flight data file (viewable with the Featherweight Interface Program)
<gallery mode="slideshow">
 
File:Mwp2016-m1401-grains.jpg|Motor grains for Buster's M1401.|alt=A photo of five 75mm motor grains, unassembled.
GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)
File:Mwp2016-k830-grains.jpg|Motor grains for Black Widow's K830.|alt=A photo of four 54mm motor grains, unassembled. The propellant is bright red.
 
File:Mwp2016-motors-built.jpg|Motors built and ready to go.|alt=A photo of an assembled 75mm motor and an assembled 54mm motor on a workbench.
(TODO: images, videos)
File:Mwp2016-buster-chute-pack-1.jpg|Packing Buster's parachute, the night before the launch.|alt=A photo of a checklist on a clipboard and all of Buster's recovery gear (main chute, pilot chute, deployment bag, chute protectors and shock cords) laid out on a hotel bed with a tacky bedspread.
File:Mwp2016-buster-chute-pack-2.jpg|Packing Buster's parachute, the night before the launch.|alt=A photo of Buster's main parachute folded on the hotel bed.
File:Mwp2016-buster-chute-pack-3.jpg|Packing Buster's parachute, the night before the launch.|alt=A photo of Buster's main parachute neatly packed in its deployment bag, on a table next to a laptop.
File:Mwp2016-01-sunrise.jpg|Sunrise at the QCRC field.|alt=A photo of Buster's lower airframe and coupler on a prep table in a cornfield. The sunrise is exactly on the horizon in the background.
File:Mwp2016-02-sather.jpg|My L3CC, Sather, helping get Buster on the pad.|alt=A photo from the orange rocket's onboard camera; the rocket is on the launch pad at a 45 degree angle to the ground, with a man in a ball cap waving over his shoulder while holding the airframe.
File:Mwp2016-03-arming.jpg|Arming Buster.|alt=A photo from the orange rocket's onboard camera; Danno is using a small screwdriver to activate a switch in the middle of the rocket while two people watch.
File:Mwp2016-04-liftoff-padcam-1.jpg|Ignition!|alt=A photo from the pad camera of an orange rocket with its motor igniting.
File:Mwp2016-05-liftoff-padcam-2.jpg|Liftoff!|alt=A photo from the pad camera of an orange rocket just about to clear the launch rail.
File:Mwp2016-08-liftoff-large-2-edited.jpg|Photo taken by Sather's wife (I didn't get her name) of Buster's launch. I had this printed as a poster and it is hanging in my workshop.|alt=A photo of an orange rocket lifting off from a cornfield, about 30 feet off the ground.
File:Mwp2016-06-liftoff-wide.jpg|View from my camera where I was standing.|alt=A blurry still from a video camera of the rocket lifting off from a cornfield, about 150 feet off the ground.
File:Mwp2016-09-shadow1.jpg|On its way.|alt=A photo from the orange rocket's onboard camera at about 1000 feet altitude; the perfectly straight shadow of the exhaust trail is seen to the left, and the parked cars of the launch attendees are seen to the right.
File:Mwp2016-11-apogee.jpg|Buster at apogee. A second rocket can be seen lifting off below.|alt=A photo from the orange rocket's onboard camera at about 10000 feet altitude; the rocket is beginning to pitch over and many miles of farm fields can be seen. To the left, a second rocket can be seen lifting off far below.
File:Mwp2016-13-wat1.jpg|Shock cord getting wound up.|alt=A photo from the orange rocket's onboard camera, showing the lower shock cord wrapped several times around the lower airframe.
File:Mwp2016-14-wat2.jpg|It came unwound though.|alt=A photo from the orange rocket's onboard camera, showing the lower shock cord wrapped several times around the lower airframe.
File:Mwp2016-15-powerlines.jpg|This is how close it came to hitting the power lines. I'm estimating the tail end of the rocket was about 50 feet off the ground the last time it crossed over the wires.|alt=A photo from the onboard camera with the rocket under parachute at low altitude; it is directly over a power line running along the side of the road. A red pickup truck is visible on the road at the top of the frame.
File:Mwp2016-16-down.jpg|It's down!|alt=A photo of the orange rocket landed in a cornfield, separated in two segments with the shock cord and parachute stretched between them.
File:Mwp2016-17-recovered.jpg|Loaded in the car and heading back to sign paperwork.|alt=A photo of the lower and middle airframe segments of the orange rocket loaded in the back of a VW hatchback.
File:Mwp2016-52-spitfire2.jpg|Black Widow lifting off on the Loki Spitfire motor.|alt=A photo of a black rocket lifting off on a sparky motor.
File:Mwp2016-55-spitfire5.jpg|Spitfire ignition.|alt=A photo from the black rocket's onboard camera showing ignition of the sparky motor.
File:Mwp2016-56-blackwidow-apogee.jpg|Black Widow at apogee. Note the wind farm in the left of frame.|alt=A photo from the black rocket's onboard camera at about 8000 feet altitude; wispy clouds above and farm fields below, with a wind farm visible in the distance.
File:Mwp2016-gps-tracks.jpg|GPS tracks of Buster's flight (orange) and Black Widow's (black).|alt=A Google Earth screen shot showing two rocket flight paths. The orange path is higher and somewhat straighter, indicating less wind.
File:Mwp2016-don-to-pad.jpg|Walking with Don to launch his green rocket. I don't know who took this photo.|alt=A photo of three men walking in a corn field. The first man is carrying a large green rocket and the third man is carrying a tan camouflage-patterned rocket.
</gallery>


==SLRA Fall Launch, November 12 2016, Addieville IL==
==SLRA Fall Launch, November 12 2016, Addieville IL==
Line 225: Line 337:
We flew several rockets of all sizes, including three high-power certification flights. I launched Black Widow on a CTI K650 smoky motor for its fifth flight.
We flew several rockets of all sizes, including three high-power certification flights. I launched Black Widow on a CTI K650 smoky motor for its fifth flight.


Weather conditions at launch time: Clear, wind ENE @ 3.5 mph, 54 F, 40% RH
===Black Widow, K650===
 
Black Widow flight #5:
 
Motor: Cesaroni Pro54 1750K650-16A Smoky Sam
 
Altitude: 5710 feet AGL [GPS], 5857 feet AGL [barometric]
 
Max velocity: 759 ft/sec (517 mph, Mach 0.67) [accelerometer]


Motor burn time: 2.67 sec
{| class="wikitable"
|+Rocketry Warehouse Dominator 3 “Black Widow” flight #5:
|-
|Launch date:||Saturday, November 12, 2016
|-
|Weather conditions:||[https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/il/marion/KMWA/date/2016-11-12 Clear, wind ENE @ 3.5 mph, 54 F, 40% RH]
|-
|Motor:||[http://www.pro38.com/products/pro54/motor/MotorData.php?prodid=1750K650-16A Cesaroni Pro54 1750K650-16A Smoky Sam]
|-
|Max altitude:||5710 feet AGL (TeleGPS, GPS), 5857 (Raven, barometric)
|-
|Max velocity:||759 ft/sec (517 mph, Mach 0.67) (Raven, accelerometer)
|-
|Max acceleration:||12 G (Raven, accelerometer)
|}


Peak acceleration: 11.7 G
Nominal flight, easy recovery. I've decided to stop using the Spherachutes drogue with this rocket because of the way it pulls the upper airframe back into close proximity of the lower airframe after apogee separation.


Descent rate: 83 ft/sec under Spherachutes Apex drogue (small), 20 ft/sec under 60” circular main
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/blackwidow-flight5-k650-2016-11-12.FIPa Flight data file] (viewable with the [https://www.featherweightaltimeters.com/interface-program.html Featherweight Interface Program])


Result: Nominal flight, easy recovery. I've decided to stop using the Spherachutes drogue with this rocket because of the way it pulls the upper airframe back into close proximity of the lower airframe after apogee separation.
[http://danno.org/RocketBlogFiles/data/blackwidow-flight5-k650-2016-11-12.kml GPS track of flight] (viewable with [http://earth.google.com/intl/en/ Google Earth])


Flight data file (viewable with the Featherweight Interface Program)
{{#evu:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7GglcKKPGM
|alignment=inline
}}
{{#evu:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1nOPWxYI10
|alignment=inline
}}


GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)
<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:Addieville2016-05-BlackWidowPadcam.jpg|Black Widow liftoff (pad camera).|alt=A photo from the pad camera showing a black rocket lifting off on a smoky motor.
File:Addieville-2016-06-BlackWidowLiftoff.jpg|Black Widow liftoff.|alt=A photo from the spectator area showing a black rocket lifting off on a smoky motor.
File:Addieville2016-07-BlackWidowOnboard1.jpg|Aerial view of launch.|alt=A photo from the black rocket's onboard camera showing the shadow of the exhaust trail at left and the parked cars of the attendees at right.
File:Addieville2016-08-BlackWidowOnboard2.jpg|Aerial view of the Seering's farm.|alt=A photo from the black rocket's onboard camera showing a cluster of farm buildings next to a pond.
File:Addieville2016-10-BlackWidowOnboard4.jpg|Aerial view of the Addieville area (looking south, away from town).|alt=A photo from the black rocket's onboard camera showing farm fields, with some wooded areas in the distance.
</gallery>


(TODO: images, videos)
[[Category:Launch Reports]]

Latest revision as of 13:17, 30 November 2021


NAR Regional / Sport Launch, May 21-22 2016, Walnut Grove MO

Due to crop planting, we didn't get an opportunity to launch at our possible new field in Addieville this spring. So our first high-power launch of the year was in Walnut Grove, at a NAR regional event being held as a trial run for NARAM 58. This was my first visit to the field.

The field does have its challenges. It is an active cattle ranch covering many acres of rolling hills in southwestern Missouri, which means hazards include: tall trees, small ponds, cows (which have been known to pick up rockets and walk off with them), and cow…byproducts. Watch your step.

On the first day, I was assisting some other SLRA members with certification flights (all successful!), so I did not start working on prepping my own first flight until fairly late in the morning.

Ursa Major, J430

My first goal for the weekend was to fly Ursa Major with the parachutes and deployment bag that I'll be using for my level 3 certification flight in November, as a test to make sure they deploy as expected. For this, I decided to use the CTI J430 motor that I had originally bought as a first-flight motor for Black Widow. It would put Ursa Major up to around 1,000 feet, and deploy the entire recovery system at apogee, where we could easily see it, and not drift too far away on the oversized parachutes.

I had a couple of false starts with a bad igniter on the first attempt and a no-fire on the second attempt. Gary Cole, the RSO, handed me a "fat boy" igniter with an inch-long pyrogen slug on the end for my third attempt. Ursa Major ripped off the pad, hit its sim altitude almost exactly, and deployed the new parachutes beautifully. Successful test!

LOC Doorknob “Ursa Major” flight #2:
Launch date: Saturday, May 21, 2016
Weather conditions: Partly Cloudy, wind variable @ 5 mph, 70 F, 49% RH
Motor: Cesaroni Pro54 821J430-18 White Thunder
Max altitude: 1030 feet AGL (Raven, barometric)
Max velocity: 308 ft/sec (210 mph) (Raven, accelerometer)
Max acceleration: 7.01 G (Raven, accelerometer)

The recovery system deployed as expected at 1000 foot apogee. Rocket was launched to the southeast and drifted back to the west under chute, landing less than a quarter mile south of the launch pad. It was retrieved via ATV by Steve Aubuchon. Later review of on-board video showed that there was a collision between the airframe and the nose cone as the parachute was deploying. The descent rate was 12.19 ft/sec (8.3 mph) under the main and pilot parachutes.

Flight data file (viewable with the Featherweight Interface Program)

Load video
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  • A photo of several cows standing around a pond in rolling green fields.

    The Walnut Grove field.

  • A photo from the rocket's onboard camera showing deployment of the red and white pilot parachute. A fragment of the ejection charge canister is visible.

    Pilot chute deployment.

  • A photo from the rocket's onboard camera with the shoulder end of the nose cone touching the aft end of the airframe.

    Apparent collision between the nose and airframe.

  • A photo of a distant yellow rocket against a blue sky, descending under a black and orange main parachute and a red and white pilot parachute.

    Successful deployment

Later in the day, I began preparing Black Widow for its first flight, but made the mistake of not aligning the electronics sled in the coupler correctly, so the arming switch did not align with the access hole and the rocket could not be armed. As it was late in the day, I decided to wait and try again the following day. However, that turned out to be the first of several missteps with Black Widow that resulted in it not flying at all during the weekend - read on…

The second day's weather was similar to the first's, but slightly warmer and somewhat windier. I started prepping Black Widow, but found that once the rocket had been in the sun for a short time, the fit of the coupler in the lower airframe was very tight, so I spent approximately half an hour sanding it down to the point where it fit properly again. After getting the rocket fully assembled, I discovered that once again I had put the sled in the coupler incorrectly (this time, I had reversed the sled end-to-end), so, once again I had to pull the shear pins out, disassemble and reassemble.

Finally, on the third try, I was confident that it was assembled in the right orientation, and returned to the pad. Once on the pad, I found that I could not reach the arming switch with the screwdriver. After trying this for several minutes, I gave up, pulled the rocket from the pad once again, and brought it back to the prep table.

At this point, I believe that I could have drilled the access hole out to a larger diameter and made it work. However, after two hours of frustration and repeated mistakes, I decided that the best thing was to put the project aside and bring it back to the next launch.

Blue Phenix Jr., G79

After clearing the prep table and my mind at the same time, I flew two of my smaller rockets that I probably wouldn't have gotten out otherwise. My Madcow Nike Smoke got its second flight on an H125 to somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 feet, landing in the nearby NAR contest range, and my ARR Blue Phenix Jr. got its second flight (more than two and a half years after its first!) on a G79 to 2034 feet. I was glad to have brought those smaller, simpler rockets so my day wasn't a complete loss.

Blue Phenix Jr. flight #2:
Launch date: Sunday, May 22, 2016
Weather conditions: Partly Cloudy, wind variable @ 5 mph, 70 F, 49% RH
Motor: AeroTech G79 W/L White Lightning
Max altitude: 2034 feet AGL (AltimeterTwo, barometric)
Max velocity: 378 ft/sec (258 mph) (AltimeterTwo, accelerometer)
Max acceleration: 11.2 G (AltimeterTwo, accelerometer)

The rocket landed in the field west of the launch area. The shock cord got pretty badly sliced / frayed where it rubbed on the end of the body tube.

Madcow Nike Smoke flight #2:
Launch date: Sunday, May 22, 2016
Weather conditions: Partly Cloudy, wind variable @ 5 mph, 70 F, 49% RH
Motor: Cesaroni Pro38 266H125-12A Classic
Max altitude: Unknown, approx. 3000 ft. AGL (no altimeter on board)

NARAM 58, July 23-24 2016, Walnut Grove MO

We had a HOT HOT HOT weekend for sport flying at the beginning of NARAM 58 in Walnut Grove. Just as I did at AirFest last year, I made limited plans, got my flights done early, and high-tailed it back into air conditioning in the afternoons.

Black Widow, J449

As a lead-up to still hopefully putting an L1040 in Black Widow at this year's AirFest, I wanted to get a J and a K flight under my belt on the new rocket. I still had the assembled J449 from the May launch, and prepped the rocket for that motor on Saturday morning. With the tweaks to the av-bay design that I'd made since, then, I had no problems putting it together apart from not having the nose cone marked correctly with respect to the rail (which resulted in me putting the first shear pin in with the nose turned the wrong way).

The J449 flight went fine. The rocket rolls more than Home Alone did, and under drogue the forward airframe falls nearly nose-down, which I'm not super happy about. But everything worked.

Rocketry Warehouse Dominator 3 “Black Widow” flight #1:
Launch date: Saturday, July 23, 2016
Weather conditions: Clear, wind SSW @ 7 mph, 89 F, 61% RH
Motor: Cesaroni Pro54 1261J449-15A Blue Streak
Max altitude: 4212 feet AGL (TeleGPS, GPS), 3943 feet AGL (Raven, barometric)
Max velocity: 619 ft/sec (422 mph, Mach 0.56) (Raven, accelerometer)
Max acceleration: 9.8 G (Raven, accelerometer)

Nominal flight. Lower and upper airframes almost collided after apogee deployment (see video). Unusual spinning of upper airframe just before main deployment (see video) but this did not appear to affect deployment. TeleGPS reported data throughout flight; contact was lost upon landing as landing point was out of line-of-sight from launch area but regained upon approaching the rocket. Rocket recovered by use of TeleGPS.

Flight data file (viewable with the Featherweight Interface Program)

GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)

Black Widow, K530

Sunday was a little more bearable as we had some early cloudiness which kept it from warming up as quickly. I prepped a four-grain smoky motor, a K530, which would have a very similar flight profile to the J449. And indeed, the flight was very similar to Saturday's - just a little bit higher and a little bit faster.

I decided to try a 100“ streamer instead of the Spherachutes drogue to see if that made the rocket fall flatter. It turned out not to make much difference.

Rocketry Warehouse Dominator 3 “Black Widow” flight #2:
Launch date: Sunday, July 24, 2016
Weather conditions: Clear, wind W @ 9 mph, 88 F, 57% RH
Motor: Cesaroni Pro54 1412K530-16A Smoky Sam
Max altitude: 4819 feet AGL (TeleGPS, GPS), 4491 feet AGL (Raven, barometric)
Max velocity: 648 ft/sec (442 mph, Mach 0.58) (Raven, accelerometer)
Max acceleration: 11.6 G (Raven, accelerometer)

Nominal flight. Spinning under drogue observed again. Main did not deploy upon firing of primary charge, but did deploy upon firing of backup charge. As before, TeleGPS reported data throughout flight but was blocked by line-of-sight when rocket landed over the hill. Came close to landing in a tree next to a creek. Rocket recovered by use of TeleGPS.

Flight data file (viewable with the Featherweight Interface Program)

GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)

Load video
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  • A screen shot of a weather app showing a "feels like" temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Typical Missouri summer weather.

  • A photo from the rocket's onboard camera showing Danno looking up at it.

    Black Widow ready for flight.

  • A photo from the rocket's onboard camera showing a view of the launch field from about 1500 feet altitude. A green field dotted with trees and a few ponds.

    Aerial view of the Walnut Grove field.

  • A photo from the rocket's onboard camera showing a view of the launch field from about 2500 feet altitude. A green field dotted with trees and a few ponds.

    Aerial view of the Walnut Grove field (a little higher up).

  • A photo from a camera very near the launch pad, showing Black Widow just clearing the launch rail with a brilliant blue exhaust flame.

    Black Widow liftoff (first flight).

Airfest 22, September 2-5 2016, Argonia KS

I made the drive down to Argonia Kansas for the second year in a row to attend AirFest. The weather was MUCH better than last year. It was windy, as always, but heat exhaustion was not an issue.

Buster, L1355

My main goal was to test-fly Buster on an L motor, so I got that done straight away. Spoiler alert: everything worked great.

Rocketry Warehouse Terminator 5 “Buster” flight #1:
Launch date: Friday, September 2, 2016
Weather conditions: Scattered clouds, wind E @ 10 mph, 76 F, 58% RH
Motor: Cesaroni Pro75 4025L1355-P Smoky Sam
Max altitude: 6686 feet AGL (TeleGPS, GPS), 6058 feet AGL (RRC3, barometric)
Max velocity: 653 ft/sec (445 mph, Mach 0.58) (RRC3, barometric)
Descent rate: 76 ft/sec under drogue, 18.5 ft/sec under main, nose @ 17 ft/sec under pilot chute

Flight data file (viewable with mDACS)

GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)

Load video
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Black Widow, L1040

The next day, I put a Loki L1040 in Black Widow. The only problems with the flight were camera-related: the smoke from Buster's smoky motor had done something unfortunate to my pad camera, causing it to quit working, and I forgot to turn on the on-board camera. Therefore, the only video of this flight is from my camcorder in the spectator area.

Rocketry Warehouse Dominator 3 “Black Widow” flight #3:
Launch date: Saturday, September 3, 2016
Weather conditions: Mostly cloudy, wind SSE @ 10 mph, 80 F, 56% RH
Motor: Loki Research L1040LR Loki Red
Max altitude: 13,570 feet AGL (TeleGPS, GPS), 12,747 feet AGL (Raven, barometric)
Max velocity: 1325 ft/sec (903 mph, Mach 1.18) (Raven, accelerometer)
Max acceleration: 17 G (Raven, accelerometer)

Nominal flight, recovered not terribly far from the road east of the launch area. No on-board video due to user error. Flight data implies that the primary main ejection charge did not get the parachute out - main didn't fully open until about 350 feet AGL.

Flight data file (viewable with the Featherweight Interface Program)

GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)

Load video
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  • A photo of the nozzle end of an orange high-power rocket lying horizontally on a rack in the workshop.

    First motor installed in Buster.

  • A photo of three rocket motors on a workbench.

    Motors Built for Airfest: 75mm L1355 for Buster, 54mm L1040 for Black Widow, and a 54mm K650 meant for Black Widow which didn't fly until a later launch.

  • A photo of a hatchback car loaded floor to ceiling with rocket stuff.

    Car Tetris, Airfest 2016 edition.

  • A photo of a ten foot long orange rocket being transported in a hatchback car. The rocket protrudes from the front passenger side window.

    Who needs a truck?

  • A photo of a ten foot tall orange rocket on a launch pad in a Kansas field under a partly cloudy sky.

    Buster ready for launch from pad 65.

  • A photo of an orange rocket separated in three pieces, strung out across a field.

    Buster's first landing.

  • A photo of a row of high power rocket launch pads, with five rockets ready for flight. An upscaled Big Bertha about seven feet tall is in the center. A man in a blue shirt prepares the next rocket.

    40s pads.

  • A photo of a white capsule-like rocket on four red lander legs, about six feet tall, under a blue canopy tent.

    Upscaled Mars Lander - it flew on an M motor.

  • A photo of several tables laden with rockets and rocket equipment, under a large yellow canopy tent.

    The St. Louis camp at Airfest.

  • A photo of a black rocket landed in a dusty field, with the shock cord and parachute stretched out in the distance.

    Black Widow's landing.

  • A photo of the lower airframe of the black rocket, with the "Black Widow" decal visible in red letters, covered with dust.

    Black Widow in the dust.

  • A photo of three men standing around a table under a white canopy tent, working on a four inch diameter rocket about twelve feet long.

    Lou, Dan and Craig prepping Lou's minimum diameter rocket.

  • A photo of a spider-shaped rocket made of black pool noodles, hanging from a power line, with its parachute flying in the wind.

    The Spider rocket in a predicament.

  • A photo of several university students standing around a blue and orange rocket, about six inches in diameter and twelve feet tall.

    The St. Louis University Rocket Propulsion Lab team preparing their rocket.

Midwest Power 14, November 4-6 2016, Princeton IL

Buster, M1401

Finally…the day had come to launch my level 3 certification flight, after almost a year's planning and many months of work. I am pleased to say that launch day went off without a hitch. I had a nervous moment when Buster came VERY close to the power lines south of the launch pads on its way back down, but at least that meant I had a short recovery walk! As you can see in the video below, the rocket crossed directly over the power lines about two and a half seconds before touching down. The descent rate was about 20 feet per second, so it was only about fifty feet up at that point.

Rocketry Warehouse Terminator 5 “Buster” flight #2:
Launch date: Friday, November 4, 2016
Weather conditions: Scattered clouds, Clear, wind calm, 51 F, 95% RH
Motor: Cesaroni Pro75 6268M1401-P White
Max altitude: 10127 feet AGL (TeleGPS, GPS), 10554 feet AGL (RRC3, barometric)
Max velocity: 989 ft/sec (674 mph, Mach 0.88) (RRC3, barometric)
Descent rate: 76 ft/sec under drogue, 17 ft/sec under main, nose @ 12 ft/sec under pilot chute

Nominal flight, easy recovery. While descending under drogue, at one point the shock cord wrapped itself several times around the lower airframe (see video), but it came unwound before main deployment. Rocket landed very close to power lines but did not appear to hit them on the way down.

Flight data file (viewable with mDACS)

GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)

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Black Widow, K830

The next day, I launched Black Widow for its fourth flight on the Loki K830 Spitfire motor that had been sitting on my shelf for over a year.

Rocketry Warehouse Dominator 3 “Black Widow” flight #4:
Launch date: Saturday, November 5, 2016
Weather conditions: Clear, wind WSW @ 8mph, 67 F, 50% RH
Motor: Loki Research K830 Spitfire
Max altitude: 7806 feet AGL (Raven, barometric)
Max velocity: 994 ft/sec (678 mph, Mach 0.88) (Raven, accelerometer)
Max acceleration: 19 G (Raven, accelerometer)

Nominal flight, recovered after a lengthy walk from the road.

Flight data file (viewable with the Featherweight Interface Program)

GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)

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  • A photo of five 75mm motor grains, unassembled.

    Motor grains for Buster's M1401.

  • A photo of four 54mm motor grains, unassembled. The propellant is bright red.

    Motor grains for Black Widow's K830.

  • A photo of an assembled 75mm motor and an assembled 54mm motor on a workbench.

    Motors built and ready to go.

  • A photo of a checklist on a clipboard and all of Buster's recovery gear (main chute, pilot chute, deployment bag, chute protectors and shock cords) laid out on a hotel bed with a tacky bedspread.

    Packing Buster's parachute, the night before the launch.

  • A photo of Buster's main parachute folded on the hotel bed.

    Packing Buster's parachute, the night before the launch.

  • A photo of Buster's main parachute neatly packed in its deployment bag, on a table next to a laptop.

    Packing Buster's parachute, the night before the launch.

  • A photo of Buster's lower airframe and coupler on a prep table in a cornfield. The sunrise is exactly on the horizon in the background.

    Sunrise at the QCRC field.

  • A photo from the orange rocket's onboard camera; the rocket is on the launch pad at a 45 degree angle to the ground, with a man in a ball cap waving over his shoulder while holding the airframe.

    My L3CC, Sather, helping get Buster on the pad.

  • A photo from the orange rocket's onboard camera; Danno is using a small screwdriver to activate a switch in the middle of the rocket while two people watch.

    Arming Buster.

  • A photo from the pad camera of an orange rocket with its motor igniting.

    Ignition!

  • A photo from the pad camera of an orange rocket just about to clear the launch rail.

    Liftoff!

  • A photo of an orange rocket lifting off from a cornfield, about 30 feet off the ground.

    Photo taken by Sather's wife (I didn't get her name) of Buster's launch. I had this printed as a poster and it is hanging in my workshop.

  • A blurry still from a video camera of the rocket lifting off from a cornfield, about 150 feet off the ground.

    View from my camera where I was standing.

  • A photo from the orange rocket's onboard camera at about 1000 feet altitude; the perfectly straight shadow of the exhaust trail is seen to the left, and the parked cars of the launch attendees are seen to the right.

    On its way.

  • A photo from the orange rocket's onboard camera at about 10000 feet altitude; the rocket is beginning to pitch over and many miles of farm fields can be seen. To the left, a second rocket can be seen lifting off far below.

    Buster at apogee. A second rocket can be seen lifting off below.

  • A photo from the orange rocket's onboard camera, showing the lower shock cord wrapped several times around the lower airframe.

    Shock cord getting wound up.

  • A photo from the orange rocket's onboard camera, showing the lower shock cord wrapped several times around the lower airframe.

    It came unwound though.

  • A photo from the onboard camera with the rocket under parachute at low altitude; it is directly over a power line running along the side of the road. A red pickup truck is visible on the road at the top of the frame.

    This is how close it came to hitting the power lines. I'm estimating the tail end of the rocket was about 50 feet off the ground the last time it crossed over the wires.

  • A photo of the orange rocket landed in a cornfield, separated in two segments with the shock cord and parachute stretched between them.

    It's down!

  • A photo of the lower and middle airframe segments of the orange rocket loaded in the back of a VW hatchback.

    Loaded in the car and heading back to sign paperwork.

  • A photo of a black rocket lifting off on a sparky motor.

    Black Widow lifting off on the Loki Spitfire motor.

  • A photo from the black rocket's onboard camera showing ignition of the sparky motor.

    Spitfire ignition.

  • A photo from the black rocket's onboard camera at about 8000 feet altitude; wispy clouds above and farm fields below, with a wind farm visible in the distance.

    Black Widow at apogee. Note the wind farm in the left of frame.

  • A Google Earth screen shot showing two rocket flight paths. The orange path is higher and somewhat straighter, indicating less wind.

    GPS tracks of Buster's flight (orange) and Black Widow's (black).

  • A photo of three men walking in a corn field. The first man is carrying a large green rocket and the third man is carrying a tan camouflage-patterned rocket.

    Walking with Don to launch his green rocket. I don't know who took this photo.

SLRA Fall Launch, November 12 2016, Addieville IL

St. Louis Rocketry Association has had trouble scheduling high-power launches since our host field in Elsberry was so weather-sensitive. However, we have located a new host in Addieville, Illinois who has welcomed us with open arms, and we had our first launch there in November 2016.

We flew several rockets of all sizes, including three high-power certification flights. I launched Black Widow on a CTI K650 smoky motor for its fifth flight.

Black Widow, K650

Rocketry Warehouse Dominator 3 “Black Widow” flight #5:
Launch date: Saturday, November 12, 2016
Weather conditions: Clear, wind ENE @ 3.5 mph, 54 F, 40% RH
Motor: Cesaroni Pro54 1750K650-16A Smoky Sam
Max altitude: 5710 feet AGL (TeleGPS, GPS), 5857 (Raven, barometric)
Max velocity: 759 ft/sec (517 mph, Mach 0.67) (Raven, accelerometer)
Max acceleration: 12 G (Raven, accelerometer)

Nominal flight, easy recovery. I've decided to stop using the Spherachutes drogue with this rocket because of the way it pulls the upper airframe back into close proximity of the lower airframe after apogee separation.

Flight data file (viewable with the Featherweight Interface Program)

GPS track of flight (viewable with Google Earth)

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  • A photo from the pad camera showing a black rocket lifting off on a smoky motor.

    Black Widow liftoff (pad camera).

  • A photo from the spectator area showing a black rocket lifting off on a smoky motor.

    Black Widow liftoff.

  • A photo from the black rocket's onboard camera showing the shadow of the exhaust trail at left and the parked cars of the attendees at right.

    Aerial view of launch.

  • A photo from the black rocket's onboard camera showing a cluster of farm buildings next to a pond.

    Aerial view of the Seering's farm.

  • A photo from the black rocket's onboard camera showing farm fields, with some wooded areas in the distance.

    Aerial view of the Addieville area (looking south, away from town).

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