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#1
07-20-2011, 03:52 PM
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Weirdest failure ever...
I dunno what brought this to mind, but...
Back in the mid 1980's I built a Bluebird-0. I took a lot of time to get it to look just like the one in the catalog. Took it down to the pasture, installed the motor and wadding, put it on the pad and hit the button. The rocket took its time climbing the rod, then immediately dropped - nose up - to about 6" above the ground. It then "flew" at walking speed for about 15 feet maintaining an altitude of 4" - 6" with its nose up at about 10 to 20 degrees from vertical. Just prior to burnout the motor came to life and gave a final kick that sent the beautiful rocket to an altitude of about 6 feet, just high enough for it to arc over an jam the nose cone into the ground (kinking the tube). A few seconds later, the ejection charge went off and the rocket managed to crash again, cracking a fin. It is, to this day, the weirdest motor failure I have ever sen, and one of the coolest flights.
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John Adams "There is a lot of rocketry under 20ns" 
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#2
07-20-2011, 03:59 PM
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Ah if only it would have been the days of HD video and YouTube, that would have been something to see.
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#3
07-20-2011, 04:49 PM
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Near Miss
A brand new rocket I named after my oldest friend who had recently passed away, was ready for a maiden launch. Having a smaller than average field to work in made me want to launch with a smaller motor that I did not think would be under powered. Sure enough, I was wrong and at about 50 feet it reached apogee and started toward the ground. You know it was one of those butt puckering moments and I knew my new rocket was going to bite the dust. Hard to believe but with about 1 inch left before lawn darting the ejection blew and forced the rocket away. The plastic nose did the usual 2-3 inch penetration but the force of ejection saved the rest of the rocket. No damage done on anything and my buddy and I were blown away having never seen such a close call like that. I got lucky. I have the video on that btw. Too bad there's no where to post it here.
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#4
07-20-2011, 07:23 PM
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Quote:
Post it to YouTube or Photobucket, then link it here.
__________________
Bill Eichelberger NAR 79563 http://wallyum.blogspot.com/ I miss being SAM 0058 Build floor: Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle In paint: Canaroc - Starfighter Scorpion Centuri - Mini Dactyl Estes - F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II, Xarconian Cruiser Semroc - Cyber III Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark
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#5
07-20-2011, 07:28 PM
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Quote:
Been meaning to look into that.
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#6
07-20-2011, 07:58 PM
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Quote:
If I can do it, anyone can. 
__________________
Bill Eichelberger NAR 79563 http://wallyum.blogspot.com/ I miss being SAM 0058 Build floor: Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle In paint: Canaroc - Starfighter Scorpion Centuri - Mini Dactyl Estes - F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II, Xarconian Cruiser Semroc - Cyber III Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark
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#7
07-20-2011, 10:08 PM
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Yes please! I'd love to see that flight
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#8
07-20-2011, 10:22 PM
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Quote:
This probably belongs over on the worst flight thread, but it was my brothers rocket not mine. ~1968 he had just finished a Mars Snooper and did a really nice job on it. A few days before, he had flown a long forgotton rocket that introduced us to thermals, never to be seen again. He was determined not to have the same thing happen to the Snooper, so he decided to go with a 1/4A6-2. Wrong choice. It crawled up the launch rod, barely clearing it and dropped to the ground, broke a fin and popped the chute. There were five kids that had to go home that day and explain to their mothers why they had wet their pants. S.
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#9
07-20-2011, 10:47 PM
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I'd have to think that the first flight of my Mach 10 upscale back in 2002 qualifies as my weirdest failure:
http://www.rocketreviews.com/scratc...ob-hvarven.html Very cool, though. Balsa showering down all around us as we stood in momentary silence, eventually broken by a collective "WOW!" 
__________________
Bill Eichelberger NAR 79563 http://wallyum.blogspot.com/ I miss being SAM 0058 Build floor: Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle In paint: Canaroc - Starfighter Scorpion Centuri - Mini Dactyl Estes - F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II, Xarconian Cruiser Semroc - Cyber III Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark
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#10
07-21-2011, 08:26 AM
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CORRECTION: This was my Sorcerer rocket and not the RB Mack that I mentioned. I have no idea what made me think this bird could fly on a B-6-4....duh
http://s343.photobucket.com/albums/...rcerercrash.mp4 Last edited by Gary Byrum : 07-21-2011 at 09:04 AM.
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