Thank you for keeping us all up to date with your work on this project! Have you considered kitting it once the bugs are all worked out? If you don't wish to kit it yourself, companies such as Sirius Rocketry (I have no financial stake in them--I'm just a very satisfied customer of theirs!) produce licensed kits of other people's rocket designs.

Short answer... YES! That is one reason I've gone to the trouble of building tooling for certain key parts. However, my focus right now is to finish it and fly it (hopefully, before the end of the voting period for the first annual YORF rocket glider contest :chuckle: ).

Regards

DJ

Note: Post #10 has text notes added to booster_1.jpg

Mating pins
 

.. finished the mating pins, getting ready to join the wings. Attached photos should tell the story. These pins take all the thrust loads from the Orbiter to the Carrier/Booster. They have to be precisely aligned in 5 different parallel planes... on two seperate vehicles.


DJ

Orbiter battery access hatch
 

... finished the access hatch for the R/c gear compartment. This is a load bearing structural member. To keep it light I made some 1/8" balsa ply and used nylon screws. Next step, build the servo tray and mount the servos.

DJ

... just added text notes to photos in Posts #13 and #14. Enjoy!

DJ

Orbiter Assembly
 

.. finally finished mating the wings. The whole design hinges on how the two vehicles interface. Getting that right was a capitol B b*&^#. Final assembly of both models is now underway. Photos below show the actual glider "flight article" going together.

Regards

FlyBack

Booster Wing Saddle
 

...finished the booster wing saddle. This series of photos show some of the steps. I used a relatively high density foam, cut with a hot wire. What I found most difficult was getting the "kerf" right. It took several attempts.

Regards,

FlyBack

Orbiter Assembly 2
 

... added stringers to the fuselage. It is starting to resemble a typical aerospace structure with ring frames, bulkheads and longerons. All thats missing is the stressed skin to make it a true semi-monoque structure. The next step is building the "servo hut". After that, install the control system and I can close it up. Photo set below.

Regards,

FlyBack

Booster Assembly 2
 

... trial fitting the fins and trailing edge flaps. The fins are made from a balsa laminate composed of two 3/32 inch thick sheets. The grain is offset just enough to resist splitting. This also helps to avoid flutter by increasing their torsional stiffness (not alot, but it helps). The trailing edge flaps will be fixed at the same angle as the Orbiter elevons, only down instead of up. Probably about 5-6 degrees.

Regards,

FlyBack

When you're ready to take orders for this thing, let us know ......... wow!