I tried doing a flight report on yesterday's activities earlier today, but couldn't get too far on the post. Seems that nothing I flew was terribly new or exciting. I was thinking about it on the way in to work tonight and I realized that the rockets were secondary to the fact that I actualy got out and spent some time with some good guys on a nice, sunny Sunday. Good times. Noodle salad.
That said, I managed seven flights in the 3+ hours that I spent on the range. I could have flown more, but I didn't feel like I was in a big rush. First off the pad was the Inflight WASP on a C11-7. Flight was high and straight and left me wishing that I'd gone with the D12 instead. Next time for sure.
Next was a Red River Starliner on a B6-4, a dead straight flight that looked to hang in the air before the ejection charge fired. Pretty cool. The minds at Red River should give some thought to upscaling this kit for E motors. THAT would be .
The next bird was brought along as an afterthought when I realized that it had been a long time since I gave it a shot. For a long time the Mach 10 was kind of a signature bird for me at Quark launches. I flew one literally to death, killed an upscale, and had quite a few impressive flights at the VOA. This was a "new" one that I remembered having some issues with two years ago when I last flew it. I captured the flight using the video on my digital camera. It left the pad on a B4-2 and immediately began turning to the south, not terribly high, but nicely stable. Ejection seemed to come as a surprise and the glider transitioned to a fast glide. It was only after the flight that I realized that by filming the flight I'd guaranteed that I'd never see the marker cone again. (Aren't I supposed to be experienced at this kind of thing?) This version needs some weight out back to slow the speed of the glide, but otherwise it's going to be a frequent flier when I go to the field. As an aside, let me add that this would make a GREAT kit for a future BMS Clone of the Month. (Insert HINT!!! HINT!!! here.)

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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

The next three flights were command performances of the three Goonys that I'd brought with me. First was the Super Sky Shriek on an E9-6. As is normal for this bird, a whistle is clearly audible after burnout as it cocked northward into a light breeze. Recovered within 100 feet of the pad. Easy on the ankles.
Next up was the Mega Missile Toe, also on an E9-6. This one left the pad and banked hard to the east back over the flightline, dipping and twisting to ejection, the flight path looking like a giant backwards "S". It also caught a fortuitous breeze back toward the flightline, but landed deeper in the veggies. When I originally built this bird, it had a brace in the large tube fin that broke on an early flight. I never got around to replacing it and now I'm wondering if this might have something to do with the corkscrew flight path. I think I'll be cutting a new brace before the next flight.
Last of the Goons was the Sonic Zoom Broom on a D12-7 that I didn't realize that I had in my range box. It also had an oddball flight path back over the flightline to the east and drifted deep into the weeds out toward the dog park. I'd already heard stories of how several other QUARKers had landed out that way and had problems. (Apparently some dog lady picked up one bird and put it in a trash can. Some people have no clue. Or class.) Those of you who know me know how much I'd love to deal with a situation like that, and that may have contributed to the little problem I had finding this bird. I followed the line over to the edge of the dog park (Wiggly Fields for those of you who are into puns.) I walked slowly and looked from side to side on the journey, but never saw a thing. After a half hour search I finally gave up and came back empty handed. One of my fellow QUARKers couldn't believe that I hadn't found Witch Hazel and walked off toward where he thought it landed.
He walked right to it.
Last flight of the day was the Estes S.W.A.T. to Satellite Interceptor 3x cluster that has been collecting dust in my garage since spring. I loaded three C6-5's, borrowed a clip whip, and fired that mother up. It took the most extreme path back over the flightline of all of my birds and the ejection charge seemed WAY early. (C6-3-like early.) The chute popped immediately, but it didn't look right coming down. It landed near the road and the first thing I noticed was that much of the Kevlar and elastic was still in the body tube. It took a good hard pull to get the tangled mess free. I dumped the burnt dog barf out and blew away the smoke, then noticed that only two of the three motors had lit. One was still intact, ignitor, pink cap and all. By this time the remaining QUARKers had begun to strike the range, so I put the Red Max that I'd prepped back for next time.

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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

Great report, Bill.

Sounds like you were lucky one didn't light, or the short delay would have been even more problematic, eh? BTW, see why I don't like clip-whips?

Doug

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YORF member #11

For what it's worth, I've had really good luck not using clip whips on 3-motor clusters. Only one flight in which 2 motors lit, out of... 10 or 15 flights.

Bill, sounds like you had a great day of flying!

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John Thro, NAR #84553 SR
I was too old when I started! Now I'll *never* become a BAR!

Video of the Mach 10 flight on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8SriGT_2lw

Another video of the triple chad-staged Screamin' Mimi:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl7pXbOdTYo

__________________
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

Yeah, the edge of the body tube was a little ragged, but the fact that it was a 1/4" piece of elastic probably helped. The Kevlar would have sliced and diced.

__________________
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

This is the first problem I ever remember having. I thought I did it right, but I may have been moving to fast.
Yeah, it was a good day. The fact that the next launch I'll have a chance to make it to is in late October made it even better. (I may even have the Beer Skunk talked into going up for that one.)

__________________
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

Boy, the sun sure was bright that day!

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Don
NAR 53455
"Carpe Diem"

That's why I embellish this area. I try to avoid over-engineering things, but here is one area where I pour it on. I transition the kevlar to flat ribbon thru the tube opening, then back to kevlar to the nosecone. The ribbon really helps spread the load out to minimize denting. (Tape loops on the kevlar also help by absorbing the shock.)

It complicates the assembly, and takes longer to build, but, having gotten two zippers early on in my BARdom - on 29yo birds no less - I was bound and determined to not let it happen again. So I add the ribbon - usually nylon - and haven't had a zipper in years. (Although one overenergetic ejection charge did part the nylon on my HiTech H45 So on my HPR birds, I add a short length of shock cord protector over the ribbon. )

Doug

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YORF member #11

I like to think I pioneered using seatbelt straps in my HPR birds back in the early 90's for that very reason. Other folks used tubular nylon, and also some smaller straps and still occasionally got zippers with less than optimal ejection delays. I was looking for something cheap with a wide profile to do the same job as your ribbon, prevent zippers in less than optimal conditions. Replacement seatbelt rolls of about 25 ft. were available cheap at the time. After a few large launches, everybody was using them, or paying more for the wide tow straps. At LDRS XV, I loaned out my straps to a bunch of people for their level 2 and level 3 projects so that they could make sure no zippering would occur.

Now that my HPR days are over, I just choose delays as wisely as possible and I use 1/4" to 1/2" cloth elastic to help with zippering on larger models. I haven't had any zippers in years, except when ripping models out of trees. On the occasion that I do use kevlar, I try to remember to tie the elastic so that the kevlar doesn't hang out the end of the body tube. Doug, are you going kevlar-nylon-kevlar on LPR too, or just MPR and HPR birds?