I still have hopes of putting my Dr. Zooch Saturn V into the air after work some time, perhaps at the playfield down at church......I have flown some rockets there before (and lost half of one). It was gorgeous and dead calm this morning om my way to work. *sigh*

Roger, if you want to fly it this weekend, start building now....

It stayed #1 for six weeks so it couldn't have been that bad. Besides, Dennis Zager went on to make some **** fine guitars.

OK, that's done.

Here's the launch report:

Launch vehicles:

A. Quest Micromaxx RTF Saturn V from my original Micromaxx Launch Set (yes my first one from 2004 ) Length (with LES): 6.8125 in./20.64 mm. Diameter of S-I stage: 0.5 in./12.7 mm. Scale factor: 1:639.455 (approx.)
B. Quest Micromaxx RTF Saturn V from a Saturn V/Space Shuttle combo set. This one had never been flown before. Dimensions: same as above.

Motors: Quest MicromaxxII, 1/8A.5-1 (all flights). Total impulse = 0.218 N-s. Maximum thrust = 2.108 N
Location: Launch Complex 39A, Tupper Lake, NY (my backyard)

Launch #1: Vehicle A. Straight, high boost of this very dependable version. Very stable in flight. Full deployment of piston and streamer. Floated down and landed on the roof of my house about 50 feet away. Successfully retrieved from roof. Result: Successful moon shot and lunar landing. (Apollo 11)

Launch #2: Vehicle A. Another straight boost; high, but not as high as the first. Slight wobble seen near apogee. Full deployment of piston and streamer. Landed in garden, about 60 feet away (in another direction, due to change in launch angle). Upon retrieval, found that the engine mount/retainer had ejected (with the engine). This part has not yet been found. Result: Low Earth orbit. (Apollo 9)

Launch #3: Vehicle B. I had intended to just use the retainer/mount from this one, but when I inserted it in Vehicle A, I discovered that it was too loose. (More on this in a subsequent post.) So the launch was made with Vehicle B. Quick boost, but where did it go? Heard the ejection charge as I was scanning the sky, but when I looked down, I found it sticking out of the ground about 20 feet off to the side of the pad. Apparently it had looped and pranged. This was a first for any of my MMX RTF's, believe it or not. Maybe it was just an anomaly... Result: Failure to reach orbit due to unknown system failure. (SA-502?)

Launch #4: Vehicle B. Had a little bit of difficulty getting the streamer into the rocket, because I hadn't "trained" it yet. First ignition failed. Pressed the button, saw the clips and the pyrogen-less Q2 igniter fall away, but no joy. With a replaced igniter, Vehicle B had a fast straight boost, with some wobble visible near apogee (more than was seen with A in Launch #2). Thought I saw something fly off of the rocket at ejection. Piston deployed but the streamer didn't unfurl. Lawn-darted about 35 feet away, next to the house. Sure enough, upon retrieval, I found that the engine holder/retainer had been kicked. But miraculously, I found it right away on my freshly mowed lawn, about halfway between the pad and the rocket's LZ. Result: Moon shot with free return, but no lunar landing. (Apollo 13)

With three good launches (out of four), I called it a day. As I was writing this post, with both models lying on the desk next to my keyboard, I saw something that I had not noticed before. More on that shortly.

MarkII

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SAM # 0011

Oh, wait! I forgot that I have one of those! Houston, we are Go for lift-off! :-)

-- Roger

Too windy for my tastes here today, and I don't have a Saturn anyway... I'm anxiously awaiting my "gum camera" from an eBay auction and will use the maiden flight of my vidRoc (just going to stuff it in a clear payload tube for the maiden flight) as a belated 40th anniversary celebration

I'm also building my new Mean Machine kit tonight. This replaces one I had as a kid, was kept but badly bent in 20+ years of storage, and I sadly tossed a year or so ago after deeming it too damaged to fix or scavenge...

-Tim

I am hoping to fly my Estes Saturn V this weekend to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. What is the maximum wind speed for launching this kit safely? It’s been at least 5 years since I last launched it. I did build the kit stock & as light as possible. The St. Louis club is having a launch tomorrow, but the winds are suppose to be between 10 - 15 mph. Sunday the winds will be 5 mph. Sunday would be the better day, but I would be launching alone (w/o a club/audience).

Paul

Nothing over 5mph with a D12-3.

But that's me.

__________________
"I'm a sandman. I've never killed anyone. I terminate runners when their time is up." Logan from "Logan's Run"

http://sandmandecals.com/

I did manage go get my Apollo 11 commemorative launches in on Thursday evening at the parish playfield, along with three other flights. Here are some pics of the Saturn.

On the first flight (Estes B6-4)the boost was straight until close to burnout when the rocket hooked into the wind a bit. Deployment just past apogee. The 'chute popped a shroud line and the landing jarred loose fin "A". The landing site was less than 20 feet from the pad.

Some thick CA took care of the fin and I borrowed an all-white Estes 'chute from another rocket for flight 2.

Flight 2 (also an Estes B6-4) was just about picture perfect from liftoff to recovery.

Attached Thumbnails

         

Good job! Great pics!

MarkII

__________________
SAM # 0011

Jeeze, what a loser, passing on a model rocket launch to hang out with a bunch of nobody geezers: