BAR Rocket Fleet - #105 Mosquito-D

Sport Model

Scratch-built per published plans

Estes Industries Kit TK-1, 0801

Single Stage
13mm Engines
Featherweight recovery

Length:  3.75”  (95.25mm)

Diameter (BT-5):  .544”   (13.82mm)
Weight empty:  .11 oz.  (3.1gm)

Fins: (3) Balsa, Rounded Swept
Nose Cone: Plastic, Short Elliptical

Launch Lug for standard 1/8” rod.

Color Scheme: 
Fins and lower body- Model Master Brand ‘Racing Red’ fluorescent enamel.
Nose Cone:  Black Sharpie
Trim Detail:  Black Sharpie
Upper Body: Chrome Trim Mono-kote.
Finish: Pledge w/Future / Simple Green
(Gloss Sauce)

Completion Date: 
2016, August 10

A FEW COMMENTS……

So, here’s the MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION:  Why on earth should anyone in their right mind want to build and launch one of these things.
ANSWER:  (Insert cricket noises here).

I built three of these miserable birds during my 1973-83 stint in model rocketry.  Launching them was the typical  “5…4..3…2..1… Whoosh….Disappear” scenario common to these elusive little…er…rockets.
Only one of the three previously-built Mosquitos was actually found after its first flight.
So why do I torture myself with number 4?  ‘Specially now that I’m old and the eyesight ain’t what it used to be?
I think it has everything to do with the fact that the Estes Mosquito actually does have a distinct purpose (unlike its namesake). 
That purpose – the only reason Mosquitos exist – the only reason they are still in the Estes catalog line-up going on 35 years – the only reason the kits still hang on the hooks at Hobby Lobby – is that very attribute of  being an extreme challenge to fly and successfully recover.   Getting one of these back after a launch is almost a Rite of Passage for any self-respecting Rocketeer who is worth his weight in Black Powder.
This being said, I’m going to make a shocking statement: This build of the Mosquito is getting the complete works – filled fins, filled body tube and launch lug seams, primer paint….everything that normally gets done to bigger, nicer birds that are expected to be found and flown more than once.
Why am I going to all of this time and effort?   Because I fully expect this bird to be a ‘Shelf Queen’ between launches.  I am determined to not lose this thing after I launch it.   In fact my goal is to get in 10 launches and successful recoveries of this particular Mosquito.
Maybe after that is accomplished, I’ll forego the ‘Shelf Queen’ thing and shove an A10 in it and send it off to wherever lost Mosquitos go. 
Heck, why not go all out and give it a grand final send-off – stack it on top of a couple of A10-0T booster stages!
So, what are the keys to flying a Mosquito and getting it back?
The first and foremost thing to realize is that the Mosquito has nothing going for it recovery-wise other than its color scheme.  No bright ‘chutes or streamers here. 
Therefore, it is imperative to adorn the model with a finish that includes color components that can be detected in any environment or against any backdrop.

Mosquito D has been equipped with the following:
1.       Black nose cone.  This could help with possibly being able to see the model against a light sky.  Not too much help, however, on the ground.
2.       A wide band of reflective chrome wrap.  Enough reflective flashes of sunlight might be helpful in trying to see the model in the air during its descent.
3.       Bright Fluorescent paint on the remainder of the model.  Model Master Brand ‘Racing Red’ is being used here, as it would provide very good contrast against whatever medium in which the model lands.

Some other factors that might be helpful in the successful return of a Mosquito:

4.       The fins are not airfoiled.  This bird doesn’t need any optimization of speed and altitude performance.  In fact, the best practice would probably be to leave the fin edges squared, but on this model the edges were rounded.
5.        Use of low impulse engines.  We’re talking ¼A….period.  Anything bigger sends it way too high and too fast to even possibly get tracked.
6.       Fly in a large unobstructed field, preferably mown green grass.  The enemy here is tall grass or weeds.  Trying to find a tiny 3” long model rocket in anything but a manicured lawn is futile. Plus a bright green surface area would be the most ideal for detecting a small brightly painted/reflective object.  (I suppose flying on the Salt Flats like our friends in Utah would be OK, too!)
7.       A launch rod tilt angle of 5 to 10 degrees is recommend by many modelers, the reason being that the rocket will be arcing in a single direction when the ejection charge goes off.  Theoretically the model should maintain the same trajectory with this extra kick, and travel in a predictable direction toward its landing site.
8.       Fly on a calm day.  Even a slight breeze would prevent the model from landing nearby.  The object here is to have the Mosquito come in as close to the launch pad as possible.
9.       Listen for the almost imperceptible ‘thunk’ of the model impacting the ground. 

Well there it is…another relatively useless project for me to delve into.  Might as well make the most of any Low Power Rocketry.

Maybe the art of Mosquito recovery could be made into some sort of an R&D report.

Or even a NAR Pink Book event – Imagine, if you will “1/8A through A class Mosquito Recovery Duration”.   The object would be to launch a stock Mosquito, find it, and return it to the judge’s table within a five minute time window.  Winner is the bloke who can present his bird in the shortest time.