A Shorter Hornet...

This past Sunday, January 26th, I participated in a launch session with several Colorado front range rocketeers.
The first flight of the day was my old flagship, the Estes Hornet.  This would be the bird's  49th flight.

The model boosted nicely, but at ejection there was...no parachute.
Lawn Dart.
Upon recovery and failure analysis, I found that the motor had ejected without pushing anything out the front.
And here's what that front looked like:

The impact had completely jammed the nose into the payload tube about 1/4 inch.
It took a bit of effort to remove it.
The damage to the tube was substantial, so rather than attempting to glue it all back together, I chose to amputate the whole mess.

The old bird is now ready for its 50th and final launch.  It's just a tad bit shorter than before.

That aside, I will be posting about Sunday's launch session when I get all the pics and info sorted out.
Stay tuned....

A Look Back At 2019

Each New Year, I like to take a look back at my rocketry related activities during the previous year and review the events and assess what progress was made.

So, here goes:

Model Rockets Added To The Fleet - 6
This is a very dismal output, especially when two of the models were E2X kits, and three others were previously built rockets given to me by a friend.  These required only a minimal amount of refurb and modification to bring them to my flying standards. Lack of available time in the workshop was the main culprit.  Here is the list:

Alpha VI 60th Anniversary Edition
Estes Viking
Flatcat B/G (glider only)
Estes Quark
Quest Big Rage
Estes Solo

Model Rocket Flying -  25 flights over 8 launch sessions.

No models lost, no models destroyed.  Only a few minor mishaps involving minor repairs.

The highlight of all these launch events was a trip to Pueblo, Colorado in July to fly with S.C.O.R.E.

During 2019's final launch session on September 6th, I logged my 100th flight of the BAR era.  I also successfully flew my first keychain video camera flight.

All in all, even though things were rather low key as far as rocketry is concerned, I still had fun and look forward to a new rocket building and flying season.  Lots of rocket builds and other projects in the queue...

Here is a picture I took this morning of my current model rocket fleet:

CHEERS !!

It's A No-Brainer....

Prior to the Holidays, my daughters asked me,
"Dad, what do you want for Christmas?"
Being a model rocketeer, I didn't  have to think about this one too hard.

Here is the ultimate result:

Time to flip on the lights in the BlastFromThePast shop, pop open a Mountain Dew, and git busy!

Happy 2020!

Wishing all of you a prosperous and blessed year.
Keep on Rocketeering!

Fixing Another Rookie Mistake!

As far as model rocket building goes, I am quite removed from being a rookie.  But this doesn't mean that I am immune to making rookie-level blunders.  These days, I can merely write off such things as being the result of 'Senior Moments'.

The latest foible involves the construction of a simple little 4FNC side project, an EAC Viper clone.  This build is more of a sanity-preserving diversion from the highly detailed Protostar model, still in progress.

Anyway, after having constructed and installed the Viper's motor mount and main fins, I embarked on sweeping up the shop floor, when I found this...

"Wait a minnit...Isn't this the engine block I cut out for....."

A quick peek down the Viper's body tube confirmed it. I had overlooked gluing this essential piece into the motor mount assembly!
If left as is, it would be a matter of one or two flights before the engine hook would trash the front end of the motor mount tube and start causing problems.

"Ed, you perennial head-of-knuckle!"

What now?  There are three options to dealing with this: scrub the build and start anew, complete the construction and take the unfinished, unpainted model out to the park for it's one and only flight, or attempt an after-the-fact fix.

I chose the latter.

The best thing to do next was to step away from the project and think on how to go about correcting the error.

The first choice that came to mind would involve cutting the body tube apart just ahead of the motor mount, gluing in the pesky engine block, and rejoining the tube using a stage coupler.

"Nahhh, there's gotta be a better way. "

After mulling the problem over, downing a can of Mountain Dew, and rummaging around the shop, I came up with a solution that just might work.

It just so happens that a 3/8 diameter dowel fits nicely inside a mini engine casing from which the stray engine block is cut.

Sanding a bevel into one end of the block will ensure that the piece has a better chance of inserting into the motor mount tube deep within the rocket body.

With the block mounted on the dowel end, glue is applied to the front and sides of the part.

The dowel and engine block are lowered inside the body tube with care being taken not to touch and smear glue on the inside surface.

Once the part makes contact with the engine mount tube, I can carefully turn the model around for sighting through the aft end of the motor mount.

Now that I can see the block, it is only a matter of carefully maneuvering it into the tube.

Success!

Now, I must work fast before the block sets in this position.

Sliding a BT-5 body tube over the dowel, I use it to hold the block in position while disengaging and removing the dowel.

Next, one of my painting wands equipped with a mini engine casing is inserted into the body tube and used to push the engine block home against the engine hook.

PHEW! SUCCESS!!

I don't have to trash the EAC Viper, and can complete the build.

Now where in the heck did that launch lug get off to?....

Bar Fleet #124 - Solo

Source:  Estes Industries

Kit # EST7288

Type:  Glider Sport Model

 

Stages:  Single

Engine Type:  18mm

Recovery:  Parachute, Glider



Booster Length:  55.5cm
Diameter:  354m


Glider Length:  15cm

Glider Diameter:  83mm

Overall Length:  62cm

Weight Empty:  84.6g

Nose Cone:  Tangent Ogive

Fin Type:  Swept

Number of Fins: 4 plus Ring Glider



Color Scheme:  Dark Blue, Yellow

Green Trim



Date Completed:  26 November, 2019



A Unique Glider Model



Being a professed aficionado of any model that goes up under rocket power and glides back down, adding an Estes Solo kit to the fleet is a no-brainer. 



The Solo is one of the new kits that Estes markets exclusively through Hobby Lobby stores.  The model features a plastic fin and motor mount assembly, pre-finished body tube, and a very interesting plastic and card stock ring glider.



Touted as a beginner’s level build, the model goes together very quickly with the use of plastic model cement. 



The bird took only an hour on the workbench, including substituting the rubber shock cord with a fiber elastic version, and the application of some fleet number decals.

A new Solo kit - fresh from Hobby Lobby

The Solo should be and interesting model to take to the launch field at the next flying opportunity.

Da parts.....

And the glider.   

A Nifty Technique For Precision Marking

Since I am now seriously back in the swing of working on the Steampunk Protostar build, I noted that, while marking out new riveted panels, I was utilizing a technique that I would like to share with you blog readers.

Anyone who is familiar with old-school, hand mechanical drafting would probably know this one.  In this day and age, however, with all the available forms of CAD software, this technique has gone the way of the rotary dial telephone.

The idea is simple: maintaining a very sharp tip on your marking pencil.
By keeping a sheet of fine grit sandpaper on the workbench, one can stop frequently during marking operations to sand a sharp chisel tip into the pencil lead.

This has two benefits:
First, the sharpened tip can produce an extremely thin, precise mark or line.  This is highly useful to those who build scale models, where utmost precision is required.

Second, the chisel tip can be butted up extremely tight into the right angle formed by the part surface and straight-edge. No pencil-lead width errors are introduced that might throw off a precision measured line.

This technique can be used with normal mechanical pencils using #2 lead.  They just have to be sharpened more often.
Harder leads such as number 4 or 5 are better, as they will hold a sharp edge longer, though producing a lighter line.