Activity

John, you need a hammer… for getting those MD motor casings in! I’ll give you mine, or if anyone else needs one. As I told Bret on the way home, NO ONE does this alone. We choose our friends, as…   Read more»

Hey Warren – I now own two screwdrivers :DThere are some really intense and incredibly capable altitude guys in the club. When going that route, the KISS thing is pretty much gone. Bret, for me – I don’t worry about…   Read more»

I remember reading about von Karman in a book called “The Rocket” a while back; all I could remember was that he was “JPL’s” first director. However, he also was fascinated by supersonic airflow, and his nose cone was born…   Read more»

Ah Bruce – you should place credit where credit is due. The altitude king of NCR is John Wilke and I have borrowed more ideas from him than I could list. Of course I’ve liberally borrowed wherever I found good…   Read more»

Chris, you are right on. A fellow German, from my German side, who bridged that gap, and, I believe, one of Warren’s favorite nose cones, and rightfully so. Chris, this is at a new level. Carry on, young man…

Cones are always best, IMHO and testing and literature, for Mach+, but how long will your rocket fly over Mach?

Not really…Von Karman is quite a bit better.

For me, the way most of us overbuild, I think structural failure is really pretty rare .Now this thread is getting good! Question is, as Warren and Bret said for durability, we do over build. But do any of us…   Read more»

Most rockets aren’t complicated at all. People leave tons of space in their designs to fit things like shock cords and chutes and electronics. Where things start getting interesting is trying to fit everything into as small a space as…   Read more»

I find it interesting to read about what different people think is or is not a KISS design. For me, the way most of us overbuild, I think structural failure is really pretty rare . Most of the failures I’ve…   Read more»

I have to say, I think a well-optimized, carefully made rocket on an N5800 C-star could go higher than any 75mm rocket on any current commercial 75mm load. You certainly do sacrifice a lot in the drag department when going…   Read more»

I flew a minimum diameter, 98mm rocket (“Higher Calling”) on an M1939 a few years ago… it was not optimized for altitude. I’ve learned so much since then. I did recover cleanly, and it was a cool boost.Warren, I think…   Read more»

Well-said, all. I went far more complex, ironically, on my L3 than I would do, and do-do (pun intended) now, but that was the learning aspect of it. Six switches initially, as opposed to two, and now I understand the…   Read more»

I flew a minimum diameter, 98mm rocket (“Higher Calling”) on an M1939 a few years ago… it was not optimized for altitude. I’ve learned so much since then. I did recover cleanly, and it was a cool boost.Warren, I think…   Read more»

To each their own I sez… For my L3, I wanted to avoid the hubris I had going into my L2 cert process which ended up causing the loss or destruction of 4 birds before I successfully certed. As it…   Read more»

I decided to abandon the KISS philosophy and go with what I was excited to build, attempt and fly…. and am nevertheless still working on the L3 cert. 2 attempts, a complete loss and a second purchase/ build of a…   Read more»

I decided to abandon the KISS philosophy and go with what I was excited to build, attempt and fly…. and am nevertheless still working on the L3 cert. 2 attempts, a complete loss and a second purchase/ build of a…   Read more»

Joined: May 02, 2008Posts: 89Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 7:37 pm Post subject:I decided to abandon the KISS philosophy and go with what I was excited to build, attempt and fly…. and am nevertheless still working on the L3 cert….   Read more»

Sounds like one of my L2 attempts Sean… I wanted to tickle our 20K waiver. Whatever happened, it is still out there on the prairie somewhere – probably 8′ down. Lots of people told me not to get complicated or…   Read more»

I decided to abandon the KISS philosophy and go with what I was excited to build, attempt and fly…. and am nevertheless still working on the L3 cert. 2 attempts, a complete loss and a second purchase/ build of a…   Read more»

And , of course, you know this from me:Anyone else with L3 words of wisdom to share? Kinda surprised there hasn’t been more here, because sure as heck once I certify L3 I’m going to know EVERYTHING!Since I know everything……   Read more»