Appreciated the photos. My Liberty ma not fly again, except in your pictures.

Oh no! What's up? did you figure out why the chute didn't extract itself?

Edward

From the pictures it looks like the black and white V2 had a CATO. Was that what happened? What motor?

Thanks for posting the pictures! It was a fun launch.

-Steven

Nice pictures Mike.

Steve, I peeled off before we got to it, did it make it through the landing?

thumped the Liberty pretty well.

I can fix it, but it will take tube, grinding and epoxy.

Still not certain as to the cause. Efforts included:

Shear pins, which worked.
More BP from 2.0 grams to 3.5.
Tight wrap.
Etc.

I'd like to try a piston, but after the last landing it's not a round tube for the last 12 inches.

Maybe a deployment bag.

On the other hand, it's a bit of a pig. Thus rebuilding will add even more weight. I learned a lot while building it: however, I have other projects ready to fly.

I really enjoyed the attempts and I've learned a lot in the effort. I'm on to something else.

It's a learning experience, one which I'm enjoying. Thanks for the collective help I've received,

That was indeed a strange set of occurences! For those not there, Steve had a chute hang up at the end of the airframe tube TWICE... It was 99% of the way out, but just didn't quite shake loose.

I'm always interested in learning what I can from failures, whether I was the flyer or not. I looked at this project, and for the life of me, I don't know how you get a chute to hang up at the opening TWICE. The chute had plenty of room, the charge had sufficient oomph (especially after it was nearly doubled), shock cord was long enough.... I can't figure this one out? Thoughts?

I crashed my first L1 rocket even after ground testing deployed the parachute perfectly twice! After that I switched to pistons and have been a very very happy camper.

My friend Henry (Hahn) came up with the split piston for his L1/L2 rocket and those work great - I'll have to get pictures up on those.

Edward

I was there also. Very strange. At 3.5 grams of powder there should
have been a pretty good boom. Any more, I think would cause other
problems.

I have never used shear pins. What He showed Me was pretty well
done. Had copper or brass plates to make sure the shear happened.
And it did.

Guess....If the delay was too short and the rocket was till moving
up. The cone would not have enough poop to pull away from the
rocket. ??

I think possably also. The length of cord from the cone to the chute
may need to be a little shorter. less distance to travel before pulling
at the chute. Photo 111 and 112.

I could see that, however on my first L3 attempt my main went off while the rocket was still going about 300 mph and the nosecone came off and the parachute came out, making a mess of things.

Edward

All I could surmise was that as the chute and fire blanket were nearing the end of the tube, the air flow caused the chute and protector to start to bloom and consequently clog the exit. I'm not sure if the chute was wrapped once or twice around with shroud lines to prevent premature opening. I'm suggesting the possibility that the recovery package needs to be completely deployed prior to opening. Great boosts - rail straight unfortunate deployments. Even a parawad recovery means the system got out of the launch vehicle.

I didn't think he was wrapping the shroud lines around it. I can't remember for sure so forgive me if I'm misremembering. We talked about it a little on the way out to it after the last launch. Very frustrating...
I thought it was still moving when it deployed, but how fast I wonder????

The shrouds were *tightly* wrapped around the chute -- at least for the 2nd boost.

This is one of the reasons I'm such a huge fan of pistons. They WILL get the laundry out. Your chute may still tangle, etc. but at least you have more of a fighting chance.

Disclaimer - I'd never use pistons in paper airframes... if the airframe gets dinged (possibly by rebound of a drogue section or any of a zillion other ways) then the piston can jam. In glass, carbon, and usually in phenolic, I really like 'em....

The second shot the chute was wrapped tightly by folding it in half, rolling it down, and tightly wrapping the lines around it. (I had help)

The shear pins were cleanly cut -- 2-56 sized from Missileworks. They seemed to work well.

With 3.5 grams of BP, the altimeter "burped" at deployment (had a spike). So I feel the charge was sufficient, maybe big.

I think the ejection charge is leaking around the edges of the wrapped chute wad in the rather long tube and/or the nomex creates too much friction.

It's a Sky Angle chute, which I've really stuffed into some other piston deployment rockets with absolute success.

I almost think I need a drogue just behind the nosecone and a deployment bag on this rocket.

Still, I had fun.