Sounds like you are the right path. I assume you are doing this via Tripoli. If so please be sure to contact the club Prefect and let them know. for NCR that would be Joe Hinton. Others that can administer test as well as the flight cert are TAP and BOD members of TRA.

Study Study Study..........learn the test. If you never have built birds for this power class I would also recomend getting tips and or pointers from other flyers that are L2 and above.

Conway

Make it strong, Scott. As JamesR and others have said: up is easy, down is hard. 😉 Are you going to do dual deploy for your L2? I wish I had. You don't have to with NAR; don't know about TRA. Out of curiosity, what kit did you buy? Other than that, just make sure you have the basics down, and good luck with the test!

The rocket is the PML Quantum Leap 3000. I'll just be launching the sustainer.
It is duel deploy except PML has the Co-Pilot altimeter on back order so I'm not sure what I'm suposed to do, both ejections are electronic. I guess I'll figure somthing out.
PML calls for just a little fiberglass on the sustainer. I think I'm going to fully glass all the fins since I have some cloth laying aroud. I bought a new parachute, the main chute PML suplied had a big hole in it. Id like a softer landing.

Scotte

The rocket is the PML Quantum Leap 3000. I'll just be launching the sustainer.
It is duel deploy except PML has the Co-Pilot altimeter on back order so I'm not sure what I'm suposed to do, both ejections are electronic. I guess I'll figure somthing out.
PML calls for just a little fiberglass on the sustainer. I think I'm going to fully glass all the fins since I have some cloth laying aroud. I bought a new parachute, the main chute PML suplied had a big hole in it. Id like a softer landing.

Scotte

Scotte,

There are many choices of altimeters you can put in this rocket. The PML co-pilot was/is actually a Missile Works RRC Classic. I would contact Jim Amos for one if he still has any as they are being phased out and the new Mini is now taking its place. Also yet another choice the RRC2 Mini. Jims new stuff will work as well. Also a line that I will be representing will work as well the ARTS flight computer. All of them great choices. It would be real easy to get what you need to work from any of those. I assume the body of this rocket is Phenolic. If it were me for strength I would glass all the body tubes as well as some tip to tip glass on the fins once they are in place. I would even glass the booster as it will help it with impact strength as phenolic is a bit brittle. I would use 6oz cloth on all of it with about 2 layers/wraps and then a wrap or 2 of 2oz cloth for a nice finish surface. I would use a good epoxy like West, Mr fiberglass, or Areopoxy to do it in.
Now for the chute, where is this hole? is it the one in the top? Thats a spill hole if so. Its supposed to be that way as to add stability and help the chute be more controlled in its decent. Now I will say that I feel that one area PML lacks is the correct size of chute. The chutes normally supplied with their kits are to small. Especially for our altitude. I would recommend getting a chute thats bigger, better designed, still with a spill hole in it though. I personally love the Rocket Rage chutes as they are small packing, higher performance chutes that are tough and will get your bird back home nice and soft.

If any way I can be of assistance please give me a shout.

Conway

Conway

I did order the Missle Works alt. this morning, Ill make it work. If I'm gona glass the tubes I'll have to get more cloth. Oh and I was kidding about the hole, er well it is there but its a spill hole 😉

Scotte

Is it phenolic airframe or quantum tube? If its quantum tube you cant glass it as it wont stick and its a bit unnecessary. The phenolic airframe in an un-glassed state is fairly brittle. Ive seen several rockets that are non glassed phenolic break/crack or shatter in spots when they landed or even in transportation. best to glass it for durability. I would highly recommend it personally. Can it or could it work without it? Yea sure but why take the chance. Good thing on the joke.. But I still go with the fact that PML's chutes in their kits are way under sized.. Get one that suits the full loaded weight of the rocket, for our altitude. I would say if a dual deploy is what you are doing bringing the main out at 500 to 800 ft having a decent rate of 15 feet per sec would be perfect.

Ive seen several rockets that are non glassed phenolic break/crack or shatter in spots when they landed or even in transportation. best to glass it for durability.

Or undo the spiral wound phenolic, or blow it up, or... 🙄 I'm a glass man now. 😉

Conway

Its quantum tube. Thats the grey Plastic stuff right?
I will still glass the fins tip to tip!
What if you sanded the plastic? Could you glass it then?

Scott e

If its quantum you dont need to glass it. In fact the glass will not stick to it. so skip the glassing process. Ive done rockets in Quantum up to 4" diameter and mid to a little larger then mid sized K motors in 4" diameter and they have flown just fine even past 11,000 ft in altitude. If I remember right the motor tube is phenolic with wood centering rings. Its very important to get a good physical bond between the fins the centering rings and the motor tube. Doing so I would highly recomend very coarse sandpaper to sand anywhere there will be epoxy or a fillet. you should do fillets on the motor tube to fin and the inside of the bodytube to fin as well as the exterior body to fin joint. I would use chopped glass or CF or something in the fillets as well. Dont be scared to make the fillets a bit thicker and wider as it gives more biting area on the quantum tube to fin. Again use a quality epoxy like I mentioned in a previous post. Also I like to use JB weld on the root edge of the fin thats in direct contact with the motor tube. Because the glass will not stick to the tube no need to do a fin tip to fin tip. If you do the sanding and the fillets the right way it will be good enough. Also are you doing the piston recovery system? I recommend not to use it in quantum tube as the tube has a tendency to shrink and expand with temperature and the pistons can bind because of it. I recommend using the burrito wrap method in these bodies as they are better to suit the body shrink and expansion issues. The key things to get a quantum tube body to work right is planning ahead of time and the right prep work.

Conway

Scott, you have the right guy giving you advice. Conway is as good as anyone can get. There are piston guys in the club (JW, Warren M., Doug Gerrard, etc.), and those who don't use pistons because they can bind. Like most aspects of this hobby, using pistons is an art. I don't use pistons. For me, it's just something else that can go wrong. Let Conway show you his burrito wrap for a parachute. Works every time. I'll shut up now. 8)

Awww shucks Bruce. Thanks for the vote of confidence. but im just one of many flyer's with experience that our club has. Now I have used pistons as well in some of my projects past mostly smaller (3" diameter and under) filament wound glass projects, but learned a lesson early on Quantum tube ain't one of them to use them in.

Conway

Dont let Bruce fool you his NAR number is probably one of the lowest in the club. Lots of experience and his advice is very good to.. its great to see how many different ways people do things.

Show me the BURRITO!!
Skipping the glass on the fins is out, its half done! Guess I'll just have more sanding to do. I am fileting the fins at the moter mounts, thats in the book.
I'll have the glass too.
I did install the pistons, I liked it in my last rocket. Of coarse the dart didnt have the plastic tube. After crunching the Arkus into the ground last launch, I took the fin can and moter mount and ripped the baffle out of it. I installed a new body tube and a PML type piston in it. Hmmm thats not the plastic tube either. Dont you have to protect the parachute??

Scotte

I normally use Tubular Kevlar and a Kevlar shock cord protector. I also have learned to make all my rocket harnesses replaceable very easy as they do wear out. I normally stay away from strap as its not as strong as tubular. Even when i didnt do tubular Kevlar I did Tubular nylon and would just put Kevlar sleeve shock cord protectors on them.

The burrito method protects the chute just fine. Pretty simple actually. I would be glad to show you.

Conway
Where do you get the kevlar stuff? I can order some. Then at the launch you can show me the wrap. The new 60" chute I bought doesnt have a spill hole, but I can cut one.

Scotte