This is the Madcow Squat rocket. I've wanted one of these since the Lake Lucerne LDRS but they were out of production. For the next 18 months I bugged Mike at Madcow about once a month about the Squat. Finally about three months ago, Mike told me he had found a stack of fin blanks and that the Squat would be in Black Friday sale. I couldn't wait and bought one before the Black Friday Sale. It's everything I hoped it would be.
The Squat is not exactly a beginner's rocket as there are some modifications required to get get the center of gravity where it belongs and there's also the issue of having only a couple of inches between the top of the motor mount and the base of the unmodified nose cone.
Using the review found here on MyRocketReviews.com as a guide, I cut the base of the nose cone off, added 70 grams of BB's and epoxy in the tip of the nose cone. I used short lengths of bamboo skewer inserted through the nose cone to hold the epoxy in place. I also added a 3" diameter 1/4" plywood bulkhead in the nose cone to mount the recovery train attachment point. To insure that it wasn't going anywhere, I also used small wood screws though the nose cone into the bulkhead for security.
The finished rocket weighs a bit...okay 12 ounces more than the suggested weight of 30 ounces. Then again, I like a glossy fluorescent pinkpaint job with metallic black trim and clear coat over it all. It does add weight.
| Flight Date: | 2013-02-16 |
| Rocket Name: | Madcow Squat |
| Kit Name: | Madcow Rocketry - Squat {Kit} |
| Flyer's Name: | K Sonesen |
| Motors: | H148R-6 |
| Expected Altitude: | 1,200 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 3.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | SARG - Amoruso Field |
The maiden flight was made using a LOC 54-38mm motor adapter to hold an H148R motor. I had to add an additional quick link up in the nosecone to get the center of gravity situated correctly but I should have added a third one. Upon ignition, the Squat wiggled its tail a bit but as the motor's mass burned up the rocket quickly stabilized. This all occured within a fraction of a second but I did see it. The rocket deployed at apogee and drifted to the ground about 75 yards from the pad.
I've since shortened the rear of the 38mm tube in the LOC adapter so that the motor casing is now about one inch forward of the original position. With the short H148R motor this will help with the CG/CP relationship. With a longer motor I doubt there would have been a wiggle as there would have been more weight forward.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Aerotech H148R-6 |
 |
 |