Brief: ACME "Wile E. Coyote" styled rocket. Single Stage, parachute recovery.
Construction: Single body tube (60mm x 25mm postage tube) with a cardstock nosecone (80mm x 85mm). Single stick for stability. 3mm Plywood centering rings, 1/4" launch lugs (one at center point of motor, one near end of stick). 14" parachute.
It was a piece of cake to build--I glued the stick to the body tube, glued in the engine mount, glued on the launch lugs! The nosecone was the hardest part as it was formed using a paper pattern generated by a 'cone' design package (online). Soaked the cone in CA before sanding, which made it nice and hard and came up very shiny! Short length of 60mm tube was cut down the side and a small section removed to reduce the diameter. A 3mm ply cap was glued to the end and polyurethane glue was used to attach it to the nosecone.
Kevlar cord was attached around the motor mount and run up through a notch in the top centering ring to a length of elastic shock cord, which in turn was attached to the nosecone. A 14" parachute was attached to the nosecone via 30" of nylon cord.
Parachute was hand made, body tube was obtained from Officeworks and the stick came from Bunnings.
Flight: First flight was on D12-3. Ejection just past apogee at perhaps 200-300 feet. Good flight, quick off the pad but was a little wobbly, having a slight spiral. Second flight was on a E9-4, perhaps a little slower off the pad but very nice flight with ejection just past apogee again, apogee at approx. 400 feet.
Summary: Very happy with the rocket. Turned out exactly how I wanted. Nice big and bright. Got all the appropriate kudos on the flight field.
PROs: Looks cool. Went up. Wile E. Coyote would be proud.
CONs: Still didn't get the roadrunner!
Comments:
Max Faiman (March 11, 2011)
What is lentgh and thickness of the stick that you used for this rocket? Also what was the length of tube that you used for this? And how far up from the bottom of the tube should i place the stick? Last what is the exact diameter of your body tube?
Kevlar cord was attached around the motor mount and run up through a notch in the top centering ring to a length of elastic shock cord, which in turn was attached to the nosecone. A 14" parachute was attached to the nosecone via 30" of nylon cord.
Max Faiman (March 11, 2011)
What is lentgh and thickness of the stick that you used for this rocket? Also what was the length of tube that you used for this? And how far up from the bottom of the tube should i place the stick? Last what is the exact diameter of your body tube?