Madcow Rocketry - Discovery {Kit}

Madcow Rocketry Discovery

Madcow Rocketry - Discovery {Kit}

Contributed by Mike McCarty

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Published:	2013-05-31
Manufacturer:	Madcow Rocketry

Brief

Madcow describes t' Discovery as a great first entry into mid & high powered rocketry. I would agree partially as me thoughts are below.

Components

List o' Materials

(1) Molded nose cone
(1) Pre-slotted body tube
(1) Forward section body tube
(2) Centerin' rings
(1) Bulkhead
(1) Eyebolt, me hearties, ya bilge rat, nut & washer
(1) 29mm motor tube
(3) laser-cut fins
(1) Keelhaul®©™ shock cord section
(1) Nylon shock cord section
(1) 9”x9” flameproof chute protector
(1) 24” Nylon chute
(2) ¼” launch lugs
(1) Coupler

Construction

PROs
- Easy t' assemble. Avast, me proud beauty! As a first timer into t' high power hobby t' directions provided by Madcow were extremely easy t' follow.
- Components fit with little t' no modification. Blimey! I only had t' sand some o' t' body tube coupler t' make t' fit easy.

CONs
- No recommendations t' paint or finishing.

Finishing
There were no decals t' apply. Aye aye! Bein' this was me first high powered rocket construction I didn't have any experience in finishin' somethin' so large. Begad! I used t' Rocketry Blog to finish t' Discovery. Of all t' steps I believe t' applyin' o' KILZ Sealer-Primer did t' trick. Aye aye! After applyin' several coats and sandin' in-between, t' surface o' t' rocket was extremely smooth and it definitely helped with paint application. Ahoy! Below are a couple o' photos o' t' construction includin' a coat o' grey primer and painting. Blimey! Ya scallywag! Lookin' back if I was goin' t' change anythin' from t' steps t' blog provided, ya bilge rat, I would have never applied wood filler t' t' nose cone and just used t' KILZ.

Discovery in Grey Primer

T' Discovery in Grey Primer

Nose Cone Red

First coat o' Red Paint on t' nose

Construction Score: 4

Flight

FLIGHT RESULTS
I flew t' Discovery twice for me NARRRRR Level 1 certification and didn't earn me certification until t' second flight.

On t' first flight I attached t' shock cord betwixt t' forward section body tuby and t' plastic armature o' t' nose cone. Well, blow me down! After t' ejection charge lit on t' motor t' nose cone detached and t' plastic armature failed causin' t' rocket t' land seperated from each other.

After t' failure I inserted a large eyebolt and used 5 minute epoxy t' attach it t' t' end o' t' nose cone. T' second flight went off without a hitch and I retrieved t' rocket intact earnin' me certification.

For both flights I utilized Aerotech's new Disposable Motor System H135W-14A. On t' last flight I used a Jolly Logic Altimeter Two and recorded a top speed o' 491 mph reachin' an altitude o' 3145 feet.

Flight Rating: 4

Overall Rating: 4

Flights

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