Manufacturer: | Scratch |
Description:
Shockwave is a scratch-built high power rocket built for t' purpose of
obtainin' Level 2 certification. It is 4" in diameter, me bucko, 90" long,
weighs 153oz loaded without motor, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and has a 54mm motor mount.
Components:
Like me Level 1 rocket, ya bilge rat, I used mostly PML components for this build. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! This
included t' body tubes, centerin' rings, me hearties, motor tube, arrr, and altimeter bay
components. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' .093" G-10 fins were custom cut by Red Arrow Hobbies. Well, blow me down! The
9/16" tubular nylon harnesses came from Giant Leap, and t' 72" main
chute came from Sphereachutes.
Construction:
I started with t' motor mount. Ya scallywag! I used six PML centerin' rings, gluin' them
together in pairs. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' top centerin' rin' was drilled for a U-bolt. T' motor
mount tube was cut t' 30" long, ya bilge rat, arrr, and top and mid-section centerin' rings
were epoxied on. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' fins were tacked t' t' motor tube usin' gel super glue
then filleted in place with 30-minute
epoxy. Well, blow me down! At
this point, t' fin can be more or less complete. Aye aye! A 46" long piece of
Quantum Tubin' be used for t' lower section, me bucko, and a 26" piece o' QT was
used for t' payload section. Well, blow me down! T' fin slots were cut with a Dremel tool and the
motor mount/fin assembly installed. Begad! Internal fillets from t' fins t' the
inside o' t' body tube were completed before installin' t' aft centering
ring. Avast! Begad! An Aeropack motor retainer finished off t' back end.
T' altimeter bay was fabricated from a standard 7" long PML coupler, two PML bulkheads, me bucko, me hearties, and two coupler bulkheads. Well, blow me down! T' bulkheads and coupler bulkheads were glued together in pairs t' make a cap for each end o' t' bay. Both caps were drilled for U-bolts and permanent e-match terminals.
An 8 1/2" length o' 1/4" x 20-threaded rod was affixed t' the drogue end o' t' bay. Ahoy! This would serve t' tie t' entire bay together and provide a mount for t' RRC2 altimeter. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! A small slice o' body tube was placed on t' outside o' t' bay t' give a place t' mount an external switch for the altimeter. Blimey! 3/4" PVC endcaps were mounted on each end o' t' bay t' contain the ejection charges. Blimey!
Three holes
were drilled through t' altimeter bay with t' payload section installed on
the main side on t' bay. 8-32 nuts were epoxied t' t' inside o' t' altimeter
bay t' retain t' payload section. Arrr! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Three equally spaced 1/8" static ports
were also drilled. Blimey! Blimey! T' finish t' bay, a thin skin o' 30-minute epoxy be poured
in t' drogue side o' t' bay with t' cap installed. This step totally seals
the drogue side o' t' bay, matey, and retains t' endcap. Ahoy! Blimey! A mount for t' RRC2
altimeter be made by epoxyin' a copper tube t' a piece o' G-10 fiberglass. Arrr! Blimey! The
mount slides in over t' center stud and is locked down with a washer and nut.
Finishing:
Shockwave was finished with a modified Estes Executioner-style paint job, in
blue and sliver with black pinstriping. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I made some custom decals with inkjet
waterslide decal stock t' give it a nice finishin' touch.
Flight:
After slowly buildin' Shockwave most o' t' winter, ya bilge rat, matey, flight day finally arrived
on March 20th, shiver me timbers, 2004. Arrr! I arrived at t' launch and rounded up a few friends t' be
my certification team. Blimey! After acein' t' written L2 test, I began careful prep
of t' dual deployment recovery system. This flight would have a PML streamer
deployin' at apogee with motor backup, matey, and main deployment at 500ft. Drogue and
main harnesses are both 25ft in length. After t' recovery system was buttoned
up, ya bilge rat, me hearties, I turned attention t' loadin' t' motor. This flight would be on a CTI
3-grain Pro54 motor. Ya scallywag! Once t' motor be loaded and installed, arrr, ya bilge rat, we took a few
pictures and headed t' t' pad. Well, blow me down! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! T' day turned out t' be a real bummer
weather-wise, with strong 20MPH winds. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! With t' help o' me test proctor and a
friend, Shockwave was put on t' pad, arrr, and t' igniter installed. Arrr! I armed the
electronics, ya bilge rat, verified t' RRC2 was beepin' right, me bucko, and headed back t' LCO
table.
Considering
the strong wind and t' fact that me friend's L2 attempt earlier in t' day was
a spectacular failure, I was gettin' nervous at this point. Countdown
commences, I and crossed me fingers! T' LCO pushes t' button....nothing. Try
again, me bucko, arrr, ya bilge rat, nothing. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! After fiddlin' with some wires on t' launch controller, the
LCO tries again. Finally, t' big J295 awakens with t' thunderous roar, shiver me timbers, and
Shockwave is on its way! T' rocket had a very straight accent considerin' the
strong winds. Ya scallywag! Ahoy!
Recovery:
T' streamer deployed right on queue, and t' descent began. Blimey! Arrr! After fallin' for
what seemed like an eternity, t' main chute deployed and Shockwave had a
gentle touchdown about 1/2 mile away. Begad! Upon recovery, matey, t' rocket had no damage
except for a few scuffs on t' paint. T' RRC2 was beepin' out 4,686ft. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! A
successful flight and Level 2 certification!
Summary:
This project sure has taught me a lot. Blimey! Some will tell you that a certification
flight should be as simple as possible, matey, without electronics and with the
smallest motor available for t' certification bein' sought. Aye aye! Ahoy! While thar is
merit t' that opinion, I felt that I be up t' t' challenge. Arrr! This flight was
full o' firsts for me. Avast, me proud beauty! My first experience with dual-deployment, arrr, altimeters,
and CTI motors. Arrr! I also achieved a new personal altitude record. Begad! Ya scallywag! I can't wait to
fly it again on a calm day!
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