http://youtube.com/watch?v
http://youtube.com/watch?v
21 January 2008
Flying 'The Honest Ron'
I flew both the Honest John and the Nike Smoke at Tripoli Central California on Sunday, January 20. Here's the YouTube video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jQBSVmfVEMQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nP5c4hrIQwk
http://youtube.com/watch?v
http://youtube.com/watch?v
17 January 2008
Part 3 -- Polecat Aerospace 5.5" 'Honest John' M31 1/4 scale kit
Christmas is over, I'm back in California, and I'm thinking about rockets, but what else is new.
But back to the kit.
The holidays proved to be hectic for everyone. Andy at Polecat was no exception. After playing phone tag for a while, we finally hooked up and he shipped a new nosecone. He also threw in an extra coupler section. He explained that the Honest John nosecone is more difficult to make than say one for a Nike Smoke, and that sometimes there are issues. He also explained that the cone needed to fit more snug than others, due to the increased weight and tendency for a lesser-fitting cone to pop off in flight. He suggested a workaround: remove a layer of paper from inside of the coupler so that it is looser.
The new nosecone came in two days later, and had the same issue: too big for the coupler. I then pulled a layer of paper from inside of the coupler and the original cone fit nice and snug. Seeing this, I just went with the old one, and will return the new one to Andy.
And now, for the final product.
As you can probably tell, I'm a huge Ron Paul fan. However, this is not a political forum, so we'll stay on topic (except to say that he would straighten out the entire mess with the BATFE regarding ammonium perchlorate motors).
As you can see, it's a sleek bird, and an attention getter. She stands over 7 feet tall, and I received several comments at the last launch. I didn't fly it, however, as I was stressed out about getting my Level 2 flight successfully completed (I did it with the Nike Smoke and an Aerotech J420).
I spent waaay too much money on finishing. Vinyl lettering was around $85, paint, motor retainers, epoxy and extra washers added about another $100 to the price. All in all, the final cost (including $259 plus shipping for the dual deploy rocket) was around $500.
I've also decided to just make this a single-deploy rocket. I mentioned previously that this bird is mostly for eye candy. Also, in California, it is difficult to find the FFFF black powder needed for deployment charges, and I don't have time to wire and test an altimeter system before the Super Tuesday primaries, so one chute (58") it will be. Besides, I'm seriously considering adapting the payload bay to the Nike Smoke and converting it to dual deploy.
Would I recommend this rocket? Well, it depends. If you are looking for a larger diameter rocket for Level 2, I would highly suggest the popular Polecat 4.0" or 5.5" Nike Smoke. Its a bitchin' kit, and can certainly handle its end of the bargain with your (and my) mistakes. This kit, however, is a bit more challenging than the 'Smoke, but if you have a childhood hangup over Honest John M31's (like I do), then you'll be very pleased with the final outcome.
I have yet to fly it, so I can't give you a report as to the performance. I'm planning on loading it with a J420 by Aerotech. So look for a report next week.
I will be flying both at the Tripoli Central California launch on Sunday January 20, 2008. For more information about the launch, see http://tripolicentralcalifornia.com.
Respect
Robin
But back to the kit.
The holidays proved to be hectic for everyone. Andy at Polecat was no exception. After playing phone tag for a while, we finally hooked up and he shipped a new nosecone. He also threw in an extra coupler section. He explained that the Honest John nosecone is more difficult to make than say one for a Nike Smoke, and that sometimes there are issues. He also explained that the cone needed to fit more snug than others, due to the increased weight and tendency for a lesser-fitting cone to pop off in flight. He suggested a workaround: remove a layer of paper from inside of the coupler so that it is looser.
The new nosecone came in two days later, and had the same issue: too big for the coupler. I then pulled a layer of paper from inside of the coupler and the original cone fit nice and snug. Seeing this, I just went with the old one, and will return the new one to Andy.
And now, for the final product.
As you can probably tell, I'm a huge Ron Paul fan. However, this is not a political forum, so we'll stay on topic (except to say that he would straighten out the entire mess with the BATFE regarding ammonium perchlorate motors).
As you can see, it's a sleek bird, and an attention getter. She stands over 7 feet tall, and I received several comments at the last launch. I didn't fly it, however, as I was stressed out about getting my Level 2 flight successfully completed (I did it with the Nike Smoke and an Aerotech J420).
I spent waaay too much money on finishing. Vinyl lettering was around $85, paint, motor retainers, epoxy and extra washers added about another $100 to the price. All in all, the final cost (including $259 plus shipping for the dual deploy rocket) was around $500.
I've also decided to just make this a single-deploy rocket. I mentioned previously that this bird is mostly for eye candy. Also, in California, it is difficult to find the FFFF black powder needed for deployment charges, and I don't have time to wire and test an altimeter system before the Super Tuesday primaries, so one chute (58") it will be. Besides, I'm seriously considering adapting the payload bay to the Nike Smoke and converting it to dual deploy.
Would I recommend this rocket? Well, it depends. If you are looking for a larger diameter rocket for Level 2, I would highly suggest the popular Polecat 4.0" or 5.5" Nike Smoke. Its a bitchin' kit, and can certainly handle its end of the bargain with your (and my) mistakes. This kit, however, is a bit more challenging than the 'Smoke, but if you have a childhood hangup over Honest John M31's (like I do), then you'll be very pleased with the final outcome.
I have yet to fly it, so I can't give you a report as to the performance. I'm planning on loading it with a J420 by Aerotech. So look for a report next week.
I will be flying both at the Tripoli Central California launch on Sunday January 20, 2008. For more information about the launch, see http://tripolicentralcalifornia.com.
Respect
Robin
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