July 2011 Launch

[BEAR]

I can haul it out. What time do you want it there?

[Jeffrey Joe HintonModerator]

Thanks Bear! The earlier the better – looking to go active at 8 AM. Looks like some of us folks are camping Friday night so if that’s a possibility, all the better.

[BEAR]

If I do not make it Friday night, I will then aim for between 7 and 7:30 Saturday morning. Anybody want anything from McDonalds? (only thing open at 6:00 in the morning)(I am not going to eat there, just offering to bring something out for anybody desiring it.)

[AdrianParticipant]

Looks like the weather is cooperating, with some good rain the last 2 days. Somewhere over an inch. Light to moderate winds and seasonal temperatures are expected throughout the weekend. Friday has the highest chance for precipitation, at 40%. Upper level winds look like they’re going to be moderate, too, under 30 knots until you get over 20,000 feet.

[Chad]

We might be throwing up a few 1MMM (One Meter Minimum Mile) shots too!

[BEAR]

At least one 1MMM that I know of. Rocksims out to 6900′, so maybe 6200′ in reality. Trying something new with laminated aluminum fins .030 thick. Started with .003 hardend aluminum shim stock and built it up with an airfoil. Hope it does not shread. 8)

[Warren B. MusselmanModerator]

Oooh Bear. I experimented with laying up fin stock with aluminum sheet, but never anything nearly that thin. A layer of 5.6oz carbon is about .008″ if compressed and is certainly far more rigid than aluminum or perhaps even steel of that thickness.

[BEAR]

I have used .030 aluminum shim stock for fins before and it has worked OK, so far, on G motors. My issue was that I did not have enough gluing area at the root, so last time I laminated hardwood to each side of the fin and pinned it with homemade aluminum rivets. It worked, but I wanted to reduce the drag as much as possible, so I took the .003 shim stock and built up the fin. I left the roots way oversize so that I could laminate it one layer at a time around my body tube as is done with carbon fibre and fiberglass lay-ups. I have some good strength so far, but we will really see this weekend with a CTI G54. I used the extra thick CA that adheres well to aluminum, so 6 layers of .003 shim and the CA finished out at .030. We will learn more this weekend, and from those results, see where we can go.

[edwardModerator]

I’ve flow bare aluminum .075″ thick fins. My problem was bending on landing.

Edward

[BEAR]

And bending when falling off the table too!

[Author]

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