Octoberfest Interests!!!!!

[Conway StevensParticipant]

Why do it on a couple of staged and/or P motors when 1 single R motor will do more then 100K. Its allready very tough to try and do. Just simplify a lil. To many things can go wrong in a staging. besides I love single BIG powerul motors. Much Much more impresive. Its like the difference between 10 Nascar cars VS 1 NHRA top fuel Car. Thats Power baby!!! Same with 1 big mondo Ginormas humungo motor. Yes it would be minimum Diameter. The casing for the motor would be the body. It would be an insane amount of propellant. But it would be bad wicked. But its been done before. Infact by a fellow freind of mine and Ex-NCR member.

[Chris LaPanse]

Oh – I agree. A 2 stager could possibly do it with a smaller rocket and less propellant though, and therefore be less expensive. That’s why I suggested it as an option.

[Conway StevensParticipant]

But be truthful. If your really gonna go for 100K think you will skimp and go cheap with the possibillity of not making it? nahh. I wouldnt. Let go for broke!!!

[Anonymous]

100K? At this juncture, with our collective budgets (squared), I don’t think we could do it. Finding a waiver would also be a bit of a challenge. My suggestion is to try to get to 50K first, which is no small thing. I nearly piddled myself the first time I had a “2” as the first beep out of an altimeter, i.e. when I broke 20K.

My personal goal is [and always has been] to get to 40K with clean recovery. I’m going to make such an attempt in September, 2007. Black Rock — BE THERE!!!!!!!!!

[Conway StevensParticipant]

And if anyone from NCR could ever do it JW it would be you!!! I have the highest respect for doing High altitudes and doing good clean recovery. To me means nothing if I dont get it back. Anything over 12 to 15K is quite an achivement in my eyes as most flyers will never see that high. Anything 20 and above is pretty kick butt…. and more then 30 or 40 is phenomanal and 100K is OH MY GOD!!!. I think many of us take for granted the talent and skills it really takes to do such feats and take it lightly. I have only flown to around 15K for my personal best just shy of 3 miles with a K motor flight and it was awesome and yet difficult for the project at hand i was doing. It was a great experince. And yes I do plan to go higher… MHM N4000BB to lil over 22k..

[denverdoc]

let me clarify: when I said 35 to 40 taking no special talent–a min diam N will do it easily. Course the rocket has to be built with composite materials, and GPS or good beacon on board. Care has to be exercised with the EC’s. But really thats it. What John Wilke does is much different. He flies comparitively small rockets with small motors–thats IMO what makes it so insanely tricky. He has to engineer everything into very tight quarters, etc, and keep length to a minimum. The N’s are 4 inch by 10 feet, ample room for everything.

At LDRS, 2 or 3 similar flights made, one an L3.

[denverdoc]

I’m with Chris on this one, we,ve been flying sounding rockets way high since the 50’s. This is old technology and most of the info needed is in the public domain. most are staged. Its not the easiest, just more efficient, esp if you can reduce diameter on the way.

JW, thought Balls has waivers to 100k. granted not past, but a nice place to fly high.

[Conway StevensParticipant]

As I know about the flights at LDRS including the L3 cert (BTW to mention that guy that certed has tried several times before with a Minimum diameter N only to shred it a few of those times. Yes it was composite everytime so exactly my point of the difficulty) Besides look at the amount of people at LDRS that have the motor capabillity to fly to that altitude and or set out to attempt and only a hand few..(3 at this particular event) that actually do get there. If it were really easy many many more would do it. Sorry for my difference of opinion but Its not as easy as it seems and that is what makes doing those altitudes such a thrill. It May look it may think it to be black and white down right easy. but its not. Ive heard from others with much more experince then most here posting about it. People like JW and some others nationally to say a few that have made attempts or even to those heights. Ive even been able to sit down and talk face to face to persons that have flown to 100K+. They all say the same thing. dont get caught up in thinking its really easy.. Its deceptive and quite tough.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I tried three times to break 20K before I finally succeeded. They were all really well thought out shots, or at least I thought they were. The rockets all cost several hundred $, and the motors were $250 and up. No small thing. Personally, I’m 1 for 3 north of 20K. The first shot had electronics issues, the second was apogee deploy that went slightly parabolic and shredded the chute, and the 3rd was my successful L shot at MHM.

I’ve been over 15K at total of ten times, with clean recovery seven of those ten times.

It is really tough to get by unscathed at that sort of altitude. I’ve often said that it is twice as hard to go to 18K as it is to go to 16K, which is twice as tough as 14K, etc. Anytime anyone breaks 15K, they get a free beer or soda on me. It is very, very tough. 20K is WAY harder than 15K, etc. My 40K attempt at BALLS in September of ’07 will take perhaps 200 hours of exectution. It is a major, major amount of work, overlayed with even more dumb luck if it succeeds 😀

If anyone of you wants my help on altitude at any time, consider me an open book. I’ve lent my high performance rockets to other flyers many times. The next best thing to me getting “up there” is helping someone else do it. There are two dozen flyers in NCR who could take any one of my records at any time. Much talent here!

[Conway StevensParticipant]

hmm. a free beer huh. I think I will just have to take you up on that JW… Does it matter engine or size of vehicle?

[Author]

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