FAI World Cup Competition Video

On the NAR Facebook page, 
Steve Kristal posted a link to the recent F.A.I. World Cup competition in Ukraine.

This is one of the best produced rocketry videos I've seen. Great slow-motion launches and some closeups of the international scale builds.
To view it: CLICK HERE

Streamer Duration Rocket Build, Background

In 1975 I tied for second place in Streamer Duration at NARAM 17. It was luck, I really didn't know what I was doing.
If I remember correctly, it was a 13mm, A engine competition. I probably used an MPC Mini-Jet.

I was surprised after seeing the other competitors models. Mine was finished in bright fluorescent paint. Most other rockets were bare tubes! I thought a smooth finish could get you a higher altitude.

My 1975 Streamer Duration model was based on the OOP Competition Model Rockets (CMR) V.I.P. design. The V.I.P. abbreviation stood for Very Impressive Performer. These instructions were saved in one of my three rocket binders.

CMR tubes were actually thinner than the Estes BT-5 and BT-20s. The seams overlapped and only required smooth sanding - no seams to fill! Nose cones were thin vacu-form plastic. Fins were often 1/32" thick plywood. I didn't know plywood was made that thin until I bought a few of Colonel Kuhn's kits.

The V.I.P. was a very simple design. The nose cone and fins are parabolic.






One feature of the kit was the"pop" launch lug.
It guides the rocket up the launch rod then stays on the rod while the rocket continues on.

Pop lugs are a little tricky to make, the hardest part is bending the wire to shape.

I'll be incorporating many features of the V.I.P. in this build.





I hope I get this story right, it was posted on a forum a few years ago.
TRIVIA: Col. Howard Kuhn hired family to bag up his kits. His son and friends would get bored assembling kits. CMR was headquartered in the basement of a shopping center. Just for laughs, dead bugs were sometimes packed into body tubes and hollow nose cones. Once, I did find a bug in one of my kits. It did catch me off guard until I realized it was dead.

Apogee Payload Altitude Rocket Build, Part 9, Paint and Weight

I didn't use CWF in the body tube seams.
Primer/Filler was sprayed and most all of it sanded off.

I wanted to paint the model with fluorescent paint, but you have to use a white undercoat with fluorescents.
The trouble is - fluorescent paints are flat and the surface is rough. This flat finish adds surface drag.

TIP: You can shine up a flat finish with polishing compound. After you polish, additional gloss is obtained with a soft cloth and lots of elbow grease. This is not a full gloss finish, but a decent semi-gloss shine.
TIP: Putting a gloss clear coat on a fluorescent finish will diminish some of the "glow". A fluorescent will end up looking closer to a normal orange paint. Still a glowing color, but not as effective.

The small 8" parachute is partially packed inside the red coupler.
It's fine and will be pulled out at ejection.

My model weighed in at .45 oz.
On the Apogee website their finished model weight is .54 oz.

Maybe the thinner, airfoiled fins and omitting the engine block helped out!

Apogee Payload Altitude Rocket Build, Part 8, Pop Launch Lug

The doubled tip of the top wire is bent to allow an easy insertion and removal in the hole in the body tube.

I'll be using the altimeter vent holes already in the upper payload tube.

This is the bent wire that friction "clips" behind two facing fins.
The initial bend is adjusted to fit each individual model and fin shape.

Both the top and bottom wires are either taped or attached with glued card stock to the top and bottom of the long launch lug.

For an easier fit of the top wire, the hole was formed so the upper end of the hole is pushed out a bit. The low end of the hole is pushed in at the same time. I used a small rat tail file to press and form the hole, I didn't file or removed any body tube wall thickness.

On the left is the pop lug beside the body and ready to place on the model.

On the right - The upper bend is slid in one of the altimeter holes.
The sides of the lower wide bend are set behind two facing fins.

The pop lug will stay on the rocket long enough for it to get up to stable speed. At the top of the launch rod the tape wraps stop the lug, leaving it on the rod. The rocket continues up without the drag of the launch lug.

HISTORY: As far as I know, the Pop Lug was designed by Col. Howard Kuhn of Competition Model Rockets or C.M.R. He came up with many rocketry innovations including the smart, simple Kuhn Tube Cutter. C.M.R. was the first to manufacture lightweight vacu-form nose cones and egg capsules.

Apogee Payload Altitude Rocket Build, Part 7, Pop Launch Lug

I'm going old school, I hope pop lugs are still allowed in competition! I hope to find out find out before going to NARAM.
In the comments below, let me know if they are still used in contest flying.

These instructions are from the OOP CMR V.I.P. kit
Two different wire bends are made.
The upper bent wire goes into a small hole in the body tube.
The bottom wire is bent into a rounded "W" and is held on by going around the fins.
Both wires are taped (or card stock strips are glued) around a launch lug. According to the CMR catalog, the launch lug is  around 5" long.

The pop lug is fitted on the rocket at the launcher. A wrap or two of tape goes onto the top of the launch rod. At ignition, the rocket slides up to the top of the launch rod. The top of the pop lug hits the tape wrap and is left on the rod. The rocket continues on its flight without a launch lug.

I'll be using one of the altimeter vent holes for the top bent wire insertion. The upper bend will be a doubled over wire as opposed to the single end.

The first bend is easy enough, near the center of the wire.

TIPS: The tape strip is to direct the next bends. I found it very hard to get the "mirrored" bends accurate. Setting small tape strips at the bend points lets you set the pliers at the same place on both sides.



On the left is the two outward bends. That first tape strip is removed.

Two more small strips of tape set up the next bends.

The bottom is bent round and the width of the half circle sets the wire end tight to the side of the down wire on the right.

More in the next post . . .

Apogee Payload Altitude Rocket, Build, Background

I'm going to enter the Altitude Payload event at NARAM this August. It's been a long time since that last contest, things have changed!

I don't really know what I'm doing so I'm taking the easy way out by building the Payload Altitude Rocket from Apogee. This design is interesting, it holds an altimeter and the 1 oz. payload unit in the payload section.

(Picture from the Apogee website.)

The old NAR 1 oz. payload was a cylinder of lead! This illustration is from the 1975 Estes catalog.

Can't use lead anymore! I don't think I suffered any side effects from handling the lead payload, I didn't keep it in my mouth very long.
Now a NAR payload is a capped BT-20 sized tube with 1 oz. of sand inside.

Years ago, the NAR altitude competitions used Theodolites to visually track and compute rocket altitudes. The picture on the left is the Centuri Sky-Trak. To see it: CLICK HERE
When the ejection charge went off, the angle on the protractor was recorded. After some elementary Trigonometry, you have an altitude reading. Visual tracking was iffy. You could add some colored chalk so the tracker was more likely to see the ejection. That powdered chalk got everywhere!

At one time I did have an Estes Altiscope but don't remember getting satisfactory results from it. The Altiscope was primarily wood. A clear tube held some oil in it. You tracked the rocket by eye. At apogee a metal rod was pressed down, "locking" the oil flow reading against a paper wrap protractor. To see it: CLICK HERE Check out the screw eye "sights" along the top.



Today you use a NAR approved electronic altimeter. I recently bought a Perfectflight Firefly.
It's amazing how small and light the unit is. It fits into a BT-20 tube! It reads the barometric pressure to give the altitude. Count the flashes and you have the peak of flight!

Estes Mini A Heli #007272, Build, Part 17, Hinge Dowels & Fin Trim

Here's how the rubber bands fit into the notch at the top of the side plates.

The short dowel hinge pines were dry fitted here.






The instructions say to cut the dowel into three 1/4" pieces. After the test fit I cut them a bit shorter.









A glue dot is applied to the outside after the dowel pin is pressed into place. Raise and lower the blades to make sure the inside hinge is still clear.




I added some small vertical trim stripes of Contact Blackboard Material. The leading edges of the fins are almost straight so the strip was rolled over the top and down the sides. These weigh almost nothing and are cleaner edged than the marker lines under the blades.

Estes Mini A Heli #007272, Build, Part 16, Blade Marking

This rocket won't be painted, I want it light and smooth as possible. Some coloration can be used.
I've read where marker ink adds very little (if any) weight to boost gliders. Competition flyers will color the underside of their glider wings so they can be seen against the sky.

The kit face card shows a dusting "blend" of spray paint.
TIP: Blending spray paints (two color blends) will end up with a rough finish and higher drag. You can't really sand and smooth two blended colors with sandpaper or polish.

Before doing any marker ink "bands" on the underside of the blades, I tested markers on the leftover balsa sheet. As expected, there was some bleed of the ink down the wood grain.
I'll have to use an Ultra Fine Point Sharpie.





I planned a pattern on paper before any ink was applied.
These markings could help with tracking and recovery.

The blades were set directly above the marking template. My trusty 2" machine square helped draw lines perpendicular to the blade.

The ultra fine point Sharpie gave the sharpest lines with very little ink bleed.

Notice the marks inside the squares to be colored. When you get rolling, it's easy to color in the wrong box.

Draw the box sides with the smallest pen then switch to the medium point pen to fill in the space.

Here's the underside of the blades after all three have been marked.

With any luck, during descent the spinning blades will show circles in different widths from narrow to wide.

Estes Mini A Heli #007272, Build, Part 13, Helicopter Blades

Yellow glue was run down the open cut line and the excess removed and smoothed out with a Q-tip.

Go a few inches at a time, don't allow the glue to set and skin over before smoothing it out.

Here's how the backside of the blade showing the break line.

The blade reinforcement pieces are cut from the fiber paper. You barely have enough to trace and cut four pieces. You'll only need three.

I only smoothed glue over 3/4 of the fiber paper. This gave me something to hold onto when the reinforcement was positioned on the hinge arm end.




The glued side was centered and pressed into place.



Glue was added to the dry side and pressed down even with the end of the balsa blade.

Estes Mini A Heli #007272, Build, Part 12, Helicopter Blades

The blades are cracked down the lines that were lightly cut in the last step. If the blades don't crack easily, cut the lines a little deeper.

TIP: Before using the blade angle guides, wipe out the laser cut ash from the center slots.
Any burnt ash could discolor the balsa when they are slid down the length of the blades.

The #1 guide form is slid down first.
TIP: Be ready, it's a little difficult getting the #1 guide started on the far end. The angle slot is the opposite form with the high end to the right side.
It might have been easier to wait before gluing the hinge arm on. With the arm in the way you have to slide the #1 form all the way down the blade from the opposite side. It is do-able but had me concerned at first.

The 2 guide goes to the mid point, followed by the 3 near the outside end. 

A few drops of medium CA was allowed to run down the cut trench. Go light, don't glue the forms to the blade.
I'll follow up with yellow glue after the forms are slid off.

NARAM Model Decals

I want to put name decals on my NARAM competition models. The names are going to be very generic, the paint (if any) will be simple.

I always liked the font Centuri picked when their catalogs went to the newsprint format. I didn't like a rocket catalog that looked like a newspaper, but the master font used throughout was sharp. It gave the product line a modern look and consistency.

I usually go to 101freefonts.com.
You can type a word or two into the upper box then every font will show those words.

I typed in "Streamer D" and started going through pages of fonts.

If you see something that might work, write down the font name and page number. After a few pages the choices become overwhelming. You can easily forget the name and page location.

I liked the one in the middle called "Racing Sands One". It's easy to read and is set in italic. Italic fonts seem to suggest movement.
You just have to hit download, extract and install.

Here's the names set in Corel Draw.
I always make extras. The names are strictly for identification and to make the finished model a little more interesting. All the models will use the same font. A decal won't add any weight. The "D" stands for Duration, the "A" is for Altitude.

Below the names is my NAR membership number. Every competition model must have your NAR number on it.

Years back all my rocket names were set using press type or Letraset. Home print water slide decals weren't available then. I used a lot of press type lettering sheets when I worked in a print shop. Letraset is still available but I don't think there are as many font choices as there was in the 1970s.

Estes Mini A Heli #007272, Build, Part 9, Hinges

The two "D" center parts (with the rubber band hook) are glued together.
This one started to separate, not down the glue joint but between the layers. The split was widened a little and glue spread inside with the knife blade. Both pieces were clamped again to dry.








I used the dowel when pairing up the "F" for some sanding cleanup on the edges.







I took this picture before the F pieces were glued on the sides of the interior D pieces.
This shows how the center arm rotates forward (to the right). The interior D part has the upper and lower travel stops.
A second F piece will go on the top. The D and F parts are glued up without the C arm in place.

Before gluing up the assembly I added a glue bead fillet to the upper surfaces. This rounded edge seals the card stock and might result in less drag.
The double thickness center D pieces got a wider round glue bead.

2016 FAI World Championships for Space Models Results

From Steve Kristal (Gus on YORF)

Best showing ever for a US team on foreign soil!

Gold Medal - Senior S2P (Emma Kristal)
Gold Medal - Senior S2P Team ( Emma Kristal, Matt Steele, Chris Flanigan)
Silver Medal - Junior S2P (Ashley Van Milligan)
Bronze Medal - Junior S2P (Allison Van Milligan)
Silver Medal - Junior S2P Team ( Rachel Nowak, Allison Van Milligan, Ashley Van Milligan, Stoil Avramov)
Silver Medal - Junior S1A (Ashley Van Milligan)
Silver Medal - Junior S1A Team ( Ashley Van Milligan, Allison Van Milligan, Rachel Nowak )
Gold Medal - Senior S1B (Dr. Bob Kreutz)
Silver Medal - Senior S1B Team ( Dr. Bob Kreutz, Matt Steele, Steve Kristal)
Gold Medal - Senior S5C (Matt Steele)
Bronze Medal - Junior S8 Team (Stoil Avramov, Alyssa Stenberg, Zak Stenberg)
Bronze medal - U.S. Senior Team Meet Championship ( Dr. Bob Kreutz, Matt Steele, Steve Kristal, Emma Kristal, James Filler, James Duffy, Steve Humphrey, Randy Ringner, Dave O'Bryan, Chris Flanigan, Jay Marsh, Kevin Kuczek, Mike Nowak, Kevin Johnson, George Gassaway, Chris Kidwell,and Matthew Berk)

Note that every one of our juniors won at least one medal during this contest.

I am extremely proud to have been a member of this tremendous team.

Special thanks to Aerotech, Estes, Aurora Flight Sciences, and FedEx for all the support they have given this team.

Steve

Live Stream of 2016 FAI World Championships for Space Models

There is a live stream of the 2016 FAI World Championships for Space Models : CLICK HERE