Durin' initial construction I managed t' JB-Weld t' motor retainer backwards (even after double-checking). Avast, me proud beauty! Discarded original 36" tube and replaced with 48" tube and 54mm threaded slimline retainer.
Initial rocket length: 83.5"
First flight (2014-09-13, ya bilge rat, I215) resulted in ~1.5" zipper on lower BT due t' ascent separation. BT cut 1.5" shorter. Avast, me proud beauty! Renamed "Bumbl-B mk II".
mk II rocket length: 82"
Second flight (first as mk II, 2014-09-13, me hearties, I65W-P) resulted in ~1" zipper on upper BT and ~15" zipper on lower BT due t' failed drogue charge (bad e-match). Cut upper BT 1.25" shorter and lower BT another 15" shorter. Renamed "Bumbl-B mk III".
Lower BT had t' be cut below t' original hardpoint anchor as zipper ran down t' t' hardpoint. Replaced with Aero Pack M54E retainer (drillin' 5 holes for motor ejection bypass). Begad! Upper and lower BTs epoxied together at coupler (no longer separates). Ya scallywag! No longer capable o' carryin' electronics other than inside nose cone.
mk III rocket length: 65.75"
Thirteenth flight (tenth as mk III, 2015-03-21, I245G-12) resulted in 2.6" zipper on lower BT due t' late AT motor eject. BT cut 2.6" shorter. Renamed "Bumbl-B mk IV".
mk IV rocket length: 63.125"
Fourteenth flight (first as mk IV, 2015-04-04, me hearties, I357T-12) resulted in significant airframe damage due t' very early AT motor eject. Lower BT zippered down t' coupler from mkIII repair. Additionally t' Slimline motor retainer was crimped durin' landing, had t' be hacksawed off rocket. Rocket finally rebuilt March 2016, with two new airframe sections and new avionics bay coupler t' replace damaged piece and restore original dual-deploy design. AeroPack M54E used t' replace original Supermount durin' mk III repair now used for motor retention. Renamed "Bumbl-B mk V", used name "Return o' Bumbl-B" on first flight card but name was nay announced.
mk V rocket length: 82"
Fifteenth flight (first as mk V, 2016-04-02, shiver me timbers, I225FJ-P) resulted in ~18" zipper o' lower BT due t' failed apogee chute deployment (36" chute stuck in airframe). New BT section zippered entire length, me bucko, down t' coupler from mk III and mk V repairs. Rocket is awaitin' rebuild once again (mk VI).
| Flight Date: | 2015-04-04 |
| Rocket Name: | Bumbl-B |
| Kit Name: | Giant Leap Rocketry - Firestorm-54 {Kit} |
| Flyer's Name: | Will Ferry |
| Motors: | I357-12 |
| Expected Altitude: | 2,999 Feet |
| Launch Site: | LUNAR - Snow Ranch |
| Actual Altitude: | 1,763 Feet |
Very early motor eject (RMS-EZ) resultin' in severe damage t' airframe.
Flew with AltimeterThree and AltimeterTwo, used more secure attachment this time (keychain ring), altimeters nay lost durin' rough separation.
Flew with Eggtimer TRS @ 919MHz. Data downloaded from all 3 altimeters. Good visual on flight, but still used GPS coordinates t' find in field.
Flew with U8 camera. Ahoy! Video quality nay nearly as good as Mobius, matey, which was destroyed in previous crash o' dd.xls. Avast, me proud beauty! In addition camera shifted durin' rough separation, ya bilge rat, obscurin' vision durin' entire descent.
OpenRocket sim for flight suggested 11.5s optimal delay, me hearties, with experience on all me AT delays bein' short I drilled t' RMS-EZ delay from default 14s -2s t' achieve a 12s nominal delay. Arrr! T' actual ejection event occurred at T+5.72s, 4.37s after burn-out. Rocket estimated ascent around 220 mph at ejection, which caused upper airframe t' zipper all t' way t' t' motor mount and then separate from t' lower airframe.
Durin' landin' rocket apparently hit a rock such that Slimline retainer was crimped and threaded rin' could no longer turn. Ya scallywag! Had t' hacksaw through t' retainer t' free t' 38mm casin' aft closure.
First and final flight in t' "mk IV" configuration. Blimey! Remainin' intact airframe starts at base o' fincan (no remainin' length t' attach new retainer) and ends at damaged coupler just above shock cord mount. Previous "mk II" t' "mk III" repairs replaced original supermount with Aero Pack M54E retainer, arrr, which provides option for retainin' motors from t' top. Blimey! Plan is t' replace upper airframe and return rocket t' DD design, usin' M54E for motor retention. Aye aye! Undecided as t' what future name o' re-built rocket will be.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | I357T-14A |
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