Can the Spaceman be built to fly straight?
 

This is a Semroc xkit Spaceman, built per the original Estes plans. On an A8 it flies usually a spiral but veering off vertical till it ejects pretty far away. Then it’s completely stable but seems to have some lift so it’s veering toward the ground until impact. Is it possible to make it fly straight? I was thinking capping the big main tube at the top to stop the ring fin ahead of the CG might help, then a streamer taped to pthe engine could be put inside. Thoughts?

I’m building my first Spaceman currently, also a Semroc kit. But it is built stock, using the 13mm motors. I’ve not heard how well they fly normally, but would have to assume converting to 18mm is the issue. Did you use the four weights on the leg braces, or increase their size to counter the bigger motor?

The mini motor kit from erockets is a bit different from the xkit since it recovers the motor pod by streamer. The xkit is 18 mm ejecting motor. I would love to hear how the flight and recovery go.

The original Estes version used 18mm motors recommended all the way up to a C6-7, but 1/2A6-2 for first flight. It might be worth it to look at some original plans to see if anything is different. I don't think Estes would have recommended a C motor on something that wouldn't fly at least fairly straight.

Nope; it will only fly straight if you use a hi-thrust motor such as a B14 or D21/24.

http://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/estes/k-09.pdf

Dave F.

Semroc released a number of kits around 2008 as xkits - a bag of parts and no plans, the builder would go online and find the plans. Mine was an xkit, so it was built according to the plans above.

Ahhh, didn’t realize that was what you were talking about - an xkit is kind of like the BMS clone kits.

Maybe some "accidental" contact between a B4-4 and a small drill bit would help the flight profile. :eek:

Like this ?

Yep. Accidents happen sometimes. :cool:

Sometimes, it's better to beg for forgiveness, than to ask for permission . . .

Dave F.

I have a new Semroc Spaceman kit from eRockets. It's been redesigned and includes recovery. I haven't slit it open yet so I don't yet know all the details on how it works.

Hmmm, I didn't realize this was offered as a redesign. I see it's 13mm too.

Yes it is 13mm--so you may actually get to fly it twice! :rolleyes:

The new kit has washers to destabilize it to cause it to tumble. Those are not called for in the original plans so should be a help. Laser cutting the fins with interlocking pieces and the alignment guide should help with the up part for the new kit. It looks like a big improvement.

I never built an original, but the Semroc kit is very nicely executed. The arms and legs interlock with the “jigsaw puzzle” interlocks. They are slightly different in shape so you can easily align the pieces visually. The alignment jig also helps hold pieces in place correctly as it is glued together.

My friend Pat Easter's 10X upscale Spaceman flew straight on a M2000 at LDRS 31 https://youtu.be/H6MisplYpXU

Unfortunately he forgot to attach the recovery device to the airframe.

Wow that thing sticking out of the ground is crazy, but yes so straight!

Hey ya'll watch my ostrich impersonation!

Be sure to scroll down to view the pictures: https://www.chronicle-express.com/a.../NEWS/307209961

I was one of the "crew" that spent an hour digging this one out of the ground. I still have the phenolic liner and nozzle from the M2000 used for the flight. The spent fuel grains and paper liners were smashed tightly into the forward closure (even bent the eye bolt on top of the motor casing), almost all the burnt stuff came out when we finally got the forward closure off.

I hate to say this, but it was one of my friend Pat's most memorable flights. The other was when he flew a E-Interceptor and had a deployment failure, the announcer says "heads up, incoming hot over the parking lot" Then we heard the terrible sound of breaking glass and everyone seems to start heading over to the parking lot to see what got hit. Pat was running as fast as he could, worried sick about what he was going find. Needless to say when we got to the parking lot we found he nailed the back windshield of his own (brand new) minivan.

I guess that was the fastest way to pack up your rocket after a flight!

Great stories and pics. I was at That LDRS and was fortunate to have the science channel crew approach me and ask if they could strap a camera on my rocket, and I let them. The liftoff appeared for a few seconds in the opening of that show. The bad news is I did not see the Tin Man, I would have loved to see it.