Flying Basket of Death and Destruction Build Thread

[davetherocketguy]

So...Did you think I forgot about this project? LOL NO

Went to Michaels today to buy some nice baltic birch plywood. Made some nice 4"x10" pieces for the basket. This will be stronger than the balsa I used on the first iteration but should be the same aerodynamically. On the paper there I printed off patterns for the gussets which will go between the pieces of 4x10 wood.

Yep rebuilding is occurring and I still say...Mr. Lizotte, you're pretty good at those fancy trick shots but you're not hitting this thing in the air. Ever.

-Dave

 

[davetherocketguy]

See attachment...No response yet. Not really expecting any but if I do get one I'll post here.

 

[Halcón]

Don't know how I missed this thread, but it's AWESOME! :thmbup::thmbup::clap::clap:

 

[brutalbrutus]

See attachment...No response yet. Not really expecting any but if I do get one I'll post here.

You have any launch dates around the Great Lakes Open weekend? That would probably be your best bet to get a pro(s) to take a shot at it... without traveling to them anyway.

 

[davetherocketguy]

You have any launch dates around the Great Lakes Open weekend? That would probably be your best bet to get a pro(s) to take a shot at it... without traveling to them anyway.

That's not a bad idea however the closest field with an official launch that I am aware of is in Muskegon which is 170 mile west of Milford and is around a 2.5 hour drive one way so I'm not too optimistic anyone will be interested. Thing is, most fields (except for the one in Muskegon) around these parts are in farmers fields so we have to work around the growing season and can only fly in the winter.

Are there any big DG events near Kenosha, WI? That's just over the border into Wisconsin north of Chicago.

If I can garner enough interest - and it would have to be some serious interest - I could jump through the hoops to make a legal launch where ever the tourney is being held provided there is enough area clear of vertical obstructions such as trees, telephone pole, etc. For this rocket I'd think about 2 or 3 acres would be more than plenty. The next important thing would be I'd have to get the landowner to grant us permission. Even though I can provide through the Tripoli Rocketry Association insurance which covers the landowners liability a lot of people will hesitate to allow this kind of activity. Landowner permission is far and away the biggest hurdle to overcome.

-Dave

 

[hiflyer]

Maybe travel out there to the great lakes open and launch as part of closing ceremonies?

 

[brutalbrutus]

That's not a bad idea however the closest field with an official launch that I am aware of is in Muskegon which is 170 mile west of Milford and is around a 2.5 hour drive one way so I'm not too optimistic anyone will be interested. Thing is, most fields (except for the one in Muskegon) around these parts are in farmers fields so we have to work around the growing season and can only fly in the winter.

Are there any big DG events near Kenosha, WI? That's just over the border into Wisconsin north of Chicago.

If I can garner enough interest - and it would have to be some serious interest - I could jump through the hoops to make a legal launch where ever the tourney is being held provided there is enough area clear of vertical obstructions such as trees, telephone pole, etc. For this rocket I'd think about 2 or 3 acres would be more than plenty. The next important thing would be I'd have to get the landowner to grant us permission. Even though I can provide through the Tripoli Rocketry Association insurance which covers the landowners liability a lot of people will hesitate to allow this kind of activity. Landowner permission is far and away the biggest hurdle to overcome.

-Dave

Maybe travel out there to the great lakes open and launch as part of closing ceremonies?

How big an open area do you need Dave? There are a few open area around toboggan and it looks like there are some baseball fields across the street...

 

[davetherocketguy]

Hmmm...yeah looking at video from previous tournaments there at that course there really isn't a great spot to do a flight like this even though it isn't very high. The best area I think would be between #4 and #10 which is ~5 acres or so and none of the trees look horribly tall. 15 to 30 foot tall trees don't bother me too much it's the 100'+ tulip tree monsters and the like we have an over abundance of in Michigan that worry me. But doing a launch in that area may make it tough for spectators. I think a better place on that same property is off to the SE in a big field due south of Potawatomi Dr - like what you mention Brutal...I have no idea what that field is used for but looks to be flat and almost completely devoid of trees altogether for 500x500 feet which would be almost 6 acres and with neighboring fields that are also mostly free of trees that would be a much better spot.

Still, while the logistics may not be that tough and filing the right paperwork with the FAA more annoying than anything else the toughest part will be convincing the people in charge of the park to let me do it there. How are they to work with? I have a great deal of confidence in the safety margins and I can get them a huge insurance policy for this project at no charge to them but someone is going to have to convince the AHJ that there is no risk to the park. Also, I'd want to approach the event coordinators first to get their thoughts...I won't rule it out but I'm not holding my breath either.

-Dave

 

[davetherocketguy]

Ooohhhh looky at the purdy thingy that just showed up at my door.

 

[ru4por]

How big an open area do you need Dave? There are a few open area around toboggan and it looks like there are some baseball fields across the street...

I am guessing you would have a hard time convincing the MetroParks here to let you shoot off a rocket.

But.....there is a course across the street. https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=7802

This is on an old dump site. They allow fan parachuting (sorry don't know the real name of this). It is this though. It is a county park.

 

[uncle pennybags]

I am guessing you would have a hard time convincing the MetroParks here to let you shoot off a rocket.

But.....there is a course across the street. https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=7802

This is on an old dump site. They allow fan parachuting (sorry don't know the real name of this). It is this though. It is a county park.

Paragliding.

 

[davetherocketguy]

Cutting out parts for the FBD&D ver 2.0. The local community college has a "Fab Lab" where the public can come in and use laser cutters, 3D printers and so on. So for $5 and hour I am saving myself a giant headache.

 

[davetherocketguy]

So first picture I'm gluing the gussets on...this will make more sense later.

Second...hmmm I noticed that 6/32 bolts here helped with the survivability of the spokes...maybe an engineering change is warranted

Third...this is the end of the pole that hit ground and it doesn't look terrible...cut a bit off and we are good to go.

 

[joecoin]

Ooohhhh looky at the purdy thingy that just showed up at my door.

This end aft, this end forward.

Make sure you pay attention!

 

[davetherocketguy]

Sooooo more work on this monstrosity tonight. I've been wrestling with how to construct the parachute containment and deployment setup. I'm borrowing my father in-laws drill press and with the help of a simple circle cutter it's time to stop pondering and get back to building.

These two photos show the gluing process. Had to do it in my family room 'cause well...I had LOTR playing on Netflix. Now everything is drying away and looking good.

 

[davetherocketguy]

And if you're wondering how the Pet2 timer works here's a little demonstration. Using xmas lights as substitutes for the parachute charges I can test to make sure the unit works as expected. So I set it up so that when the break-wire is disconnected the 1st charge goes off after 2 seconds and the second goes off after 4 seconds.

 

[davetherocketguy]

Now that the Christmas holiday insanity has calmed down and I've finally returned from a fantastic day of disc golf I managed to get a little bit of more work done.

First photo...Had to get this monster from my garage to my basement workshop. This is not light. Moving this thing sucks rocks. Anyways, after setting this drill press to the slowest speed possible, I used a hole-cutting bit to make two holes for the 38mm tubing that is the center of the FBDD.

Second photo...On the left you can see the round base-plate that was used in the 1.0 version. It's pretty warped and to clean that thing up is going to be a royal PITA. So I found some acceptable plywood thats a little over half the thickness of the original. Unfortunately, ply this thin is going to almost always be warped so thats why I cut two out.

Third photo...To mitigate the warpage I glued the two round platters of wood together between straight scraps with the help of some clamps. I've done things like this before and and it usually works...If it does work - YAY! If not...meh - no biggie it'll just mean a trip to the store for some new - hopefully unwarped ply.

 

[davetherocketguy]

More work on this rainy afternoon. The lower spokes are getting glued into place...

 

[davetherocketguy]

Even more work this evening after the glue on the spokes dried a bit. This was a lot of work to get from the last post to this one...yeeeesh. Time to let this sucker sit for a while as this glue sets.

What did I have to do?

- Notch the horizontal dowels to accept the vertical plywood.
- Glue the horizontal dowels to the ply.
- Cut vertical dowels to length - and make all of them the EXACT same length.
- Drill holes in the bottom of the vertical dowels to insert a wire or something to help catch discs.
- Sand down all the vertical dowels so they fit in the top gussets

Oh and tape everything together so make sure everything maintains contact while the glue dries. Time for bed lol.

-Dave

 

[brutalbrutus]

Even more work this ev…

Hi. my name is Dave and I have an addiction.

:thmbup: