My Jolly Logic Chute Release issues
2 Nov 2017, 18:17 UTC
I have been pondering the last NARHAMS launch, specifically the flight that ended up in the trees. I decided to summarize all my JLCR issues so far. If for no other reason to reinforce what I learned.1. Beware wind-free days. At the last launch, the ground level wind was mostly still. We had the crowd on one side, soccer fields to one side, and trees on the other two sides. Thus, we needed to angle the rods slightly towards some of the trees. There was some upper-level wind that was generally keeping the rockets away from them. My launch of the MLAS-S, between the angle and a little weathercocking, headed over the stand of trees. The ejection was on cue and the JLCR worked perfectly. Unfortunately, it fell almost straight down. In this case, not using the JLCR would have been preferable. I need to watch my angles better and, if there is no wind, consider not using the JLCR.2. Be careful about really heavy nose cones. A lot of my rockets seem to end up needing nose weight. If the nose is heavy enough to lead the ejected rocket down, the release can let the chute open directly under ...