THIRD FLIGHT

Planning to launch The Lightning again on a K454-19 SK or a K740-18 CSTARwith Iphone this time. Remodeled the Avionics bay to fit the Iphone with window. (November 2015).

All systems tested, Main and back-Up stratologger both OK. Batteries OK 9.4 volts on both (December 07, 2015).

Charges made (4) - (December 07, 2015).

Weight = 3980 grams

CG = 37.75 " - Stability = 1.25 Cal.

The 4 Grain motors are listed.

Did take the Ejection charge out (BP) and plugged it with CA glue.

Ok Great day small group of people just right to have a great day !! A bit windy but so far no problem.

Got my K740 CSTAR from Bernie and ready to go to the pad. Had some trouble with my TAGG tracker but then I realized that it was the Carbon Fiber that blocked the signal ! So I took it out again and did a perfect GPS fix right a way !. Launched a bit in an angle also. Rocket took off great in white smoke then became invisible due to some clouds. We all lost it but could track it back... It landed, of course, in the high trees behind the farm on the south location !! nasty walk in the beginning but then I realized there was a better way to get there. found it in some high pine tree just on the edge of a clear patch !!! Did the walk again with the car with Bernie his recovery pole, pole was to short !! Dam.. Just needed some 5 feet more or so !! Told Thea and she will come up with that slingshot dingy.... Rocket is fine in the trees for a few days. Just trying to figure out how to get it down safely. Also found some bones on my walk, lookedlike dinosaurs! (December 12, 2015).

And we moved on to recovery day on Sunday. Weather started to get bad once we get to the place. Jason was determent to try the ladder and the pole, The pole was extended beyond his capacity, ready to break ! But he could get the shock-cord and the the upper part of the pole separated ! Aye ! Done with that, now comes the chainsaw in play. One tree was cut down like butter ! Then the next tree came down as planned but the stage got caught in another tree so we had to use the ladder again ! All easy stuff for Jason. Really great guy to be around, he has a solution for everything when others stopped doing it ! Everything was loaded up the ladder and ready for the walk back to the car where the landowner was waiting... He got very friendly and even loves rockets also. Then rain later that day on the drive home. Rocket has minor damage but a lot of pine juice that I need to clean off ! Great day, happy nobody got hurt !As we came close to the spot where the rocket was Jason could hear the stratologgers beeping out, also the iphone was working, BUT looking at the video, the Iphone shutoff after apogee, for some reason it must have shutdown or the button was pressed by the shock. Have to adjust the window and make it bigger also for proper viewing. Only half of the video is visible. (December 13, 2015).

Also no keychain camera recording ! Dam.

COMMENTS from Jason:

1. There are eratic Gs all over the place when the drogue deploys, the second charge could have done it too. I think it actually happened after second charge
2. the power button or home button had to have been pressed, because that's the only way the app will background.
3. yes, it happened after second charge
4. drogue deployment under main occurs at 19 seconds
5. video continues through 24 seconds, 5 seconds later
6. ok, I see where the "power" button was pressed- most likely, since max Gs it can report is right around 2, if you DOWNLOAD the CSV file and open it in excel
7. look at the GX GY GZ @ 23.849 seconds in
8. it has -2.03Gx, -2.03 Gy, 1.90Gz - and it can't really report anything over two - so it probably was greater - that spike had to be in the direction jamming the phone to push one of those two buttons (home or power)
9. It then started the app in a background state - you see it continues to report on 1/20 second intervals until 24.348 seconds, then it enters background and reports one last time at 31 seconds
10. for the iphone you see apogee occurred at 19.65 seconds because u can see the total gs goes from 0.1 to 2.8 - rocket separation
11. drogue occurred 2 seconds after that in the file which would be ~21.65
12. 've never been able to see backup drogue charge in the because the ride is so turbulent as it tumbles to "drogue speed" I look at the data at 21.65 and I don't see the charge, just turbulence. Backup main, which I also have on my bulkhead (and it is a very big charge), I can detect because the rocket is descending smoothly, but it is just a minor blip, not crazy Gs
13. what that means to me: drogue probably didn't press the power button - it could have but I see that G spike on all axis at 23.849 seconds as random turbulence from slowing down slung it perfectly to turn it off.