The YouBee is an (approximately 6:1) upscale of the Odd'l Rockets Break Away model rocket. At apogee, the YouBee "breaks" into several sections connected by a long shock cord - like the model rocket does. But, because of its size and weight, the YouBee also has a parachute which is deployed by an altimeter when the rocket falls to about 900' in altitude.
| Flight Date: | 2011-04-16 |
| Rocket Name: | YouBee |
| Kit Name: | Scratch - YouBee {Scratch} |
| Flyer's Name: | Roger Smith |
| Motors: | K550-10 |
| Expected Altitude: | 2,300.00 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 20.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | TTRA |
| Actual Altitude: | 1,600.00 Feet |
The up part was really nice. But, the rocket arced sharply into the wind. It was probably going a little too fast when the ejection charge fired. The section with the main 'chute separated from the rest of the rocket. Most of the rocket came down reasonably slow under the small drogue - doing it's "wacky wiggler" thing.
The parachute failed to deploy from the other section.
There was no serious damage to the rocket - a couple of zippers and a bulkhead out of place.
The separation was due to the shock cord breaking. I'm surprised because it is tubular nylon, something like 1400 lb test. What I think happened is that the shock cord got caught on something inside the rocket. The main parachute section ejected and quickly reached the end of the shock cord which is why the cord snapped.
So ... in addition to fixing the zippers, I'm going to beef up the shock cord and arrange a way to ensure that it won't get caught on things inside the body tube.
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