Dealing with Lost Rockets

Unless you launch in a very large area, I am sure you have all experienced the loss of a rocket. It could be from a CATO, a tree, electrical wires, or it just plain went out of sight. I was wondering how some fliers deal with losing a rocket they really like or spent a lot of time building? Not to mention expensive electronics. If a rocket kit is simple enough, I go out and buy a new one and paint it up. If it is a scratch built kit, I buy the parts, go through my notes and build it again.This past weekend, my Eradicator was eaten by a tree. I was devastated because I had put in countless hours of work building and painting it. It was my master piece. I am not known for painting my rockets but for some reason, everything I did, including the many decals, came out perfect. My wife put a positive attitude on the situation and was able to cheer me up. This week I am getting on the Sirius web site to order another one. I already read the instructions to get me psyched up about the build. I just placed my order.I am very curious to hear from others out there.Frank DeAngelo

Hey Frank,

Sorry to hear about your recent loss of your Sirius Eradicator. I honestly do feel your pain.

I suffered a similar loss of my own Sirius Eradicator a few years back at LDRS34 in Potter, NY. The Eradicator was my first MPR build, and like you, after spending a lot of time and effort on the challenging build and finish (finishing with the ring fins was "fun"), I was very happy with how nearly perfect it turned out. Only got to fly it once, however...Lost it on its maiden flight on an F50-6T...With no chute release back then, and apogee deployment, the 30" OEM chute that came with the kit was a little too big and it drifted off the field under unexpected high-level winds. Sadly, my son and I actually located the rocket in a stand of trees, but it was too high and inaccessible with the recovery equipment on hand. I even posted details of locations on TRF, hoping someone might retrieve it after I left. But it never made it's way home. Here's a link to my TRF post, including pictures:

www.rocketryforum.com/threads/lost-siriu...me-at-ldrs34.126947/

Regarding your question on how folks deal with such losses:

At one time, I thought I would do what you did and try to replace and rebuild the missing rocket. I decided to hold off for a bit before doing this (hoping the rocket might get retrieved and find it's way home, but that never happened.) In the end, I just moved on to another similar-sized MPR (The NCR SA-14 Archer). I did make a point of returning to the "scene of the crime," and launching that next rocket on the same field at URRF 3 the next year, just to prove to myself that I could successfully launch and retrieve such a rocket on that field. And since then, I've continued on my rocketry journey to eventually get my L1 cert last spring.

I've lost a couple more rockets besides that one...My son's Crossfire ISX on a C6 motor in the woods next to the old field in Sudbury, my Flis Kits Flea on an A8 motor in the woods at Acton (on a nearly windless day with a tiny 8" chute with a big venthole!), and most recently, my son's CC Express sustainer on a pair of staged C11 motors at URRF 8 at Potter. With those losses, I've decided not to try to restore the past, and have let these rockets rest in peace, living on only in photographs, launch log entries, and memory.

(However, whenever I do get a rocket back damaged, I do generally go all in to repair it to as close to it's original condition as possible.) But once lost, if it doesn't find it's way home, I let it go.

Hope your rocket does eventually come home to you before it suffers too much water damage.

Hi Dan,
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your past experiences with a very well thought out response.

The NCR SA-14 Archer is a great kit. I have a four inch version that goes back several years. I have often thought about getting the NCR version.

I agree that the 30" chute is more than what is needed. I shrifed the chute but apparently not enough.

If I lose a rocket I like to replace it as soon as I can. It helps to make me forget I lost it in the first place. There are soooo many nice kits out there that I see your point of moving on to the next one.

Like Tim Lear once said in the Rocketry Challenge program, "If it was easy, anyone could do it."