Fineas - Test Flight 1

Intro music is God Rays by Simon Chylinski from the soundtrack of one of the greatest games ever.

For more info:

[lucasjoy]

that explosion was so cool, poor guys, it was like ava's first flight

[BobbyDukeArts]

Great video! Your production value is awesome.

[ronitdn]

Hi from Space Enterprise at Berkeley! I didn't get to go out there this time but I hope you were able to meet some of our team!
When you put "idk what to put here" I felt that sooo much too hahaha especially with what I'm working on, even numbers of things helps a lot

[alexhuey]

There are a couple things that I see that could be changed resulting in a more successful flight test.

1. Bring the hinge for the fins further forward to take some of the “snap” away from the fins at aggressive AOA.

2. Update servo horn from plastic/nylon to a aluminum arm. maybe use 440 rod with ball links. Do not use piano wire and z bends and glue, the aerodynamic forces will be too great and the setup has a lot of slop if glue fails.

3. Limit the travel of the fin or use a expo curve to soften the movement as velocity increases. Slowly increase deflection each flight

(All knowledge is from time as a RC builder and pilot not to oversimplify but this is the same control method as RC aircraft)

[RinoaL]

0:05 So never go above half full, got it! thanks!

[bjarnes.]

I almost clicked away when you said sponsor. That company seems pretty nice.
Also, I thought the flight went pretty well. Flew up, wiggled its fins and had parachute deployment.

[svbeautimous]

Torquing on the fin pivot point tends to create an ossolation that is difficult to dampen. Put a control pin near the front of the fin and cut a slot in the servo wheel to drive it.

[SpacemanTarian]

I love how this started off like a documentary and ended like a good old BPS Space video with Joe doing something goofy, Can we have more of this is awesome :-)

[rickrack]

My dad worked on rocket guidance systems for General Dynamics starting in the late 1950’s to the mid 1980’s. One system he talked about, he called “dithering” where the fins shook at a small angle with a certain rate, when they wanted to change direction they would just pause at one or the other angles +/- then back to shaking/dithering. You could possibly use electromagnet switching to get rid of the mechanical linkage?

[HappYinc]

The subnautica soundtrack in the intro caught me off guard :)

[ThePhantomRocket]

the shots at 6:33 and 7:01 of it trying to correct itself and falling sideways are amazing, reminds me of shots of sn10 falling

[pesterenan]

THAT WAS AWESOME! I hope the next flight goes all right!
Well, unless you can control the pitch, then you go all left too if you want, idk

[darnelcarston]

Ok I usually never comment but the YouTube algorithm NEEDS to know this is the stuff I'm looking for. I've been following you for more than a year! 10/10 👍

[oneperspective]

The subtle whine like a large tanker falling over in silence as it fell was so weird but amazing. 6:48

[scottr.hampton]

First idea out of my head remembering V-2's... don't move the whole fin. Try hard mount main fin with servo driven tail flaps. Also check directionality of motion with the directionality of the servo rod movement. Pull, not push. Pushing the rod will bend fighting aerodynamic forces. If it needs to operate in both planes of motion use dual rods. Use metal geared servos against such high aerodynamic forces. Also suggest hinge be multi-sectioned (Like piano hinge) with 50 percent of total hinge width pins. (Note: during fin construction, bend pin ends over on both ends into slots top and bottom of flap, glue in place.) Leave space for vibration of flap. Even though you think the fin will be solid to the fuselage, vibration will close the flap gap and the flap will rub on the tube. I missed the build video for the rocket. Building a chassis for the servos to sit in that is much more stable than just mounting to a bulkhead. Next I'd limit the movement to 11.75 degrees in each direction. At the Max-Q speeds your rocket is flying, you don't need much deflection for roll control.

[dnendion]

You have a very interesting problem here with the PIDS. You will either need to write an algorithm to adjust the PIDS over the flight during powered lift or when you are flying at low speed you will have no issue as illustrated then when the speed picks up and the controls become super effective your algorithm will overcorrect and it will freak it out. I would say redesigning the fins to move the actuation point all the way to the back and the pivot to the very nose of the fin. Gets the best Mechanical Advantage at high speed and provides better servo precision. Then either go for full-on speed for the tune only or sacrifice high-speed control unless you can switch the rates between the two. Then the rocket looks like it should be great!

[Netbug]

I think having the fins mounted to the servo is a weakness. Have a passive pivot point at the leading edge, but drive them laterally from as close to the trailing edge as possible for better leverage and stability. Yes, I mean having the linkage exposed.

Great video, thanks.

[sski]

"Launching rockets in the Mojave makes you wish for a nuclear winter."
Man, it's beautiful out there. And so many folks working on their passions that there is a dedicated site to do so. I didn't know such a place existed. Very cool! I really enjoyed the video, Joe. Thanks!

[mikes]

FAR is such a great place for experimental rocketry. Those guys out there are always great.
If you're ever doing anything with canards, the solid rocket team at San Diego State University has flown and the liquid team is planning to fly a rocket with forward control surfaces.

[Nerdherfer]

I really appreciate the use of Subnautica music with your video. Love it! Would the rocket perform better if you have moving flaps on the back of the fins vs having the whole fin actuating?