FLIGHT FIELD
Field Size
According to the National Association of Rocketry (NAR), "the flying field shall have a ground area whose shortest dimension is no less than one-fourth (1/4) the anticipated maximum altitude of the rockets to be flown." In order to fly each engine designation, the following estimated flight fields are required:
Our Flight Field
The satellite image to the left shows the largest clear launch area on school grounds. Following the rough scale provided by Google Maps, three-quarters of an inch is approximately equal to 200 feet. Since the diameter of the circle is roughly four inches, our flight field can be said to have a diameter of about 1,067 ft. This makes it safe to launch A-G engines.
Since our rocket will be launched with a C engine, we can indeed use this flight field for the Hyper Bat.
Since our rocket will be launched with a C engine, we can indeed use this flight field for the Hyper Bat.
Parts of the Field
According to Estes Rocketry 101 document, the image below shows the setup of a flight field and positions of the stations.
Important jobs on the flight field include trackers, recovery team, and the range safety officer.
The trackers are responsible for watching the rocket launch and fly so as to help determine altitude and air time as well as assist the recovery team in finding the direction of the landed rocket.
The recovery team retrieves the rocket after it lands.
The range safety officer makes sure that the rocket is safe to launch and that other conditions, such as aircraft, will not interfere with its flight (and that the rocket will not interfere with the safety of other flights).
The trackers are responsible for watching the rocket launch and fly so as to help determine altitude and air time as well as assist the recovery team in finding the direction of the landed rocket.
The recovery team retrieves the rocket after it lands.
The range safety officer makes sure that the rocket is safe to launch and that other conditions, such as aircraft, will not interfere with its flight (and that the rocket will not interfere with the safety of other flights).
Wind
In this picture, the wind is blowing in the direction that the flags are pointing, so to the left of the picture away from the crowd.
We launch rockets into the wind. They tend to turn into the wind, and watching it away from the wind could cause it to turn and come straight at the launcher, conveniently standing behind it. |
This arrow indicates the fins, where the wind will affect the rocket the most.
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Altitude
The device at left is used to determine the angle of elevation of the rocket at its highest point. Using this angle and some trigonometry, you can easily determine the altitude of your rocket's flight.
The trackers stand on the opposite side of the launch pad because it is safer and easier to measure the altitude angle and keep an eye on the rocket.
The trackers' distance from the launch pad should be roughly the expected altitude of the rocket. For the Hyper Bat, this is 2125 feet. (So, in the diagram below, A=2125 feet or 647.9 m.)
Considering that the tracker's relationship to the rocket in the air is roughly a triangle, as shown in the diagram, the equation below can be used.
The trackers' distance from the launch pad should be roughly the expected altitude of the rocket. For the Hyper Bat, this is 2125 feet. (So, in the diagram below, A=2125 feet or 647.9 m.)
Considering that the tracker's relationship to the rocket in the air is roughly a triangle, as shown in the diagram, the equation below can be used.