(Click on the photos on this page for a larger image and additional comments.)

BDCR started out as a practice rocket that I could develop my skills at vacuum bagging. I had purchased a six-foot piece of 6” diameter fiberglass tubing from Hawk Mountain with the intention of cutting it into the correct lengths for another project. After it arrived, I realized its uniqueness and decided to make BDR, or Big Dumb Rocket with simply fins, 75 mm motor tube, electronics bay, and a nose cone.

The fins were constructed from honeycomb and carbon panels and trimmed with hardwood (photo 2).

I used Pro-Set epoxy gel to glue the wood on and then covered each side with 10 oz carbon cloth and 9 oz fiberglass (photo 3).

Each fin was vacuum bagged (photo 4) and the results were a very rigid and lightweight fin.

After the fins were attached to the motor mount tube (photo 5).

I used a carbon fiber weave epoxy and vacuum bagged the joint (photo 6).

Then I filled in the fillet with Pro-Set epoxy gel to re-enforce the joint (photo 7).

After the motor mount was installed into the body tube, the inside fin joint was also re-enforced with carbon tubing and epoxy gel (photo 8).

The outside fillet was re-enforced with carbon weave and vacuum bagged with epoxy (photo 9). Then more epoxy gel to create the fillet. (Later the fin can was also filled with expanding foam.)

The electronics bay was built on top of the motor tube and allows access for the recovery harness and motor retention (photo 10).

The original BDR had its test flight on a L850 in the summer of 2003. Unfortunately I used a deployment bag and the chute never deployed. It tumbled down and landed broadsided on the hard desert floor. Surprisingly, only a cosmetic crack occurred on one fin. I made its piston and it has flown successfully ever since.

After its third flight that fall, I just couldn’t stand flying a rocket with no payload so I adapted its nose cone to add a 16 mm high-speed movie camera renaming it to Big Dumb Camera Rocket or BDCR. The camera is capable of shooting 200 frames per second for about 35 seconds. It is activated by a camera controller via an umbilical that goes to the payload section. Many ask how it flies with the camera hanging off the side of the nose cone. It actually flies quite well. The more I fly cowlings, I’m convinced the size and shape are insignificant on the flight performance as long as the overall rocket is stable. You do need oversized fins to compensate for stability but as far as causing it to arc over, it just doesn’t happen.

At Mile High Mayhem this year (2005) it flew it twelfth flight, 9 of them were on M motors. It shows signs of wear but no indications of slowing down. This spring I rebuilt the launch pad increasing the size of the base and adding a tower. Now it is easier to mount cameras above the rocket to capture some interesting takeoff shots.

This take off shot was taken from the top of the tower at Mile High Mayhem.