Mach Wave I

Mach Wave I is a 4″ cardboard Madcow Patriot kit. It was the followup to my previous Level 1 rocket that was lost to high winds in a tree. I earned my Level 1 and 2 certifications with this kit and after 3 years launched again on my first-ever research motor. 

This kit isn’t one I’d recommend simply because it is too unstable. The fins are small and the kit therefore requires significant nose weight to handle 38mm I and J motors. During summer 2019, I used my roommate’s CNC machine to cut some fin extensions that I epoxied onto the existing fins and added a layer of fiberglass across each joint. Unfortunately, I undersized them and the kit is still not as stable as I would like. It has worked well enough for launching 4 grain research motors, and I intend to keep using it for that purpose. I also retrofitted a crude altimeter sled to deploy the main at apogee for research motor flights that don’t use motor-based ejection. 

While not pretty, it is great for launching new research motors, and if a motor were to CATO and destroy the booster section, I wouldn’t be too mad. It can be fun to have a kit that is tough and a bit crude.