Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue
A Customer's Review of Blue Tube 2.0
Dave,
I highly appreciate your Blue Tubes for rocket projects. They are easy and clean when cutting to length, hold epoxy very well, and are a leader (my opinion) in value of strength/price. In a Systems Engineering comparison they are my choice for the majority of custom builds.
Thanks!!
Sidney MacArthur
john's Level 3
Hi Dave, I finished my Level 3 rocket today with the blue tube you sold me last spring and I wanted to share a picture and thank you for bringing us blue tube.
-John Stern
Tall Boy
Hi Dave
This was my Level 1 Certification Flight
Rocket Name : Tall Boy
Airframe: 2.56 Blue Tube
Motor : H1115 DM 29mm
Length : 57 inches tall
NAR Level 1 Certification
November 17, 2020
Thanks ,
Marcello Fracassa
DEFIANT PK-10
Hi Dave,
Reinforced the predator per your suggestion. She did fantastic on a K 820 surpassing Mach and nearly 12 k altitude.I attached a g
reat shot of it just coming off the pad. Thanks for your help! Feel free to use the picture however you wish if it’s at all helpful.
Thanks!
Craig Anderson
BLUEFIN-TUBA 3
Hi Dave,
You may want to hear about a Blue Tube rocket I flew this weekend at Black Rock. It is a minimum diameter 3″ tube-fin design that I optimized for versatility. Blue Tube is light enough for this rocket to fly on unregulated single-use G80 motors. Blue Tube is also strong enough to take an M650 and go over 14,000′. This is 7 impulse classes in one rocket and 7 flights in one day. 
Crucially, Blue Tube’s impact resistance allows the tube fins to survive harsh desert floor landings without fraying. I find it hard to imagine building a rocket light enough and strong enough out of any other material. This rocket follows my experiments with a smaller, 38mm version of the same design which has flown on E through J motors–6 impulse classes.
You can find more information about the 3-inch version here: http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?67358-Bluefin-Tuba-3-quot
and the 1.5″ version here:
http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?60951-Bluefin-Tuba
Thank you for this exciting material.
Ari Krupnik
Oops I knew I forgot something.
This is a story and testimony to the strength and durability of the Blue Tube product.
As with most of us rocketeers out there at some point you make a mistake. On this flight I forgot to attach the D ring from the booster section to the AV bay the main chute charge went off but the chute was packed too tightly and did not deploy. Needless to say I was in trouble. This flight was on a 54mm L700 and achieved 11600′. The buster descended under a 12″ drogue fairly quickly impacted with no damage. The forward section and the AV bay descended at 96 fps according to the perfect flight telemetry. The last four altitude points were 100′ 0′ 50′ 0′ witch tells me it hit the ground bounced 50′ in the air.
The pics show the only sustained damage from the impact. A small crack in the AV bay and a FUBAR nose cone.(notice the shoulder is missing) The sled detached it self from the brass tubes.
I can’t say enough about this product other than I will continue building my rockets from Blue Tube.
I am currently in the preliminary design process of my level 3 project. 6″ dia 10′ long basic blue with 98mm motor mount.
Thanks Dave keep up the good work.
Carey Allen
Mellow Yellow
Sir, I believe you are being conservative on your motor recommendations for the Basic Blues 3. I have a 54mm MMT version that just flew on a CTi L265 Mellow Yellow. At 11lb loaded, it left the pad with authority on its 10 second burn to 15304ft and around 1500ft/second. This is one helluva tough bird you have designed!
I am linking a Youtube video of the flight.
Thanks
Rob Appleton
Basic Blues 3 on a CTi L265 Mellow Yellow.
Mega Phenix
I made a 6″ Mega Phenix with Blue Tube 2.0 with custom fins for a project made by Dave at ARR and it turned out beautiful. This tube is strong! How strong you ask, well let me tell you. On the second flight one of my altimeters fired early just after motor burn of a L900 Dark Matter at an estimated speed of about 400mph separating the rocket and deploying the drogue chute. The drogue chute shredded of course while putting so much negative G’s the upper section the nosecone sheared its three 4/40 shear pins and deployed the main chute. This all happened in about a second and a half. I expected to retrieve my rocket with zippers and no telling what other kind of damage from this. When I got to where it landed I was amazed that there was no zippers or anything wrong with the rocket at all, ready to fly again with only minor shock cord rash on the paint job!
THX Dave and ARR hats off for an amazing product!
Chris Nolan