Launch Report, September 27-28, 2008

The corn has been harvested from the Paul Farm near Bayboro, and it is time to crank up our 08-09 launch schedule. On Saturday, the weather was almost perfect, the recent tropical storm had wheeled off to the west several days before, leaving the field damp but walkable. The breezes tended to push parachutes off to the NNE, which, in the middle distance, involved some serious soybeans, the only real problem for the weekend.

First, the much-anticipated motor use summary:

Size	Sat	Sun	Total
A	3		3
B	1		1
C	4		4
D	7		7
E	1		1
F	6		6
G	10		10
H	1	1	2
I	1		1
J
K		1	1
L or M		1	1
Total	34	3	37

Insert the standard scolding here directed at the hundreds of North Carolina flyers who passed up a weekend of wonderful weather at the biggest field with the highest waiver east of the Mississippi.

Two amusing rocket names of note: David Hash and Greg and Ben Izatt brought out their latest TARC contender, an adjustable cluster flyer called The Ever-Fragrant Perfume of Divinity, and Tommy Harrell brought out a new Semroc kit called the Gee-Haad. Pronounce it to get the "joke". I can’t quite place the literary reference for the Hash/Izatt project, but it reminds me of a G. K. Chesterton phrase, "The lingering stench of sancitmony", but I don’t really know where the lads got their inspiration.

Speaking of T. Harrell, Tommy made his first altimeter flight this weekend, using the new Missile-Works unit for several very informative flights in his new 4" Test Bed. Tommy has obviously seen the wide open spaces at Bayboro, and understood the 16,000 foot waiver and begun to put 2 and 2 together.

Several old friends showed up, including Stew McNabb who flew a pile of rockets and suffered the loss (in the soybeans) of two aging classics, including an ESTES Goblin that he built in 1978. This is a real loss! We had a bunch of flyers on-site who were not yet born in 1978.

The real good news was the number of new flyers who visited Bayboro for the first time. I want to recognize Craig Anfinsen, Mark Hartmann, Greg Henderson, and Jacob Miskow and encourage all of you to come back again (when the soybeans have been cut?)

We had two commercial motor CATO’s this weekend, a D12 and a F23 popped one or both of their bulkheads upon ignition. An anomaly, I hope.

Sunday was clear, calm and warm: a perfect day to fly rockets. The only problem was that only 2 people showed up to fly. I was there, so I can give you the whole story: Alan Whitmore flew his new V2 on a 3 grain 38mm motor made from some sort of propellant that is not really clear to your correspondent. The result was a fast boost to 1950 feet and a successful recovery directed by the new ARTS2 altimeter. Then, Jim Livingston flew his EXTREMELY stout Carolina Skies on a 2 grain 76mm K motor made from CP3 to more than 5000 feet. The rocket made its way back to earth unseen and unheard, but Mr. Walston’s device brought it home easily. At about 2:30, Alan Whitmore launched Red Rudy on a 76 mm motor that was right on the L/M dividing line. The altitude was over 9000 feet and the max speed was 943 feet per second, up near the Mach 0.9 region, and recovery was entirely successful, even though the Walston unit parted company with the rocket when the main parachute came out at 1000 feet. The Walston transmitter was recovered about 80 yards in the soybeans, more than 100 yards away from the rest of the rocket. At this point, some very menacing clouds convinced us to pack up the equipment and get off the field.

I’ll see you all at WELD (Oct 11-12)!!!

Alan Whitmore

Prefect, Tripoli East NC

Photos by Dave Morey

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