Launch Report March 19-20, 2005

A note about the weather… The reader must be aware that my impressions of the weather are just that, my own impressions. Other people experience the same weather conditions on the same day and come away with very different impressions. I thought that Saturday was dreadful: cold, windy, extremely damp, with standing water everywhere, and the wind blew directly towards the church on route 33, behind which are the nastiest briar swamps in eastern North Carolina. I was cold to the bone, losing feeling in my feet and hands, and didn’t feel like flying anything.

But the field was filled with children who were immune to the cold and flying rockets as fast as they could load them up. David Cox and Mark Miller were wearing T-shirts and were very comfortable. I was in 6 layers of coats and sweat-shirts and shivering hard and miserable.

A very important note: David Rushing has successfully arranged for another porta-potty company to maintain our facilities. But the old porta-potty, that has not been serviced since November, is still on the site, so be aware. This distinction will become more important as the weather warms up, if you understand my implication.

Let’s insert the motor use summary here, then we’ll get into details of some interesting flights:

Saturday was pretty heavily oriented to the smaller motors, which is a reflection of the 3 large of groups of kids in attendance. We hosted 2 cub-scout groups, one from Cary, and another group of kids, also from Cary. Lots and lots of flight cards filled out by youngsters, most of them fun to read and decipher, but one slightly unsettling card from ‘Brandon’ who flew a rocket named B.T.K., which I sincerely hope was not inspired by the recent serial killer brought to justice in Wichata Falls, or some such mid-America ‘burg.

Tim and Katie Morrison made 5 flights with their camera rocket, so there should be some good aerial photographs of our field out there somewhere.

I count at least 11 flights by William Stewart, who was really burning up the A through C range this weekend! Mike McBurnett was testing a small model of a rocket he plans to upscale for Black Rock, that he called the Raven. It flew very well on an A8 and shredded on a D21. Maybe something in the B or C range would have been an appropriate choice for a second trial? Dave Morey had a fine flight of his radio-controlled Arcie II even in the high wind.

We had two level 2 certification flights on Saturday, and neither of them were complete successes. Evan Daniel flew his Blue Moon on the amazing Loki Research J555 which was going extremely well until the main parachute failed to deploy. Only slight damage, he should be back soon for another attempt. Ken Stroud flew his rocket called Cert 2 on an Aerotech J90W. The problem with this flight is that no-one has seen the rocket since the motor burnt out. If the rocket is recovered in what we interpret to be flyable shape, Ken gets his L2 cert, if not, he has to start over again. So please be on the lookout for a white rocket, 48” long, 3” in diameter, with ¼” launch lugs, and a totally homemade nose cone.

Sunday’s weather was a lot better, early fog clearing by 11:00 to a warm, calm, sunny spring day. David Cox finally found the structural limits of one of Art Applewhite’s flying saucers when he put a 2-grain H motor with a 6% brass formula in his Big Orng. The central struts broke out and flew quite stably with the motor.

Mike McBurnett has recently combined some of the parts of an Iroc with other parts from an Onyx to create a rocket called the Ironyx. This one flew on a J300 made from a blue-flame propellant.

Dave Muesing flew his Moose on a sugar motor in the L range. This was a very long burn but the rocket was on a slanted path and was recovered a long way away. We may need to take up a collection to buy a RRC2 for Dave, he desperately needs 2-stage recovery.

Mark Lloyd brought back the rebuilt Magnum for a flight with a 2-stage 76mm K900. This was a great flight, recovered intact. Mike McBurnett flew his Soliton on a J305 on a purple flame formula for a fine flight to 6050’.

David Cox teamed up with Alan Whitmore to fly his Juggernaut on a cluster of 6 Ferric Fudge 38mm motors, 2 full I’s, 2 mid I’s, and 2 H’s, with an Aerotech K700W. All of the Ferric Fudge motors had burnt out by the time the K700W managed to light, but the flight was successful, to about 3500’.

Jim Livingston flew his 99 pound Viper on an N3590 made by Alan Whitmore from a formula with 7% aluminum and no burn rate catalyst. The sound was prodigious, and the altimeters reported 6316’ and 6549’. Recovery was perfect, right in the middle of some very calm cows

Alan Whitmore, Prefect, Tripoli East NC