Launch Report, August 27-28, 2005

Good weather almost always means a lot of rockets flying at Whitakers. This month was a very puzzling exception: There were only 25 to 30 cars on-site at the maximum on Saturday, and a lot of them were spectators, only 52 flights were recorded on Saturday. This strange lack of participation coincided with finest rocketry weather in many months: the temperature and humidity were way down (relatively), the air was clear, the winds were calm, and the sky was filled with beautiful, white, fluffy clouds. The only (minor) meteorological problem was the wind direction, which tended towards the church.

Here is a motor use summary table:

In spite of the small number of flights, there were a lot of people clearly interested in advancing through the certification process (or re-certification). Adam Attarian made a perfect Tripoli Level 1 cert flight with his Quasar using the Aerotech H128W, and Becky Blackley also passed the Tripoli Level 1 milestone with a fine flight of her E-Z I with the Aerotech H180W. Congratulations to both of you! Welcome (back) to High Power.

Rik Faith, John Hamill, and Alan Rose all passed the Tripoli L2 written exam. We can expect some fabulous L2 cert flights from each of them this fall.

Another milestone recorded on one flight card was just as important but often not recorded. Pat McNabb made her first model rocket flight with a rocket called Starhawk powered by an Estes A8. I hope she was just as proud of her accomplishment as our certifying flyers and that she will return to fly many more rockets with us.

Eddie Haith flew the biggest rocket on the biggest motor on Saturday, by loading up his Last Call with an Aerotech K550W. Perfect flight and recovery.

Stan Wilkins conducted a very fine staged flight with his MiniBBX with Terrier Booster which was loaded with an I211W staging to an H180W. Everything lit up and popped out right on schedule, for a beautiful flight. I got involved in a search for Ed Rowe’s lost King Viper shortly after that flight, so I don’t know how the search for the sustainer turned out, but I hope it was recovered intact. The altitude was prodigious!

This month’s best rocket name is from Jessica Harasti, a completely scratch-built rocket constructed from parts from a doctor’s office, called the Pee Chuter, with a nose-cone made from a urine specimen cup. The rocket flew extremely well on a C6.

Of course there is always some rocket name that completely baffles me. I sense there is an interesting story behind these names but I never find out. Adam Steege flew a staged project (C6 to C6) with the intriguing name Don’t They Call Him Dave?

Here is a picture of a fascinating rocket built and flown by David Hash after a Jim Flis design. It first flew as the Foam Cup Saucer, sustained some damage that inspired some fine engineering, and returned to fly later as the Extended-Shock Absorbing Foam Cup Flying Saucer.

Photo by Joe Harasti

The heat and humidity returned in force on Sunday, but the winds were calm and the sky was just as clear and pretty as Saturday. Only 3 flights were attempted and all were successful.

Dave Muesing flew his Moose on a small L sugar motor for a perfect flight: straight up and out of sight, followed by a perfect 2-stage recovery. Welcome to High Altitude, Dave!!

Alan Whitmore flew his Smooth Green Snake on a 4-grain 38mm I motor made from some old ‘Ghetto Blaster’ grains [black iron oxide catalyzed APCP] to 4437 feet and a perfect recovery, and the GFI flew on a 2-grain 54mm small J motor made from Ferric Fudge. The lift-off was instantaneous and after about 0.7 seconds of burn, the rocket coasted to 2100 feet. The main parachute came out at apogee, but at that time the wind was dead calm, and recovery was very easy.

A number of expeditions extended the search for Ed Rowe’s King Viper across the road and back to the tree line behind the white trailer between the 2 churches, with no success. The woods behind the church are almost solid with briar, poison ivy, and thick, thorny stalks of some evil devil-spawned plant I have never seen before. Its sharp, strong, straight thorns can rip denim and cut into flesh like fish-hooks. The scratches they make burn and itch for days. If you manage to thrash and cut your way a few yards into the interior of these woods, the air is thick with mosquitos, biting flies and gnats. Every branch and leaf is coated with ticks and chiggers. The ground rapidly slopes down to the treacherous and muddy banks of several small reed-choked and polluted streams, in whose fetid and greasy mud one could toil for hours without reaching the opposite bank.

If the King Viper fell in the cotton fields, which are now chest-high in thick, verdant cotton plants, it will not be seen until the cotton is harvested in October. If it has fallen in the woods beyond the cotton, it may never be seen again.

Alan Whitmore, Prefect, Tripoli East NC