July 8th Mill Springs Launch Report

Jul 8, 2023

The July 8^th Mill Springs Academy launch event was well attended with many families coming out for the first time to enjoy a summer day of rocketry.  Range setup was completed by the 9:00 event start time under very warm and humid conditions under sunny skies.  As the day progressed the moderate wind provided some relief to the rising temperatures but challenged those seeking higher altitudes to keep recoveries near the launch area where field conditions were less difficult to navigate.  By the end of the event the forecasted threat of afternoon rain never materialized allowing forty-six participants to accomplish a total of 153 launches.

Many of these were the rocket’s first flights.  Brandon Lange’s Athena was sent skyward powered by an E12 for its maiden flight and his Honest John went up on a D12 with camera.  Frank Gugert launched a unique non-symmetric design and beautifully finished Fliskits Night Whisper on a B6 for an impressive first flight.  Other spectacular first flights were made by David Lange with an Estes Red Nova going up on a D12 and his Estes Green Lightning also powered by a D12 for their first flights.

Also notable were multi-motor flights like Ron Stancil’s three stage Estes Mini Comanche III that went up on A10-0/A10-0/A10-3T and successfully recovered.  John Cooper launched (twice) his Estes Star Chaser on a pair of B6-4s and Kevin Scholberg sent up his Estes Side Kick on two A8-3s.

By the 2:00 event end time the heat and humidity was at its July peak and range take-down was accomplished by a few stalwart volunteers and the day was considered a great success.

Event Photos

Motor Ignition Counts:
A – 61
B – 40
C – 32
D – 11
E – 13

June 24th Dawsonville Launch Report

Jun 24, 2023

The launch pads stayed busy at the SoAR Dawsonville launch event on June 24^th.  Gusting winds were prevalent throughout the day and made some recoveries a bit of a walk, but also helped moderate the summer heat in the afternoon.  Clear skies in the morning encouraged an excellent turn-out with a total of thirty-six participants who accomplished 120 launches.  The parking, rocket prep, and launching area had been recently mowed which made getting to/from launch control easy and supporting family members were able to watch the action up close.

There were many great flights including those by Barry Savory who launched his LOC Goblin for its first flight on a F67 and two flights of his Apogee Zephyr Jr. on D12s.  Chris flew his Estes Der Violet Max powered by a F52 and recovered with the use of a Jolly Logic chute release set for 400 feet.  He also sent up his LOC Lil’ Hulk on an E30.  More mid-power excitement was provided by Wayne with his MAC Performance Atomic Number 29 going up with a G76 and Kevin Scholberg had his Art Applewhite Priority Stealth boosted by a G35 and an excellent scale flight of a refurbished Semroc Saturn 1B on an E28 that came from Roy’s collection.  Near the end of the event Dave Fountain placed his Pratt Hobbies B.O.B. out on the pads with a G76 for a straight-up flight to one of the day’s highest altitudes but unfortunately its recovery may not have been successful.

Launch activity stayed busy up to the very end of the event time and afterwards there were many who remained to help take down the launch equipment – very much appreciated.  Some pictures from the event can be found [here].

Motor Ignition counts:
A – 21
B – 22
C – 42
D – 24
E – 10
F – 7
G – 3