It was a great day for flying rockets at Mill Springs, but it was VERY hot, and most people had left by 2:30 PM so the launch ended early at just after 3 PM. But no matter, it was still a full day of flying. 135 rockets from 33 flyers left the pad, not counting the scout launch that was held in the morning hours before the club launch started at 11 AM. Most rockets were recovered easily because of the calm winds that prevailed for the morning, though winds picked up a tad later, claiming a rocket or two in the trees. Ok, so Tom Lacock was struck by bad luck with five rockets lost!
In fact, the air was so calm that Ron Stancil threw caution to it, and launched his two-staged Estes Load Star (modified for 24mm motors — D12-0 to D12-5 — and got it back!
Other significant flights included Ron Hender’s 1/100 Saturn V making a nice flight on an E20-4 motor. Ron recently returned to the hobby after twenty years and made eleven flights in all. Not to be outdone, Kevin Scholberg made seventeen flights, including a flight of what he calls, “the most hilarious rocket ever made,” the big silver inflatable Estes Dude! Ron Stancil showed his prowess with boost gliders flying his Edmonds’ Geminee (twin gliders) and Deltie Air Show (three gliders boosted on one flight!). of which he got most of the gliders back! Leaor Schwartz also flew a boost glider from J&H Aerospace, but made a faux pas when he flew his son’s 1/200 scale Saturn V, but forgot to attach the clear fin unit, resulting in a sudden 360 degree flip about 20 feet into the flight!
Jonathan Baez lofted a hen’s egg twice, and it survived! The Wilferts’ and Tom Kinard flew a variety of Vorticos which are always popular. Jose Morales’ flights averaged at the top of the impulse scale. Tim Gray, Tom Lacock, and Kevin all flew Mean Machines. Finally, there were a couple of different cameras flown, Including the new Estes Astrocam of which Roy Green made two flights, and you can see the results of the second one below.
You may have noticed we haven’t had Launch Reports for the last few launches. If you’re good at brief, illustrative prose, and you remember a bit of what was launched (especially for the last couple of launches) , then you too can be a Launch Reports Writer.
Basically, you just pay attention to a few notable flights at the launch, be able to describe the whole day in a few sentences, and be around at the end of the day to pick up the flight cards from the LCO table. Then, when you get home, compile the statistics from the cards (just the total of the types of motors) and write a couple of paragraphs about the launch. Look at the other reports on this page for examples. You can then send this all to Roy through the contact page on the website, and sit back and wait for it to magically appear! Roy has the stats for the July Mill Springs and Dawsonville launches; he just needs a couple of paragraphs on each.
The March 14th Launch Event at Mill Springs was delayed by light rain and then ended early due to a more persistent soaking. Nonetheless there were fifteen participants who were able to squeeze in thirty-five launches in the 90-minute event window.
A couple of standouts included Leaor’s J&H Aerospace One Sheet Glider that was boosted up on a 1/2A3 and at an apogee release proceeded to glide in a very long duration circular glide. Well done. Kevin sent his Estes R2-D2 up with a D16 and its recovery involved three parts (as designed). Jorge got to launch his Estes Outlander for another spectacular flight as it leaves the launch pad on a D12. [Photos by Kevin Boyd] [Additional event photos]
The February 29th launch event at Dawsonville was held under sunny skies but very constant and chilly winds that presented some difficult challenges. Braving these conditions were sixteen participants who accomplished fifty-two launches.
Looking to test their skills in calculating launch angles against wind speeds, total thrust, and descent rates we had Dan Smith launching an Estes Savage two stage rocket with a D12/B6 and a LOC IRIS with a F37. Ray Lecture had a good flight with his Mega Red Max on a F67. Kevin Scholberg brought out some of his very creative rockets that were shown at the last RocketTalk meeting like the Star Struck, Oooh! Shiny!, and Silifin. Jorge launched his Outlander on its first flight on a D12. [event photos]
Favorable weather but very difficult field conditions welcomed thirty participants and family members to the January 26th Taylorsville high power launch event. Range setup was challenged by a rain-saturated field and a long haul from the SoAR equipment trailer to the launch area. Once underway there were seventy-four launches accomplished.
The many high-powered flights made the day exciting for all of those who attended. Although recoveries were made more difficult by the soggy conditions, the soft ground also helped prevent or minimize damage when things didn’t go as well as planned. With some upper level winds from the west there were a few rockets that drifted beyond the field perimeter when reaching the highest altitudes.
The December 14th Mill Springs launch began under grey clouds but later cleared with moderate winds and cool temperatures throughout the afternoon. There were twenty participants who accomplished a total of sixty-one launches during the event. And yes, with the brisk winds at times we did help decorate a tree or two with some colorful ornaments.
Some of the standouts during the day included David Cain’s Semroc Little Joe II with a re-engineered tower assembly and flown successfully with a B6, a spectacular launch of Kevin Scholberg’s Estes Executioner power by an E30, and a beautifully built and finished Estes Dark Silver flown by Tom Thurmond with a B6.
Lots of families were in attendance who enjoyed participating and watching all the action during the event. [Some event photos here]
Motor Ignition Counts:
