Launch Reports

Finally, weather did not impact our launch event at Mill Springs as it did the previous two months.  It turned out to be a warm day with moderate winds that calmed by midafternoon.  Twenty-four participants launched a total of 102 rockets, pyramids, saucers, gizmos, and an hour glass by the end of the day.  Crosswinds created some difficult recoveries and a few sacrifices for those choosing to reach higher altitudes, but overall the day provided much enjoyment and spectator action.

Motor ignition counts were as follows:

1/4A – 1
1/2A – 5
A – 26
B – 20
C – 23
D – 16
E – 10
F – 2

Additional photos provided by Kevin Boyd: Photos from Mill Springs March Launch

The February 6^th launch event at Lilly was held under mostly cloudy skies with brisk moderate winds.  The midwinter chill did not deter twenty-one hardy participants who were encouraged by the large open field to launch ninety-three rockets.  Motor ignition counts were as follows:

• 1/2A – 1
• A – 0
• B – 7
• C – 23
• D – 16
• E – 15
• F – 18
• G – 8
• H – 8
• I – 6
• J – 2
• K – 2

The many mid to high-power rockets were thrilling to watch (and hear) while all eyes anxiously monitored the dual deployment used on many of these larger rockets.  Glenn Harper had a spectacular launch of his Polecat Aerospace Woket on a J244.  Mario had an awesome flight with his larger CTI K-powered Horizon (4.8 second burn) and Paul Farmer flew his LOC Phantom on a K500 Red.  T.J. Frishe launched his Madcow Minion Missile with a J270-W.  Chris Short provided a demo of the Jolly Logic Chute Release on a PML Phobos lofted by a H250G.  The device worked perfectly. 

Kevin Scholberg brought out an assortment of unique paradigm-changing creations that were fun to watch; the scratch-built Shining Star being my favorite.  Also of note was Eric Bessman’s Aerotech Arreaax (pronounced “Arrow”) with onboard GPS and HD camera powered by a G64W-10.  David Barber brought out a nicely finished Space X Falcon 9 Cargo and Tom Thurmond wowed us with a not so perfect flight of his Semroc Mars Lander but the stuck-landing brought out much applause.  So much more to mention, but need to get this posted today.  Some additional photos here.

Every now and then you get to a launch and the weather is prefect. Not too hot, not too windy…just perfect. Saturday December 12th was one of those days. Almost no wind and temperatures in the low 70’s. Two groups of Cub Scouts came out so the launch got hopping early on. Steve Bellio and David Cain both flew on “G” impulse motors to make liars out of those who say that Mill Springs is strictly a low power field.

Many thanks to the Scouts Leaders who bring their Scouts to our launches. It is fun, but it’s also work…..THANKS!

The motor breakdown is as follows:

• ¼A – 2
• ½A – 1
• A – 24
• B – 34
• C – 27
• D – 7
• E – 9
• F – 5
• G – 3

Total: 112 motors in 111 flights (one was a two-stage rocket)

The launch event held at Bert Adams Scout Camp was fortunate to have perfect November weather with very light winds, mild temperatures, and plenty of blue sky.  The field was easy to navigate and presented very few recovery challenges.  There were just over 200 launches accomplished with over one hundred total participants loading the launch pads.

T.J. Frishe helped get spectators excited with his Estes Leviathan on a F20-4.  Jim Cain brought out an interesting scratch-built X-Wing design with a 3-D printed nose cone with helicopter recovery boosted skyward on a D12-5 and also wowed the crowd with a Mean Machine on an E9-4.  Monica Helms launched her heads-up flight of the scratch-built Serenity on an F15-6 (SoAR members can see photos of this unique model in the SoAR Business Group Discussion) and the Space X Dragon on a G79W.  Kevin Scholberg brought out many Art Applewhite saucers and other unique rockets including a scratch-built Day Glow II that was eye-catching (which was fortunate for the successful tree recovery team).  Steve Bellio launched his 9” Pyramid on a F23-4FJ which was awesome to watch (twice), had a successful flight and recovery of his LOC EZI-65 on a G78-4G, and an Estes stretched-out Argent on a E30-4T.  David Fields arrived with a selection of his own designs including his three stage (D12-0, B6-0, A8-3) F-7 that arched out over the tall trees in the distance and seemed to leave earth’s orbit (okay, slight exaggeration) but was soon returned by a scout from a neighboring field.  Wow – merit badge!  David also had a great spectator flight of his F-13 R/C boost glider.

And these were just some of the standouts.

Motor ignition statistics: Six 1/2A, thirty A, seventy-nine B, fifty-four C, eleven D, nine E, eight F, and three G.

We had a super day at the Lilly launch on September 19. The weather was temperate, lower in humidity and even the gnats behaved. However, the breeze was not so compliant. Twenty-nine flyers popped off 128 flights over the course of the day.

The stats are as follows:

• ½A – 1
• A – 5
• B – 8
• C – 22
• D – 13
• E – 21
• F – 15
• G – 19
• H – 18
• I – 5
• J – 4
• K – 1

In that mix were three clusters and three staged rockets. If anybody knows which motors were used in the box of crayons, we can update the stats accordingly.

There was an interesting variety of rockets in the mix. Among the multiple drag races during the day was an eclectic match between Glenn Harper’s 24” Wocket saucer and March Briner’s upscale Applewhite Stealth powered by a J244 and an H123 respectively. Perhaps the most interesting drag race of the day was Dan Sitz’s Box of Crayons. It was a launcher filled with six crayon rockets and painted to look like, you guessed it, a crayon box. The relay in the launcher almost did the trick, igniting five of the six crayons.

Congratulations go to Tim Johnson and his Level 2 flight with his “Ready Freddy” under J240 power.

But luck was not with all flyers. The I150 in Glenn’s Superbird featured “bonus” delay that led to a less than optimal recovery. Patrick Adams discovered that an Odd’l Rockets Up Cup does not play well with a CHAD-staged C6-0/A8 combo. March’s Jupiter C because a Jupiter “2A” when the central C of the A10/C6/A10 cluster did not ignite. Tom Kinard flew, rather ignited, the only ½ A of the day. His competition-style rocket glider hung on the pad when a gust of
wind torqued the wing.

Throughout the day, Mario Panebianco operated a booth promoting breast cancer awareness. As he solicited donations to his cause, he hawked “Dudes for Boobs” t-shirts and collected signatures on his honking big Pink Journey bird. The Journey posted a thrilling flight with a K375NW motor. If you see him at a future launch, please contribute to his worthy cause.

After the launch, a small group of hungry SoAR members invaded the Sonny’s BBQ in Perry for mass consumption, plenty of gab, and eclectic humor. No surprise there.

—report from William Bercini, filling in for Jeff Coons.

Monica Helms’ video of the launch:

Moderate temperatures and mild northwesterly winds pushed away morning clouds to make for a very delightful day for our September 12^th Mill Springs launch event.  We had sixteen participants loading the pads at a leisurely pace to launch sixty-two rockets.  Motor selection included five 1/2A, sixteen A, nineteen B, fourteen C, six D, four E, and a single G.  The B6-4 was the most prevalent selection.

Of special interest was Gabriel’s New Way Sky Spike shaped like a railway spike but actually flew straight and true on a C6-3.  There was Joel Downs Estes MIRV with a spectacular flight starting with a B6-0 booster stage igniting three MIRV rockets each on A3-4T separating into their own trajectories.  Glenn Harper tempted fate with his One Big Rush on a G74 which was recovered successfully with a little help from the SoAR tree recovery team (a.k.a. Jorge with a long stick), and we had a few CATOs that provided some ground-level drama.   Kevin Scholberg launched an Estes Ascender on an E15-4W and completed a dozen other flights while Marcus had an excellent flight with his Sky Dart II glider as well as his Space Shuttle.

So a moderate-size turnout making for a very comfortable and relaxing day to participate and to be a spectator on a late summer afternoon.

Photo coverage provided by Kevin Boyd: Mill Springs September 12th photos

The launch event at Herb Belins’ field in Ball Ground was held against a scenic backdrop of rolling hills and a blue sky peppered with cumulus clouds and with calm to moderate winds. This large field attracted seventy-eight participants who achieved a total of one hundred and eighty-five launches. This made for a very busy day with many extraordinary rockets streaking skyward to sight-challenging altitudes.

Although some recoveries required good stamina to navigate the hilly terrain the large open area provided excellent recovery results. Including the many multi-stage and cluster motor flights, the total engine ignition count was as follows: A – seventeen, B – twenty-eight, C – fifty, D – twenty-five, E – forty-five, F – eighteen, G – thirteen.

The most popular motor choice was the C6-5 followed by the E9-4. The many mid-powered flights, beautiful scale models, high-lofted gliders and Ron Stancil’s R/C boost gliders made this event a spectator bonanza and an enjoyable day for all those who came out.

The July 11^th Mill Springs Launch was held on a warm… ok… hot and sunny day with moderate winds helping to keep things a bit more comfortable, but sometimes complicating some of the recoveries. The forecasted ninety plus temperatures did not deter the fifty-eight participants who filled the skies with one hundred and forty five launches during a very busy morning and early afternoon. Cub Scouts helped to bolster the number of participants at the start of the day, but by late morning we settled into a steady flow of launches which resulted in the following motor selection counts: nine 1/2A motors, twenty-seven A motors, forty B, fifty-seven C, five D, four E, two F. The most common motor used was the C6-5.

Herb launched an Art Applewhite Saucer on an F16-6 and Steve Bellio sent his PML Small Endeavor skyward on a F42-4T. There were other remarkable launches including Kevin Boyd’s Estes Executioner powered by E motors and LK’s scratch built Sputnik lofted by an A10-3T motor. There were four two stage launches all using B6-0s in their booster stage.

With lots of shade and plenty of hydration the day was enjoyable by all those in attendance. Some of my favorite rockets names for this event were “More Sharks Flying”, “Super Kitty Eleven”, “Claptrap”, and “Red Neck Rocket”… who comes up with this stuff?