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: