November 14th Bert Adams Launch Report

Nov 14, 2015

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.

Report from Lilly (September)

Sep 30, 2015

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:

September 12th Mill Springs Launch Report

Sep 12, 2015

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