Launch Report April 20 2008

Welcome All Rocketeers, Sunday, April 20th.
Sunday was better in most respects, more sun, no rain but we should have
expected that there would be some kind of breeze and light to stiff winds
pushing the rain front out. It was easy to cope with but a nuisance just the same.

Lost and Found= Brad Shea and Bob Bernatchez, while across the creek
successfully retrieving one of Bob�s rockets returned with a white Mustang with kit
decals, black nose cone and red nylon streamer. I took it home and after
braking and cutting up the disposable engine to get it out, the rocket was dried
and cleaned, and is, I think, in good enough shape to fly again.
Low Power flights= LP. Mid Powered flights= MP. High Powered flights=
HP.
It was a quiet easy going Sunday, we had 12 listed fliers and had 35
recorded flights.
Ashley Bergsmith Flew her Estes �Metalizer� on LP.
John Bergsmith also returned and flew his �Weasel�, �Eliminator� and a �
Super Big Bertha� all on MP motors. A custom design built with music CD�s, a
flying �CD Spool� flew like spools usually do on a LP motor. I liked how the
sun catch�s the colors reflected off the CD disks.
Roy Potter. I flew the �Atomic Red� on MP, with the second flight the
fishing snap link gave and the chute separated, but the big fins kept it flying
mostly flat and luckily picked a soft spot of ground. OK, OK, no fishing snap
links on the heavier rockets. The �White Dwarf�, �Stars and Stripes�, and
the �Union Jack� all flew on MP, but I tried to long of a delay on the �Union
Jacks� last flight and darted followed by the ejection charge afterwards.
Body tube split and compressed, so a body tube replacement will be required. My
new �Thumper�, made from the remains of 3 other rockets also flew on MP
motors.
Malcom Smith Flew a Loc �Onyx� on MP, and an old Estes classic �Maxi Alpha
3� on LP. Haven�t seen one of those in stock condition in years. He also
had the only cluster launch for the weekend with the Loc �Star Burst� with 2
LP motors.
Bob Bernatchez returned with his �Matra Magic R550� French missile, the �
AGM 78� missile and a �Big Brute� all flown on MP motors. His �D-Region
Tomahawk� flew on LP.
Mike O�Hara came out and flew a �Big Daddy� and a �G-Force� on MP motors.
A rocket named the �Super-X� kit bashed from Estes Executioner kits, flew
on MP.
Emily Nelson brought out and flew her rocket named after her favorite
Renaissance comedy act, �The Tortuga Twins� on MP.
Charlie Ogino reflew his �TARC� competition rocket on MP redlines and a
scratch built LP �Mono Copter� that had centrifugal stress issues. They are
neat when they fly.
Brad Shea has been working on a large high impact plastic spool that he has
decided to call �I Drank What?� It flew on a HP motor without a engine
ejection and used a slimshot ejection control instead. The chute was successfully
deployed due to centrifugal force and the ejection went off on the ground.
It was impressive though.
Owen Barber flew his silver rocket called �The Working Silver Speed Demon�
on LP motors.
Ralph Roberts flew his newly scratch built HP rocket that looks like a
Estes Cosmic Cobra, so he simply calls it �Cosmic� on MP for is first flight.
Amanda Roberts flew a Estes �Max Trac� with a built in altimeter on LP and
then had the last flight of the day with a Mad Cow kit that she calls �Cow
Bunga� on MP for its first flight.
OK, that�s how Sunday ended and we had plenty of daylight to clean and store
all the equipment.
Hope a lot of you can come down to Orangeburg the end of May for the NAR Nat
Sport Launch. Fliers from Maine to Florida and as far west as Texas are
expected to come. So even if you might not have anything to fly, its worth it
just to watch the show, and usually there are venders galore to shop at.
Take I-77 south to Columbia and turn onto I-26 south to exit 154A to the
Super Sod farm almost in sight of the exit ramp.
Till than, get ready for the NAR Nat Sport Launch 3 day weekend Memorial Day
weekend in Orangeburg SC, at the end of May. Due to crops, we are using the
Orangeburg launch as our monthly launch for May.
More information to come. Check the Orangeburg website for info.
We live to serve.
Roy, ROCC Sec.