April post launch report from Roy

Welcome all yea Rocket Nerds;

Post-Launch report for Saturday 21 April, 2012

Hopefully, if all those camera owners we saw at the launch contact Doc, we will have pictures from the Launch, if so check it out in the photo Gallery.

Any pictures you have from a recent launch that you would like to get posted on the web site for our embarrassment and your entertainment, just contact Doc Russell at rocketrycarolina at gmail dot com, or as some have done, pass it on a disk or flash drive. We can always get it back to you.

This month’s special launch category was a Dry Run NAR Rocket Contest. This was put together by Sandy Houston, who also is now our NAR representative.

We had a “B” engine Altimeter flight for the greatest altitude.

A “B” engine Duration flight of exactly 55 seconds from launch to landing.

A “C” engine Altimeter flight for the greatest altitude carrying a weighted payload,

And there was also a “Spot Landing”, closest to a specified ground target.

Sandy will send in the contest results.

We continue with our Range Safety standards by making specific assignments of a RSO=, Range Safety Officer to pre-inspect rockets before flights and the LCO=, Launch Control Officer to check range conditions and control the launch’s in a timely and efficient manner. So far this has worked fine with little to no effect on launch flow.

Check both the WEB site and at the launch’s for info on volunteering for RSO (Cert Lv-2 required) and LCO (Cert Lv-1 preferred, but any responsible and experienced adult can apply).

It’s great for anybody who isn’t flying that day but wants to take part anyway.

And it’s fun to push the red button.

Important:

New Insurance Procedures: In order to meet and comply with the Tripoli Rocketry Association and the National Association of Rocketry insurance requirements, our Club, R.O.C.C. has chosen to register our scheduled launchs under the NAR flight regulations and for the insurance coverage that best meets our needs.

All rocket fliers who are members of the National Association of Rocketry are fully covered by NAR liability insurance against damage or injury caused by their rocket launch.

(NAR recognizes TRA membership and covers them under their blanket of coverage)

Fliers who are not NAR or TRA members will be required to sign a waiver on the launch field stating that the Launch organizers, property owner or launch sponsors are not liable for any damage or injury caused by their rocket launch and that they would be flying under their own homeowners/private insurance.

R.O.C.C. will still be registered as a joint TRA and NAR associated club and Tripoli flights and certifications will continue as normal.

Joining the National Association of Rocketry is quite easy.

You will find a application form in every Estes rocket kit you buy, or you can even join on-line at WWW.NAR.ORG. There are 4 yearly annual memberships.

Junior, 15 and under =$25,   Leader, 16 –20 =$25,   Senior, 21 and up = $62.

Family = with one regular Senior and $12 for each additional family member.

This membership completely covers you for liability, damage and injuries at our launch’s.

The R.O.C.C. club membership is a separate local membership that supports the club only.

We finished our “Big Boy’s Rocket Raffle”.

Thanks to everybody who participated and even one who donated it back cause he really was’nt serious about it, but he wanted to help support the club.

A Aerotech “Arreaux” was won by Joel Robinson, a FlisKit 2 stage “Nomad” was won by Curtis Beal a LOC “Norad” was won by Curtis Beal, a Estes “Executioner” was won by Jim Monagle.

And a 4 ft big bertha like “Long Sword” was won and donated back to the club by Jason Dunley.

SAT 21 April 2012. Only.

The weather was greater than any forecast from the whole week, hardly any wind, a few short gusts, and no rain showed up.

Outside of a few rockets that just took off that way or got such an altitude that any drift took them, there were only a few long walk or tree landings.

But, the forecast for Sunday was totally on target, Rain and wind, In fact it stayed windy the following week.

The fields beside and beyond the Wind Sock were clear and open. The barley was in the fields behind us toward the barns.

We had 29 fliers who put up 107 flights burning 119 engines. That includes multiple flights, multi-stage and cluster flights.

A=11,   B= 32,   C= 37,   D=11,    E= 5,   F= 2,   G= 9,   H= 8,   I= 1,  J= 2,   K= 1.

Who flew what? Remember your penmanship influences my spelling of what I can read. 

Roy Potter, I flew my “B Duration” on a B6, “B Altitude” on a B6, “C payload/altitude” on a C11 and my “Spot Landing” on a A8. I made a few test flights of  “The Three Seas” with a three “C” cluster booster. As a possible two stager, I wanted to know the 3 “C” cluster booster can lift the whole rocket, then the whole rocket with simulated weight of the second stage engine.

Erica Owens flew a “Fat Boy” on a C6 for her “Spot Landing”. A “Bull Pup” on a C6 for the “C payload/altitude”, half of a “Taser Twin” for her “B altitude” and her “B Duration” on a B6,

Sandy Houston was kept very busy running the contest, timing, measuring, recording and assisting everyone, but worked in his own flights. His “B altitude” on a B6, a “Diamond Back” for his “Duration” on a C6, a “Brute” on a C6 for his “C payload/altitude”, and a “V-2” for his “Spot Landing” on a C11.

Randy Bird flew his “Plane Jane” on a D12, to a E9 then up to a E20. Progressive flying.

Mitchell Bird, a jr flyer, flew a “Payloader” with a penny on board as a payload on a C6, a “Blue Angel” on a C6 then a “Minataur” on a D12.

Tyler Deaton, a jr flyer, flew a “Vaga Bond” on a D12, a Estes “Chrome Dome” on a C6, a “Tracer” on a B6 and a “Astra III” on a C6.

Dan Mathers did a lot of prepping to fly his “MMRX-2C” with a video camera up on a H87-9 IM, everyone was advised to “SMILE” so don’t complain if we caught you picking your nose.

Corky Story who always thinks big and different go together when building a rocket did it again. First he flew a large display Coke bottle “Coke Zero” up on a H97-J that went up straight till the thrust dropped, then went a little loopy without the thrust to stabilize the flight. Next the “Sky Shrick” flew on a J800-T, I think its a hundred times upscale of an old Estes kit, but it went up on a sky blue flame about 3 feet long. It has 4 fins with stabilizer bars to reduce flutter and when under power looked like a film clip of an old WWII German rocket powered flying bomb. Then to just really top it all off, the “Dirty Dozens” went up on a AMW K1130 blue baboon. OK, pay attention here, there is a reason the word “Dozen” was used. It was a dual deployment system. A 54 inch drouge comes out at apogee, with main deployment at 900 feet where 12 large painted wood eggs on skull and crossed bones parachutes are also deployed to drift down. It was awesome. Some of the kids found some of the eggs. It was a real “Gothic” way to despense some Easter Eggs.

Steve Brown, made up for size with volume, 16 flights. A Estes “Sizzler” for the “B” Duration on a B6, a “Red Max” flew on a C11 for the spot landing, a Quest “Nova” for the “C” payload/altimeter on a C6. Then he flew a Quest “Cobalt” on a B6, a “UNK” on a A3-T, a “Quark” on a 1/2A3-T, a stretch “Der Red Max” on a C11, the “L.A.R.D.” Low Altitude Rocketry Device flew on a C11 then a D12. A “Grimlin” flew on a D9, a Quest “Full Betty” 2 stage on a C11 to a B6. A “Splinter” flew on a B6, a stretch “Cobalt” on a C6, a “Comanche1” on a E9, a Flis Kit “Tres” three B6 cluster. 

Malcolm Smith flew a custom “Razor” on a A8 for the spot landing, the “B Altitude” on a B4, then a neon green saucer “Cinco” on a D11 and his “Ugly Bertha” on a two B4 cluster.

Wayne Hill flew his “B Altitude” on a B6, a Astron “Drifter” on a B6 for the “B Duration”, the “April Dancer” on a A8 for the spot landing, A extended “Sprint” on a C6 for the  “C payload/altitude”, a “Sprint” was also used for his “B altitude” on a B4. His “Viking” tubular fined rocket went up on a C11. A old classic “GYROC” went up on a A8 for a helicopter return. He also flew a “Explorer” on a D12.

John Bergsmith flew a “Formula 54” on a G80 that suffered some kind of “Kato”, paying forward to the Rocket Gods. His “Mustang” flew on a G40 and a Estes “Big Bertha” on a B6 for a Spot Landing attempt.

David Tomkinson flew a “Cosmic Explorer” on a C6, a “Patriot” on a C6 then upgraded to a D13 reload, wow. He also flew a Estes “D Region Tomahawk” on a D12. Did he win that a couple of months ago?

Brandon Jackson prepped and flew his “Wild Man Jr” on a H400 V-Max with a dual deployment with main chute deployment at 700 feet. He also flew the “Aldebaran” on a G80.

Brian Gossiaux, flew a Aerotech “Strong Arm” on a E30, a “LOC-IV” on a H225 with a dual deployment with main chute deployment at 500 feet. Also a LOC extended “Fantom” on a H143 for a maiden flight with a dual deployment with main chute deployment at 500 feet.

Joe Pettler, a Jr flyer, put up a “Bull Pup” on a B6 and a Estes “Heli Cat” on a C6 with the body returned by chute and the nose by helicopter return.

Paul Phillips, returned to once again, show us “What It Should Be”. How a “Talon” kit should be. The “WISB I” flew on a B6 and C6, and the “WISB II” flew on a G71. He had some bigger ones but are not ready to be reflown.

Doc Russell acted as SRO mostly but flew his “C payload/altitude” on a C6, his “B Altitude” on a B6, “Spot Landing” on a A8 and his rocket for night flights, “Night Flight One” on a F20 with flashing light strobes on the nose cone.

Jason Pettler wanted a better flight so he flew his “Baby Bertha” on a D12, very good performance, but his nice military scaled “Bull Pup” went up on a F52 but angled toward the tree line making a tree landing. We found it, and like so many times, just another 10 feet, and it would have cleared the back side of the tree line and landed within hand reach on some brush. The chute is laying flat on a drooping limb so may slide off with the windy weather we have had these last few days.

Brad Shea flew his “Flaming Bertha” on a B6 for the “Spot Landing”, a “Improved Skywriter” for the “Duration” on a C6, the “Bright Eyes” on a B6 for the “B Altitude”, a “Cherokee C called the Gooney” on a C6 for the “C payload/altitude”. He then tested a mini engine rocket with a A10-T taped on beneath a A3-T as a two stage, and the rocket named “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” actually worked.

Jim Mac Monagle flew the “Mack-1” on a 2 B6 cluster, a “Cherokee” 2 stage on a B6 to a B6, and then the “Zenith II” also a 2 stage on a B6 to A8.

Chuck Bracey flew a really nice Estes upscaled “Interceptor E named the “General Jackson” on a E30, the “Brighton” flew on a G38J. His LOC IV “Goodwrench” with a keychain video recorder on a H133 blue streak then a H163. If able, he can get it loaded on the web site Gallery.

Michael Mans first visit and flight of a “US Rocket” on a B6.

Mark Ferrell took time and prepped his PML “Endeavor” on a J420-R with a dual deployment with main chute at 400 feet.

Michael Strunk flew a nice “Honest John” on a D12.

Dave Strunk prepped and flew a “Forte 2” on a I 357 also with a dual deployment with main cute at 500 feet.

John Gorlinsky flew his “Aura” on G80’s.

Keith Biddinger flew a “X-Calibur” on a G54-W then upped the game with a G104-T, Zooom.

Patrick Hoarsgaard, flew a LOC “Legacy” on a G80 with a payload of a feather weight Raven? Not sure what that was. Art work?

That was the weekend as a whole. And a big and busy Saturday it was.

Thanks to everyone who helped out.

Many times some asks “Who makes that rocket?” so I’m trying to identify the kit maker in the reports so interested fliers know what kit to look for.

Hope to see you on the pads and remember to keep those exhaust nozzles clear.

Roy, ROCC Sec.