Roy's Rocket Report for December 16, 2023

Saturday, December 16,  2023,  Post- Launch Report.

                      Sunday was definitely a rain day. (That's putting it mildly Roy!!)

Saturday had mild temperatures with mostly sun with some high clouds that thickened and started cooling by late afternoon.  Winds were mostly near calm at first with a periodic light steady breeze to the West and a bit to the South. The last flight was about 3:30 with Scott’s V-2.

Thanks to the photographers, specially,  Ron Crosier, the pictures, almost 200 altogether posted on the Facebook ROCC site, show a number of descending rockets appearing to be tree landings. I only noted three tree landings, My “Yellow-2” pictured just above the South tree line, Pete’s “Iris” not  pictured, and Weston’s “Mammoth” also pictured just before being caught by a out-stretching lower limb just at the edge of the field and recovered using the 35ft adjustable pole we have.  A forced perspective from the camera angle made the other shots look like tree landings. We don’t like them, but can’t control the random possibility. (no matter how you attempt to  avoid them)

TO All Of Us Who Get the “NAR Sport Rocketry Magazine”.

You also get the periodic issue of the “NAR MEMBER GUIDEBOOK”.

If you just stuff it in the back of a drawer or into a box in your ‘Rocket Closet’, instead, bring them, old or new, to the launch. They are great to pass out to a new flier just getting into the hobby. They can really help them with all the basics.

Ken Allen of Performance Hobbies,

Ken was committed to another location today.

I’ve been asked, and YES, you can take a couple of blank Launch Slips home and make your own copies so you can pre-fill out your slips in advance saving you time. Some have even made various color coded slips. It looks cool.

LOST AND FOUND

HEY, the box has various stuff and donations that needs a forever home.

Check the box, we have nose cones, LP chutes, fins and other odd items.

And some donated and salvaged rockets.  Really, if you need something, use it.

As a note, when you are walking across the fields, keep your eyes open on the ground for anything. Not all motor casings look alike. Also there are mini altimeters, nosecones, motor retainers, ect.

Pictures. Check the Gallery for launch photo’s.  We see everyone is    taking photo’s.   Lets Get them onto the ROCC Club WEB Site Gallery.

Just contact Doc Russell at rocketrycarolina@gmail.com, “or” as some have done, pass it on a disk, memory card or flash drive

ROCC Club Membership 

Membership covers the costs of maintaining the launch equipment, supplies and the expensive Porta-Pot. Membership also pays our association fees with the “National Association of Rocketry” and the “Tripoli Rocketry Association” which provides our insurance.

Memberships run January to January. Membership drive starts in October.

Adult - $20.      Family - $25.

ROCC Club “T” Shirt’s, are limited right now but can be purchased as the supplies last until a new source is obtained. Check on styles and colors available at the launch.

Flight Fee Donation Box.

Remember, the Donation Box goes to the Land Owner.   Please Donate.

We have been running short on the “Rent” to the landowner the last few months.

Club Members = $10 per day  

Non Members = $15 per day

Parent with young child under 12yo = $5 per day.

This Saturday We had   21   fliers,  and flew   48  flights and burnt    51  motors.

This includes all   clusters and   multi-stage  flights

A= 7,   B= 5,   C= 6,   D= 6,   E= 10,   F= 5,   G= 3,   H= 5,     I= 1,   J= 3,   K= 0.

Remember, what I write is influenced by your penmanship and spelling.

(I did not witness all the flights, no notes were made on the flight slip by the launchers,  so some information may be in error.)

UNCC Rocket Team, with Team leader William Vitola, flew the Black Suede, on a “J357-P” with a droug at apogee and altimeter deployed main chute at 500ft and a backup at 350ft. It was a great flight and a successful Level-2 qualification.

 Guy Antonides, a new senior flier, flew a Estes Cross Fire on a “B6-4” that harmlessly lawn-darted after the ejection charge went off without ejecting the nose or chute. I believe it flew again, this time named Jack’s Dream again, successfully on a “B6-4”.

Arvn Vishnu Sure Sh Babu, flew a ARCAS looking rocket, white body, black nose and fins,  named V-2 on a “I212” black-jack with  motor chute ejection for a successful L-1 cert flight.

Gilbert Barnhardt, flew the Athena with a streamer recovery on a “C6-5”.

Mark Bartkowiak, flew the Estes Air Commander two stage on a “D12” to “D12-5” too successfully maybe. The booster was picked up off the edge of the runway but the upper sustainer stage just disappeared into the bright sky. It was naked (unpainted).

Chris Baca, flew a upscaled Estes Hi-Flyer-XL on a “E12-6” and the X-Treme flew on a “C6-3” with a streamer recovery.

Ron Crosier, (photographer extraordinary) flew a Estes Big Daddy (very popular when they came out) on a “E12-6”, part of a three Big  Daddy drag race. One sat on the pad, the other two lifted in sequence. Bragging rights. His Constellation-G flew on a “C5-3 ?” His nice Estes Der Red Maxx flew well on a “E16-4”.

Weston Fowler got  a old big Estes Mammoth kit, only made one mistake we delt with, then made two great flights on the estes “F15-6” motors. The second flight skirting the edge of the south tree line just getting snagged buy a low out-stretched limb, but successfully recovered with our 35ft extension pole.

Jacob Gray, flew his small Rocket-2 on a “A8-3” with a streamer recovery. Project.017 flew on a “E26-4w”. His Rocket-2-XXL.EXT flew on a nice “H180-7w” but got entangled with the chute with unknown damage. The cool flight was his Geminee Thunder twin gliders. They went up twice on “E12-4’s” with both big flying wings separating at apogee making wide graceful circles. It was really well trimmed for a great glide ratio.

Jude Guidry flew a  ShuttleCock, Bad-Mitten, Bir-d twice on mini “A10-3t’s”. She flew a Boost Glider on a “A10-3t” but didn’t separate at apogee but appeared to be trying to pull up before bouncing on the ground. Her small  Vi-King flew almost out of sight on a “C6-7” but found due to it’s shiny streamer. The small White Lighting also flew on a C6-5.

Doug Harsch flew a estes Pro-II Assender well on a Estes “F15-6” and a unk Mini Scout flying with a cluster of three mini “A3-6t’s” of which only one ignited. Clusters are a real challenge. His Estes Star Orbiter flew well on a “E26-7”.

Pete Hormath flew a nice Aerotech 2.6inch Iris on a “F52-8” that (like my Yellow-2) just randomly turned due South over the tree line and with the 8 second delay may have impacted the trees before ejecting the chute. We don’t know why, but it just happens.

Paul Kraemer, brought out his Kind’a Like a Warlock after a great flight last month he took it up on a “J1299-P” fast and loud. But the elec timer activated by the apogee detector failed so resulted in no deployment and a big dart impact close to the south tree line. See picture.

Mike McKeon flew what I like to call the flat black Stealth Flying Pyramid-54, on a looong burn “J135-0” with a 7 second long burn. It was fantastic. He also flew one of the Estes Big Daddy’s on a “D12-5” on it’s second launch attempt. (not sure who’s but there is a picture of a dart’ed Daddy posted)

Rufus Mclean flew an Apogee kit Zepher on a “G75-7” as a practice flight before his L-1 attempt. Good flight, underpowered but we knew that, but should do very well with a “H” motor.

Kurt Morin flew the third Estes Big Daddy for the drag race on a “D12-5”. Daddy’s always fly well on a “D” or an “E” with just a tad more nose weight.

Scott Pennington flew his Bull Pup on a “E20-4” and the really nice Estes Cosmo on a “E12-4”. His V-2 flew the last flight on a “D12-3” about 3pm. He also had two “H” flights. His Pike flew on a “H550-7t” with a good Jolly Logic chute deployment at 400 feet. His Red, White, Blue, Old Glory flew on a “H195-7t” with another good J/L deployment at 400 feet.

Roy Potter, I flew some of my rear ejection rockets. The White-1 flew on a “D12-3”. The Yellow-2 went up on a Ellas Mountain “E12-4” (nice motor) but for reasons unknown, it took a sharp turn south with a good altitude and I thought it might drift back after deployment but lacked about 30 feet to clear into a open area that may have made it recoverable. (I went out Tuesday to see if the Sunday storm and winds may have dislodged it. No Joy.) It’s still up there on the crown of the tree. Blue-3 flew well on a economax “F67-4”, picture shows a possible tree landing, but actually was well into the field. Orange-4 flew up on a “G74-4”. No time to get the Red-5 and Yellow-6 prepped. Next month.

Stella Russell, from Scout Troop 274, flew a naked (unpainted) Wonder on a “B4-4”, a Patriot also flew on a “B4-4” and the Vikirs on a “B4-4” with a streamer recovery. She had a Estes Double Ringer go up on a “C6-3” that is a booster that at motor ejection release’s it’s two large tubular fins that then glide back. But they didn’t release so it all just fluttered down without any damage.

Doc Russell spent most his time checking everyone else’s rockets, answering  questions and prepping his very nice upscaled Estes Sprint that flew very well up (see pictures) on a “H400-7”, with a RRC3 dual deployment at 500 feet, but something went wrong and sustained moderate but repairable damage. (Post mortem from dr, the altimeter was set for 500' main, and the low level flight just barely topped 1.100'. It also descended quickly - shoulda used a drouge - and I don't think it had time or enough pressure differential to read the descent correctly. The main did fire, but about 50 ft before impact. Everything except the top tube survived fine, so it will be back!)

Dave Strunk, glad to see you back, he always has something new. He flew a narrow/thin arrow shaped Rapter, that flew on a “H194-11”. But even with a 11 second delay, we (as far as I was able to find out) never saw it. His newly built naked (unpainted) large upscaled Der Red Max flew well on a “G33-9” but appeared to still be accelerating at ejection snapping the elastic shock cord that came with the kit. The nose and chute were recovered down the runway and the large fins allowed the body to just flutter/tumble back with no seen damage.

Remember to keep the pointy end up. Keep a check on the Webb site and FaceBook for launch notice’s.