February 21 Launch Report

Saturday, 21 February, 2026.   One Day Launch due to Bad weather on Sunday.

 OK. I was skeptical at first after driving to the farm through a scattered light rain and drizzle for any chance of the launch to be a GO. Then when I got to the Farm at 9:30 to prepare for the 10am range set-up, there, patiently waiting, were 6 to 8 vehicles of a TARC test flier, Rocket teams and three fliers hoping to get their L-1 Cert-flights.

By 11am the rain had totally ceased, a few more fliers arrived, and the low clouds moved out leaving a higher cloud layer behind. And then there was hardly any breeze, much less any wind to speak of. I think my Ch-9 forecasted only a 3 to 5 mph breeze, mostly toward the East and Northeast. Doc’s Weather Guru’s probably had an even better localized forecast. 

But unless a rocket just chose to take off on a wild direction after leaving the pad, most everything went straight up and almost straight back down, sometimes catching thermals from the warmed moist air rising over the field.  (video taken of my “Union Jack” on Facebook as an example).

For the rest of the day, as additional fliers and spectators arrived it became a casual “fly’em when you Got’em” type of day. Most flights were E and above taking advantage of the great lack of any wind.

Due to the number of vehicles of fliers, team members and spectators, Ralph asked that they do a Ride-Share from parking at the farmhouse to limit the number of vehicles going over the moist soft farm road. The morning traffic made noticeable muddy like tracks. But by the end of the day, allowing for time to dry and firm up the road surface and then driving backout on the opposite side of the road we left no tracks.

Ken Allen of Performance Hobbies,

Ken was out to a Maryland Launch I believe. Nobody thought we might fly.

NOTE: There are sheets of ‘Blank Launch Slips’ you can take home to print your own Launch slips so you can pre-fill out your slips in advance. You can even use colored copy paper for custom colored launch slips. You may need to use ink on colored slips so we can easily read them.  This can also give you more time to fill out your launch slips NEATLY so we can read them. THANKS.

BULLETIN :

“Everybody who gets the “NAR Sport Rocketry Magazine”. You also get the periodic issue of the “NAR MEMBER GUIDEBOOK”.

Pull those GuideBooks out of your Rocket Closet and bring them, old or new, to the launch.

They are great to pass out to a new young flier just starting out.

LOST AND FOUND         and some Donated Items that need a home.

Plus Three Identified Found rockets.

1. Lilly G. (Gambrell?) Silver with Green paint Estes “Star Hopper” flown Sat, 25, Jan, found in the late afternoon.

2. Richard Mayberry’s Estes “Long Ranger” yellow body with purple nose and fins flown Sat, 20 Apr, 24 found during Launch breakdown.

3. Shay Hill’s small Estes “Wizard” painted blue, from way back.

4. 2.5in black pointed nose cone found Sun, 13^th. (Steve Brown?)

Pictures.  Lets Get them to the ROCC Club WEB Site Gallery at   Rocketrycarolina.org  or the  Rocketry of Central  Carolina ROCC, Facebook site.

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 #608” and the “Tripoli Rocketry Association #066” 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 Flight Fee, Donation Box goes to the Land Owner.   Please Donate.

We have been running short on the “Rent” to the landowner occasionally.

Club Members = $10 per day  

Non Members = $15 per day

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

Saturday, 21 February, 2026

( I feel like we always miss some flight cards. Some may have been kept by the flier. We always have additional fliers sign-in that I don’t have flights slips for.  Apologies if your flight didn’t get recognized.)

We had   13   fliers,  flying    27  flights   and burnt   27 motors.  

That includes all   clusters and   multi-stage  flights

A-0,     B- 0,     C- 3,     D- 0,     E- 9,     F- 3,     G- 3,     H- 4,     I- 4,     J- 1,     K- 0

what I write is influenced by your  “Penmanship  and  Spelling.”

( I do not witness all flights, so if no notes were made on the flight slip by the launchers, or a Flight Slip is missing, some information may be in error.)

LT. Mike Chambers and other visiting Civil Air Patrol Officers, brought the CAP Rocket Team.

Cadet Haven Chambers built and successfully flew a Mercury Graduator twice on “E24-7’s”.

Cadet Dylan Gray built and flew the Corn Stalk on a “E24-7” fine, but the nose separated from the booster and chute with both landing close together.

Cadet Brandon Macielinski built and successfully flew the Big Boi on a “E24-7”.

Cadet Craig Macielinski built and successfully flew the A Shortfall of Gravitas on a “E24-7”.

L-1 Cert flights. (One flight turned West down range for a long walk into the far field.)

Alfredo Delgado flew The Jaguar- LOC-4 on a “I140-6” motor eject, for a L-1 Passing score.

Alejandro Miranda flew the DNA – LOC-4 on a “I140-10” motor eject, for a L-1 Passing score.

Daniel Jaramilo flew the EL Jefe-LOC-4 on a “I140-10” motor eject, for a L-1 Passing score.

 Paul Kraemer brought out his 5inch LOC-5 flying really high on a “J350-14” for a motor/apogee separation for a RRC2l dual deployment at 500ft. But as happens a lot, the main deployed at apogee. Thanks to the very calm conditions it landed close by on the north field.

His standard 4inch LOC-4 got up there on a “H120-9” but angled a bit off the pad toward the north then landing just past the tree \fence line but was easily recovered with the 35ft extension pole.

Paul’s (4 or 5inch) Supper Big Bertha flew on a “I211-8” confirming the perfect delay at 8sec.

Rufus McLean flew a Apogee Zepher twice on a slooow burn “H97-10”. With the first flight the shock cord broke with the body doing a non-damaged flat spin onto the soft field with the nose and chute landing closely. The second was listed also as a H97, but it took off like a Mach Buster up and out of sight and with a loud Crack at lift off. Not sure what was in that motor. It was recovered.

Roy Potter. I wish I had brought out my “H” rockets with these great conditions. (I’m a bit paranoid with our long and deep field West to East but narrow North to South, and plus having a few non retrieved tree landings to the South/ Southwest.)  Well I flew some of my Rear Ejection rockets. Yellow-2 flew twice on Quest “E26-4’s” (I’m slowly gaining confidence in the Quest motors) .  The Blue-3 flew twice on AeroTech “F44-4’s” with the first flight choking the chute closed with a too large slip ring resulting in a very effective Streamer recovery and a sort of soft ground lawn dart. I switched out the big slip ring with a smaller one for a second successful flight. Orange-4 flew great on a “G40-4”. I rebuilt my British Union Jack from a nose chute ejection to a rear chute ejection to avoid anymore zippers. You experienced fliers know what I’m talking about. But the Union Jack flew and deployed successfully on a “G79-4”

Ralph Roberts, when not assisting with the Rocket teams and cert flights flew his historic Cosmic Staff of Azol.  (if you recognize the name, I know which generation you belong to) It went up on a “G64-5”. His Estes Patriot flew on a “C6-3” and a old Snap-together Nike Smoke also on a “C6-3”.

Doc Russell barely got time to fly with all the official work he had with the Rocket Teams and Tripoli L-1 cert flights. His Winny the Poo themed rocket Tigger got up on a “H138” with a successful Jolly Logic chute deployment at 500ft. Docs’s 3inch yellow Goblin flew on a “F67-6” also with a successful J/L deployment at 400ft. Got to love the Jolly Logic chute deployment system for simplicity and overall dependability. Doc’s Estes Bull Pup flew on a “C6-5”.

Ruohan Wang flew his test TARC rocket Ralsei on two test flights with one egg, a Jolly Logic Altimeter and a total payload weight of 312.5grams twice on “E24-7’s”

Happy Flying Everybody and Remember to keep the pointy end up .