ROCC members - represent!

ROCC’ers at "Sci-Power", Orangeburg, 4^th of July weekend launch

It was great to see a lot of us down at the ICBM and Rosco Clubs, Orangeburg 4^th of July weekend 3 day launch.

Saturday the range opened at 10AM with good conditions then later the winds kicked up about 4pm where we then got up launch’s between wind bursts, which was the leading edge of a storm front for the rain showers that forced us to call it a day at about 6 pm. Of course, just 5 miles down the road it was bone dry.

Sunday was really great overall. There were only low to mild winds that had no overall affect on launching.

Monday was somewhere between the wind conditions of Sat and Sun.

Besides the Tripoli L-2 and L-3 Sport and Research/Experimental flights, Tripoli L-1 members were able to fly certified engines. That kept things fairly busy, but laid back.

Of course, all three days were hot and humid. Lots of fluids and sunscreen were highly recommended and in use.

There were no tree landings that I can think of, only one large launch flight draped across the big sprinkler pipes.

Hey, think of this as a test run for Freedom Launch, Labor Day weekend in September.

There were 3 or 4 vendors there. Ken was really trying to sell as much of his bulky stuff as he could to make room for cases of about 50 new certified engines and new Cessaroni engines.

There were probably some club members or frequent ROCC fliers that I didn’t notice but I got all I could to tell me if they had any special flights or what they were planning on besides just taking advantage of the open skies and fields.

I got a few pictures that I will get to Doc, there was one guy and his dad from  Raligh or Ashville, I forgot, but his dad got a lot of great pictures that I hope he can send to Doc at rocketrycarolina at gmail dot com.

Malcom Smith was there and had a number of flights but nothing special that he wanted to list separately.

Spencer Thompson and his parents were there and I happen to have his "D-Region Tomahawk" ROCC Raffle prize from a couple of months ago to hand over. After a TARC season of stressful prepping flights, he spent the weekend just flying for the fun of it. I know that a few of his flights were of his TARC rocket, the "Schmetterling".

Roy Potter, well I paid, or provided the sacrifice to the rocket gods by being the first flight of the weekend Sat morning with the "Stars and Stripes" on a G64 that came in ballistic with no ejection. Delay burned but did not ignite the charge. I’m pretty sure that I over greased the forward closure and plugged the tiny hole with grease. The rest of the weekend I flew "Thumper", the rear ejection "Target Drone" that caught the curiosity of a few fliers. Also the "Arcas", "Bumble Bee", the "Canadan Flag", the "Union Jack", the 4inch Estes "V-2" and a few lowpower flights.

John Metcalf noted that he plans to fly all Cessaroni engines. Besides other flights he listed flights of a "Mini Darkstar" on a G115-WT, its bigger brother "Darkstar" on a H118-CL, "Wild Child" on a F29 imax, the "Super DX3" on a I204 imax and the "Xcellerator" on a J293-BS for a L2 certification attempt.

Steve Morris and his daughter, who along with the other kids had a lot of fun in the huge puddles, only listed one special flight of a "Graduator" on a G40, but also flew his "Pop-Out Hang Glider" rocket and other flights with his twin spinning chutes.

Mark Ferrell had listed special flights of "Sweet" on a J420-R, a "Baby Betty" on a I154-J and possibly an "Endeavor".

Louise Ferrell flew her "Onyx" (there were a bunch of them out there), but a freak fast build-up of exhaust deposit on the exhaust nozzle seemed to cause it to "Sky Write" and "Land Shark" on a engine it has flown on many times before. Her "Forte" and very pretty rebuilt "Mini Mag" all had good flights.

Mike Garner all the way from Asheboro, listed special flights of a "Guardian" on a G65-7G and a "Norad" on a Promax J350 for a L2 certification flight.

Keith Biddinger along with regular flights, listed his special flights as a "Endeavor" on a J575-FG and a extended "X-LX-Calibur" on Fastware G and H motors.

Sorry if I missed anybody, but remember, we get to do it again next September during the Labor Day weekend, Freedom Launch.

Roy, ROCC Sec.

SCi-Power information

 From Roy Potter:  (THANKS Roy!)

Don’t forget the 3day day “Sci-Power” 4^th of July weekend Launch at the Orangeburg club site.

 Directions to Sci-Power  

From the Charlotte area.   (The Orangeburg club flies off a “Super Sod” Farm)

Travel Time = from I-85 at Harris Blvd is 2 hours 40 minutes

Take I-77 South to where it ends at Columbia SC.

Merge off the end of I-77 onto I-26 South.

Take I-26 S to Exit 154A (Hwy 301) towards O’Burg.

The Super Sod farm is only about ¼ to ½ mile on the Left.

Staying over for Sci-Power? (ask for Launch discount at Days Inn)

Days Inn, 1-803-534-0500, Across the I-26 Hwy, Minimal services but has a pool.

Quality Inn, (formally Comfort Inn and Suites) 1-803-531-9200, Exit 145A south (Hwy 601)

off I-26. 3671 Saint Matthews Rd (Hwy 601). More services and resurants in walking distance.

Flight Fee =  $10 a day (and maybe $25 for the weekend.)

Multi Venders on site.

They are advertising a drag race with Performance Hobbies 7.5 FatBoy and Wild-Man Kentucky.

Sat, 2 July and Sun, 3 July.

Sport Launch. = 10 am till dusk 6:00 pm.

Open to all fliers up to their Certification Level. Levels “0” thru “3”

Those wanting to make cert Flights need to make arrangements with available judges.

Ceiling of 10,000 ft daytime. Expected flights over 6,000 ft need to check with Safety Officer first.

Saturday night is the Night Launch (always a good show).  8pm till 10:00pm.

Rockets must be illuminated throughout flight. Has a 3,000 ft altitude waiver.

Monday, 4 July. ( Info as known at this time )

Research/Experimental flights. (A slower laid back day with long prep times and fantastic flights.)

Tripoli Cert Level 2 and 3 only Sport flights.

Tripoli Certification flights of Level 1 to Level 2.

Hope to see you all out there wearing the ROCC “T” shirts, show the colors dudes!

June post-launch report

June’s Post-Launch report, probably the last one till about October when crop season is over.

Sunday 19^th of June.

Saturday was cancelled due to the wrong-way wind directions so we opted for a one-day launch on Sunday. The weather was forecasted to be mostly clear with building winds and a storm-front later in the day.

Actually it turned out pretty good, the winds were pretty much down the runway or into the open empty barley fields. There were few corn landings. There was a pretty windy part at the beginning then it was like we were in the “eye of the storm”, almost dead calm for about 2 ½ hours where we punched up as many as we could. Then about 3pm the calm ended and what looked like the forward front of the forecasted storm was approaching with a wall of stiff winds, so siding with caution, we called it a day.

“KIDS” ROCKET RAFFLE.

We continued our Raffle for the kids with a selection of about 17 Prebuilt, painted and ready to fly rockets to choose from. Someone dropped off a box of another dozen really nice rockets.

The kid’s tickets are 50 cents each and we will keep it going over all the launches till they are all given away. Each rocket comes with a “A” or “B” engine with plug and wadding.

Yes, parents can buy tickets and select rockets for their kids.

We gave away about 8 rockets that day. We had quite a few kids on hand.

We had 18 fliers with 52 flights burning 53 engines including one multi-stage flight.

A= 13,  B= 7,  C= 11,  D= 7,  E= 10,  F= 1,  G= 2,  H= 0,  I= 1.  

Who flew what? Remember your penmanship influences my spelling

Bob Bernatchez flew his “Mini Bomark” on a Mini A10, a “Exocert AM 39” scale missile on a E18 and his 4 inch North Coast Rocketry “Patriot” on a G64 for an impressive flight.

Joe Pettler flew a Estes “Chrome Dome” on C6’s and the “Magician” on a E9.

Kaitlin Pettler flew a raffle rocket from last month, her “Freedom” on a B6.

Brian Gossiaux flew a Aerotech “Initiator” on a E30 and a new 4inch “G-Force” for its maiden flight on a G77-R. really looked nice with that ruby red flame exhaust.

Cheryl Lansford also flew a Aerotech Initiator renamed the “Glitter Girl 2” on E30’s. Her original Glitter Girl separated the shock cord last month but she jumped right back to it.

Brad Shea flew his sons Birthday rocket, the “Star Hawk” on a A8. Then spent a lot of time prepping his “Not Another Nike Smoke” to fly on a I345 only to a estimated 800 ft with motor ejection. Altimeter confirmed a 740 odd foot flight.

Roy Potter, I flew my “Red Dwarf” a extended big daddy, on D12’s to avoid too high an altitude. On its last flight the shock cord anchor broke free and the body fluttered down through the open window of a vehicle braking two fins. No vehicle damage. The orange and white checkered “Test Roc II” also flew on D12’s.

Tom Laicher flew a naked Mini “Bull Pup” on a B6, a tall “Mean Machine” on a E9 and the only 2 stager for the day, the “Taser Twin” on a B6 to C6. Not sure if the upper stage was found.

Oliver Laicher flew a Estes “Sky writer” on a A8, the “Summit” on a Mini A10 and his “Mean Machine” on a E9.

Nils Laicher flew a Estes “Shuttle Express” on a C6 but pulled the piggyback shuttles not wanting to lose them.

Doc Russell flew a “ARCAS” on a E9, his “Federal Express” Pyrimid on a F20, the “White Fang” on a A8, and his cool “#18^th Anniversary” rocket on a E23 for a estimated real low altitude flight with almost a standing landing. Its got a really cool looking lego pilot and crew cockpit built into it.

Michael, Unk, flew a extended dig daddy called the “Big Grand Daddy” on a E9.

Harrison Reid flew a Quest “Clipper Ship” on a C6, a Estes “Wacky Wiggler” on a C6 that separates into a string of body segments and our only confirmed loss for the day. He flew a Mini Star Wars “X-Wing Fighter” on a Mini A10, a Estes “Exo-Skell” alien lander on a C6 for a standing landing. A Naked rocket named the “Virginia” on a C6, a spinning “Cork Screw” on a C6, a scale missile “MK-109” on a C6 and a small “Gnome” on a Mini A3.

Ian Morris flew a “Hornet” on a A8, a Estes “Patriot” on a C6 with a small altimeter recording a flight of 234 ft at 75 mph. I have a “Altimeter one” his is the new “Altimeter Two”. He also flew a Quest Rocket on a B6 and a scratch built “Sly Fox” on a B6.

Will Morris flew his “Zeus” on a B6 and a neat pop-out hang Glider rocket on a A8, and the “Baby Bertha” on a B6.

Steve Morris flew a spinning “Texas Twister” on a mini A3.

Kathleen Morris flew a Minute Man AKA the “Red Devil” on a A8.

David Unk, flew the tiny “Small Joe” on a Mini A3, a “Gnome” on a mini A3 and then a Estes “Phonex” scale missle on a D12.

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

Roy, ROCC Sec.

End of an era...

July 8th, 2011 is scheduled to be the last flight of the Space Shuttle program, STS 135.

Here's a LINK to the latest on NASA's Spaceflight.com website....

DR

June 19th

We are going to proceed toward a Sunday launch, and hope that we get at least a bit of rain tonight and tomorrow to keep the fire danger in check. We have both Nomex and wool blankets for the HP pads, NO SPARKIES will be launched. 

Normal set-up on Sunday, 10:00 AM, with tear-down around 6 or when we can't stand the heat any more. It's supposed to be 95 or so on Sunday so dress comfortably and bring SUN SCREEN!

We'll have just the newer system for this one so we'll need to keep the LP pads rolling and not let them sit too long.I'm collecting parts for the new launch system right now, and hope to have it ready for our September window. (crops permitting!)

So I hope to see you all out there, keep an eye on the site for last minute updates!

dr

June 4th & 5th makeup launch is Cancelled

Due to dry conditions and per Kip's concerns we are not able to fly this weekend. 

Please look in the discussion areas for more details on flying more this season.  The outlook is grim until fall/winter at this point.

May (June) Update 6/2

So from the comments and from talking with Brad the concensus is coming down to just shooting for our normal June 18th & 19th scheduled launch and hope that the corn isn't up too far in the next 2 weeks. At the rate it's raining that will probably be the case. If you want to review, read the section below:

I think it's the best decision, so as not to rush Kip and jepordize 30,000 dollars or so worth of barley.

DR

From 6/1/2011:

This from Ralph this morning:

Spoke with Kip this morning... The Barley is out and the corn is 8-12 inches tall, however, all the barley stacks are still in the field and if it stays dry all week it will be a fire hazard.  We may have to scrub anyway.  Lets hope he gets some rain this week.

From Brad:

Rain forecast appears to be weak.  Wunderground gives a 20% chance today, 30% tonight, 10% Thursday, and 20%  Friday.  The rain is characterized as “scattered” thunderstorms.

From Doc:

We'll post asap, but it looks iffy. I'm going to call a NOTAM, but don't know if we'll end up using it. I'm out for Saturday (in class next 3 Saturdays), as well as Roy. Ralph will need all the help he can get if we do this on this week end. Please keep up with the site and wish us all luck!

DR

May launch postponed

Finally spoke with Ralph & Kip about an hour ago, and it looks like the first launch window we'll have is the first weekend in June. The barley crop is still in, and he's trying to get it dry enough to harvest, but the rain is playing havoc with it as well as his other fields.One field down toward the river has flodded completely in the last storm.  (What a way to make a living!)

So lets look toward the weekend of the 4th & 5th of June and hope that it works out.

DR

Polynet tubing available

Sandy sent me a note about some Polynet tubing he got that was being discarded. It's the stuff that you see used to protect reload casings from damage. He wants to make it available for a donation to the club. Click the "Read More" link for the whole story.

Click to read more ...

Another anniversary

50 years ago today, May 5th, 1961, the US joined the space race with a shot that basically threw an American, Alan Shepard, up into the void of space for a bit over a quarter of an hour and an apogee of 116 miles.

LIFE magazine was there, with an embedded photographer named Ralph Morse. John Glenn nicknamed him the "eigth astronaut" because he was everywhere they went.

In an extraordinary body of work Morse documented the Mercury program with some stunning photos. LIFE has posted some of these very rare, some never published before, photos HERE.

Happy anniversary...

DR