A Fish Named Wallyum
07-10-2005, 09:42 PM
Once the sun was low enough in the sky it was beautiful weather for a launch. (Well, better than Craig was having.) It was still hot, but not blazing as it had been when I was out painting the garage earlier in the day. (YUCK!!!!) Once again, I had to wait for baseballers to clear the field, but that gave me time to fill up the wifes car. The baseball team was clearing out when I came back, so I took over the field. First on the pad was the Excelsior Goonybird Zero on a B6-4. Great flight, but another early ejection that luckily caused no damage. The sound drew a group of kids, all of them from my kids class at school. They became my launch and recovery crew, both jobs that I'm always happy to relinquish.
Flight #2 was my MPC Nike Patriot on a B6-4. This was a very cool flight with a visible flame all the way up and a true 4 second ejection charge. Austin Rosenhagen ran it down like a fly ball and caught it before it hit the ground. Pretty impressive. I wish I had his energy.
Flight #3 was the Estes Big Dawg on a B6-4 minus 2. Another early ejection, but also another great catch by Austin.
Flight #4 was the Holverson Wicked Winnie. Pretty decent air for a big rocket and the kids freaked when the chute didn't immediately open, but that was by design as I had wrapped the shock cord around the chute to let it drop below tree level before it opened. (Wish I'd have done that more often.) Still broke a fin on landing, but at least it will fly again.
Flight #5 was an old Estes Mini Bomarc that I rescued from Ebay. An A3-4T flight with nice flame in the twilight. Very cool and Austin was there to catch it again.
Flight #6 was the Semroc Taurus, which the kids were all impressed with. Impressive flight on a B6-4. The flames were now clearly visible with each flight and the Taurus was especiall cool.
This was where things started to go bad. Flight #7 was the Goonybird Zero again on a B6-4. It kicked to the right off the pad and was obviously in trouble from the moment it ejected. It wound up sixty feet up in the same tree that devoured my Centuri Scram Jet four years ago. They can exchange war stories now.
Flight #8 was a command performance for the Semroc Taurus. Another impressive flight in the twilight, but this time the B6-4 ejection charge blew the whole side out of the rocket at the bottom transition. Found both pieces, but I think its career is done. (See pics and you'll understand why.)
Flight #9 was the Estes Solar Sailer II that I bought off Ebay in 2001, but only recently finished. Awesome flight on a B6-4 because now the shadows were creeping in and the flame was very bright. Coo-l, if I do say so myself.
Flight #10 was the MPC Nike Patriot again. This time it wound up skirting through the leaves and just missing a tree berth with the Goony. Living lucky on a B6-4.
This was where my luck ran out. I gave the Big Dawg another shot because Taylor, Austin's twin sister who was one of my Brownies years ago, wanted to launch one. The Dawg was gone as soon as it left the pad. It wound up in a tree in a neighborhood on the other side of the field. I should have cut my losses and quit, but Turtle wanted to launch one.
The final flight of the night, #12, was the Solar Sailer II again on a B6-4. This was another impressive, fiery flight, but things went bad immediately at ejection. It started drifting and wound up in the tree next to the Goony. Atleast they'll be able to keep each other company later this week when the hurricane remnants blow through.
So, for the day, 12 flights, one destroyed, one damaged and three lost. Still a hell of a lot more fun than painting. :D
Flight #2 was my MPC Nike Patriot on a B6-4. This was a very cool flight with a visible flame all the way up and a true 4 second ejection charge. Austin Rosenhagen ran it down like a fly ball and caught it before it hit the ground. Pretty impressive. I wish I had his energy.
Flight #3 was the Estes Big Dawg on a B6-4 minus 2. Another early ejection, but also another great catch by Austin.
Flight #4 was the Holverson Wicked Winnie. Pretty decent air for a big rocket and the kids freaked when the chute didn't immediately open, but that was by design as I had wrapped the shock cord around the chute to let it drop below tree level before it opened. (Wish I'd have done that more often.) Still broke a fin on landing, but at least it will fly again.
Flight #5 was an old Estes Mini Bomarc that I rescued from Ebay. An A3-4T flight with nice flame in the twilight. Very cool and Austin was there to catch it again.
Flight #6 was the Semroc Taurus, which the kids were all impressed with. Impressive flight on a B6-4. The flames were now clearly visible with each flight and the Taurus was especiall cool.
This was where things started to go bad. Flight #7 was the Goonybird Zero again on a B6-4. It kicked to the right off the pad and was obviously in trouble from the moment it ejected. It wound up sixty feet up in the same tree that devoured my Centuri Scram Jet four years ago. They can exchange war stories now.
Flight #8 was a command performance for the Semroc Taurus. Another impressive flight in the twilight, but this time the B6-4 ejection charge blew the whole side out of the rocket at the bottom transition. Found both pieces, but I think its career is done. (See pics and you'll understand why.)
Flight #9 was the Estes Solar Sailer II that I bought off Ebay in 2001, but only recently finished. Awesome flight on a B6-4 because now the shadows were creeping in and the flame was very bright. Coo-l, if I do say so myself.
Flight #10 was the MPC Nike Patriot again. This time it wound up skirting through the leaves and just missing a tree berth with the Goony. Living lucky on a B6-4.
This was where my luck ran out. I gave the Big Dawg another shot because Taylor, Austin's twin sister who was one of my Brownies years ago, wanted to launch one. The Dawg was gone as soon as it left the pad. It wound up in a tree in a neighborhood on the other side of the field. I should have cut my losses and quit, but Turtle wanted to launch one.
The final flight of the night, #12, was the Solar Sailer II again on a B6-4. This was another impressive, fiery flight, but things went bad immediately at ejection. It started drifting and wound up in the tree next to the Goony. Atleast they'll be able to keep each other company later this week when the hurricane remnants blow through.
So, for the day, 12 flights, one destroyed, one damaged and three lost. Still a hell of a lot more fun than painting. :D