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  #1  
Old 06-03-2018, 06:13 PM
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Newbomb Turk Newbomb Turk is offline
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Default June 3, 2018 at the NTMLF

I was fortunate enough, finally, to win a vintage orange launch pad on ebay recently. I'd been wanting one ever since I became a BAR, as it was the last one I flew off of in the 80's, and I couldn't find my original.
It arrived this week, as part of a range box filled with other goodies that I considered a bonus.
Anyway, new pad in hand, off we went to try it out. The first thing we noticed was the grass wasn't as closely mowed as usual, potential trouble for the vintage Savannah Mosquito. Sure enough, the first flight launched and we looked for it for about five minutes without success, then went back to the pad to re-tee.
Sent up the vintage Savannah Yankee next, and I could see the streamer still rolled and sticking out of the top of the body tube. Of course, when it struck the soft ground and bounced a little, the streaker unfurled like Old Glory in a hurricane.
We needed success, so I went to the ever reliable, first-ever build by LCO / RC Sandy, the Eclipse.
Beautiful, perfect fifteenth flight on an A3-4T.
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  #2  
Old 06-03-2018, 06:28 PM
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Next was the fourth flight of the Semroc Centuri Centaur, B6-0 to B6-4. The first flight was perfect, the second wildly unstable, the third perfect again.
This time it flew and staged perfectly, although losing a shroud line brought it back down a little quicker than usual. I claim it conquered.
Then the 16th flight of the Mercury Redstone on a C6-3. It takes off so slowly I was sure I could get a launch pic. Now, I'm equally sure I didn't.
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  #3  
Old 06-03-2018, 06:34 PM
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Next, my Comanche-3 as a two stage, B6-0 to C6-7 (Comanche-2?).
Staged perfectly but at the staging event the too loose nose cone popped out. Now, I'm not a scientist like a lot of you, but did you know that when the nose cone pops out a rocket becomes unstable?
Still recovered properly.
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  #4  
Old 06-03-2018, 06:38 PM
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Next, the Estes Cosmic Explorer finished as a Centuri Centurian thanks to Sandman's beautiful decals. B6-4 flight was low, but perfect.
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  #5  
Old 06-03-2018, 06:48 PM
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Lastly, another perfect launch of the '69 Big Bertha. This seems to have developed into one of those rockets that is going to make it to every launch. Surely I can get a launch pic of this. Almost.
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  #6  
Old 06-03-2018, 08:27 PM
BARGeezer BARGeezer is offline
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For launch pics, try video mode instead of burst mode for your camera. Then do a screen capture of your video on your computer. You can go frame by frame for that perfect shot.
I also noticed that the Cosmic Explorer is virtually identical to the Centurian. Do you have the entire Centurian family ( Mini Centurian, Centurian, Centurian F)?
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  #7  
Old 06-03-2018, 10:30 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Today was perfect weather here, if a little breezy. I had grass to cut, so that kept me from the field even though I had rockets ready to go. Well, that and I flew yesterday.
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Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #8  
Old 06-05-2018, 07:27 PM
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Great tip on the video mode. Thanks. Does it work with a phone camera? I definitely want to try it.
Bill, there's something distinctly right in the world when we can fly on a weekend, isn't there?

A couple of notes about this launch:
1. I didn't complete my first post as I wanted to. I neglected to mention an early flight of my Icarus clone. The flight was perfect and as I was returning from recovering it, I found the Mosquito. That's 5 recovered flights on this one, plus however many it had back in the day.
2. When initially looking for the Mosquito, I found a spent A8-3 with a little blue tape wrapped around it. I figured it was kicked out of one of mine from an earlier launch and I couldn't find it.
But recovering something else, I found a spent C6-5. Now what do I fly there on a C6-5 that does NOT use an engine holder? Nothing. So someone else had been flying there recently. We wound up finding several more spent engines, including an E9-4, which is a lot of power for that field. Generally, I check the wind when I first get there and set up on the appropriate side to maximize space. When I was recovering something later, though, I found an area in the middle of the field with 14-16 spent igniters. When I was a kid (before we had this online community), I used to get a kick out of finding evidence that other people had been flying where I flew, and had the same feeling this weekend.
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  #9  
Old 06-05-2018, 08:32 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Newbomb Turk
Great tip on the video mode. Thanks. Does it work with a phone camera? I definitely want to try it.
Bill, there's something distinctly right in the world when we can fly on a weekend, isn't there?

A couple of notes about this launch:
1. I didn't complete my first post as I wanted to. I neglected to mention an early flight of my Icarus clone. The flight was perfect and as I was returning from recovering it, I found the Mosquito. That's 5 recovered flights on this one, plus however many it had back in the day.
2. When initially looking for the Mosquito, I found a spent A8-3 with a little blue tape wrapped around it. I figured it was kicked out of one of mine from an earlier launch and I couldn't find it.
But recovering something else, I found a spent C6-5. Now what do I fly there on a C6-5 that does NOT use an engine holder? Nothing. So someone else had been flying there recently. We wound up finding several more spent engines, including an E9-4, which is a lot of power for that field. Generally, I check the wind when I first get there and set up on the appropriate side to maximize space. When I was recovering something later, though, I found an area in the middle of the field with 14-16 spent igniters. When I was a kid (before we had this online community), I used to get a kick out of finding evidence that other people had been flying where I flew, and had the same feeling this weekend.

I wouldn't get a kick out of that. If those fields are used for ballgames, a kid could wind up with an igniter wire in a leg. A little investigation by those in charge of the field could very easily lead to a sign listing rocketry as one of the things forbidden on the field. I make **** sure everything I bring to the field leaves with me, and I always have a bag that I put my spent igniters and motors in, just in case anyone gets curious.
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Bill Eichelberger
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http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #10  
Old 06-06-2018, 06:11 AM
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100% agree. That part I definitely did NOT like. Actually, Sandy was pretty aggravated as well. Football fields, some kid could roll an ankle over one of the engines, and that would lead to barring rocketry for everyone.
We, too, police everything as we go. Even wadding. I picked everything up, Sandy picked up the large group of ignitors and plugs, and it's all still in a trash bag in the back of my car. The ignitors were in a group in the area where they were launching from, but the random location of the engines, and the size of them, gave me the impression they went to recover their rockets, picked them up, pulled the engine out and dropped it wherever it had landed.
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