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  #1  
Old 05-20-2012, 11:03 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Default Lone Gunman at B6-4 Field, 5-20-12

The fields were empty tonight, so I headed up for some post-dinner flying. Of course, as soon as I arrived, other cars started pulling in, but nothing organized and nothing that I couldn't coexist with. I was trying out some new settings on my camera, so the pics aren't terribly voluminous, but I managed 12 flights in the hour and a half I was there.
First off the pad was the Estes Micron that I picked up from Ebay a few years back. I installed a new recovery system last night to replace the one that had rotted away. The flight was on an A3-4T and was a lot higher than I expected. It bounced on recovery after an almost dead straight flight. Not the first flight for this one, but the first flight with me at the controls.





Second flight was the FSI Micron that I cloned and that has already had a star-crossed life. I planned to fly it a few weeks back, but found that it had a cracked fillet. Tonight I loaded it with an A8-3 and it performed as expected. A slight arc to the flight that took it back out over Woodfill Avenue, but the slight breeze brought it back over the field where it cracked a fin upon landing. Hard hit. I knew there was going to be some damage. This might not be sturdy enough to be a streamer bird.





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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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  #2  
Old 05-21-2012, 12:54 AM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Third flight for the night was the Mini Max that I recently finished. This turned out to be a great looking little bird for mini-engines. For the maiden voyage I loaded it with an A3-4T and a teeny 8" chute. (The Micro flight had me nervous.) Same flight path as the Micro, a slight arc back over the street, but at ejection the chute performed flawlessly and the rocket started coming down near the grass between the two fields. It was about 150' up when the downward motion stopped. It hung for a second, then caught the sudden light breeze that I felt at my back. Just that quickly things went bad. It was still descending, but nowhere near fast enough. At first I thought that it was going to clear the trees and make the tennis courts, but just as quickly as they came, the thermal and offending breeze died. The Mini Max dropped into the upper branches of one of the trees at the edge of the field. It almost cleared the branch, but caught it and the chute collapsed. Same tree that got my Centuri Scram Jet clone in 2001.



No launch shot. Just a memorial to the sacrifice to the tree deities.

Nervous now. The next flight would be the Astron Constellation on an A8-3, AFTER A READJUSTMENT OF THE LAUNCH ROD! Whadya know, same flight path. Out over the street and a drift back toward the trees, but nowhere near high enough to be a problem. All in all, a great first flight for this hybrid bird. (Half old, half new.)

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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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  #3  
Old 05-21-2012, 05:40 AM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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#5 was a WAC Corporal that I built back in 2001 and flew here previously. Pretty ragged old girl, the Corporal. Not long after I built her she got dragged across an asphalt parking lot at one of our QUARK Lebanon YMCA launches. Kinda butchered her paint a bit, but she still flies nicely, especially on a B6-4 at B6-4 Field.



The Red River Rocketry Starliner DST was one of the rockets I took with me last year at this time when I had my niece and nephew with me. Joel wanted to see it fly, but we ran out of time. Flew it on an A8-3 tonight. Bounced a bit on recovery, but no damage.



Flight 7 was the Estes Spin Fin I cloned. Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't see anything about this flight that even hinted that the fins were making it spin. It was up and gone almost before I knew it.



Stripped the streamer and landed hard in the infield, but no damage.
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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

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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  #4  
Old 05-21-2012, 05:46 AM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Next was an Estes Solar Warrior on an A3-4T. This one was built in 2006, but sat around without a recovery system for six years. I just finished it last night, one of two birds that I got flight-ready while watching Crocodile Dundee.



Second WAC Corporal flight came next, then an old RTF military rocket that has been sitting in the basement since we moved. Doesn't look like much, but it cranked off the pad and recovered nicely. I think I flew it on a B6-4, but I can't swear to it.





Biggest surprise of the night.
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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

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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  #5  
Old 05-21-2012, 05:57 AM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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When I pulled the Semroc Javelin out I got a bit of a surprise. It still had a motor in it from the last flight, which was who knows when. Even stranger, it was a Quest A6-4 that came with a starter set I bought in 2001 on my first trip to Hobby Lobby. I still use the controller to this day, and I still fly the Wicked Winnie that I bought with it that night. The A6-4 really got it up there. Pretty impressive, actually.



Landed right ON the first base line.



Last flight of the night was the Estes K-22 V-2 that I bought off of Ebay a few years back. It has a Semroc nose cone and new fins. (The grain on the old ones was oriented wrong.) Flew on an A8-3 and did everything well, despite the Fill & Finish.





Pretty good night except for the Mini Max tragedy. 12 flights with 11 rockets, and it didn't seem like I was there for the hour and a half plus that it took me. I quit when I got tired and left some light on the field for a change.
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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

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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  #6  
Old 05-21-2012, 08:19 AM
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foamy foamy is offline
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Nice photos and report. You're very fortunate to have a launch field close to home that you can just go fly when the whim and weather strike your fancy. My preferred field is about 25 minutes away. I generally don't get home until after seven, so I don't get a lot of time to fly rockets. I'm hoping once the sailing schedule calms down, to have a bit more time on the weekends. It kinda works out. What's good for sailing is bad for rockets and vice-versa. It was certainly a sailing weekend here.

The Javelin is a great little flyer. Unfortunately I lost my original '69 the last time out, which still irks me. It was my fault, but still... I'm disappointed.

That's a nice lot of rockets you put up. An evening like that would gratify me immensely. Cheers!
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Old 05-21-2012, 08:53 AM
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You're making me jealous, actually. The weather just hasn't cooperated here all year.
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  #8  
Old 05-21-2012, 09:46 AM
jetlag jetlag is offline
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Sorry to see/hear of the demise of the Mini-Max.
When I took my Godson out to fly some weeks ago, my Mini-Max was his favorite. He used up all my A10-3's and there were 12 of them! The rocket used the included streamer for recovery, so she came straight down every time with no damage. He absolutely loved it, because by the 3rd flight, he was doing all the engine prep, inserting wadding, rolling up the streamer, loading it onto the launcher, and counting it down all by himself. He is 7!

His birthday is in July, and I already have a regular size Max ready and a box of engines for him. We can build it together.

You know, Bill, a good wind might just knock your Mini-Max off the offending tree limb; know anyone with a bucket truck???
Allen
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Old 05-21-2012, 10:38 AM
chrism chrism is offline
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You mentioned that you could not see the Spin Fin spin. I noticed that I could not see my Estes (Centuri) Twister spin as well. Even on an A6-4, it took off quickly immediately flew into the wind and was lost.

So if these rockets do spin...I'll have to take their word for it
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Old 05-21-2012, 01:40 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jetlag
You know, Bill, a good wind might just knock your Mini-Max off the offending tree limb; know anyone with a bucket truck???
Allen

I'm going to take a walk up that way tonight and see if I can see anything in the tree. It's closer to the tennis courts than I thought. Literally right next to them. I'm not holding out much hope. It hasn't been windy at all lately, and it caught the branch pretty solid. Still, can't hurt to give it a look.
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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

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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