Ye Olde Rocket Forum

Go Back   Ye Olde Rocket Forum > Weather-Cocked > Mission Control
User Name
Password
Auctions Register FAQ Members List Calendar Today's Posts Search Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 10-07-2012, 09:36 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
BP Mafia
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Ft. Thomas, KY
Posts: 8,596
Default B6-4 Fest, 10-7-12

Huge turnout at today's B6-4 Fest. Okay, so just two of us, but we flew 27 rockets between us. Zog and I were supposed to be breaking in a new field (for me, at least,) but crowds and cold took us back to Ft. Thomas to the fabulousness of B6-4 Field. Like a lot of people, Zog thought it was too small until he was actually on the field itself. We shared it most of the day with two ladies who were practicing softball, and with a flock of geese until, well, until that first rocket engine lit.



Zog's first bird was an RTF piece of junk that he bought because it was cheap. It was also quite effective at ridding the field of these flying possums.



Notice in this photo the startled geese beginning their escape.



And in this one they've moved on to greener pastures. We provided a public service. Wonder who gets the bill?

__________________
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

Last edited by A Fish Named Wallyum : 10-08-2012 at 09:58 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 10-07-2012, 09:47 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
BP Mafia
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Ft. Thomas, KY
Posts: 8,596
Default

My first bird of the day was the freshly repaired Centuri Design Contest X-Wing that I CATOd last spring.



I missed the liftoff shot, but the B6-4 flight was as expected. After the last time this was just fine with me. Decent flight and nominal recovery in the largely windless conditions.
Which were also fine with me.

Next up for me was my Estes Alien Space Probe on a C6-3. Things went squirrelly right away with this one.



It kicked back over the pad toward US 27. It never appeared to be a threat to traffic.



Unfortunately the asphal parking lot was a threat to the Alien Space Probe.



Lost a leg and a foot, but both will be repairable. As you'll see later, it was a bad day on that side of the pike for the Fat Boy crowd.
__________________
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

Last edited by A Fish Named Wallyum : 10-09-2012 at 04:53 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 10-07-2012, 09:53 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
BP Mafia
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Ft. Thomas, KY
Posts: 8,596
Default

Zog mentioned that he'd never seen a glider fly, so I got my Edmonds Tinee out and loaded it with a 1/2A3-2T.



Ignition was great, except that it never left the rod.



Zog still hasn't seen a glider fly.

__________________
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
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 10-07-2012, 10:13 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
BP Mafia
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Ft. Thomas, KY
Posts: 8,596
Default

By this time I was in the mood for a successful flight, so I pulled out Der Red Max. BT-60 birds never let me down on a B6-4 at B6-4 Field. They wouldn't dare, right?







Right.
I think Zog even caught it before it hit the ground. Things were looking up.

After that it was back to the norm. A Quest Area 51 Saucer didn't do so well on an A8-3, but it was funny.





My fault. I should have known better.
__________________
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
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 10-07-2012, 10:23 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
BP Mafia
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Ft. Thomas, KY
Posts: 8,596
Default

I'd pretty much forgotten about the Estes Eclipse since cloning it last year. The decal was vintage, but the rest was pure clone. I really like the way it turned out.



Tough one to catch past ignition. It was GONE on an A8-3, but recovered perfectly.



After the success of the Eclipse, I reloaded the Quest saucer with a C6-3. This flight was much more in line with what I expected.





Pretty beat up, but also pretty cool.
__________________
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
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 10-08-2012, 02:09 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
BP Mafia
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Ft. Thomas, KY
Posts: 8,596
Default

Next off was my Estes Super Alpha on a B6-4. I've probably said it before, but this kind of bird is really perfect for this field.







I think the next B6-4 Fest is going to be a BT-60 only day. Super Alphas, Big Berthas, Semroc Vegas, etc. My record with them is too good to ignore. (I know. More due to luck than anything else. )
__________________
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
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 10-08-2012, 02:31 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
BP Mafia
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Ft. Thomas, KY
Posts: 8,596
Default

OTOH, my luck with BT-80 birds on this day was uniformly crappy. O for 2 to be more to the point. A vintage Fat Boy on a C6-3......









Zog treed his Estes QCC Explorer on the other side of the field and I rescued it today, but I couldn't figure out a way to get to this one. I'll try tomorrow when my son is off.
__________________
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
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 10-08-2012, 02:40 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
BP Mafia
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Ft. Thomas, KY
Posts: 8,596
Default

Now for one of the most boring kits Estes ever kitted: the Mini Brute Hornet. I remember this being on the shelf with the Beta that I ultimately chose as my first rocket back in 1977. The fact that it came with no decals killed it for me. Decals were EVERYTHING!





It still needs a fin painted black, but I'm also going to put a roll pattern decal on it. Perfect flight and imperfect recovery on a 1/2A3. The Kevlar snapped ten feet from the ground.

The DR. Zooch Titan III was an iffy choice for the field and conditions, but I resisted the temptation to fly it on an A8-3 because I'm not willing to wear the Squirming Hatch Blower label.





Flight was great, but the chute didn't completely unfurl. One of the flame fins broke on impact, but it's an easy fix.
__________________
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
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 10-08-2012, 02:58 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
BP Mafia
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Ft. Thomas, KY
Posts: 8,596
Default

Despite the possibility that it might overfly the field, even on an A8-5, I felt the need to fly the CMR Effy that I just recently identified. Built by a New York science teacher in 1975, it was readied for modern use with a new Kevlar and sewing elastic shock cord. The streamer is still the one that was in it when it was pictured in the Ebay auction.





Great flight, but I didn't catch any of it, as you can see. It probably did overfly the field, but the conditions were perfect. After a straight up flight, it recovered at the edge of the field, nowhere near the trees.
Next time: a B6-6!

Another rocket that I flight-readied on Saturday night, the Retro Rockets Mini Max had blown out the Kevlar on a previous flight, and I finally got around to fixing it.



Flight was on a 1/4 because I had one.



Straight up, straight down, because it was that kind of day. Nose blow recovery, because it can.
__________________
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
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 10-08-2012, 03:10 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
BP Mafia
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Ft. Thomas, KY
Posts: 8,596
Default

Zog had the same kind of day I had, mostly good flights, with a couple of turds mixed in. His XL rocket, a Super Neon XL without the tube fins, flew twice. First was on a B6-4. Bad idea.







Splat recovery resulted in no damage to the rocket! Nose cone was buried in the soft mud and the body was blown clear. The ejection charge must have fired just before impact. This picture gives you a good idea why we call it "dog barf".

The XL flew again later, this time to perfection on a more suitable C6-5.





__________________
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
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:32 AM.


Powered by: vBulletin Version 3.0.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe © 1998-2024