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  #1  
Old 12-28-2013, 05:47 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Default Ending 2013 launch report - 12/28/13

Winds were better today, and temps were higher, so I took advantage of the combination and headed to B6-4 Field with the remains of yesterdays box o' rockets. Pretty decent day, but a lot like yesterday in some respects, i.e. treed a couple, crashed one, and had one go wildly unstable on me.
First flight was the Quest Full Moon, flown on a B6-4 as a wind gauge. The winds were fairly light on the ground, a bit more stout up high.



The Full Moon WAY overflew the field. It actually flew back over my head, then began drifting quickly toward the trees at ejection. With a parawad. No chute whatsoever.



It landed short of the trees, but the way it rode the light breeze made me a bit skittish about flying B's today.


Second flight was the Estes Black Brant III that I cloned with a spare Estes Crossfire kit. No paint yet. The weather hasn't been terribly cooperative for much more than a bit of primer lately.



Flight was an A8-3 and it still flew fairly high and straight. At ejection it immediately began riding the wind, even with a 12" chute that was more reef than chute. Toward the trees, as usual. I cinched up, BIG TIME!





It actually landed on the ballfield when the breeze died and dropped it short of the trees. The breeze picked back up almost immediately and the BBIII was dragged halfway across the sandy infield. Paint is scraped and launch lug will need to be unplugged, 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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  #2  
Old 12-28-2013, 05:54 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Flight #3 was the Star TREK rocket I got via Ebay back in the summer. I only recently installed a new recovery system, so this would be the first flight. Apparently ever.



A8-3 flight. Even with the rod angled back behind me it took off to the right.



I used the same reefed chute as with the BBIII and recovery took it dangerously close to disaster. In the end it split the trees and missed the road by fifteen feet.



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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

Last edited by A Fish Named Wallyum : 12-28-2013 at 06:38 PM.
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  #3  
Old 12-28-2013, 06:01 PM
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tbzep tbzep is offline
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You're a disgrace to rocket nerds everywhere! You called a Star Trek rocket a Star Wars rocket!

Glad you had a better day today.
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  #4  
Old 12-28-2013, 06:09 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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How am I holding the launcher these days, you ask?



Works pretty well, but I still miss the occasional launch shot when I forget to start the camera first.

The Quest Flash was next, also on an A8-3. I tipped the rod even more this time.





Boost was perfect, to the left and back over my head. Streamer flight, so straight up, straight down, right?



Uh, no. It was like the trees had a magnetic field. Hardly any feeling of movement to the air at all.
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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 12-28-2013, 06:23 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Fifth flight of the day was the Semroc Aphelion on an A8-3.





Caught a nice liftoff shot despite my unorthodox style. Flight was straight up, not so straight down. The chute nipped a branch on the way down. That's how close it was.



This gives you an idea of how much reef I had in the chute.
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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 12-28-2013, 06:24 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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The Estes Flutter-By is the first rocket I finished from the Estes End Of Year Clearance Sale haul.





I've never seen one of these fly before. Fairly heavy bird, but the A8-3 got it up there just fine. It was out over the street at ejection and had nosed over. As expected, both parts went a different way.



The nose cone portion landed next to the sidewalk. Luckily it landed in the grass or this would have likely been the last flight.



The motor mount portion landed down on the field, a good 50 feet or more away.
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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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  #7  
Old 12-28-2013, 06:28 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Flight #7 was the Logix Explorer, the rocket from the Science Fair Aeronautical Lab that I got 36 years ago for Christmas.





A8-3, as usual. It turned out to be more than enough. Landed hard, nose down, in the middle of the outfield, just behind short. Core sampled, but no damage. The streamer didn't stream. (Mine didn't come with a chute. )
BTW, this tied my one year record for flights at 156.
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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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  #8  
Old 12-28-2013, 06:36 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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For the record-setting 157th flight, I chose a scratch design, EL GATO.



El Gato is a design born out of spare parts. The body tube was a leftover from another project. The 2x18mm cluster mount was just an extra that had been laying around for a while. The nose cone was an extra thrown in with a JonRocket order, and the fins were the cut outs from the Estes Mega Mosquito. Power was supplied by two A8-3s, both of which lit.



There was a lag at ignition, so I missed the launch. Even before the camera was down I knew it wasn't going to be a good flight. I could hear it flailing around the sky.



It landed undamaged with an OOF! I think I'll add a little nose weight before the next flight.
__________________
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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  #9  
Old 12-28-2013, 06:39 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tbzep
You're a disgrace to rocket nerds everywhere! You called a Star Trek rocket a Star Wars rocket!

Glad you had a better day today.

And the whole time I was typing it I was telling myself STAR TREK. That should prove to everyone that I'm no Trekkie.
__________________
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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  #10  
Old 12-28-2013, 07:01 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Everything was gravy from here on out, and I had enough birds left in the box to hit 160. I aimed the rod further to the left and loaded the Custom ATW on an A8-3, streamer recovery.



Left the pad to the left. Streamer recovery, so straight up, straight down again, right?



"What we're dealing with here is a complete lack of respect for the law."



So, the final tally on the day is three streamer birds flown, one didn't stream. Two did.
(You can see both in this pic. Both are close to their respective edges.)
__________________
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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