Rick-

It was a custom-built rocket, all fiberglass.....my first and only fiberglass rocket. It was minimum diameter and was launched from a tower. I'm not at altitiude freak really, but at the time it was my first trip to Black Rock and I just thought it would be a good place to see just how high I *could* punch a rocket. The Vulcan L750 at the time was one of the larger 54MM motors one could get (well, as I recall the Vulcan 54MM motors were actually at tad smaller than that...maybe 53MM or so).

The final multiple-coat black finish was compounded and waxed the night before in my hotel at Bruno's 'Country Club' to basically a highly polished finish. I wanted to give the vehicle every benefit I could think of to reduce drag. Calculations for the motor performance and vehicle weight indicated I'd need a 30 second delay on that motor, which seemed long, but that's what the numbers indicated.

Sure enough, after a straight up boost out of the tower, we counted down the time after burnout and pretty much on cue there appeared over the range a round ball of the red chalk dust cloud. It was visible to the naked eye and a binocular view indicated it was a circular shaped dust cloud and not an elongated dust cloud. The former would tend to indicate an ejection close to apogee; the latter an ejection well past apogee.

Someone else actually found the rocket a couple hours later out on the lakebed. It would not be until later that night at Bruno's during supper that Chuck Rogers came in and I asked him if he had a list of the day's tracked flights. He said he did and pulled out a printed sheet of altitudes for LDRS-10. I looked and looked over the list and could not find mine on there (Spirit of Point 39).

I handed the list back to Chuck and said I didn't see it on the list and he asked what I had flown and I told him it was a minimum diameter L750. He took the list and said "Oh, it's up here!" pointing to the second highest flight on the list. I had been looking down lower on the list, not quite expecting it to be THAT high. The top of the list was a two stage L750 to L750 flown by the University of Central Florida to like 21,000 feet.


Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

I did a flight with E6-0 to E6-8 to 1992 meters about 1983
Gary Rosenfield did an F10-8 flight to 1976 meters about 1982

There are other records listed in California Rocketry magazine.

I noticed none of the USR motors tracked by Chuck with my tracking equipment survived the translation process . . .

Jerry

Hi Earl,
I was wondering where that 30 seconds ended up. I was surprised to think maybe it was just a hair after apogee, but imagined or wondered if it was deep on the down-swing before she yanked too. Afterall it was 18k+ so it takes some time to get her up there too. I'm amazed you saw the puff.
Either way, I'm sure you were walking 3 feet off the ground after you got the news.

Aha. So that's the rocket's name (Spirit of Point 39)... Betcha know where I'm putin' that.

You know, I think it' s a sweeter accomplishment when an airframe exceeds the expectation.

Ah. nothin' beats flyin' hey.

Well Thanks again
Rick

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Aw! So nothing survived. No docs or witnesses. Something to give it that (what' the word...)
I can still put it up on the Staged list. I just won't be able to back it up with a link.
If you want to send me your data in a private messege, I ll give it a shot for ya.

That F10-8 sounds like it tops up too. Does he have online docs I could use? Maybe a contact you know of...

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Rick,

Here are the supporting documents for the altitude claim:

Flyers Name: Steve Naquin, Tripoli Louisiana Prefecture 10
Motor/Delay: J100-10W AeroTech Single Use 54mm
Rocket Name: Stinger 3
Date of Flight: 8/5/1989
Location: LDSR VIII Hartsel, Colorado 4-6 August 1989
Altitude: Tracked to 6,912 Feet

Links to my Fotki webpage with photos of flight and a scan of the LDRS VIII tracking results page from Tripolitan Vol 5 No. 4 February 1991 issue.

http://public.fotki.com/snaquin3/ho...fecture-10.html

http://public.fotki.com/snaquin3/ho...fecture-10.html

http://public.fotki.com/snaquin3/ho...fecture-10.html

http://public.fotki.com/snaquin3/ho...-ldrs-viii.html

The images referenced in the links are also posted below should you prefer to link to them here.

Thanks!



.

Attached Thumbnails

       

__________________
Steve Naquin
TRA# 677 L2
NAR# 85518 L2
SAM# 0052

🚀 In Construction: Der Blue Maxx/Minie-Magg 5.5” & Vander-Burn MDRM Clone w/Stickershock23 Custom Decals
🚀 In Paint & Detail: USR Banshee
🚀 In Build Queue: Estes Doorknob w/Vander-Burn Rocketry Upgrade Kit [Sport Decor], Semroc Centurion-F, Semroc Egg Crate
🚀 In Repair: SLS Lil’ Hustler, SLS Aero-Dart 1969 Trim
🚀 Stay Tuned For Fall 2021 Launch Dates

Hey Jerry, one of your AR-2B two stage rockets was tracked and another two stage flight in a rocket listed as "Rocket with No Name" that used USR motors in both stages is also on this list.

LDRS VIII was the first time I saw any of your kits in the wild. One thing I did notice was that other than Frank U. with PML selling phenolic tube and a bunch of LOC rockets and stuff out there, the only other 3" diameter kits that I noticed were USR. Laser/LOC 3.1 was available as a custom limited run but 3" hadn't seem to have caught on just yet.

My rocket was built with the experimental parts assortment of heavy walled tube that Ron with LOC was selling that was also used in the Laser/LOC 3.1 kits.

I did see a 3" downscale of a LOC Ultimate that someone scratch built that was mighty fine too but I think it was a single motor rocket. That was pretty unique as well and looked great in 3" diameter.

.

__________________
Steve Naquin
TRA# 677 L2
NAR# 85518 L2
SAM# 0052

🚀 In Construction: Der Blue Maxx/Minie-Magg 5.5” & Vander-Burn MDRM Clone w/Stickershock23 Custom Decals
🚀 In Paint & Detail: USR Banshee
🚀 In Build Queue: Estes Doorknob w/Vander-Burn Rocketry Upgrade Kit [Sport Decor], Semroc Centurion-F, Semroc Egg Crate
🚀 In Repair: SLS Lil’ Hustler, SLS Aero-Dart 1969 Trim
🚀 Stay Tuned For Fall 2021 Launch Dates

Steve-

Good documentation there. Did you get a recovery on the vehicle? That J100 motor was a great one for vehicles of that size. That Hartsel site was quite picturesque and at least cooler than many of the othe LDRS locations over the years. I guess I need to go hunting up some old Tripolitan back issues myself (somewhere in the stacks of stuff) to find the LDRS-10 coverage issue, which I think was Covered sometime in late '91. It is so hard to believe that those LDRS events are now 20+ plus years ago. Man, does time fly....

Do you recall Tom Binford from GA at LDRS-8 that year? I first met him about a month later at the first high power launch I went to at Ft. Stewart, GA out on one of the tank ranges there. He flew a variety of rockets that day, but the most impressive (for those days) was a K900 flight (first K I ever saw) that seemed to just blast off the pad in a very impressive show of newton-second output! Two MP's had just arrived at the range before Tom launched that rocket and they both were quite 'impressed' that 'civilians' were able to obtain such rocket power for 'hobby' use!

I've seen many much bigger motors fly in the years since then (Sept. '89), but I guess since it was my first exposure to high power, that K900 blast just kinda stays in the back of my mind as one of the more memorable flights, partially due as well to the reaction of those two MP's.

Thanks for sharing your particular flight data with us!

Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

Hi Steve,
Thanks for getting me all the detailed information on the Stinger 3. I have now linked your documentation to the Records list.

If you have any others (including all other Forumers here), you can stake your claim on the new claim form if you like.

http://www.mts.net/~rns/URR/Record%...gle%20Motor.htm

It may make things easier depending how want to send it....and it goes directly to me by email. Through the Forum is fine too like we're doing.

Either way as long as I can communicate your claims correctly, I'll be happy for you and no one can deny what you've done.

Many thanks!

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Anyone on this Forum wants the latest Rocketry Records List, just send me your email and I'll link you to it.

Earl,

That was the only rocket out of the five that I brought that I was unable to recover because it drifted well to the right of the flight lines and landed on private property. We were told not to recover rockets that went over the fence into that area because the owner kept exotic animals and asked us to stay out.

The J125 was a lot more common in minimum dia. rockets like the Laser/LOC 2.1 but the J100 was about all I could afford since I had already bought 4 other H and I motors and split the expense of the drive up from Louisiana with two friends of mine. LDRS VIII was my first and most memorable LDRS.

.

__________________
Steve Naquin
TRA# 677 L2
NAR# 85518 L2
SAM# 0052

🚀 In Construction: Der Blue Maxx/Minie-Magg 5.5” & Vander-Burn MDRM Clone w/Stickershock23 Custom Decals
🚀 In Paint & Detail: USR Banshee
🚀 In Build Queue: Estes Doorknob w/Vander-Burn Rocketry Upgrade Kit [Sport Decor], Semroc Centurion-F, Semroc Egg Crate
🚀 In Repair: SLS Lil’ Hustler, SLS Aero-Dart 1969 Trim
🚀 Stay Tuned For Fall 2021 Launch Dates

Hi everyone,

I've just added the "GONZO" LIST link to my website. It's the Top 25 amateur rocket Altitudes of any motor or motors that I could find. It's an interesting mix and a lot of EXP motors killing it along with some manufactured motors. I have a feeling next year they'll be even more Altitude Junkies shuffling this list again.

I'm also thinking on putting up a Pro vs Amateur comparison list relating to our A to P etc motors using pound thrust and comparing the real NASA and ESA, CCCP rocs then putting into and Newton format.

For instance the real Black Brant X was about a T-257000 and an Aerojet Aerobee was equivalent to a P 18000. Lots there...V-2 WAC Corporal, Deltas, N-1, Atlas' etc...
Just comparing apples to oranges here but seems to show how amateurs are slowly creeping up to some of the pro rockets from the past.
Should have it up this weekend.

Again, if you have anything you would like to add to any of my lists, by all means let me know.

SRP Crew

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Anyone on this Forum wants the latest Rocketry Records List, just send me your email and I'll link you to it.