rocketmanMV
Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2002
- Messages
- 39
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Finally managed to put this puppy up. Loaded up the L1120 (easy build), armed both the Co-Pilot and the PerfectFlite, had Charlie Loveday (TAP guy) look everything over for my Level Three preview, packed in the loooong (80 feet!) climbing rope main harness and the monster SkyAngle chute, slid in the shear pins, and hauled the 54.8 lb. beauty out to the away pad. With help I slid it onto the rail, stood it up, and inserted the triplefold igniter. Turn the altimeter arming keys, have a picture taken, walk nervously away. I've had bad things happen with big rockets and dual deployment at this field, so my apprehension was all the more acute. Notify the LCO, hear the countdown, and 1/2 second after the "one" was called out, FAST ignition and off she goes. I had coated the top inch of the top grain with pyrogen and this sure seemed to do the trick; no sputtering on the pad, slowly building up pressure. A nice, long boost, then a nice, long coast; arc over the top, and sure enough, separation and drogue! 400 feet above the deck, I was greatly relieved to see the nosecone pop off and the pilot chute pull out the main. The booster fell sickeningly, seemingly a victim of separation, only to finally pull up at the end of that looong main harness. Was probably under full chute and harness for two hundred feet. The electronics peeped out 4243 feet; I left them singing thier happy songs in the back of the van for the whole ride home, a testament to a great flight.