... hope to see it again at Midwest Power!
-Eric-
Well, she got her third flight in, 5 years after her maiden flight and in almost the same exact spot. From the away cell at MWP 13 (Oct 2015), to be precise. My apologies for the lengthy delay in uploading the videos and completing the flight report, but here we go.
First off, a bunch of thank you's are in order. To the friendly folks of QCRS for putting together this great launch, year after year. Nothing better than spending a long weekend with close friends flying rockets. To Tim and Jackie, for opening up your home and welcoming in a bunch of homeless migrants after a long day of trudging through dusty fields in pursuit of abused collections of cardboard, plastic, fiberglass and aluminum. Thanks also to my family for not only putting up with this time-consuming and somewhat expensive hobby of mine, but fully participating in it as well. David Reese at the LCO table, for your most generous introductions and captivating in-flight commentary... always appreciated. I wish we could find a way to harvest the depth of experience you have in rocketry, we all miss that since you've relocated. And a big thank you to my ground support team - David Kittell, Kelly Ranum, Ben Walbaum, and Dick and Zach Bennett. The Jayhawk is a complicated and slow prep, and you took the time (better part of a day) from flying your own projects to help assemble mine, as well as haul her to and from the field and set her up on the pad. It definitely would not have flown without your commitment and support. Thank you. Some great photos and videos document the experience, thanks to Kelly and Tricia Ranum, Justin Farrand, and Chuck Haskin. It takes a good eye, a steady hand, and a big sacrifice to spend that much time looking through a tiny B&W viewfinder on a clear sunny day full of color and activity. But, thanks to you, we have a permanent record of the event, to remember, analyze, and share. Thank you all. And finally, a big shout out thank you, and wishes for a speedy and full recovery, to my good friend Dr Jeroen Louwers. Dr J. is an important member of our small and tight-knit community, and very in-tune with and receptive to our needs. The superb N5600 White Thunder motor in this rocket is a result of that, filling a small gap in the product line-up for a really small cadre of rocketeers that fly in a specific niche - big heavy rockets that will fit a 98-6G but NOT a 98-6GXL. This is the perfect motor for this rocket, and her successful third flight is a direct result of Dr J's personal involvement. Thank you, sir!
Getting late, pictures and videos tomorrow.