MMMSC - November 15

Well, it is still early in the week, but so far the weather forecast is for cold but otherwise nice weather on Saturday. I hope to have 5 relay boxes refurbished by then. I refurbed two and gave them to Jim in case I had difficulties in getting to the launch. Should have the other three done and with me and on time though. Planning on flying, you guessed it, my Wildchild. Gonna try doing another walk up the alphabet from E to G, but with Altimeter II and keychain camera on each flight. What is everyone else gonna fly?

Guy.

I'll be getting there about 11. Might fly something or just huddle at the launch controller to stay warm (how many ohms do you need to short a battery pack, create some heat and not fry the whole thing?).

I've got some stuff to do in the morning, but I may take a ride up, even if only for the Thistle Pig.

KennB said:

I'll be getting there about 11. Might fly something or just huddle at the launch controller to stay warm (how many ohms do you need to short a battery pack, create some heat and not fry the whole thing?).

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5. Trust me. I'm sure that's right.

billspad said:

5. Trust me. I'm sure that's right.

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With a battery voltage of 12.5 volts a 5 ohm resister will draw about 2.5 Amps. That amounts to about 31 Watts, so for longevity, probably should use at least a 50 Watt resistor. Might make a decent hand warmer for a couple of hours. :wink:

billspad said:

5. Trust me. I'm sure that's right.

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guywad said:

With a battery voltage of 12.5 volts a 5 ohm resister will draw about 2.5 Amps. That amounts to about 31 Watts, so for longevity, probably should use at least a 50 Watt resistor. Might make a decent hand warmer for a couple of hours. :wink:

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Thanks for the reality check, Guy. I think Bill is trying to kill me. :y: Or at least he's trying to fry various part of me. :eyepop:
He may have been applying that college dogma: From EE classes, An electrical circuit is just like a piping system; From Fluids courses, A piping system is just like an electrical circuit.
Either way, the wires in the pipe cut down on the flow.

KennB said:

Thanks for the reality check, Guy. I think Bill is trying to kill me. :y: Or at least he's trying to fry various part of me. :eyepop:
He may have been applying that college dogma: From EE classes, An electrical circuit is just like a piping system; From Fluids courses, A piping system is just like an electrical circuit.
Either way, the wires in the pipe cut down on the flow.

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Just trying to cause you pain. I pulled the number out of the air but it's approximately the resistance of an Estes igniter. A few of those will keep your fingers very warm for a short period of time.

Bring gloves.

My plan is to be there. I'm still thinking about what to fly. The forecast is looking good for wind so far and I'll consider some non-DD high flyers. I'm looking forward to getting some launches in before retreating to the work bench for the winter.

I'll bring an orange vest. Probably won't need the tick spray.

Wow....I might actually be able to make a launch!

Well I better dust off some rockets and see if I can't get something put together!

Drove out Monday and looked to see what was going on. We may, or may not have a potty, they had not pulled it yet. We will set up in the shadow of the tree line, and hope for light winds.

SAC of MMMSClub said:

We will set up in the shadow of the tree line, and hope for light winds.

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Couldn't we set up in the sunshine and hope for light winds? :cool2:

I am not promising anything but 4 pc. of steel plate and a harrow disk could be formed into a fire pit and I bet there are some broken pallets that would burn nicely and or we could bring some charcoal & wood too.

SAC of MMMSClub said:

I am not promising anything but 4 pc. of steel plate and a harrow disk could be formed into a fire pit and I bet there are some broken pallets that would burn nicely and or we could bring some charcoal & wood too.

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Maybe AMW has a sparky they can give you to get the fire going.

SAC of MMMSClub said:

I am not promising anything but 4 pc. of steel plate and a harrow disk could be formed into a fire pit and I bet there are some broken pallets that would burn nicely and or we could bring some charcoal & wood too.

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I have a large bag of charcoal that I will bring just in case!

Why do you think CTI came out with new long-burn motors? It's getting cold!

KennB said:

Couldn't we set up in the sunshine and hope for light winds? :cool2:

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I'll second the setting up in the sun suggestion

I think Scott was talking more of a wind break which would be a great idea.


Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum. That's not what makes me super-cool; it's many other things.

Just posted a comment to Kenn's post in the MMMSC web site https://mmmsclub.org. I finished up the refurb of the remaining three relay boxes. Details in the post. Am bringing a big bag of charcoal that has been hanging around in the garage for a while (thanks BJ's) to have for fuel for a keep warm fire if desired.

KennB said:

I think Scott was talking more of a wind break which would be a great idea.


Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum. That's not what makes me super-cool; it's many other things.

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I believe that the winds are forecast from the WNW, which I think means it will be blowing away from the tree line.

jbuscaglia said:

I believe that the winds are forecast from the WNW, which I think means it will be blowing away from the tree line.

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Yep, away from the trees. And fairly light too.

Scott has posted on Facebook that lunch will not be available on the field for this launch.
The NOTAM is only until 3 PM so it will be a shorter day to begin with. If you or your crew needs to eat, bring something or you can go off-field to Cumberland Farms or Subway to pick something up. Drinks will be available and they will be cold.

With the cold weather, I'd recommend flying as early as you can and frequently. We'll keep flying until 3 but if it's too cold and people are done, we'll close down early and head to the Thistle Pig for the post-launch debriefing and Chocolate Stout Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting.

Bill has asked for a launch report so here is one, short and sweet.

As predicted, it was a cold and sunny day. We set up in our usual corner of the field near the woods and laid out toward the center pivot. When the wind wasn't too fast near the ground, it was quite comfortable but those times were few. The winds aloft changed directions a few times up to about 2000'. Mostly is was in a favorable direction and most everything that ended up in woods had suffered a recovery failure.

There were 44 total launches with motors ranging from MicroMaxx to K-impulse. Some AT motors needed extra encouragement but finally got fired up. Unlike the CMASS launch last week, there were no CATOs in our colder weather. Scott did craft a fire pit and had a nice blaze going that threw a lot of warmth; too bad it was way far away from the launch table.

There were some Level 1 attempts but I believe all (both?) met with failure. The usual advice of keeping it simple for your cert flight and then go nuts with your designs sounds better and better.

Jason held a "blanket sale"; various motor casings, rocket kits and accessories were laid out on a tarp and offered at reduced prices. He also said to keep an eye on the AMW/ProX website on Black Friday and the rest of that weekend for some exciting sales.

Lunch was not served but we had a raffle. I won the MMMSC etched double old fashion glass and John B won a Pem-Tech TRF rocket kit.

Hats off to those who came out to fly and to watch (actually, keeping your had on with a hood up was a better idea). The launch table was the last area to lose the sun as we shut down at 3 o'clock and it got quite a bit colder very quickly.

At the post-launch debriefing, I determined that the Chocolate Stout Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting has a competitor with the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Bourbon Icecream and Scotch Sauce. It may be seasonal and I hope it will be available after the 21 December launch.

A couple of other points. The new to the club welding blankets were a big improvement at the high power pads, keeping the sod underneath almost pristine, even with a few J flights and at least 1 K flight.

As for the post-launch debrief, I highly recommend the new to the menu Spicy Lentil with Pork Belly Soup, and as good as the Sticky Toffee Pudding desert looked, the Chocolate Stout Cake was as good as ever.

KennB said:

Jason held a "blanket sale"; various motor casings, rocket kits and accessories were laid out on a tarp and offered at reduced prices.

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I took advantage of the "blanket sale" to pick up a couple of Pro24 cases.

Lunch was not served but we had a raffle. I won the MMMSC etched double old fashion glass and John B won a Pem-Tech TRF rocket kit.

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Kenn said that the rocket is more likely to get built than if he had won it. That's probably true, but I'm certain that I would have drunk from the glass long before I get around to building the rocket.

At the post-launch debriefing, I determined that the Chocolate Stout Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting has a competitor with the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Bourbon Icecream and Scotch Sauce. It may be seasonal and I hope it will be available after the 21 December launch.

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The Stout Cake was a primary motivation for driving up to the launch, but when I saw the Sticky Toffee Pudding on the menu, I had to try it. I was not disappointed. The pork shoulder I had for the main course was pretty good, too.

I just wanted to hear that it was really cold so I wouldn't fell bad about spending the day working. You didn't have to torture me with the food report.

billspad said:

I just wanted to hear that it was really cold so I wouldn't fell bad about spending the day working. You didn't have to torture me with the food report.

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I would have sent you a picture of the dessert but it didn't hang around long enough to be shot.

Sorry, Bill. The temp wasn't too bad, especially as the morning wore on. The sunshine and low winds helped.

My second test flight with an Archtype cable cutter went perfectly. I had a drogue that was a little on the large side but I now have enough confidence in the system and my ability to set it up that I will probably use a streamer or go drogueless in the future.

I saw someone taking a lot of pictures. He seemed to know what he was about, unlike me. Maybe he will post some photos??? :grin:

billspad said:

I just wanted to hear that it was really cold so I wouldn't fell bad about spending the day working.

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Don't worry, Bill, you'll get to see how cold it was. The forecast for Saturday in Amesbury is similar.

jbuscaglia said:

Don't worry, Bill, you'll get to see how cold it was. The forecast for Saturday in Amesbury is similar.

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I'm working on getting that changed.