Spring fest-lessons learned

So-finally made it back from Springfest! I had a blast! Saw some old friends and made a few new ones. I'd be hard pressed to say whether I liked Eldorado dry lake Or Jean best, but Eldo was easier to get to(just drive off the hiway!). So lessons learned:
1) Pay attention to those little details. Wednesday I had a blowout on what looked to be a perfectly good tire. Mind you these had come off my wife's Dodge she thrashed when a belt let go and we decided it wasn't worth the new pumps/radiator, etc. but the tires were good! (ahem-we'd just lost another one the week before off the same car). The Viking Princess declares 'we need new tires"! So-four new tires on Thursday-cuts into rocket prep time-oh well...
2) Get new tires and go to Costco to load up on supplies. Engine light comes on-WTF??? Again, the Viking Princess declares "I'm not driving to Vegas with an engine light on". Fine-go get it checked out. No. 6 cyclinder not happy at idle-fouled injector or bad plug? Works fine at RPM-erase the message. No light=happy Viking Princess.
3) Spend Thurs nite getting three new rockets built. Can't find anything I need including a custom made bulkhead for a nose cone sled-crap! Needed a 54p aeropack mount-waddid I have? 2 paper ones. Dang- Okay-friction fit it is. Last minute surprise- I need a 4 grain 38 CTI case- I have a ton of 3 and 6's ( I like clusters) but no 4-crap! Buy one at the launch. (Did they have any-no.)
4) Panic sets in-it's late and things are drying. Get parachute dims and dig thru bags of chutes-screw it-throw them in the van. Same with reloads. I look like a crazed vendor with no organizational skills. Hastily print out thrustcurve pages for 2 rockets-I'll chose when I get there.
5) Get on the road really late and then run into hellacious traffic-finally get clear and Mr. Hotrod overheats the van on the long grade up. Have to pull over and cool the beast off. Viking Princess not happy.
6) What happens on the lake stays on the lake=especially in Vegas.
Moral? Start earlier with the prep. Don't try and make new rockets the night before.
Lessons learned? Rocketeers are the best people you will ever meet. I'm happy they even let me hang around. It was a great time! Cameras work best when used (even if you put new batteries and a huge new card in it). They hide under the seat. Sunscreen works best out of the bottle (and the bag from the drug store). Bring a couple of small rockets for new rocketeers (That's you, Al-see you in October!) Bring a full roll of duct tape-you never know, but that last 20 feet on the roll is a dead giveaway you are a cheapskate. Above all-NEVER ask what could go wrong next. The Rockets Gods don't like that question!
Overall, I really did enjoyed the day and hope to see you on the playa real soon. Without a sunburn.....

Continuing on lessons learned at Springfest:

1. I absolutely concur on paying attention to details and trying to avoid cramming in all the prep at the last minute. I came to the lakebed the most unprepared I've ever been at a launch. Everything was last minute due to "circumstances". On top of that I overworked and under-slept in the days leading to the launch - I was pretty tired and a bit punchy there. And how did that work out for me? - two valuable rockets destroyed (along with a lot of expensive electronics, motor cases, recovery gear, etc.) and one very lacerated hand with associated blood loss. Luckily no one was hurt (or vehicles damaged) by my rockets coming in ballistic. I DID however suffer a bit of damage to my pride.

2. Fyrwyrx is every bit as cool in person as you would expect from "meeting him" here on the forum.

Like Dave, despite all this, I also had a swell time at the launch largely due to the great community of rocket folk gathered there.

s6

It was really awesome to meet so many TRF members out there-San Diego really represented! (me, Kenrico, Wefly2 and CaveDuck) and all the great guys from the Vegas Prefecture. It was so cool to get a group photo of the TRF clan-there was really a lot more of us than you would think! I couldn't believe Bryce was there, fresh from Australia. Told ya that igniter would work! Sunburn, core samples, broken glass and spilled blood (Sorry, Dave!) I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. Except S6 is right-prep ahead, get some sleep and it won't cost you a bird. My one flight cost me 10 hours of which 3 coulda been sleeping, possibly leading to better decision-making and not a trashbag recovery. Yeah, I got others, but it was my new, most favourite rocket in the world. Guess I have to build another-bigger, stronger, newer (with a dang 6 grain case fer cryin' out loud!) oh yeah...and graphics from Mark! See you at Ocktoberfest!

Sorry to here of some mishaps but sounds like you still had a blast. Question--- When was the last time Spring fest was at Eldorado? And does anyone know if or when it will happen again? (my mis hap was at Eldorado but had a great time///Frank Kosdon was there and I got to sit and chat with Rikki Rocket. I think Ky Michaelson was there with a rocket powered car on a long wire as well.

crazyed said:

Sorry to here of some mishaps but sounds like you still had a blast. Question--- When was the last time Spring fest was at Eldorado? And does anyone know if or when it will happen again? (my mis hap was at Eldorado but had a great time///Frank Kosdon was there and I got to sit and chat with Rikki Rocket. I think Ky Michaelson was there with a rocket powered car on a long wire as well.

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Hey hey! There's a died in the wool old school chap right there! Rikki Rocket-haven't thought of him in ages! Eldorado was the only launch you could sit at the bar and watch thru the window of the Railroad Pass Casino/Hotel down to the dry lake! How long ago was that? I know Gary was there when the shop was still in Vegas.

Rocketry is quite a humbling hobby, to say the least.

Dave... bottom line.. is the viking princess finally happy?? cause if she aint happy aint nobody happy!

It was great seeing you.. Oh dont forget to tell the story about the window.... it was a 10" rocket on an "K" motor that blasted through your truck right??

stickershock23 said:

Dave... bottom line.. is the viking princess finally happy?? cause if she aint happy aint nobody happy!

It was great seeing you.. Oh dont forget to tell the story about the window.... it was a 10" rocket on an "K" motor that blasted through your truck right??

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Mark-You were there. You are right-it was a 186 lb ten stage to exoatmospheric re-entry vehicle test bed. Who knew the targeting radar would be fooled by the albedo of the rear window against the much cooler lakebed? My story and it gets better every time I tell it. Sorry I couldn't stick around longer, I wanted to get into Vegas to see if anybody was open. It seems rear windows are not a priority stocking item (you can get front windshields all day long). I had to stop three times to re-tape so Sunday flying was not an option to come back down to the lakebed. It was good to see you and your FATBOY rocked off the pad-nice shots were gotten! Skippy and Alex got killer shots of the MAGGMA off the pad, but 'flyitis' killed the bird on it's maiden flight. Thankfully it was a single use motor or the case would have been toast. I got the recovery train back, the Aeropack retainer, the Hardpoint anchor and 1 CR out of it. It weather-cocked pretty hard. (edit-redacted sim flawed)but I estimate it impacted at about 500mph. It BROKE the carbon-wound motor case! Boost was awesome and did a little wobble in the transonic region but slowed down enuff not to strip the fins. Based on this, MAGGMA II may not need the airstarts, as the I280 really moved that 50oz bird, but I still want them! Really want to come back to Octoberfest with the new one. We WILL toast the sunset if you come! Yeah, the Viking Princess got a couple of 'extra' days of spoiling- so it was worth it!

So it was 200 lbs 12 stages... awesome! (just keeps getting better!)

Yeah I missed saying goodbye.. but heck we will see you again soon! I think we are going to launch the photon again at TCC in central Cali around halloween.. maybe then if the van is all better!

and remember V2.0 birds are ALWAYS better than the first ones!

stickershock23 said:

So it was 200 lbs 12 stages... awesome! (just keeps getting better!)

Yeah I missed saying goodbye.. but heck we will see you again soon! I think we are going to launch the photon again at TCC in central Cali around halloween.. maybe then if the van is all better!

and remember V2.0 birds are ALWAYS better than the first ones!

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Yeah- I'll try to keep the next one under 15 stages and 250 lbs. I understand the targeting radar came from (wait for it....) TARGET! Who knew?

fyrwrxz said:

Yeah- I'll try to keep the next one under 15 stages and 250 lbs. I understand the targeting radar came from (wait for it....) TARGET! Who knew?

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Yes and will be even MORE so when you are packing some J , K and Ls MISTER level 2 designate !

All newtons up to 5120 !

I have an extra and its extra heavy 6 inch nose if you want to burn some real money..i mean n's

Kenny

Yep I was right there when the 12th stage came in hypersonic. it almost got glass on me. Rumours of a nool poodle are patently false.

fyrwrxz said:

Hey hey! There's a died in the wool old school chap right there! Rikki Rocket-haven't thought of him in ages! Eldorado was the only launch you could sit at the bar and watch thru the window of the Railroad Pass Casino/Hotel down to the dry lake! How long ago was that? I know Gary was there when the shop was still in Vegas.

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The late 90's Thinking98.
Ed