Reflections on Airfest 23

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Now that you will have a new diesel you can right over the top of the mountains .
Pack up the trailer including the parka's and show up at MWP.

I appreciate how you never give up and you know, I could get a wild hair and 1600 miles and 25 hours later show up to cause trouble and raise havoc.....oh wait! That would be Wayne considering I'm the quiet, conservative member of the team.
 
Yes it was me and Cory Brennan


Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum

Indeed! Under the careful and expert supervision of Sharon, coupled with Jeff and Skippy's brawn, I greatly enjoyed being part of the crack pad team! :lol:
I gained a whole new appreciation for what it is like to handle a 65 lb rocket, especially when the bottom rail button goes past the rail! YIKES! Hope the paint job survived the ordeal well and intact! :facepalm:


Re-touched these pictures to add clarity for my eye. If for some reason you want the originals let me know.
2017-09-20_03-51-09 by Cory Brennan, on Flickr
2017-09-20_04-16-52 by Cory Brennan, on Flickr
 
...And talking about night rockets, I see I got a (uncredited) picture in the Sport Rocketry magazine on the second page with my Night Saucer that Ken Rico built for me. I agree - night rockets are lot of fun. It would never work at Airfest, besides all the issues Bob Brown mentioned I wouldn't be able to stay awake long enough for it to get really dark (I'm a morning person).

I saw that saucer picture!!! - didn't know that was you.

I've thought about building a "night" saucer myself! Still got several weeks building time till MWP and a shoe-box full of LED's. Guess I'd better get busy!

-and one more thing- a road trip next year to MWP in 2018 would be a great way to test out that new truck <hint hint> :cool:

2017-09-20 20.04.47.jpg
 
Indeed! Under the careful and expert supervision of Sharon, coupled with Jeff and Skippy's brawn, I greatly enjoyed being part of the crack pad team! :lol:
I gained a whole new appreciation for what it is like to handle a 65 lb rocket, especially when the bottom rail button goes past the rail! YIKES! Hope the paint job survived the ordeal well and intact! :facepalm:

Thanks for the pic's Cory. If I forgot at the launch, thanks to my expert ground crew, Jeff, Cory and Skippy for your help lugging "Redline" out to the pads. This was it's fourth launch, and it already has plenty of indicators that it's an experienced rocket. Big surprise when that bottom button came out, lucky we didn't pull the top one off! Too bad we didn't get any pic's of it coming off the rail. When Sharon gets some time to process the Mobius video, I will post that up.

I saw that saucer picture!!! - didn't know that was you.

I've thought about building a "night" saucer myself! Still got several weeks building time till MWP and a shoe-box full of LED's. Guess I'd better get busy!

-and one more thing- a road trip next year to MWP in 2018 would be a great way to test out that new truck <hint hint> :cool:

If you can find an OOP Estes Snitch, it's a fun little saucer that we use for night launches. What you really need to do is talk Ken Rico into making you a "Funk Saucer", which is a 14" diameter saucer that flies great on long burn 38mm loads. He's a push-over for girls, you should be able to sweet talk him into doing one for you. ;)

MWP sounds like a great launch, and the Wildman gang has been after us for a while to go, but the logistics are daunting even with a new truck. Making a 1700 mile trip solo with a trailer is just one obstacle, getting Sharon there without affecting her business is another. November is a busy time of year for Allands, and two vacations that close together would put us way behind.
We will see how this next trip to Airfest goes, and discuss it at that time.


 
with all that extra Diesel power is Sharon working higher up the alphabet? "P" project ?

The truck won't be the limiting factor, the trailer is only rated for 10,000 lbs. I'm pretty sure we were WAY over that with our last trip. The O3400 she bought will have to be it until we upgrade the trailer....
 
The truck won't be the limiting factor, the trailer is only rated for 10,000 lbs. I'm pretty sure we were WAY over that with our last trip. The O3400 she bought will have to be it until we upgrade the trailer....

Curse you. You just had to go and say something like that while I am thinking about shopping for a new (to me) truck and bigger trailer...
 
Curse you. You just had to go and say something like that while I am thinking about shopping for a new (to me) truck and bigger trailer...

OK, I tried to come up with a humorous reply to this, but thought the plague of locusts comment was in bad taste.
So.
I will say that our current toy hauler has been a real blessing, and perfect for the launches that we do. Sorry if I provoked you John, but you know, when it comes to toys, bigger is always better....

Now, where is that little "devil on the shoulder" emoticon I need to insert here?
 


Now, where is that little "devil on the shoulder" emoticon I need to insert here?


9aed38c297ce158bd9df75c053b6fb8a--smiley-emoji-smiley-faces.jpg

you could leave the trailer home..... load up new truck...money saved on fuel will more than pay for hotel at MWP...their cheap [50-60buck] join the party, easier drive and have fun!:smile:
 
The truck won't be the limiting factor, the trailer is only rated for 10,000 lbs. I'm pretty sure we were WAY over that with our last trip. The O3400 she bought will have to be it until we upgrade the trailer....

https://www.forestriverinc.com/ToyHaulers.aspx

that website help any ? 5th wheel easier to pull but wow are heavy :(

you may have to go race car trailer and a tent
 
There are plenty of half-ton towable 5th wheels. They're not that heavy, and a modern diesel will pull it like it isn't even there.

They have a problem with cargo weight wise :) , gut feeling looking to haul 4000 lbs of propellant in toy hauler :)
 
View attachment 328486

you could leave the trailer home..... load up new truck...money saved on fuel will more than pay for hotel at MWP...their cheap [50-60buck] join the party, easier drive and have fun!:smile:

You know I can't go to a launch without at least 10 rockets loaded and ready, and Sharon isn't much better. I can guran-dam-tee you there is NO $50-$60 motel room that She would spend the night in. We learned years ago, if you are gonna go to a rocket launch, you gotta STAY at the launch to enjoy the party.
Nice emoticon though, it does look like you too!



They have a problem with cargo weight wise :) , gut feeling looking to haul 4000 lbs of propellant in toy hauler :)

Maybe not 4000 lbs., but you could be close. I'm not gonna complain about coming home with an O3400, N2220 and an M2000. Not to mention all the other goodies she found.
 
Very cool write up. Glad you had fun -- I did too. Except the fact that I scoured the fields looking for my Screech. Wish the party who found it and returned it to RSO would come forward so I can understand what happened. Kind of hard to perform diagnostic if you don't know where it turned up.
 
Thanks Sabrina, our copy arrived about an hour after you posted up that picture. Breaks my heart to see that rocket again, it may still be laying out in the desert near Alamogordo. Probably my best scratch built rocket, with five batteries, an altimeter and two separate lighting systems in the N/C. I posted up a reward, but doubt it will ever be found. Sharon and I walked over 20 miles in two days looking for it.

I just saw this post on FB... UWM Panthers cup on that table - Wisconsin/Milwaukee Fans are everywhere!

wcb.JPG

22550315_1585034271542301_184343290716766149_o.jpg
 
Yes Sabrina, W.C.B. has been found. I got an email from Jim Basler and we are working on a way to bring it home. The Airframe and lights on the fincan appear to be OK, but he is afraid that the wet spring weather may have destroyed the electronics. The chute disintegrated in the sun, but that is easily replaced. Sounds like Warp Core Breach will fly again!
 
Back
Top