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Rocketman248

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Hint taken, John. ;)

I had a total of three L3 attempts. As they say, the third time indeed was the charm. :rolleyes:

My first attempt was very close to successful. The flight took place at NEPRA's field in Clarks Summit, PA. It was a Smokin' Rockets Mission Impossible dubbed the Blue Angel. It flew on an AMW M1850GG to 5,990ft. Everything functioned properly, but the main chute got stuck in the body and it came down hard. There was only minimal damage.

The second attempt was a month later with the METRA club. Same rocket, same motor, worse results. Right at burn-out, one of the altimeters blew one or both of the charges and the rocket was ripped to shreds. The only thing that survived was the motor case, most of the booster, and the main chute.

After those attempts, I put rocketry on hold for a while. I left for the Navy and was living in Japan for several years. Upon coming back to the states, and learning that the ATF nonsense was over, I vowed to complete my L3.

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Hint taken, John. ;)

I had a total of three L3 attempts. As they say, the third time indeed was the charm. :rolleyes:

It takes the USN to figure things out!:cheers:

Thanks for taking the bait...I mean hint!:clap:

Congrats!
 
So, now that I was back in the states, and I didn't have bootcamp looming, I was able to take my time with my Level 3. After seeing two Ultimate Wildman's survive the N10,000 drag race at Red Glare, I knew what rocket I was using. It only took a little prodding from Crazy Jim to use the N10,000 for the cert flight.

I got my cert 7 years after my first L3 attempt, and 6 months after getting my L1 re-cert. It was a perfect flight to just under 12,000ft. It has since flown 2 more times. Once on an M2250CS and an M3700WT.

I do feel like I have unfinished business with the M1850GG though. If anyone has one they're willing to sell/trade, let me know. :D

Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N6USF7uqxY

Launch pics courtesy of Todd Harrison and David Reese.

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My L-3 cert was attained in Argonia at Airfest in 2004.

Rocket was a 6in Upscale Ultimate, Ultimate Endeavor, which I call "The Tiger Terror"

Scratch built with Hawk Mountain glass.

12ft . 58lbs. on a M-2200 AMW Skidmark.

It was so windy the pad and rocket blew over at T-minus 7.

After gluing on new rail buttons the flight went off as planned in 42mph winds.

The pads were shut down before it hit apogee and I was given my nickname "Crazy Jim"

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My L3 flight was in Manchester, TN on June 20, 2009, the day after my L1/L2 flights. The rocket was a modified Competitor 5 using an AMW N2020 which took it to an apogee just shy of 16,500'.
The real story is in the recovery. We were able to see the rocket all the way down, but it landed probably a mile or so from the pad. There was a pretty good signal at first coming from the tracker in the nose cone, but the farther my dad and I walked into the woods, the weaker the signal got. Eventually, the signal completely disappeared and we were forced to walk back empty handed, after a good 2 or 3 hours in the very thick woods in temperatures over 100 degrees. The rocket was sitting at our EZ-up when we came back, apparently it landed near someone's house or in someone's yard or something, and they brought it back to the field. It was a nice surprise after a rather disappointing hike.
I've flown the rocket twice since then, both times on October 8, 2010, once on a 7500NS research 4" 4 grain M to around 9,700' and then a Gorilla Motor Works M1085 moonburner demo motor to 13,900'.

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My L3 was on a 5 inch scratch, on an M3400 White Thunder. 10 feet tall, liftoff weight around 44 pounds. I flew it at Northern Colorado Rocketry's Mile High Mayhem 2010 last May. Flight went great in roughly 20mph winds, and it went 18,292 feet at mach 1.6. Landed almost 2 miles from the pad, but aside from that, it was perfect.







I've flown it several times since, but the L3 flight is still it's fastest and highest to date. I have an N5800 waiting for it though, so that should be the new record when I get around to flying it :D.
 
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In April 1989 I flew my Mini-Magg on a H70 to 'Confirm'. Then I could buy *any* motor. When Tripoli went to the 3 level system, I flew my 5.5" Motoreater on a J460 for L2. With LDRS coming to Orangeburg July 1996, I decided to do my L3 then. I had a M1939 that I had bought at LDRS 12 but never flown. At the time, the only certified M motors were the M1939 and M1419. I upscaled my Motoreater design to 11.5" with a 98 and 8 54mm mounts. The M1939 took it to 5900 feet. The pictures are from a later flight with a 98/10240 M2500 smoky and 8 38/720 white research motors airstarted with Thermalite.

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My L3 cert flight was made last year at AIRFest in Argonia. The Eagle 3 is a scratch 8” bird made with a glassed quicktube airframe, foam nose and tail cones and a homemade chute.

After low cloud cover on Saturday I lost my ground crew but with help from Mr. Pomeroy I was able to get it on the pad on Sunday. It weighed about 42 lbs on the pad and had a fairly nominal flight until it hooked a power line on landing. The onboard camera failed but a video of the flight can be found here at about 5 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy_47lszGhM

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[YOUTUBE]kBYfSKmf9HU?fs[/YOUTUBE]
The rocket is hand laid fiber glass over PML phenolic, just shy of 12 ft tall & weighed around 55lbs loaded .
It flew on an Kosdon M 2240 Fast to an average altitude of 5,900 ft.

Done back in 2001

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METRA september I flew my Ultimate Wildman on a CTI M2045 smokey sam. Landed just behind the Extreme rail pads there....the guys wanted me to walk out & around the away cell because they decided it wasn't fair that it was that close!

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Mine was at MidWest Power 6 in October 2008. I flew a Polecat Aerospace 7.5" Patriot, modified to use a Defy Gravity tether for recovery. (Avionics bay attached to lower body section so rocket stays intact.) Liftoff weight 40 pounds, 1 ounce. Flew to 7,400', recovered with 60" drogue and 168" main at 1,100'. Landed right next to the pad.

To balance the euphoria, I also lost in the Gizmo drag race and had to wear the sunflower dress at the pizza party. I still think Tim turned my pad off.

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Level 3 October 2006
G. Harry Stine Launch - Phoenix, AZ
Polecat 10" Nike Smoke
11'8" length
52 pounds at liftoff
4,200 ft.

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Here's my level 3 cert flight at "Sweaty Balls" last July in Argonia. It's a 6.25 upscale of Layne Pemberton's Kraken, I call "Kraken-Up". Mark at StickerShock supplied the awesome decals.

146" tall, 10" in diameter, AMW M3000, 95lbs on the pad.

Launch Video:

[YOUTUBE]Br9Dhu1BvK4[/YOUTUBE]

Tube fin video:

[YOUTUBE]aP1oOouCB_0[/YOUTUBE]
 
...I upscaled my Motoreater design to 11.5" with a 98 and 8 54mm mounts.

I had this picture saved from loooong ago.
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My level three rocket, back in 2001 flew on a M1315.
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Really wish I had better pictures.
 
Level 3 October 2006
G. Harry Stine Launch - Phoenix, AZ
Polecat 10" Nike Smoke
11'8" length
52 pounds at liftoff
4,200 ft.

I love the Arizona themed paint. May I copy this post to the Nike Smoke Gallery as well?
 
I love the Arizona themed paint. May I copy this post to the Nike Smoke Gallery as well?

I'm sure Skippy wouldn't mind. I don't think he's on this site very often. That bird has seen a lot of photo ops and has had a ton of exposure. RIP :(
 
I'm sure Skippy wouldn't mind. I don't think he's on this site very often. That bird has seen a lot of photo ops and has had a ton of exposure. RIP :(

Thanks. I'll take a chance and copy it. If he has any objections he can let me know and I'll delete it.
 
My level 3 attempt LDRS 27 in Kansas.

12" Fatboy called "Fat Albert"
63 lbs on the pad.
AT 2030 green.
Altimeter failure at 4800', coming ballistic when the main popped at 1000'. Ripped shock cord.
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This happened when it bounced on hard Kansas terra firma.

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This is the new attempt 2X upscaled Aerotech G-Force called "M-Force"
8" x 120"
Planning on flying it at Thunderstruck in the spring. CTI M1300 dual thrust.
 
My level 3 attempt LDRS 27 in Kansas.

12" Fatboy called "Fat Albert"
63 lbs on the pad.
AT 2030 green.
Altimeter failure at 4800', coming ballistic when the main popped at 1000'. Ripped shock cord.
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This happened when it bounced on hard Kansas terra firma.

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This is the new attempt 2X upscaled Aerotech G-Force called "M-Force"
8" x 120"
Planning on flying it at Thunderstruck in the spring. CTI M1300 dual thrust.

Keep us up to date on the L3 and the R2-D2......whenz he gunna fly??
 
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Don't know about R2D2 yet. I want to get past my level 3 first. I need to send R2D2s head to Mark at Stickershock, he has one of these also, but no top. So he's going to make a mold off of mine. If we can get them done at about the same time as a launch we're going to be at together, we'll drag race em.
Mike
 
My L3 was done on the METRA field on Sept 13th 2008, The rocket was/is a Performance Rocketry Mad Dog I had Curtis make me in a 6" version. The motor was an AMW M1900BB Altitude was 8300'. The flight and deployment was picture perfect, Although the rocket landed directly ON the flight line and nicked a car upon landing, Luckily no damage was done to either the car or the rocket. My 6" Mad Dog still remains to be one of my favorite rockets and has since had many more successful M flights.


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first attempt--missed it by that much
6 nov 2010
FREEDOMS PRICE- unpainted
6" ultimate wildman
LOKI M2550 Blue
up part flawless straight as a arrow :grin:
down part slight back slide 3' balistic drouge right on the money
15' round main no deployment (ejection charge split the shoulder of the nozecone thus causing it to bind up):eyeroll:

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TRY NUMBER 2 (failed attempt)
another perfect up part flight on another LOKI M2550 Blue
this time the main came out as expected at 1000ft however 67fps under drouge is just not enough airflow to inflate a 15 military round chute streamer recovery....
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Go Shocker! Level 3 Sept. 2005 at Argonia, KS - AIRFest 10. M1297. Weight on the pad about 45#.

Rocket has flown since on M1315, M1882, M2550 and a few times on Research M's. It took some cosmetic damage on the last flight when the R-18 fouled and the nosecone spacked hard on the lower body tube. All fixed and waiting for paint touch-up.

--Lance.

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My L3 was done on the METRA field on Sept 13th 2008, The rocket was/is a Performance Rocketry Mad Dog I had Curtis make me in a 6" version. The motor was an AMW M1900BB Altitude was 8300'. The flight and deployment was picture perfect, Although the rocket landed directly ON the flight line and nicked a car upon landing, Luckily no damage was done to either the car or the rocket. My 6" Mad Dog still remains to be one of my favorite rockets and has since had many more successful M flights.


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View attachment 41053 Video

I remember that flight very well. The booster section landed about 18 inches from my car. It was a very cool flight.
 
CERTainly more people have gotten their L3s since March 2013... You know who you are people... Pictures! (or it didn't happen)
(Don't look at me... I only have a L1 certification)
 
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