Personal Launch Report - OROC Summer Skies Launch, July 25-27, 2014, Brothers OR

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AlnessW

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Another Brothers adventure is now behind me! Indeed, this launch was much more low-key than NXRS but still had a decent crowd on Saturday. A few members even made a re-appearance after a year or more’s absence! Since the PSAS pickup launch was only the weekend before Summer Skies, I had merely a week to get ready for my next trip out to the sage. Oh my.

I didn’t get a whole lot of pictures and video, but they can be found here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/104803117932114302187/SummerSkies2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCPqryJnejOv21gE#

I guess this past weekend could just as easily be titled “Blast from the Past” since (as I am just now realizing) I coincidentally flew my L1, L2, and L3 birds in that exact order!

I also got to use some new GSE at this launch that I had been working on. I had recently finished building my Fred/David-inspired launch tower, 12’ of 1010 rail supported by stage lighting trusses. I had flown a few smaller rockets off of it at the PSAS launch, but this past weekend it got to see some bigger flights. I had also built my own wired launch system, and since seemingly no one at the launch had a good idea of how to hook up the relay box at the away cell (I sure didn’t), my launch system was used as one of the away cell controllers for the weekend. It worked perfectly each time.

Left Portland Friday morning but after a few delays on the drive over I got to Brothers later that afternoon than I would have liked. After doing the usual Friday routine – camp set-up, registration/waivers, and getting my new tower together – the sun was setting so I skipped flying a rocket that day. Ate dinner and had a good time around the fire that night. (But all that deserves a report of its own…)

First up Saturday was my PML Small Endeavour (my L1 bird) on a “just-for-fun” H97J flight with motor ejection. Easy recovery with the BRB900.

Next on the pad was the Binder Excel Plus (my L2 bird). It flew on a K375NW. This was the first time I had flown one of those – the 54/2560 motor has a grain of Warp-9 propellant at the aft end for a good boost off the pad before continuing on 4 White Lightning grains.

When the motor lit that Warp-9 boost was…well…a little TOO much boost! After a bit of corkscrewing off the pad the cardboard airframe folded and shredded quite spectacularly towards the west end of the flightline! Contrary to a few theories, I did NOT lose a fin. After 11 flights on that rocket, the aged airframe just gave up. But I got all the parts back and the fins are intact in the event I do a rebuild. (Or maybe order a new kit and do a fully glassed job this time… Hehehehe.) Here is a link to the full shred report.

After all that fiasco, I used my launch controller to light Rob Lamb’s M840 in a 3” rocket to about 28K – awesome flight!!

Took a lunch break and did my LCO shift when I figured I had to end the day on a high note. This meant time to fly my M! I finished prepping Code Blue on an M1297W, a near-exact duplicate of my L3 flight from NXRS.

This flight couldn’t have gone any better! I had Zack Ziegenbein push the button for me so I could get a video – the boost was perfectly straight on its way to 13,500’. Lost sight of the rocket until the main came out – and I only landed half a mile from the flight line. Hopped in the truck and drove down the main entry road until I was getting close, at which point I saw the 10’ Rocketman chute blowing in the wind a mere 200 yards off the road! Doesn’t get any better than that.

Last up Saturday I witnessed 2 NAR L2 attempts and administered an L2 test. Alan Williams passed the test and nailed his L2 with a 3” NXRS RTV (right after getting his L1 no less). The other L2 was a Washington flyer who flew a custom 54mm rocket on a K with a homebrew deployment and tracking system – he’s probably still out there somewhere looking for the rocket now…

Feeling very satisfied with the day I cleaned up my normal “mess” at camp and got dinner going, followed by another nice night around the fire.

The K550W is one of my favorite motors, so Sunday morning was the time to fly one. After a few minor repairs to my 4” altimeter bay which I had previously flown in my shred, I prepped my NXRS RTV, built the motor, and got it all ready to go.

The K550W took it to 7,400’ and I took Mike Fisher’s advice this time of flying the rocket drogueless. This worked perfectly and as the main came out at 500’ the rocket landed a quarter mile from the old burn pit NW of the flightline.

The very last flight on Sunday was a successful L2 cert by Kenzy O’Neill – well done! Packed up camp, had lunch, and hit the road about 2:30. Got back to Portland around 7:00 after an uneventful drive.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered to help out this weekend, and congratulations to all who certified! Thank you as well to Stan Smith and Gary Lech for loaning me some motor hardware I needed for the weekend.
 
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