rocketgeek101
Well-Known Member
August 30, 2014
I arrived at the launch site around 10:30 AM. Other then it being fairly windy, it was a very nice sunny day. Good for flying.
My first flight was my Shape Shifter Jr. on a CTI 229H255 White Thunder for my junior level 1 certification.
After some debate, I decided to keep the flight simple and just use motor eject (rather then an Altimeter fired charge) to deploy the chute. I had an RRC2+ onboard, but only used it to record the altitude.
Getting the rocket ready:
Since it was a junior cert, I wasn't allowed to assemble the motor, so my mentor Bill did that for me (I was just helping him with the adapter in this photo):
After that, I had it inspected. Everything was fine, so I was given the "ok" to put it on the pad:
Bill installing the ignitor:
The flight was perfect! It weathercocked a little due the breezy conditions. The RRC2+ reported an Altitude of 1055'. Unfortunatly though, I didn't get a picture of it going up, so the best I have is it just starting to light on the pad:
Edit: here is a video of the flight one of the guys at the launch took and sent to me:
[video=youtube_share;LxQudgKNGnI]https://youtu.be/LxQudgKNGnI[/video]
It landed behind a ridge, and beyond some dense bushes so it took a little while to find. I had a noise maker in it, but it proved to be of little use in finding it. Upon finding it I almost had a heart attack, as it landed very close to a deep puddle, and for a moment I'd thought the booster was in it. Fortunately though it wasn't, but just a few more feet and it would of been. Phew.
The post flight inspection showed there to be no damage at all, and I was awarded my Level 1! Wooohooo!
Next up was a cute 29mm rocket that Estesbasher gave me, that I very creatively named "29mm Red"
on a CTI E75 Vmax (using a 29-24mm adapter).
My mom managed to get a photo of it leaving the pad:
The thing took off like a bullet, but stayed in sight the whole time. OR's estimated altitude of 700' seemed about right. I brought it down on a streamer so it didn't drift too far. Finding it was surprisingly easy given that it landed in some tall bushes. Other then a little scuffing there was no damage.
My final flight was my Mini Eagle Claw on a CTI G88 Smoky Sam.
All in all a good flight, though it drifted quite aways. My closure on the motor case did get slightly damaged. I figure since it landed next to a road it must have hit a rock or something.
In the end I didn't get to fly everything I wanted (including my Level 2). There was just too much wind and they would have gone high and drifted off to who knows where, but I got my junior level 1 and flew a few others, and got to see a 1/2 scale Patriot go up on an M, so all in all it was a great day!
I was hoping to fly some of the flights I didn't get to do yesterday today, but when I arrived at the launch site, it was overcast with a ceiling of ~900' or so, and it was starting to get windy again, so as a group we decided to just go ahead and tear down the range, and call it a day. I ended up spending most of my morning rolling up around 250 meters of cable.
I arrived at the launch site around 10:30 AM. Other then it being fairly windy, it was a very nice sunny day. Good for flying.
My first flight was my Shape Shifter Jr. on a CTI 229H255 White Thunder for my junior level 1 certification.
After some debate, I decided to keep the flight simple and just use motor eject (rather then an Altimeter fired charge) to deploy the chute. I had an RRC2+ onboard, but only used it to record the altitude.
Getting the rocket ready:
Since it was a junior cert, I wasn't allowed to assemble the motor, so my mentor Bill did that for me (I was just helping him with the adapter in this photo):
After that, I had it inspected. Everything was fine, so I was given the "ok" to put it on the pad:
Bill installing the ignitor:
The flight was perfect! It weathercocked a little due the breezy conditions. The RRC2+ reported an Altitude of 1055'. Unfortunatly though, I didn't get a picture of it going up, so the best I have is it just starting to light on the pad:
Edit: here is a video of the flight one of the guys at the launch took and sent to me:
[video=youtube_share;LxQudgKNGnI]https://youtu.be/LxQudgKNGnI[/video]
It landed behind a ridge, and beyond some dense bushes so it took a little while to find. I had a noise maker in it, but it proved to be of little use in finding it. Upon finding it I almost had a heart attack, as it landed very close to a deep puddle, and for a moment I'd thought the booster was in it. Fortunately though it wasn't, but just a few more feet and it would of been. Phew.
The post flight inspection showed there to be no damage at all, and I was awarded my Level 1! Wooohooo!
Next up was a cute 29mm rocket that Estesbasher gave me, that I very creatively named "29mm Red"
on a CTI E75 Vmax (using a 29-24mm adapter).
My mom managed to get a photo of it leaving the pad:
The thing took off like a bullet, but stayed in sight the whole time. OR's estimated altitude of 700' seemed about right. I brought it down on a streamer so it didn't drift too far. Finding it was surprisingly easy given that it landed in some tall bushes. Other then a little scuffing there was no damage.
My final flight was my Mini Eagle Claw on a CTI G88 Smoky Sam.
All in all a good flight, though it drifted quite aways. My closure on the motor case did get slightly damaged. I figure since it landed next to a road it must have hit a rock or something.
In the end I didn't get to fly everything I wanted (including my Level 2). There was just too much wind and they would have gone high and drifted off to who knows where, but I got my junior level 1 and flew a few others, and got to see a 1/2 scale Patriot go up on an M, so all in all it was a great day!
I was hoping to fly some of the flights I didn't get to do yesterday today, but when I arrived at the launch site, it was overcast with a ceiling of ~900' or so, and it was starting to get windy again, so as a group we decided to just go ahead and tear down the range, and call it a day. I ended up spending most of my morning rolling up around 250 meters of cable.
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