RickVB
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For anyone that cares, yes, I did finally find the Team-1 Manchester, MI launch location. Lucky for me the prefect had his cell phone on. Still don't know why it's a secret...
Anyhow, got there late and found about 10 hardy souls who defied the grey skies and ridiculous winds (walking from my car to the registration table I measured an average of 17.4mph, with a high gust of 29, and it got worse from there). Watched of couple of model rockets go up on C motors, including one loop-de-loop, and decided I'd risk my initiator on the E16-4W that had been sitting in the flight box for two months waiting for the weather to cooperate on a launch day.
It went straight up about 450 ft., seemed to hang nose up for four second while blowing downwind about 100 yards, the popped the chute and blew about another 200 yards. Got it back just fine, but this gave me doubts about proceding with the day's plans.
...Which had been to certify for levels 1 and 2. Had an H128W-M load to go in my Phantom 4000, to get Level 1, and J350W to go in my Thor for L2. I was all studied up for the test, and figured that I had it in the bag, but mother nature decided otherwise. Or at least that's what I thought until the Prefect talked to me.
"An H128 on that big rocket? No problem. Even in this wind it's going to stay on the field." Well, OK, he's been doing it a long time, must know what he's talking about. Heh.
Loaded her up, set the angle slightly downwind, stood back and looked with uncertainty at the 1/4" rod swaying crazily in the gale, shrugged and thought "what the heck?". I guess I figured I drove 45 minutes to get here, I was going to do it.
So I ran back to the LCO table as the raindrops started to fall
and stood by as Ken announced my flight, went directly into the countdown just as it seemed the wind had reached it's peak, and zoom! Away it went. Turned a little into the wind, and then went straight up, probably not to the predicted 1600', but a good 1200', anyhow. Turned over, dropped a bit past apogee and popped chute almost directly overhead. And away it went...
...and went, and went. There's a huge treeline about 1/2 mile away to the north, and in the last 10 seconds I thought there was no way it was going to miss them. But somehow, it blew about 3/4 mile NE and came down about 100yds. short of the treeline, in an open patch. Unfortunately, I spent the next 1/2 hour wading through 5-6' grass trying to find that patch. Next time, I'll invest in a beeper...
So the question then became, "Level 2, anyone?". Heh, not today, not me, I don't have a 4WD. Besides, I like my Thor...
and by that time, there were only two guys left besides Ken. Maybe next month... But at least I got L1. And sorry, in my hurry to leave I left my cameras behind, so there's no photographic record.
Anyhow, got there late and found about 10 hardy souls who defied the grey skies and ridiculous winds (walking from my car to the registration table I measured an average of 17.4mph, with a high gust of 29, and it got worse from there). Watched of couple of model rockets go up on C motors, including one loop-de-loop, and decided I'd risk my initiator on the E16-4W that had been sitting in the flight box for two months waiting for the weather to cooperate on a launch day.
It went straight up about 450 ft., seemed to hang nose up for four second while blowing downwind about 100 yards, the popped the chute and blew about another 200 yards. Got it back just fine, but this gave me doubts about proceding with the day's plans.
...Which had been to certify for levels 1 and 2. Had an H128W-M load to go in my Phantom 4000, to get Level 1, and J350W to go in my Thor for L2. I was all studied up for the test, and figured that I had it in the bag, but mother nature decided otherwise. Or at least that's what I thought until the Prefect talked to me.
"An H128 on that big rocket? No problem. Even in this wind it's going to stay on the field." Well, OK, he's been doing it a long time, must know what he's talking about. Heh.
Loaded her up, set the angle slightly downwind, stood back and looked with uncertainty at the 1/4" rod swaying crazily in the gale, shrugged and thought "what the heck?". I guess I figured I drove 45 minutes to get here, I was going to do it.
So I ran back to the LCO table as the raindrops started to fall
and stood by as Ken announced my flight, went directly into the countdown just as it seemed the wind had reached it's peak, and zoom! Away it went. Turned a little into the wind, and then went straight up, probably not to the predicted 1600', but a good 1200', anyhow. Turned over, dropped a bit past apogee and popped chute almost directly overhead. And away it went......and went, and went. There's a huge treeline about 1/2 mile away to the north, and in the last 10 seconds I thought there was no way it was going to miss them. But somehow, it blew about 3/4 mile NE and came down about 100yds. short of the treeline, in an open patch. Unfortunately, I spent the next 1/2 hour wading through 5-6' grass trying to find that patch. Next time, I'll invest in a beeper...
So the question then became, "Level 2, anyone?". Heh, not today, not me, I don't have a 4WD. Besides, I like my Thor...
and by that time, there were only two guys left besides Ken. Maybe next month... But at least I got L1. And sorry, in my hurry to leave I left my cameras behind, so there's no photographic record.
