DARS Launches - Dallas Area Rocket Society

[tab28682]

Spent a little of my spare time this past week building one of Frank Burke's/Dynasoar Rocketry beta kits for his RC RG Bomarc. This one is not a profile model. It is based on 2.6" tubing.

Did all the vinyl markings on my Silhouette Cameo cutter.

Would have maidened it at our launch today if the heat and wind had been more condusive to having our launch!

First flight will be at NARAM.

 

[tab28682]

Interesting weather day. Headed to the RC field about 4:15 to fly and got there just in time for a significant downburst event with wind gusts to 60mph out of the north as the storm front approached.. Our field is at the south end of Benbrook lake and you could see a very defined line of major whitecaps marching across the lake towards us.

We battened down the hatches and everybody got most planes and equipment stashed just before it hit. Wow.

The nice part was the 20 degree temp drop from about 95 degrees to about 75 degrees in the space of a few moments.

Probably a good call to cancel the launch today in more ways than one.

 

[pyrobob]

For a moment I panicked when I couldn't find the DARS thread! Anyhow, I just overlooked it in the middle of the page but for safety's sake, let's bump it .

 

[samb]

For a moment I panicked when I couldn't find the DARS thread! Anyhow, I just overlooked it in the middle of the page but for safety's sake, let's bump it .

 

[pyrobob]

Sounds like DARS will be well represented at NARAM. What's the count so far?

 

[samb]

Sounds like DARS will be well represented at NARAM. What's the count so far?

5 is my count. Buzz, Chas, Frank, me, and Tom.

 

[Cl(VII)]

5 is my count. Buzz, Chas, Frank, me, and Tom.

Have a good trip, and don't fly anything I wouldn't fly.* Also, pictures or it didn't happen!

*For the life of me I can't think what that would apply to.

 

[tab28682]

Have a good trip, and don't fly anything I wouldn't fly.* Also, pictures or it didn't happen!

*For the life of me I can't think what that would apply to.

Not to worry. I am riding with Richard Ng, my longtime RC buddy and he is the super photographer that gets all the good action shots of my various RC rocket gliders in my threads over in the rocket glider forum. We ought to be picture rich!

 

[tab28682]

On the road to NARAM.

 

[pyrobob]

Sweet!

 

[Cl(VII)]

All right guys, you've had at least 8 hours to recover from your road trip. An update is long overdue. op:

 

[samb]

All right guys, you've had at least 8 hours to recover from your road trip. An update is long overdue. op:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ...

Tom, Frank and I and varying degrees of success this past weekend. Tom's first rc glider flight found the speed of foam when the big delta wing on his XB-70 fluttered and failed. He later determined that some component upgrades changed the balance just enough to cause the instability on boost. After that he just dropped the proverbial mike with one outstanding flight after another for the rest of the day Saturday and Sunday. There is a nice group shot of his NARAM models here: https://www.rocketryforum.com/showt...y-RC-Rocket-glider-kits&p=1606394#post1606394

Frank has the biggest news but it's really his tale to tell. I'll say his flight made the 10 o'clock news on KY3 (NBC) in Springfield.

I was 2 outta 3. My Maxi V2 has a toasted motor tube and body tube from a premature ejection charge on an Aerotech F40 reload. You know the sad story; I've built dozens of 'em with no problem before ...



My gold Sunburst had a real nice ride on a Cesaroni H120 Red Lightning that I purchased from Countyline Hobbies on the field. Thanks Mr. Bob !



The SquirrelWorks Dogfight put on a real nice show that end badly for Pappy Boyington. He chased the Zero a little too far down range and had to ditch his Corsair in the pond when he ran out of fuel. All that I needed was an model aircraft carrier in the pond to get some flight realism points. Recovered courtesy of Frank's father-in-law and a fortunate breeze.



Almost forgot to give props to AlfaBrewer for providing the Crabb Shack Berliner Weisse for the Saturday night Beer Loft.

 

[Cl(VII)]

Frank has the biggest news but it's really his tale to tell. I'll say his flight made the 10 o'clock news on KY3 (NBC) in Springfield.

No!!!!!!!! Oh the Humanity!!!!!!!

Googled the news story if that wasn't obvious.

 

[samb]

No!!!!!!!! Oh the Humanity!!!!!!!

Googled the news story if that wasn't obvious.

Indeed.

 

[tab28682]

Really hated to see the major motor failure on Frank's flight. Heartbreaking.

My feeling was that the number of motor failures were quite a bit higher than normal. Franks J project and Ted Cochrans M project were spectacular failures. Saw lots of others, including Sams F40.

I think they ended up at around 350-ish total flights for Saturday and Sunday. Richard and I got in a total of 14 flights. The range throughput was a little slow at times. They had a good size group of launch volunteers and some were not completely familiar with the launch equipment. The mid power/low high power pads had a fair amount of technical troubles, causing the A group of pads to shrink from 6 early on Saturday to 2 working on Sunday afternoon. These were not relay type pads and the long wires might have contributed to some of the issues. However, everyone that wanted to fly got to fly with a fairly minimal wait, and perhaps a recycle or two. Overall, a great effort by a bunch of clubs and people to make this launch happen!

I had "improved" the XB-70 for its flight number 5 with a smaller, narrower, thinner, slightly lighter and much lower drag RC battery (externally mounted, so drag matters) in hopes of improving the glide a bit. This allowed a faster boost that ever before and lead to the flutter and breakup. Oops. More details over in the XB-70 thread later.

The good news was that all the other models did well, especially the first flight on new little semi scale Black Horse spaceplane (18mm reload D2.3RC) and the first two flights on my new full bodied Bomarc prototype kit from Dynasoar Rocketry on 24mm E12BJ RC loads.

Also flew my AT Strong Arm on a G40-7 for flight number 5 of the RC Chute Sled. Worked fine.

I had brought the refinished 4" Aquila for an I140 flight and an old 3" OD model for an H100 flight, but never quite got around to prepping and flying them. The 97 degree weather with a heat index of 108 Saturday had us all moving pretty slowly. Decided to save them for local flights.

We arrived with Richard Ngs van quite full. Then we added four boxes of rocket motors for certain DARS motor addicts, 6 metal ammo cans (vendor row had nice ones for just a fiver), plus the huge fin can remains of Ted Cochrans M powered flight, destined to be mounted in the wall of a local small air museum/aircraft as a quirky object of interest.... Packing became a bit of an exercise in real life Tetris, but it all worked out nicely...

 

[samb]

... the huge fin can remains of Ted Cochrans M powered flight, destined to be mounted in the wall of a local small air museum/aircraft as a quirky object of interest.... ...

Will a guided tour be available sometime in the future ???

 

[Cl(VII)]

Then we added four boxes of rocket motors for certain DARS motor addicts...

Hehehehehehehehe :horse: Why whoever do you mean. :marshmallow:

Thanks again.

 

[tab28682]

Will a guided tour be available sometime in the future ???

Sure. It is going to be on display, probably in the next few weeks, at the little Time to Fly Museum at Spinks Airport in south Fort Worth. Jim Ireland, the proprietor, has a number of interesting full scale aircraft, tons of models, aircraft carcasses, and interesting aeronautical memorabilia.

I told Ted Cochran about it on Sunday and he was looking nervous until I mentioned it was going to done with no mention of who it belonged to...

 

[tab28682]

Lots of NARAM 58 photos and videos on the NARAM Live site:

https://www.naramlive.com

 

[tab28682]

Not too worried about an August DARS launch, as the heat factor makes it not as much fun, but hopefully we can get in a Sept low-mid power launch at Gunter. If not, I have some HP that needs to be flown and will likely go to Hearne for Sept or Oct.

Wish I had some time to help chase other launch sites for the club.

 

[tab28682]

Hehehehehehehehe :horse: Why whoever do you mean. :marshmallow:

Thanks again.

Met Robert this for the motor handoff. Your motors are slowly getting closer to you!

 

[pyrobob]

Motors? What motors?

 

[Cl(VII)]

Met Robert this for the motor handoff. Your motors are slowly getting closer to you!

Motors? What motors?

I'm out of town through Tuesday night, but what are you doing Wednesday around 3 am?

I better get my stuff soon, between these and the stuff I bough from you you probably want your square footage back.

 

[tab28682]

I am WAY out of town, but back Friday afternoon.

NARAM got my appetite going for some more launching, particularly when the heat breaks a bit.

I would like to make it to Airfest, but have realized that I am tied up with a lot of family stuff almost every weekend in Sept, so that and Hearne in Sept is out. Might make it to Hearne in Oct.

 

[AlfaBrewer]

Just watched the news report. Frank is far more sanguine about his flight outcome than I could have been.

 

[samb]

Just watched the news report. Frank is far more sanguine about his flight outcome than I could have been.

Sanguine may be the right word if we use the Old French connotation, "bloody", "gaping", "wounded", "unstaunched". Figuratively speaking of course. I did promise not to bring this up every time I see him. Hope he doesn't read this.

 

[tab28682]

OK, I am putting Hearne on my schedule for the Sept 10 launch. I need to launch some rockets! I know some DARS members will be recovering from Airfest, but the rest of us will need a fix by then!

This plan assumes there is no DARS launch of any kind that day, either low power, or that elusive dream called a high power launch near Dallas. I am tied up for about 6-7 of the next 9 or 10 weekends after that, through early Nov, so this will be my chance.

Also planning on making the Sept DARS meeting on 09/03.

 

[Cl(VII)]

OK, I am putting Hearne on my schedule for the Sept 10 launch. I need to launch some rockets! I know some DARS members will be recovering from Airfest, but the rest of us will need a fix by then!

This plan assumes there is no DARS launch of any kind that day, either low power, or that elusive dream called a high power launch near Dallas. I am tied up for about 6-7 of the next 9 or 10 weekends after that, through early Nov, so this will be my chance.

Also planning on making the Sept DARS meeting on 09/03.

I can't remember all the details so I won't try to get it all right, but I believe the HP site near Waco may be back on in the near future. First monthly meeting I ever go to, and I can't remember the good stuff. I was antique motor drunk I guess...that or still recovering from pneumonia...maybe both.

 

[samb]

August 20th high power @PraireHill is tentative. Jeff(poker)Jones has kept in contact with ownership and management of the facility so stay tuned. Thanks Jeff. This Saturday, August 13th, has a Class 1 launch at Caddo Mills airport on the schedule. We'll be making a go/nogo call sometime today based on the ridiculous 60% chance of thunderstorms forecast. In August! .... In Texas! .... What the! ....

 

[tab28682]

Darn. Tied up this Saturday, so no Caddo Mills launch for me.

But, if Prairie Hill comes off, I ought to be able to go there.