Cory
Well-Known Member
I do not like to start a thread, making only one or two post and it die with no relevant information ever added. This is how my flight report threads of the past have gone, so I decided to try something different – This is going to be a thread dedicated to flight reports for/from POTROCS launches. Others who attend the launches are welcome to chime in with their own pictures and thoughts and hopefully this will grow large through time with data from all future launches in this neck of the woods.
6.22.2019 – Boys Ranch Launch Site
Conditions – No cloud cover, blue skies. Breezy in the morning (~8-14 MPH) calming through noon (5-8 MPH). A cool front kept temperatures mild starting in the 60’s warming into the 80’s with the wind coming in predominantly from the North.
Henry and I left first thing Saturday morning and made the ~2 hour drive to launch site. We arrived in time to help get a couple pads setup then get our base camp together and shaded by about 9:30, soon taking pictures of the first launch of the day. It has been a couple years since I have made it to fly with POTROCS and I have missed the local launches. The kids had a great time, especially Henry, hanging out and watching rockets. Each kid got to fly their own rocket and have bragged about the flights since, both claiming to have flown higher than the other. I ended up flying four total, counting the kids, with successful recovery of them all. I was a little nervous to fly the Estes kits without trackers because the weeds were waist high in some places due to the excellent Spring we have experienced this season. After watching a couple apogee deploy rockets drift fairly distant, I angled the rod deep (~12º-15º) into the wind and we let ‘em rip. Emma’s Prowler was first and I was shocked how high that little pink rocket went of an F67-6. When the parachute deployed my first thought was, ‘o crap that may be gone. It actually landed in the road, not very far down range so was very easy to recover. Henry’s Mammoth was next and flew on an F27-8 for its second time for a text book flight. I never broke eye contact through landing and walked directly to the rocket that was luckily in a freshly swathed section of a hayfield so was easy to spot. As for me, I flew my trusty MC 2.6” HV Arcas first on an AT I285-Redline and finished the day, for me and the launch, with my RW Adventurer 3 on an impressive AT K2050-Super Thunder. I didn’t manage to get a good photo of the Arcas under thrust, but was able to get a picture of the recovery. The Stratologger reported 3269’AGL apogee with a max speed @~500 ft./sec. I think it is the first time I have ever managed to get the rocket under chute and the pad it left from in the same frame. Not 100% sure, but I think it may have been the closest I have ever recovered a high-power rocket to its launch pad. I moved the Big Red Bee GPS from one NC to the other and racked the A3 for flight. An earlier flight, Bill’s “Cheap Thrill” on a EX “M” motor, that had gone over 8kft AGL had drifted further than I wanted to be, so I angled the rail for the A3 probably about 7-10º into the wind before launch. I really like fast burn motors, and the K2050 did not disappoint – very impressive roar from a 54-1706. The A3 soaked up the punch and flew on a string to an apogee of ~5804 ft. AGL (average of both altimeters) with a max velocity of ~700 ft/sec. I used a PML 30” w/spill hole parachute for a drogue and watched it drift from upwind, overhead, just past the powerlines and after clearing a big tree softly touched down less than ¼ mile downrange under the 48” Iris. Didn’t even need to enter the GPS coordinates into the handheld to find both rockets, granted neither went very high. By the time we made it back from the short recovery the guys had already broke down the launch site and I was able to clean out the motor case before packing up my own gear and calling it a day by 2 o’clock. I really enjoyed a day of rockets with the family. Whitman (the dog) had a great day and didn’t miss an opportunity to run down every smoke trail.
Amber’s Rocket
Barre’s Rocket – I really like this design, made a great whistle during coast.
Bill and Chris with “Cheap Thrill” – This rocket was initially built for Bill’s L3, and was flown on 76mm 5 Grain, Vee-Oh-Lay, “M”.
Emma with her Estes Prowler, flown of a F67-6.
Henry with his Estes Mammoth.
Arcas landing near the pad it used at takeoff!
STRATOLOGGER SCREENSHOT
Me, Whitman, and the A3 ready for flight. AT 54/1706 case - K2050-ST reload.
RRC3 SCREENSHOT-
SLCF SCREENSHOT
6.22.2019 – Boys Ranch Launch Site
Conditions – No cloud cover, blue skies. Breezy in the morning (~8-14 MPH) calming through noon (5-8 MPH). A cool front kept temperatures mild starting in the 60’s warming into the 80’s with the wind coming in predominantly from the North.
Henry and I left first thing Saturday morning and made the ~2 hour drive to launch site. We arrived in time to help get a couple pads setup then get our base camp together and shaded by about 9:30, soon taking pictures of the first launch of the day. It has been a couple years since I have made it to fly with POTROCS and I have missed the local launches. The kids had a great time, especially Henry, hanging out and watching rockets. Each kid got to fly their own rocket and have bragged about the flights since, both claiming to have flown higher than the other. I ended up flying four total, counting the kids, with successful recovery of them all. I was a little nervous to fly the Estes kits without trackers because the weeds were waist high in some places due to the excellent Spring we have experienced this season. After watching a couple apogee deploy rockets drift fairly distant, I angled the rod deep (~12º-15º) into the wind and we let ‘em rip. Emma’s Prowler was first and I was shocked how high that little pink rocket went of an F67-6. When the parachute deployed my first thought was, ‘o crap that may be gone. It actually landed in the road, not very far down range so was very easy to recover. Henry’s Mammoth was next and flew on an F27-8 for its second time for a text book flight. I never broke eye contact through landing and walked directly to the rocket that was luckily in a freshly swathed section of a hayfield so was easy to spot. As for me, I flew my trusty MC 2.6” HV Arcas first on an AT I285-Redline and finished the day, for me and the launch, with my RW Adventurer 3 on an impressive AT K2050-Super Thunder. I didn’t manage to get a good photo of the Arcas under thrust, but was able to get a picture of the recovery. The Stratologger reported 3269’AGL apogee with a max speed @~500 ft./sec. I think it is the first time I have ever managed to get the rocket under chute and the pad it left from in the same frame. Not 100% sure, but I think it may have been the closest I have ever recovered a high-power rocket to its launch pad. I moved the Big Red Bee GPS from one NC to the other and racked the A3 for flight. An earlier flight, Bill’s “Cheap Thrill” on a EX “M” motor, that had gone over 8kft AGL had drifted further than I wanted to be, so I angled the rail for the A3 probably about 7-10º into the wind before launch. I really like fast burn motors, and the K2050 did not disappoint – very impressive roar from a 54-1706. The A3 soaked up the punch and flew on a string to an apogee of ~5804 ft. AGL (average of both altimeters) with a max velocity of ~700 ft/sec. I used a PML 30” w/spill hole parachute for a drogue and watched it drift from upwind, overhead, just past the powerlines and after clearing a big tree softly touched down less than ¼ mile downrange under the 48” Iris. Didn’t even need to enter the GPS coordinates into the handheld to find both rockets, granted neither went very high. By the time we made it back from the short recovery the guys had already broke down the launch site and I was able to clean out the motor case before packing up my own gear and calling it a day by 2 o’clock. I really enjoyed a day of rockets with the family. Whitman (the dog) had a great day and didn’t miss an opportunity to run down every smoke trail.
Amber’s Rocket
Barre’s Rocket – I really like this design, made a great whistle during coast.
Bill and Chris with “Cheap Thrill” – This rocket was initially built for Bill’s L3, and was flown on 76mm 5 Grain, Vee-Oh-Lay, “M”.
Emma with her Estes Prowler, flown of a F67-6.
Henry with his Estes Mammoth.
Arcas landing near the pad it used at takeoff!
STRATOLOGGER SCREENSHOT
Me, Whitman, and the A3 ready for flight. AT 54/1706 case - K2050-ST reload.
RRC3 SCREENSHOT-
SLCF SCREENSHOT
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