Semroc VF-261

[JAL3]

The final launch of my birthday celebration was another rocket that had not seen the light of day in a very long time. The Semroc VF261 was one of my earlier attempts and introduced me to the joys and despairs of chrome paint. It looked really good for about 30 seconds after I painted it and thereafter got a tarnished looked it has maintained ever since.

I loaded it with a B4-4 and took it out to the pad.

 

[JAL3]

My lasting impression on ignition was to wonder why I did not fly this rocket more often. It took off, flew straight and looked good in the air with a plume following behind it.

 

[JAL3]

The charge popped the chute at apogee and the rocket drifted down doing everything it was supposed to do except that it decided to land on the other side of 2 barbed wire fences instead of the customary one.

 

[WillMarchant]

That's a great looking rocket, John! I love all the retro designs that people are coming out with...

 

[JAL3]

That's a great looking rocket, John! I love all the retro designs that people are coming out with...

Thanks. I like the retro look too.

One of the guys present thought that this was one of Layne Pemberton's rockets and said, "I thought they were bigger than that."

 

[Pem Tech]

WHo is on the window decal?

Great looking John!
Retro rocks....

 

[JAL3]

WHo is on the window decal?

Great looking John!
Retro rocks....

That's woody woodpecker. I think its a refference to the Woody Woodpecker cartoon used in Heinlein's Trip to the Moon movie.

 

[JAL3]

The VF 261 came out to play in May and I am only now posting about it because I've been tooooooooo busy. As I recall, it happened to be chosen for flight because it was handy and I didn't have much else nearby.

It got loaded with a B6-4 and taken to the pad to wait its turn.

 

[JAL3]

It snapped off the pad quickly, too quickly for me to follow, and had a nice flight. The chute did what it was supposed to do and it drifted back down.

 

[JAL3]

The only real problem with the flight was finding the rocket in the weeds after it landed but persistence paid off.

 

[Fred22]

Nice looking flight John. The red chute is a great help for recovery.
Cheers
Fred