MMMSC 28 October 2017 Launch, Berwick, Maine

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KennB

I-95 Envoy
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Location
Amesbury, MA
The next launch in Berwick will be on Saturday, 28 October. Keep an eye on this thread, the club website and Facebook page to get the latest information.

Set up starts at 9 AM and flying as soon as we're set up. Come early and get trained on setting up the range so we can all start flying earlier. Our flying day will end at 4 PM. Breaking down the range and packing up the trailer is a big part of making for a good day, too, so stick around an learn how to get things ready for the next launch.

Jason will be on the field with a lot of the AMWProX goodies. As always, if you have any particular needs, please contact Jason or Robert and Gloria ahead of time to be sure they can take care of you.

The MIT Rocket Team will be joining us to make 12 to 15 L1 attempts. They have our own Andrew (Eggplant on TRF) advising them so we should see some good results. If anyone wants to help with safety check, pad management and/or witnessing some of these attempts, please feel free to volunteer an hour or so to work with the students. This will allow the regular launch operations to flow more smoothly throughout the day.

Is there anyone else who is looking to do a Level 1, 2 or 3 certification at the Launch? If so, please do not wait until the last minute. You need time to go through safety check and set up on the pad. Time runs out quickly if you are not the only one rushing to cert at the end of the day. Also, make sure you have proof of current NAR membership and your paper work ready to go.

Also, does anyone expect to need the 1515-rail pad setup? Let us know ahead of time and try to be there to help set it up so you are familiar with how to work it. The same goes for the other high power pads; the more people we can teach set up and break down to, the quicker we can get flying in the morning and the earlier we can get to the all important debriefing sessions after the launch.

All of the usual rules apply:
  • Stay on the roadways - no more than two wheels on the very edges of the grass
  • No sparky motors
  • If you haven't done it yet, have your 38mm CTI motors checked for the proper delay grain
  • Any rocket using a CTI VMax motor and an active recovery system must not rely on the motor's ejection charge for a safe recovery; it must have electronic deployment for all of its events.
  • Positive motor retention especially for composite motors
  • Have your NAR (or TRA) card with you showing your cert level if you're going to fly HPR
  • If the winds aloft are doing much of anything, don't overfly the conditions
  • All the usual stuff in the NAR Safety Code, too.
 
After four months of life interfering with rocketry, I’m finally able to go to this one. Let’s hope the rain moves through and we have good weather.

Also, is this one of the launches where we break out our finest blaze orange?
 
Fingers crossed, I should finally be able to make it to this one. Last one in Amesbury looked like really good weather, so I'm sad I missed it.
 
I believe that’s a typo in the title. The launch is on Saturday, the 28th on the website.
 
Never a bad idea this time of year in Maine. I don't know what the official seasons are but still not a bad idea. And no white gloves!

So I should leave my reindeer antler headband at home?
 
The main entrance is a mud pit. The farmer will block it off but has opened the Ridlon Road entrance (higher and drier). If you are coming from the south or east, drive past the farm on Hubbard Road and take a right on Keay Road to get to Ridlon on the back side of the farm. If you’re coming from the other direction, look for Ridlon Road before you get to the farm.

You can zoom in on the launch site map to see the road names.

Ridlon Road is unimproved for the stretch behind the farm so drive slowly on the gavel and you'll be okay.
 
Hey folks, as some of you saw my Frenzy XL lawndarted in the woods to the south :-( It's a fiberglass kit though built to survive an M motor so unless it hit solid rock the frame itself may well be in good shape, as well the recovery gear.

I realized this morning that because I knew the launch angle and direction pretty precisely (I measured it with a compass and my phone), I can actually probably predict the impact location pretty well. I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to make it back up to ME, but if anyone happens to come across it I'd be happy to offer a $100 reward. The predicted impact location is pretty accessible from a road I think:

https://goo.gl/maps/oseXMj2fND12

I just figured I'd mention it in case anyone lives locally and enjoys walks in the woods :) It's amazing how far forward it kept going! Apogee was within the field limits it looks like but at that point because of the wind and long motor burn it had reached substantial horizontal velocity.


If you do find it, the batteries will have died and the electronics and wiring been completely destroyed, but nonetheless be careful as the charges presumably didn't go off. I'm pretty sure they aren't intact after the impact so it'd just be a few grams of loose black powder hanging out in the airframe, but I wouldn't throw it in a fire for example....

What a beautiful day for a launch though, thanks folks! Time to go build some more rockets...

The rocket looks like this (purple top, sky blue bottom, black fins). It is probably embedded partway into the ground, though it is conceivable that the main came out shortly before impact (orange and black parachute):
IMG_20171028_141905.jpg
 
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