Local Low-Power Launches

Today Dragon_Rider10 and I met up at a local flying field and put a few up. It was hot. Not Texas hot, but we wished for a bit more breeze. First up was my Estes Orbital Transport on a B6-2. Beautiful flight and recovery. The glider floated down in a tight turn and set down of the sidewalk, of course. The pin held!

More pictures later, but I HAVE to get this one in. John's daugher Hanna had the best comment of the day. Here she is getting ready to fly her Fliskits Frick-n-Frack. The flight was flawless. Not being a saucer guy, it had slipped my mind about the main F-n-F feature. It went like this:

Judo: Wow! I forgot that one was a two-stage.

Hannah: Yeah! :eyeroll:

Kids.

This photo needs no other caption. No, I didn't plan it like that. I don't know if that makes it more funny or more sad.

Hannah launched her Fliskits Whatchamacallit twice. No pictures from me on that one. Both times it flew straight up and floated straight down.

The rest of my hit parade went like this:

1:16 Sandia Doorknob (Drawerpull) on an A10 - Arrow straight

Estes Fat Boy on a C6-3 - struggled and arced but nailed the landing

Fliskits Farscape on a B4-4 - at ejection, the nose flew into the shrouds at the base of the 'chute resulting in a "cradled" decent. Beautiful.

Estes Solar Sailer II on a B6-4- another fouled 'chute somehow but she fell down fast enough for the fins to give her some lift. Zero damage.

Stratos ELM-18 on an A8-5 - A neck-snapper. Saw the ejection and spotted the streamer. I'm brave enough to put a B motor in it at the sod farm under the right conditions. If I were to put a C in it, it would be the last time I put anything in it. What a performer!

Finally, I fleew the Stratos ELM-13 on an A10. I was too hot and in too much of a hurry. I shoulda pulled the piston. This is a blink rocket. If you blink, you miss it. The piston was fouled on a knot on the Kevlar I had forgotten about. We heard the ejection but did not see the rocket. After about 30 seconds, I checked the ground. A came to the unretained motor, never a good sign. The OD nose exceded the ID of the body tube, unwrapping the body tube. Rocket too light, ground too hard for a proper lawn dart. I want to get a replacement. Lesson learned: ALWAYS CHECK YOUR PISTON!

judo said:

More pictures later, but I HAVE to get this one in. John's daugher Hanna had the best comment of the day. Here she is getting ready to fly her Fliskits Frick-n-Frack. The flight was flawless. Not being a saucer guy, it had slipped my mind about the main F-n-F feature. It went like this:

Judo: Wow! I forgot that one was a two-stage.

Hannah: Yeah! :eyeroll:

Kids.

Click to expand...

Its quite funny when you get the 12 yr old attitude at 6. At least to outsiders!

judo said:

This photo needs no other caption. No, I didn't plan it like that. I don't know if that makes it more funny or more sad.

Click to expand...

Umm...im not sure if i should be offended or not!

John

From right to left it's my daughter Tiffany, her boyfriend Kevin, my son Michael, and then John, shielding the camera-shy Hannah.

Not really, I'm not sure why she ducked behind Dad.

We really could have used a breeze.

judo said:

From right to left it's my daughter Tiffany, her boyfriend Kevin, my son Michael, and then John, shielding the camera-shy Hannah.

Not really, I'm not sure why she ducked behind Dad.

We really could have used a breeze.

Click to expand...

She was hiding because it wasn't one of HER rockets getting ready to go up! She couldn't vouch for the craftmanship!

:y: