7k in Maine

Last weekend made a successful flight to 7,900 ft on MMMSC field. Sort of personal record

Here's video from the event, in HD and everything:

This video did not meet PG13 standards and has been removed


Special thanks to Scott, Kenn for launch, field, hot dogs, - and to the kid (can't remember his name) who spotted the rocket!


-Alex

azzie said:

Last weekend made a successful flight to 7,900 ft on MMMSC field. Sort of personal record

Here's video from the event, in HD and everything:

[video=youtube;kYd7p3NxvTY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYd7p3NxvTY[/video]


Special thanks to Scott, Kenn for launch, field, hot dogs, - and to the kid (can't remember his name) who spotted the rocket!


-Alex

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Flying into clouds is a Bad Thing.

Aside from that, nice flight, and excellent presentation in the video!

Not only a bad thing, it's illegal.

That was a great Video! I did'nt realize that parts of Maine could look so much like Kansas.

Thats the coolest vid Ive seen.
Love all info across the bottom of screen.
Thanks for taking the time.

TopRamen said:

That was a great Video! I did'nt realize that parts of Maine could look so much like Kansas.

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No Green or White Mountains up THAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
just in case ya dont know...its a sod farm.
very nice place. Ive been there once.

CarVac said:

Flying into clouds is a Bad Thing. Aside from that, nice flight, and excellent presentation in the video!

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Thank you! NOAA aviation forecast for cloud base on that day was "over 12,000 feet" and I would not have flown otherwise. It came as a surprise from onboard video. They were not supposed to be this low.

I wonder how accurate one can calculate cloud base on the field by measuring relative humidity / temperature. This would make a nice Arduino project.


-Alex

azzie said:

Thank you! NOAA aviation forecast for cloud base on that day was "over 12,000 feet"

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Then you (and your club) are probably in the clear. Unless someone previously flew into and 'sounded' the altitude of the cloud base, you did the best you could-the forecast was plenty safe-so you went for it. Great video!

Area66 said:

Not only a bad thing, it's illegal.

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Yeah! Would not want to hurt an innocent Cloud! WTH!

I'm not trying to be Snarky, I enjoy your Posts Area66. I just find it odd that there is a Law against Flying into a Cloud.
What would a Sounding Rocket be worth if you could not collect a Cloud Sample?

TopRamen said:

Yeah! Would not want to hurt an innocent Cloud! WTH!

I'm not trying to be Snarky, I enjoy your Posts Area66. I just find it odd that there is a Law against Flying into a Cloud.
What would a Sounding Rocket be worth if you could not collect a Cloud Sample?

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Sounding rockets launched at an angle into a cleared range are one thing.

Hobby rockets launched on fields with spectators are another.

You are supposed to be able to see the airspace your rocket is expected to pass through for safety reasons. Sort of like VFR for pilots; if you can't see, you aren't supposed to fly. Obviously you won't "hurt" the clouds, but you can't see what is in the clouds or above them.

CarVac said:

Sounding rockets launched at an angle into a cleared range are one thing.

Hobby rockets launched on fields with spectators are another.

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Good Point. I Agree, safety first.

Zeus-cat said:

You are supposed to be able to see the airspace your rocket is expected to pass through for safety reasons. Sort of like VFR for pilots; if you can't see, you aren't supposed to fly. Obviously you won't "hurt" the clouds, but you can't see what is in the clouds or above them.

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Yes, good Point. My Bad.

Nice job azzie! Don't let the young'uns get to you, tact isn't taught in school anymore. Flying 7000' in Maine is quite a feat and you should be commended. Nice video too.

What is the waiver there?

CarVac said:

What is the waiver there?

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10K

Nicely done, Azzie! I wish I had been there to see it. Is that the field record altitude?

Alex,
Nice video. I really like they way you display all the data throughout the video. Well done sir!
-Chuck

Congratulations and the video was awesome. I am curious about the cloud issue. My understanding, which is second hand, is that flying into clouds is an FAA regulation violation. That,s not the same as a law passed by legislators, so the term 'illegal' is not appropriate. To me, illegal means criminal and punishable in a court of law, so the use of the term 'illegal' in this forum is somewhat melodramatic. I would appreciate any clarification on this if you have that information.

dward said:

Congratulations and the video was awesome. I am curious about the cloud issue. My understanding, which is second hand, is that flying into clouds is an FAA regulation violation. That,s not the same as a law passed by legislators, so the term 'illegal' is not appropriate. To me, illegal means criminal and punishable in a court of law, so the use of the term 'illegal' in this forum is somewhat melodramatic. I would appreciate any clarification on this if you have that information.

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Generally, seven things can occur as a result of an FAA investigation:

(1) No action;

(2) Oral or written counseling;

(3) Administrative action;

(4) Remedial training;

(5) Request for reexamination;

(6) Legal enforcement action; and

(7) Criminal action.

dward said:

Congratulations and the video was awesome. I am curious about the cloud issue. My understanding, which is second hand, is that flying into clouds is an FAA regulation violation. That,s not the same as a law passed by legislators, so the term 'illegal' is not appropriate. To me, illegal means criminal and punishable in a court of law, so the use of the term 'illegal' in this forum is somewhat melodramatic. I would appreciate any clarification on this if you have that information.

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dward, I think you have a good handle on the cloud issue. Jerry, who posted the "I" word first, may have been taking his hyperbole out for a walk when he posted that. It is a bad idea and I'm sorry it happened. All the clouds had been playing nicely at their prescribed 12k level and we had the combined misfortune of one cloud with a ~5k bottom coming into our area and the rocket going into it. Even though the rocket was pretty long, it was truly "out-of-sight" after two or three thousand feet. The smoke blended well with the background cloud so I was hoping we'd see a chute below the deck. The footage does show the rocket got into the cloud, though, and I don't think anyone picked it up until the main came out.

Again, as LCO, I'm very sorry this happened and will keep a better eye to the sky before any other tall shots.

To answer Sully, I think the previous high shot was the MIT crew at about 7600 feet, a football field lower than this one. Their rocket came down in a tree a mile away, though, so this was a much better flight (except for the cloud).

KennB said:

dward, I think you have a good handle on the cloud issue. Jerry, who posted the "I" word first, may have been taking his hyperbole out for a walk when he posted that. .

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Please note that I have 0 issue with this incident, I was just pointing that it's not only bad but it's a violation of the FAA ( to use the correct word). Why I say so, well, first of all many launch rockets without knowing the rules ( Lev 1 in US don't even have a writen exam ) and second ; if it was me I will not post it on You Tube, it’s so easy for the authorities to use it against peoples, but in that case I don’t think it will go somewhere.

My wife is up visiting her folks who live on Keay Rd. She mentioned that she heard rockets flying last weekend. I suspect that this was the one.

NAR29996 said:

My wife is up visiting her folks who live on Keay Rd. She mentioned that she heard rockets flying last weekend. I suspect that this was the one.

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If she was up on the 17th, that was us. If it was some other day, yikes.

So far, we've maintained a very good relationship with the neighbors of the field we use (I can see on the map, your in-laws are some of our closer neighbors). We'd like to keep up that record but it is nice to know that someone in the area is related to someone with our disease.

Thanks for the info, Jerry.

That was an insanely cool video and flight............
7K in Maine is tough..........
You must have a great field to do all of the DD flights that led up to this AND this flight.........
The way the camera equipment was set up was fantastic and must have taken quite a bit of time.......
A lot of thought and work and effort and time went into that flight,,,,,
and it showed,,,,,,,
Well done,,,,,,,
A spectacular flight,,,,,,,
Good work.........

Teddy

KennB said:

If she was up on the 17th, that was us. If it was some other day, yikes.

So far, we've maintained a very good relationship with the neighbors of the field we use (I can see on the map, your in-laws are some of our closer neighbors). We'd like to keep up that record but it is nice to know that someone in the area is related to someone with our disease.

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I guess I got the date wrong.

I would have killed to find a field like that in the '70's. Heck, I'd kill for it today!

Azzie,

Awesome flight and fantastic video (while it was up!). You showed more courage than I would on the MMMSC field. A perfect flight (other than the rogue cloud) and a really awesome recovery.

I can't wait to see what you do next!

Jason

Awww! I didn't get to see the video. Booo!

I was goi g to take my L2 flight that high.... Guess it's a good thing I didn't!

Last launch was a great day to do this.... I'd say if there was a day you'd do this and succeed it was then.

Congrats!