MichaelRapp
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2014
- Messages
- 279
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One of the things that caused me to drop out of rocketry six years ago is that I wasn't aware of a nearby suitable field. Since then, I joined a local amateur radio club and they have their annual event at a fairly large park that is only 10 miles from my house. It's quite large -- four baseball fields and two soccer fields -- and the city seems to keep that portion mowed. Here's a Google Earth image of the field:
As I was hoping, I was the only person out there this Thanksgiving afternoon. (I'm sure during other times, I'll have to get there fairly early before the baseball and/or soccer games start or scout out portions that are further away from those fields that are safe to launch from.) The wind was more than I thought it would be....about 10 mph, but it did steady down to 4-5 mph at times.
I readied my rocket, an Estes E2X Dragonite with an A8-3 engine: my first launch in six years. Would this six-year-old A8-3 work or fizzle out on the launch pad?
After angling the launch rod into the wind slightly, I cautiously inserted the safety key into the controller and verified the red LED was glowing. I looked up to see if any aircraft were in the air (there is an private pilot airfield about 20 minutes away) and what I saw made me smile. There, in the clear blue sky 45 degrees above the horizon and right in line with my launch rod, was the crescent Moon. How fitting. :clap:
I then looked at the rocket and hit the igniter.
WOW. I had forgotten just how cool a model rocket launch is. I will never tire of that. The rocket went up (this, I have learned from much study, is a good thing), slowed, arced over, and about a second after apogee the ejection charge blew, the parachute deployed, and I watched the rocket drift over my head and land about 25 feet away.
i launched once again on an A8-3. The launch went perfectly. This allayed any fears I had of my old motors being bad. I then decided to switch to a B6-4. This was a cool launch....the rocket went quite high.....not quite high enough that I lose sight of it, but nearly there. I also noted how visible the red and black color scheme made the rocket. Here's a shot just at ejection:
I did another B6-4 and noticed that the ejection happened just at apogee. Here's a shot of the rocket drifting slowly down to about 50 feet away:
I thought about trying a C6-5, but with the wind and my inexperience, plus the fact that some parts of the field were still muddy from recent rains, I decided against it.
That was pretty fun. While driving home I also gave some thought as to what I want to do next. While the E2X was fun for a few flights, I can already see I'm going to get much more enjoyment of flying the rockets I build myself and see if I can get them to consistently fly straight and stable.
As I was hoping, I was the only person out there this Thanksgiving afternoon. (I'm sure during other times, I'll have to get there fairly early before the baseball and/or soccer games start or scout out portions that are further away from those fields that are safe to launch from.) The wind was more than I thought it would be....about 10 mph, but it did steady down to 4-5 mph at times.
I readied my rocket, an Estes E2X Dragonite with an A8-3 engine: my first launch in six years. Would this six-year-old A8-3 work or fizzle out on the launch pad?
After angling the launch rod into the wind slightly, I cautiously inserted the safety key into the controller and verified the red LED was glowing. I looked up to see if any aircraft were in the air (there is an private pilot airfield about 20 minutes away) and what I saw made me smile. There, in the clear blue sky 45 degrees above the horizon and right in line with my launch rod, was the crescent Moon. How fitting. :clap:
I then looked at the rocket and hit the igniter.
WOW. I had forgotten just how cool a model rocket launch is. I will never tire of that. The rocket went up (this, I have learned from much study, is a good thing), slowed, arced over, and about a second after apogee the ejection charge blew, the parachute deployed, and I watched the rocket drift over my head and land about 25 feet away.
i launched once again on an A8-3. The launch went perfectly. This allayed any fears I had of my old motors being bad. I then decided to switch to a B6-4. This was a cool launch....the rocket went quite high.....not quite high enough that I lose sight of it, but nearly there. I also noted how visible the red and black color scheme made the rocket. Here's a shot just at ejection:
I did another B6-4 and noticed that the ejection happened just at apogee. Here's a shot of the rocket drifting slowly down to about 50 feet away:
I thought about trying a C6-5, but with the wind and my inexperience, plus the fact that some parts of the field were still muddy from recent rains, I decided against it.
That was pretty fun. While driving home I also gave some thought as to what I want to do next. While the E2X was fun for a few flights, I can already see I'm going to get much more enjoyment of flying the rockets I build myself and see if I can get them to consistently fly straight and stable.