It could be done Dave but for reasonable safety considerations it was requested by the KloudBusters that the rocket be launched off-vertical 5-7 degrees away from the crowd (to the east).
Knowing those Kansas winds that generally come from the west in late August it would also mean a possible 10 mph tailwind.
This old used-to-be-bold pilot after 35 years of making every dumb mistake known to man flying isn’t comfortable with those conditions. So I made the decision to scrub the LDRS launch but still bring the rocket up for show and tell.
Not sure what the plan will be after that. Lots of fun building and testing big motors for flight. Again it will be good to have the rocket evaluated for safety. It’s my first build in many years but I’m quite confident she’s going to be a beautifully safe flyer. Built like a tank lol.
Chuck C.
Chuck, I am going to have to step up to take the hit for the project launch delay. I know, I know, you were trying to protect me, but being of sound mind and not so sound body, here goes.
When I first started the design parameters of "the motor" I was the one that selected the propellant from my inventory of formulas that would give Chuck what he asked for. Not a 10/1 thrust to weight ratio popular with a few, more like a slower lift off, 6/1 or so. I myself like slower lift offs, becasue I like to see my motor perform. And so I selected a Bates grain config, 4" core, Wayside White Improved (a formula that I have shared a hundred times, I always get a huge grin when I am at a launch and someone sucessfully launches a rocket with a motor that "he" built, using one of my formulas that I always share).
But when I started the propellant design, and ordered the convolute tubing, and got the chems together, the lift off weight was estimated to be around 400 lbs. As it got more robust, the thrust to weight dropped, which brought up concerns from the LDRS launch organizers. A concern that was shared by me.
Now before I continue, the grains made are not wasted. We can still use them in other motor designs with a faster burn array of grains at the nozzle. I have done that a bunch. My old mentor motor builder, Jim Mitchell of Thunderflame, after we launched yet another Aurora flight using a mix of formula grains for a unique "Red, White, and Blue" transition burn (it was afterall, a 4th of July launch) told me " Mr Pat, I believe you have mastered the art of combining formulations in a Bates grain pressure vessel".
So, as the "build" continued, the project put on a few lbs. Which would have been no problem, we could have adapted.
But here is what happened.
Been puttering around the ranch trying to keep away from sharp things and stressful situations. I am still working my solar business, but only until 12:30 or so. And no more overseas work. Under strict orders from Dr Lauretta and my cardio surgeon to stay out of the heat and harms way.
I had a heart attack in New Mexico in May. I was on a good sized solar job north of Tucumcari, finished up on May 22 (my birthday), and sent my 3 hands back to Texas. I was supposed to load up the trailer May 23, present the bill to the client, and back home. But I woke up that morning May 23, at 2AM, couldn't breath, chest hurt, started throwing up around 5 am. Found a sheriff around 8am, he called the EMT's, BP at 186/168. Went for a ride in an ambulance, they shoved some nitro pills in me, BP dropped to 60/28. At this point I figured I was fixing to see my Lord and Savior (yes, I know where I am going when the time comes) but instead got to stay in a hospital in Taos. Get back to Texas, BP stabilized, but dizzy all the time. Doc ordered an MRI. Apparently the heart attack dislodged 2 clots in my leg and they took up camp in my brain. One in my frontal lope, the other in my cerebellum. They removed the clot in my cerebellum thru a stint retrieval procedure called Trevo, which is basically a stealth thrombectomy. The clot in my frontal lope is being dealt with using blood thinners Eliquis and Lovenox.
Just got out of the hospital yesterday, had 2 stints put in. When I recover from that, I have to have more stints, scheduled for Aug 12, and then probably a bypass, to repair the damage the heart attack caused and an accident I had when I was working overseas (pulmonary embolism) in Germany, got whacked in the chest by a heavy piece of equipment.
Just turned 64. A clot and subsequent stroke killed my Grandmother at that age, trying real hard not to follow in her footsteps.
But doing better and on the mend.
So I had to stand down, not knowing what my future contained. To be fair to Chuck, and the Project, and to all you folks, my "rocket family", I decided that was the best course of action I could take. And the project, thanks to you all and Chucks tremendous "can do in the face of adversity" attitude, survived and thrived.
Depending on what August 12 brings, I may still be able to get back up on the saddle to help Chuck with the motor for possibly Balls. I figure with or without me, he can still pull it off.
But LDRS is out for me.
My most sincere apologies.
Pat G
