wwattles
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I was finally able to attend a launch for the first time in almost 2 months, and got several first flights out of the way. So new were my birds, in fact, that 2 of them were completely naked, and 2 more were only partially finished.
First up was the Squirrel Works "Spirit of Texas" which I like to use as a wind gauge. Great flight, but it decided that it didn't really need the kit nose cone any more, so while the rocket came down nicely on the streamer, the nose cone disappeared somewhere out on the range. 15 minutes of searching turned up some dead rocket parts from previous launches, but not the nose cone I was looking for. Fortunately I've got a nice balsa cone from a BMS nose cone multi-pack that will suffice nicely after a little shaping.
Having established that there were neglible winds aloft, I went straight for my Fliskits Drake, still unpainted. I could have powered a small village if I could have harnessed the power from all the raised eyebrows as that thing made its way to the launch pads! There were a couple people who could identify it, but most were very curious as to what it was and who made it and where they could get one. I politely obliged and told them everything they needed to know. The flight was nearly textbook. It angled ever so slightly on takeoff, but flew straight and true after that. Ejection right at apogee, and it came down beautifully on a Rockethead Rockets mylar chute. (Sorry Jim, I only use mylar and nylon chutes.)
With the success of the Drake, I reached for my Estes SR-71 Blackbird. Beautiful kit, and most folks knew what it was, and some were surprised to see one that was still so new. This was another first flight, and it followed the same trajectory as the Drake, but the ejection didn't blow the chute out. Got the nosecone off, but the chute jammed inside. Fortunately, it came down in a flat spin about 3 feet away from the pads.
Next up: Squirrel Works Red Baron. People were starting to wonder if I had visited the elves at Santa's Workshop a little early to get such bizarre rockets. It took quite a bit of doing to get the ignitor leads hooked up, including one busted ignitor. But no other rockets were being launched at that point anyway, so this just heightened the anticipation for the launch. Up she went, and POP! went the motor. It flew in a perfect right-hand circle. So perfect, in fact, that it nearly landed INSIDE the back of my minivan. Simply Amazing. Don and Terri, you two have one heck of a boost glider there!
Finally, the glue dried on my Deuce's launch lug (yeah, yeah, I know... the most commonly forgotten thing in construction...) and I got it out to the pad. Naked. Guess it was just a naked day for Fliskits rockets. Anyway, it went perfectly as well, and came down very softly on another Rockethead mylar chute. With the construction and overall stability of that rocket, I can see how the 2 TDD birds are surviving so well!
All in all, an incredible day of flying. It's gonna have to hold me for a while, because the next launch I can make isn't until January!
I snapped a few pics, but considering I just NOW (today) got back the ones from Plaster Blaster (2 months ago), I wouldn't count on seeing anything posted for a little while.
WW
First up was the Squirrel Works "Spirit of Texas" which I like to use as a wind gauge. Great flight, but it decided that it didn't really need the kit nose cone any more, so while the rocket came down nicely on the streamer, the nose cone disappeared somewhere out on the range. 15 minutes of searching turned up some dead rocket parts from previous launches, but not the nose cone I was looking for. Fortunately I've got a nice balsa cone from a BMS nose cone multi-pack that will suffice nicely after a little shaping.
Having established that there were neglible winds aloft, I went straight for my Fliskits Drake, still unpainted. I could have powered a small village if I could have harnessed the power from all the raised eyebrows as that thing made its way to the launch pads! There were a couple people who could identify it, but most were very curious as to what it was and who made it and where they could get one. I politely obliged and told them everything they needed to know. The flight was nearly textbook. It angled ever so slightly on takeoff, but flew straight and true after that. Ejection right at apogee, and it came down beautifully on a Rockethead Rockets mylar chute. (Sorry Jim, I only use mylar and nylon chutes.)
With the success of the Drake, I reached for my Estes SR-71 Blackbird. Beautiful kit, and most folks knew what it was, and some were surprised to see one that was still so new. This was another first flight, and it followed the same trajectory as the Drake, but the ejection didn't blow the chute out. Got the nosecone off, but the chute jammed inside. Fortunately, it came down in a flat spin about 3 feet away from the pads.
Next up: Squirrel Works Red Baron. People were starting to wonder if I had visited the elves at Santa's Workshop a little early to get such bizarre rockets. It took quite a bit of doing to get the ignitor leads hooked up, including one busted ignitor. But no other rockets were being launched at that point anyway, so this just heightened the anticipation for the launch. Up she went, and POP! went the motor. It flew in a perfect right-hand circle. So perfect, in fact, that it nearly landed INSIDE the back of my minivan. Simply Amazing. Don and Terri, you two have one heck of a boost glider there!
Finally, the glue dried on my Deuce's launch lug (yeah, yeah, I know... the most commonly forgotten thing in construction...) and I got it out to the pad. Naked. Guess it was just a naked day for Fliskits rockets. Anyway, it went perfectly as well, and came down very softly on another Rockethead mylar chute. With the construction and overall stability of that rocket, I can see how the 2 TDD birds are surviving so well!
All in all, an incredible day of flying. It's gonna have to hold me for a while, because the next launch I can make isn't until January!
I snapped a few pics, but considering I just NOW (today) got back the ones from Plaster Blaster (2 months ago), I wouldn't count on seeing anything posted for a little while.
WW
sounds like you had a lot of fun there!
