MDRA ESL 234 Annual Christmas Tree Launch, Jan. 13 - 14 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

[Bat-mite]

Well, it's that time again. Time to bring out the Christmas trees and send them skyward. I will be spectating. Apparently the tree launch is going to be on TV this year.

Weather is looking awful for regular rockets. Saturday will be very cloudy, with rain all morning prior to the launch window. High of 54 is nice, though; but waiver may be severely limited.

Sunday, while sunny and pretty, is going to be absolutely frigid. High of 30, low of 17. Sheesh!

I guess I'll be there Saturday with my kids. No reason not to fly some LPR. Tom will have the Higgs Farm on an M6400.

Anyone else willing to brave the weather and get on TV?

 

[Nathan]

Looks like I'll probably be there Sunday. I'll take sunny and cold over rainy and windy any day.

 

[0011001100]

Looking for Saturday but it might be Sunday cause of weather. Will be going for Level 2 certification. Need the wavier to be above the mile mark though.

 

[Jee3300R]

If the weather is good enough, I’ll be flying my scratch built Smallmouth bass on a M1315W to 15,500’ with a Kate on board. If there is enough time I will also be flying my loc hyperloc 1600 on a K/L motor.

 

[Bat-mite]

As usual, weather forecast changing daily.

 

[Bat-mite]

Sunday, 9:00 AM "feels like" temperature: 6 F :eyepop:

Saturday will be windier, nearing 20 MPH. Not a good weekend, but doable if you are prepared.

 

[0011001100]

Going up Sunday now since that will be the better day (except for temp) and that's the day Peter said would be better for going for my cert.

 

[Bat-mite]

Going up Sunday now since that will be the better day (except for temp) and that's the day Peter said would be better for going for my cert.

I would absolutely not attempt a cert flight on Saturday. Ground winds at 18 MPH, winds aloft at 34 MPH. Sunday will be bone-shivering cold, but clearer and calmer.

 

[0011001100]

I would absolutely not attempt a cert flight on Saturday. Ground winds at 18 MPH, winds aloft at 34 MPH. Sunday will be bone-shivering cold, but clearer and calmer.

Yea it's just getting worse the closer we get. Plans have been made for Sunday now. I'll be using K630 Blue Streak since Gloria is out of K454 Skids.

 

[Scott S]

Hard to believe 60s today but back into the 30s tomorrow and 20s Sunday. I'll have a tree to fly and have my last test motor for Tom's spring project. 98mm M5250. If all goes as expected I'll start working on the O11500.

 

[jimzcatz]

This whole idea is the stupidest thing ever in this hobby.

 

[H_Rocket]

This whole idea is the stupidest thing ever in this hobby.

Jim, Jim...

Apparently you missed all the TV broadcast LDRS events. The aerial crap-storm there made the Christmas tree launch look positively intellectual.

 

[jimzcatz]

Al.... You know me.... We all know we are one launch away from losing everything. I don't mean just MDRA, I mean nationally. This is a bad idea on so many levels. Not my field, so not my problem. Just saying.

 

[cbrarick]

Christmas tree found on side of road............................ check!
Sand bags filled for nose weight...................................check!
Ornaments purchased at 85% off..................................check!
Screw Clamps bought for holding the motor to the tree.....check!
Motor taped with 2 layers to not be scratched by clamps..check!
Tether for motor to tree created...................................check!
Stupid motor loaded for launch......................................check!

Guess what motor ?????

To be continued........


the Wildman CT group is locked and loaded!

Stay tuned to find out what Rick, Sam, Trey and Tom are up to now......

 

[cbrarick]

My, it's a Magnificent Morning at MDRA
but probably not the trees
Gusts predicted between 22 - 50.......

Anything worth doing is worth overdoing wildman style.....

 

[crossfire]

This whole idea is the stupidest thing ever in this hobby.

I agree Jim. Are we really trying to be safe here?

 

[Jee3300R]

My hyperloc got 2860’ on a K780 yesterday, and the Smallmouth Bass flew to 14,691’ on the M

 

[Bat-mite]

My hyperloc got 2860’ on a K780 yesterday, and the Smallmouth Bass flew to 14,691’ on the M

Sounds awesome. How many people got killed by the unsafe Christmas trees?

 

[crossfire]

Sounds awesome. How many people got killed by the unsafe Christmas trees?

Are the trees real that may start fires? Just sounds like a waste of a reload. But to each their own.

 

[samilton17]

So it turns out Rick and I had and extra CTI M2250 lying around.
Naturally we decided to clamp it to a tree, add some nose mass in the form of gallon baggies of sand, and let it rip. [video=youtube;7TgLqElCH8Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TgLqElCH8Q[/video]

 

[Eric]

Not only did that look like a huge waste of your "extra" M2250 that was just lying around. But that was stupidly unsafe. I question how a level 3 flyer thinks this is safe or how any RSO would allow it.

 

[Bat-mite]

We are flying under MDRA's insurance. The landowner is okay with it, the insurance company is okay with it, and the spectators are okay with it. Anyone who is not okay with it is invited to stay home. It's a ten-year-old tradition, we have a 100% record of safety, and we have TAPs and L3CCs who participate.

 

[H_Rocket]

Hey folks, before you declare this "unsafe", you should actually make sure you understand the parameters of what they are doing and how it is executed. I've been there for the event and there is quite literally almost no way anyone could get hurt doing this, there is no landowner consideration as this is 100% private land. Is the event silly and a waste of propellant? Lord yes (and I once flew a pink plastic artificial tree on an I200), however that is those folks decision. If you don't want to fly a darn tree, don't go there to fly one.

 

[dhbarr]

Silly waste of propellant, unlike my super serious rockets :-D

 

[cbrarick]

You should try it. We spent 90 minutes or so looking for our "airframe" before finding on in Camden. It took some thought the night before to get what we wanted, then the better part of the entire morning to put the tree together. We laughed the entire time! We also had the advice of two of the foremost experts on Christmas Tree flight, who were more then willing to share advice
As you can see from the video, the tree never made it more then a few feet from the pad. It was never a danger to anyone, and kept the laughs coming.

We do this for fun, and I thought it was a blast.

I wouldn't do it every day, but as a rare activity you can't beat the entertainment value!

 

[Bat-mite]

Wait a minute ... we do rocketry for fun?

 

[Cnorm]

Wait a minute ... we do rocketry for fun?

Yes, but on TRF your fun has to be like everyone else’s fun or you’re doing it wrong.

Having said that, you’re having fun the wrong way unless one uses a Jolly Chute Release to deploy a tree skirt.

 

[dhbarr]

Silly waste of propellant, unlike my super serious rockets :-D

Wait a minute ... we do rocketry for fun?

Only an appropriate amount of the right kind of mandatory fun during the correct window.

 

[CPUTommy]

smallies RULE !

 

[crossfire]

So it turns out Rick and I had and extra CTI M2250 lying around.
Naturally we decided to clamp it to a tree, add some nose mass in the form of gallon baggies of sand, and let it rip. [video=youtube;7TgLqElCH8Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TgLqElCH8Q[/video]

That sure looked safe? Would not pass any RSO where I fly.