Stewart32
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Well...
I wanted to launch a few rockets late Sunday. So I gathered up the boy, some old favorites, and some new rockets, and loaded up the car. As a bonus the wife, uncharacteristicly decided to join us. We headed to our favorite lauch site, MSP.
Perhaps the heat and humidity fogged my judgement but for some reason I set up adjacent to an active soccer game, I was in a hurry as daylite was fadding. First two mistakes.
The first launch was the venerable Fat Boy (naked) modified for 24 mm power, a D12-5. This was a maiden voyage and my first D impulse launch, and in hindsight the anticipation was part of the poor judgement. The rocket immediately went horizontal upon reaching the end of the Estes 1/8" rod and pad. Luckily this was 180 degrees opposite the soccer playing field. It made for an impressive, but safety unacceptable flight. This was followed by oos and ahs (or explicatives?) from some of the game spectators who were chokeing on spent BP fumes.
Murphy wispered; I swatted at a mosquitoe pestering my ear.
While the boy (and wife) retrieved the Fat Boy, I prepared a Custom Fiesta with a B6-4. The wind was against me toward the playing field. I made appropriate adjustments to the rod.
The lauch went well with all events occuring as expected. Upon ejection the rocket began to drift across the roadway precariously close to the now ending soccer game. I did my best to dodge traffic while tracking the desent. The rocket touched down about 4 inches from a green 55 gallon drum now park trash can. Another omen?
Now the thrid and final shot...a cluster of 3xC6-7s in a Cycline 3 Fun Fat Rocket. At this point Murphy is pleading caution but of course the voice of reason falls on deaf ears for some reason. This rocket was built according to specification and had been lauched several times without incident. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 launch.....Up untill this point I had only read stories about rockets looping end over end traveling wildy out of control, but had never witnessed the strangely mezmerizing phenomenon first hand.
With three motors a blazing the rocket looped about three times, 15 feet off the ground. It finally came to rest about 20 feet from the pad having missed pedestrians and vehicles. It crashed about 5 feet from the rear of one of Lexington's finest officers parked in a cruiser. Pop Pop Pop. Three ejection charges later and I am formulating an explenation while approaching the good officer who is stepping out of her now smoke filled cruiser (her window was open). I really had no explenation for this compleatly unexpected behavior and was truely at a loss.
Her advice: "You have the whole park, go lauch somwhere else away from people."
Sheepish response: "Yes M'am, you are correct. I think we will call it a day."
Luckily nobody was injured in this comedy of errors, poor judgment, and failed common sense. So, it is with chagrin that I appologize to my fellow rocketry enthusiasts. Having learned my lesson. I vow to avoid stupidity in the future in as much as possible and heed Murphey.
Post mortem:
The Fat Boy having been modified probably needs nose weight to get the CP behind the CG again.
The cluster rocket was built according to specification. Why it went squirlly, I can only conjecture. I did notice that the launch rod was in two pieces following the shot. I think that the rocket dragged the upper portion of the rod with it for a short distance into the air...while starting the shot on an unstable trajectory. But this has never happend with any other countless shots from the same equipment. The only other reasonable expleantion is that the rocket was made unstable from the added wieght of the C motors. I think I had only flown on B prior to this fiasco.
I wanted to launch a few rockets late Sunday. So I gathered up the boy, some old favorites, and some new rockets, and loaded up the car. As a bonus the wife, uncharacteristicly decided to join us. We headed to our favorite lauch site, MSP.
Perhaps the heat and humidity fogged my judgement but for some reason I set up adjacent to an active soccer game, I was in a hurry as daylite was fadding. First two mistakes.
The first launch was the venerable Fat Boy (naked) modified for 24 mm power, a D12-5. This was a maiden voyage and my first D impulse launch, and in hindsight the anticipation was part of the poor judgement. The rocket immediately went horizontal upon reaching the end of the Estes 1/8" rod and pad. Luckily this was 180 degrees opposite the soccer playing field. It made for an impressive, but safety unacceptable flight. This was followed by oos and ahs (or explicatives?) from some of the game spectators who were chokeing on spent BP fumes.
Murphy wispered; I swatted at a mosquitoe pestering my ear.
While the boy (and wife) retrieved the Fat Boy, I prepared a Custom Fiesta with a B6-4. The wind was against me toward the playing field. I made appropriate adjustments to the rod.
The lauch went well with all events occuring as expected. Upon ejection the rocket began to drift across the roadway precariously close to the now ending soccer game. I did my best to dodge traffic while tracking the desent. The rocket touched down about 4 inches from a green 55 gallon drum now park trash can. Another omen?
Now the thrid and final shot...a cluster of 3xC6-7s in a Cycline 3 Fun Fat Rocket. At this point Murphy is pleading caution but of course the voice of reason falls on deaf ears for some reason. This rocket was built according to specification and had been lauched several times without incident. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 launch.....Up untill this point I had only read stories about rockets looping end over end traveling wildy out of control, but had never witnessed the strangely mezmerizing phenomenon first hand.
With three motors a blazing the rocket looped about three times, 15 feet off the ground. It finally came to rest about 20 feet from the pad having missed pedestrians and vehicles. It crashed about 5 feet from the rear of one of Lexington's finest officers parked in a cruiser. Pop Pop Pop. Three ejection charges later and I am formulating an explenation while approaching the good officer who is stepping out of her now smoke filled cruiser (her window was open). I really had no explenation for this compleatly unexpected behavior and was truely at a loss.
Her advice: "You have the whole park, go lauch somwhere else away from people."
Sheepish response: "Yes M'am, you are correct. I think we will call it a day."
Luckily nobody was injured in this comedy of errors, poor judgment, and failed common sense. So, it is with chagrin that I appologize to my fellow rocketry enthusiasts. Having learned my lesson. I vow to avoid stupidity in the future in as much as possible and heed Murphey.
Post mortem:
The Fat Boy having been modified probably needs nose weight to get the CP behind the CG again.
The cluster rocket was built according to specification. Why it went squirlly, I can only conjecture. I did notice that the launch rod was in two pieces following the shot. I think that the rocket dragged the upper portion of the rod with it for a short distance into the air...while starting the shot on an unstable trajectory. But this has never happend with any other countless shots from the same equipment. The only other reasonable expleantion is that the rocket was made unstable from the added wieght of the C motors. I think I had only flown on B prior to this fiasco.
Haste does indeed make waste. ....Please Safety First.
