I attended LDRS 42. I was hoping to come down with a crew of 6-7. Due to various other commitments like this thing called work, family and kids, They all bailed on me.
I made an initial scouting run on Friday. I parked my car and made it as far as the parking tent before the skies opened up. Minor shower compared to what I left behind in Ottawa the day before. I managed to trudge through the mud all the way down to the launch line. I made it to a few vendors and chatted with them about various things. My back gave out on me only three times so not too bad of a walk with those free ankle weights they gave out. I had lunch under the tent behind the food truck and made my way back to my car. I feared it would get stuck as I tried to get out. I was right, but not where everyone else was getting stuck. I was lucky and a crew of individual from a white van rocked my car and got it moving from the parking lane. I opted to avoid the mud hill road and just kept moving at a slow but constant place. A volunteer with a Quad nearly stepped in front of me while trying to reach a stuck white van. We saw each other. They backed off and I was able to make the garbage bin and then stopped just before mud row. I watched a car leave just ahead of me and I was watching another get ready to come in. When the road looked clear for a good distance, I started moving and I was not going to stop. I don't think I have driven so far down a straight stretch of road while my car has been at nearly a 45 degree angle to the path of travel before at such a slow speed. FUN TIMES! When I finally made it back to Syracuse I took a ribbing from my brother for leaving a mud outline around my car on his driveway.
On Saturday I kidnapped my nephew and threw him and the mean machine we painted the night before in the car and headed back to LDRS 42 for round 2 of mud fest. That never really materialized and we wound up with excellent sun burns. We set up our chairs near the flight line and proceeded to watch the show. It was a great show for the most part. A few too many failures to ignite the engine but we deal, adjust and try again. My nephew had fun launching his first ever rocket on a D engine. First flight was successful after some adjustment and repositioning taking place at the LPR stand. Apparently the mean machine was too heavy in the wind and kept tilting the launch rod over. We were joking which way it would go up during the first launch since it was swaying so much.
After launch 1 came his second attempt. He made his way to the Syracuse rocket club for some more dog barf which they graciously donated for both his launches (Silly uncle forgot about wadding). While waiting for launch 2 to occur we witnessed the Mean Machine playing musical launch rods again and bumping other rockets out of the way. Eventually it settled on one of the launch stands further back where it continued to sway in the wind though not nearly as much. However, during the movement of the rocket from launch rod to launch rod by volunteers, someone forgot to connect the motor so no launch at the designated time. A cycling of the sides, a re-connection of the motor and we were ready to go...until I looked up from my burnt arm and no longer saw his Mean Machine on the launch rod and there had not been any launches yet. Apparently with all the swaying, the launch lugs had finally de-bonded from the card board layer they were attached to and and the rocket twisted off and fell on the ground...could have been an interesting horizontal launch scenario. My nephew was very fortunate to be helped by someone who lent him what I am going to call a temporary rail button adapter. Launch 2 finally made it into the air and descended this time this side of the ditch line...but not by much. Unfortunately the landing was a bit harder than anticipated and pulled the root of the fin off the body tube. Small nick in the fin. Should be an easier repair when I see him at Christmas again.
I did not know about the detached fin issue and bought a 3 pack of E-12 engines for him to try out from Chris' Rocket Supply. Turns out this was probably a good thing as his amputated leg was starting to get sore from the walking to get rockets. Though he thinks it was a far more entertaining walk than his physio walking.
We wrapped up our Saturday around 1600. On the way out I stopped by Chris' Rocket Supply to make another purchase. As the announcers said: "Support our vendors" and "If Chris doesn't have it, you don't need it". I asked Chris if he had a 7.5" V2 Rocket. He said he did not and that it had just been discontinued. To which I replied "then according to the announcer I don't need it". At which point we called over LOC since they were their to support their vendors. I complained to Chris, Chris Complained to LOC, LOC answered Chris, Chris spoke with me. I even asked LOC directly if they could cut Chris a break on price so Chris could give me a break on price so I would still pick up a rocket that I was not AS interested in. I struck a deal with Chris. When I crossed the border back into Canada, not only did I declare I had a new model rocket I was bringing home, but I was also importing and excessive amount of solar radiation as I proceeded to bare my sunburnt forearms.
All in all a great event from what I saw with a relatively steady stream of launches. We saw MACH attempt (no clue if they succeeded), unstable flights, pancakes, failed parachutes, a true lawn dart 50 m to our right, a rocket under parachute land 25 m behind us, a couple of rockets experiencing rapid disassembly in flight, a couple of motor rip through their rockets, and MANY MANY successful launches and recoveries.
A tremendous thanks to the volunteers that made this all possible and for saving my nephew a trip through the onion patch to retrieve his first rocket. A big shout out to all the vendors who showed and to all the raffle donations. And damn you LOC for discontinuing the 7.5" V2! (Seriously keep selling your excellent products!) And most importantly thanks to that crew of strangers that gracefully pushed my car out of the mud that I could not afford to stop to thank!
I made an initial scouting run on Friday. I parked my car and made it as far as the parking tent before the skies opened up. Minor shower compared to what I left behind in Ottawa the day before. I managed to trudge through the mud all the way down to the launch line. I made it to a few vendors and chatted with them about various things. My back gave out on me only three times so not too bad of a walk with those free ankle weights they gave out. I had lunch under the tent behind the food truck and made my way back to my car. I feared it would get stuck as I tried to get out. I was right, but not where everyone else was getting stuck. I was lucky and a crew of individual from a white van rocked my car and got it moving from the parking lane. I opted to avoid the mud hill road and just kept moving at a slow but constant place. A volunteer with a Quad nearly stepped in front of me while trying to reach a stuck white van. We saw each other. They backed off and I was able to make the garbage bin and then stopped just before mud row. I watched a car leave just ahead of me and I was watching another get ready to come in. When the road looked clear for a good distance, I started moving and I was not going to stop. I don't think I have driven so far down a straight stretch of road while my car has been at nearly a 45 degree angle to the path of travel before at such a slow speed. FUN TIMES! When I finally made it back to Syracuse I took a ribbing from my brother for leaving a mud outline around my car on his driveway.
On Saturday I kidnapped my nephew and threw him and the mean machine we painted the night before in the car and headed back to LDRS 42 for round 2 of mud fest. That never really materialized and we wound up with excellent sun burns. We set up our chairs near the flight line and proceeded to watch the show. It was a great show for the most part. A few too many failures to ignite the engine but we deal, adjust and try again. My nephew had fun launching his first ever rocket on a D engine. First flight was successful after some adjustment and repositioning taking place at the LPR stand. Apparently the mean machine was too heavy in the wind and kept tilting the launch rod over. We were joking which way it would go up during the first launch since it was swaying so much.
After launch 1 came his second attempt. He made his way to the Syracuse rocket club for some more dog barf which they graciously donated for both his launches (Silly uncle forgot about wadding). While waiting for launch 2 to occur we witnessed the Mean Machine playing musical launch rods again and bumping other rockets out of the way. Eventually it settled on one of the launch stands further back where it continued to sway in the wind though not nearly as much. However, during the movement of the rocket from launch rod to launch rod by volunteers, someone forgot to connect the motor so no launch at the designated time. A cycling of the sides, a re-connection of the motor and we were ready to go...until I looked up from my burnt arm and no longer saw his Mean Machine on the launch rod and there had not been any launches yet. Apparently with all the swaying, the launch lugs had finally de-bonded from the card board layer they were attached to and and the rocket twisted off and fell on the ground...could have been an interesting horizontal launch scenario. My nephew was very fortunate to be helped by someone who lent him what I am going to call a temporary rail button adapter. Launch 2 finally made it into the air and descended this time this side of the ditch line...but not by much. Unfortunately the landing was a bit harder than anticipated and pulled the root of the fin off the body tube. Small nick in the fin. Should be an easier repair when I see him at Christmas again.
I did not know about the detached fin issue and bought a 3 pack of E-12 engines for him to try out from Chris' Rocket Supply. Turns out this was probably a good thing as his amputated leg was starting to get sore from the walking to get rockets. Though he thinks it was a far more entertaining walk than his physio walking.
We wrapped up our Saturday around 1600. On the way out I stopped by Chris' Rocket Supply to make another purchase. As the announcers said: "Support our vendors" and "If Chris doesn't have it, you don't need it". I asked Chris if he had a 7.5" V2 Rocket. He said he did not and that it had just been discontinued. To which I replied "then according to the announcer I don't need it". At which point we called over LOC since they were their to support their vendors. I complained to Chris, Chris Complained to LOC, LOC answered Chris, Chris spoke with me. I even asked LOC directly if they could cut Chris a break on price so Chris could give me a break on price so I would still pick up a rocket that I was not AS interested in. I struck a deal with Chris. When I crossed the border back into Canada, not only did I declare I had a new model rocket I was bringing home, but I was also importing and excessive amount of solar radiation as I proceeded to bare my sunburnt forearms.
All in all a great event from what I saw with a relatively steady stream of launches. We saw MACH attempt (no clue if they succeeded), unstable flights, pancakes, failed parachutes, a true lawn dart 50 m to our right, a rocket under parachute land 25 m behind us, a couple of rockets experiencing rapid disassembly in flight, a couple of motor rip through their rockets, and MANY MANY successful launches and recoveries.
A tremendous thanks to the volunteers that made this all possible and for saving my nephew a trip through the onion patch to retrieve his first rocket. A big shout out to all the vendors who showed and to all the raffle donations. And damn you LOC for discontinuing the 7.5" V2! (Seriously keep selling your excellent products!) And most importantly thanks to that crew of strangers that gracefully pushed my car out of the mud that I could not afford to stop to thank!
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