Peer Pressure + Mother's Day = Lost Rockets

[grimlock3000]

Yesterday I stopped by my parents house so myself and my wife could spend some time with my mother who is in her late 40s. Being Mother's Day, I was trying to make my mother happy and all of that good stuff. When we were getting ready to leave, everyone was outside checking out new lawn plants or something. Then my mother spotted the rockets in the back of my car. I had a Wizard, Sizzler, and a Baby Bertha. Well, my mother was really interested in seeeing a rocket fly and was thinking they would not go high since they were so small. I tried explaining how high there things go, but I was not getting anywhere. My parents have a pretty big yard so I decided to give it a shot with the Wizard and a A8-3. I figured I would have about a 1 in 4 chance of recovery with the lawn. Anyway, the rocket went up exactly where I wanted it, started coming down right towards the lawn, then the streamer broke away from the rocket. The nose cone drifted away into some trees, and the rocket fell into some trees and broke, oh well, the Wizard was previously broken and had a messed up paint job so it was not big loss.

I figured that was enough, so I started packing up my launch pad and gear back into the car. My mother was giddy after the flight and wanted to see it again. My father was interested at this point as well. My wife told me to fly another rocket to make my mother happy. My wife also said she would buy me a new rocket if I lost another one so this sealed the deal. I was going to fly the Baby Bertha on a A8-3, and I likely would have got it back with little trouble. Instead, I decided to really go fo something flashly and loaded up the Sizzler with a C6-5. The new Estes Sizzles is a minimum diameter and is very light, RockSim specs it out to 1500+ feet with a C6-5 so I had about a 1 in a 100 chance of recovery this time.

I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best as I counted down the launch. This was the fist C engine I have used so far so I was not sure what to expect. The rocket launch and flight were perfect! It was laser straight and extremely fast right off the rod. Everyone had a blast watching it go up and the sky was perfect so we could see it from ejection right up until the point when it lost itself in some nearby trees. For a few seconds, I actually thought I would be able to recover it, then I realized it was not even halfway through falling

Today I picked up a Quest SuperBird to replace the lost rockets, so everyone wins in the end

 

[sandman]

Hey, It was for your mother!

An F motor cost almost four times what a sizzler is worth!

It was a worthy cause.

sandman

 

[eugenefl]

The experience was far more worthwhile than the cost of the rockets. Some people can justify $400 M motors because of the experience. All of us justify this hobby because of the experience. I think you made everyone's day. Priceless.

 

[nomopbo]

Originally posted by eugenefl
I think you made everyone's day. Priceless.

True, Thats worth more than the money or the rocket. Good job.

 

[DJ Delorie]

These are the times for which adapters are designed. I built an 18mm solar sailer when I was a kid, and flew it in the back yard with an 18/13mm adapter and 1/2A engines (instead of B or C engines). It only went up about 30-50 feet, had a picture-perfect recovery, and I was able to catch it before the dog got it.

 

[graylensman]

A couple of years back, my parents were visiting (a twice-annual event). Dad knew I was getting back into the hobby at that time, and suggested we go fly. I had no motors. Dad said "I'll buy some" and off we went. I cherish that afternoon of flying.

So you did the right thing. A lost rocket can be replaced, but memories like that cannot be replicated or regained.