AlnessW
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2013
- Messages
- 1,221
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Awesome launch last weekend! The first scheduled Brothers launch of the year was well attended for being a May launch. The weather even cooperated for the better part of the weekend.
Full photo gallery and videos can be found here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/104803117932114302187/SpringThunder2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCLyjvfKP2b2gkQE
Friday morning I activated the waiver for 0800 so the OSU team could launch. Having communicated briefly with them via phone/text I got word that their flight was largely successful, except for a few recovery issues.
Eric Thomas (from the PSAS team) and I headed out around 9:15. Uneventful drive over the pass, arriving in Brothers at 2:30 or so. By the time I got camp set up, got David Holloways tower set up, and took care of registration, the wind was howling so flying was not an option. But after finishing prepping a few rockets and catching up with fellow members (not to mention our new TAP) it finally died down.
Ive had an Apogee Medalist F10 motor sitting in my box for a few years now. Its a blue thunder endburner, burns about 8 seconds with very low thrust. I had nothing to fly it in up until few weeks ago when I put together a 29mm tube, a nosecone, and some fins. The goal was to watch it go and hope I get it back! Robert Braibish had a new tower to test out, so my rocket was the guinea pig. After a few problems with igniters it finally went up, up, up and disappeared! Needless to say, I wasnt surprised.
After dinner and scavenging around for dead sagebrush we had a good time around the campfire that night.
Saturday morning I finish prepping my Binder Design NXRS Commemorative Rocket for its first flight. Chuck Fauser and I were originally going to dragrace ours, but since his rocket wasnt nearly ready when mine was, plus the fact that he was flying a mid-size J and that I was flying a large K, those plans were scrubbed. Motor of choice was a K805G, another leftover from last year. That motor REALLY got it moving! Great flight to 7747 and easy recovery about 100 yards off the main entry road.
After putting together a kluged fin can on his GLR Liberty 3 rocket, Eric went for his L1 cert using an H148R. After recovering and passing his L2 test, he was ready for an L2 cert but the general consensus with fellow rocketeers was that his rocket likely wouldnt hold up to a J.
Next up was my L3 rocket, a Competitor 4 stretch from Wildman for its test flight. It flew on an L850W, my biggest motor to date, and also my first 75mm. I picked up the reload from the March group order and put it together felt easier than building most 38mm motors! Put my BRB900 in the nosecone, added the shear pins (yes Fred I do know why theyre important) and she was ready to fly. (Before I knew it, Gary Goncher beat me to the punch with a Nike Smoke on the exact same motor.) Many thanks to Eric Thomas and Tim Ryerse for helping load it on the pad. Thanks to Tim as well for the nice pad photo!
Paul Bogdanich did the honors and the motor took its sweet time to come up to pressure. When it did the rocket roared off the pad and weathercocked a bit on its way to 8213. Saw the Cert-3 drogue deploy right on top, followed by the big Rocketman 10 main at 1500. The whole flight was a thing of beauty as it landed 1.15 miles NW of the flightline. As I headed out in the truck for recovery Robert Braibish offered to accompany me. Many thanks! Fortunately the rocket landed nearby a road and we could see it from there for an easy shag we were back at camp in 20 minutes. All I need to do now is wipe off the dust and the rocket will be ready for my L3 cert.
Had lunch and cleaned up my usual mess back at camp before it got too late in the afternoon. Rob Lamb made a brief appearance to fly a CTI L1395 in a 3 rocket to about 23K. After multiple igniter problems he finally got it off the pad for a cool flight.
Another fun night around the campfire, this time burning more sage and cardboard boxes. After we all went to bed a raging thunder and lightning storm hit us that night.
Likewise with Rocketober last year, Sunday turned out to be the worst weather day of the weekend. Pretty cold and cloudy with occasional rain showers. I think the biggest motor flown that day was a J and the vast majority of Sundays flights were low power along with several test flights by a TARC team from Vancouver. Their rocket fared well up until they taped the igniter to the bottom of the rocket OOPS.
By then attendance was light and I had done the flights I wanted to do, so I packed up camp that morning and hit the road at noon, feeling very satisfied with the weekend. Made it home by 5:00, also driving through some serious rain storms on the way back.
Congratulations to the people who certified L1 at this launch:
David Locke
Mike Schindele
Eric Thomas
David Birch
Neal Forester
And L2!
Charlie Peckham
Max McHatton
Sorry if I forgot anyone
Thanks everyone for a great launch! See you all at NXRS.
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Awesome launch last weekend! The first scheduled Brothers launch of the year was well attended for being a May launch. The weather even cooperated for the better part of the weekend.
Full photo gallery and videos can be found here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/104803117932114302187/SpringThunder2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCLyjvfKP2b2gkQE
Friday morning I activated the waiver for 0800 so the OSU team could launch. Having communicated briefly with them via phone/text I got word that their flight was largely successful, except for a few recovery issues.
Eric Thomas (from the PSAS team) and I headed out around 9:15. Uneventful drive over the pass, arriving in Brothers at 2:30 or so. By the time I got camp set up, got David Holloways tower set up, and took care of registration, the wind was howling so flying was not an option. But after finishing prepping a few rockets and catching up with fellow members (not to mention our new TAP) it finally died down.
Ive had an Apogee Medalist F10 motor sitting in my box for a few years now. Its a blue thunder endburner, burns about 8 seconds with very low thrust. I had nothing to fly it in up until few weeks ago when I put together a 29mm tube, a nosecone, and some fins. The goal was to watch it go and hope I get it back! Robert Braibish had a new tower to test out, so my rocket was the guinea pig. After a few problems with igniters it finally went up, up, up and disappeared! Needless to say, I wasnt surprised.
After dinner and scavenging around for dead sagebrush we had a good time around the campfire that night.
Saturday morning I finish prepping my Binder Design NXRS Commemorative Rocket for its first flight. Chuck Fauser and I were originally going to dragrace ours, but since his rocket wasnt nearly ready when mine was, plus the fact that he was flying a mid-size J and that I was flying a large K, those plans were scrubbed. Motor of choice was a K805G, another leftover from last year. That motor REALLY got it moving! Great flight to 7747 and easy recovery about 100 yards off the main entry road.
After putting together a kluged fin can on his GLR Liberty 3 rocket, Eric went for his L1 cert using an H148R. After recovering and passing his L2 test, he was ready for an L2 cert but the general consensus with fellow rocketeers was that his rocket likely wouldnt hold up to a J.
Next up was my L3 rocket, a Competitor 4 stretch from Wildman for its test flight. It flew on an L850W, my biggest motor to date, and also my first 75mm. I picked up the reload from the March group order and put it together felt easier than building most 38mm motors! Put my BRB900 in the nosecone, added the shear pins (yes Fred I do know why theyre important) and she was ready to fly. (Before I knew it, Gary Goncher beat me to the punch with a Nike Smoke on the exact same motor.) Many thanks to Eric Thomas and Tim Ryerse for helping load it on the pad. Thanks to Tim as well for the nice pad photo!
Paul Bogdanich did the honors and the motor took its sweet time to come up to pressure. When it did the rocket roared off the pad and weathercocked a bit on its way to 8213. Saw the Cert-3 drogue deploy right on top, followed by the big Rocketman 10 main at 1500. The whole flight was a thing of beauty as it landed 1.15 miles NW of the flightline. As I headed out in the truck for recovery Robert Braibish offered to accompany me. Many thanks! Fortunately the rocket landed nearby a road and we could see it from there for an easy shag we were back at camp in 20 minutes. All I need to do now is wipe off the dust and the rocket will be ready for my L3 cert.
Had lunch and cleaned up my usual mess back at camp before it got too late in the afternoon. Rob Lamb made a brief appearance to fly a CTI L1395 in a 3 rocket to about 23K. After multiple igniter problems he finally got it off the pad for a cool flight.
Another fun night around the campfire, this time burning more sage and cardboard boxes. After we all went to bed a raging thunder and lightning storm hit us that night.
Likewise with Rocketober last year, Sunday turned out to be the worst weather day of the weekend. Pretty cold and cloudy with occasional rain showers. I think the biggest motor flown that day was a J and the vast majority of Sundays flights were low power along with several test flights by a TARC team from Vancouver. Their rocket fared well up until they taped the igniter to the bottom of the rocket OOPS.
By then attendance was light and I had done the flights I wanted to do, so I packed up camp that morning and hit the road at noon, feeling very satisfied with the weekend. Made it home by 5:00, also driving through some serious rain storms on the way back.
Congratulations to the people who certified L1 at this launch:
David Locke
Mike Schindele
Eric Thomas
David Birch
Neal Forester
And L2!
Charlie Peckham
Max McHatton
Sorry if I forgot anyone
Thanks everyone for a great launch! See you all at NXRS.