Reflections on Airfest 23

[Wayco]

So many things happened during the week we spent going to Airfest, I thought I would share some of the highlights and challenges we experienced on our vacation.
Started out early on Tuesday morning, August 29th. Picked up our toy hauler and drove through mostly light traffic in Phoenix. You have to get up pretty early (3 am) to do that. 13 hours later, we arrived in Tucumcari, NM. We took the secondary roads through Payson and Show Low, Hwy 60 to Pie town, bought a pie and continued to Socorro. Towing a 10,000 lb. trailer takes it's toll on our old GMC Sierra 4x4 truck, and the big block 454 eats gas at about 5 mpg. Fortunately, we have an aux. tank that holds 50 gallons. We decided along the way that this would be the last time "Grosser" would make the trip. Normally, our trailer is lighter, but Airfest is for big rockets, so we brought 16 rockets, along with supplies for a week of boondocking, so I'm sure we were overloaded, and Grosser didn't like it. Along the way I discovered that when the tire shop rotated my tires, they inflated them incorrectly, and I had low pressure in the rear tires and over pressure in the fronts.
I also had to increase the pressure in my air shocks. Regardless of what we did, it was a difficult drive. After parking at the RV camp in Tucumcari, we walked to our favorite steak house, "Del's Restaurant". Steak and enchilada's, and we were in bed before 9 pm.

Another early start on Wednesday, with a gas stop in Liberal, KS, where we added over 30 gallons of gas to the tank in the back of the already overloaded trailer. We arrived at the pasture around noon, and it was mostly deserted, with maybe three or four others setting up. We found a spot that wasn't marked on the South side of vendors row and started setting up. By sunset, we had lots of company. Wildman showed up and invited us to eat with him, so we didn't get to eat the stew we brought for dinner. We shared the apricot pie we had picked up in Pie town.

Thursday was another excellent day, with plenty of neighbors to help set up, after we finished assembling "Comfort's condo":

We weren't the only ones helping, Crystal Grippo lent a hand setting up shade at the AMW camp, and the Kloudbusters were busy setting up the range:

Whitney had plenty of supervision gluing up a big moonburner:

After the range was setup, Wildman served up "Portillo's" to all the Kloudbusters, and anyone else who happened by:

Once again, we didn't get to eat the stew we had brought for dinner.

Thursday was a great day for socializing, and it was really great to visit with everyone we had missed the previous year. It was unanimously decided that we COULD NEVER miss another Airfest. We stayed up well past our bedtime sharing stories and drinking different rootbeers. Chris Short was popular with his "special" cherries and loaded coffee, which somehow ended up in our refrigerator when we left on Monday.

Friday was the first day of flying, and there were actually people that complained about the lack of wind! Perfect weather continued to bless the rocket pasture, and plenty of folks took advantage of it. Sharon was up first with her "Jimbo jart", flying on a J420, which is a 38mm Redline motor she adapted down to fly in her jart. It flew great to 2912 ft. and recovered close by. We did document some of our flights, but unfortunately, the camera with those shots disappeared from our table sometime Saturday afternoon.


I started with CJ's 2 stage sustainer, a 3" Competitor I picked up from him at the last Airfest we attended two years ago. I had added my own altimeters and was using an RRC-3 to airstart. This flight was a test to see if I had programmed the aux. channel correctly. I loaded a K540 metalstorm which boosted the rocket to 6800 ft. The wifi switch and Quantum altimeter both turned on with my iPhone, but after the flight, I couldn't get them to shut off. I had to take apart the avbay to disconnect the power. The ematch attached to the aux. channel failed to light, so I scratched the two stage flight off my list of things to do at Airfest.
Sharon was next with her 3" Darkstar, debuting our "Not your wimpy red" formula EX motor. This was a K899 four grain 54mm load that flew to 6981 ft. with an impressive bright red flame. Although there were some doubts about it prior to the flight, we had several positive comments after it flew.
For those of you that followed the Airfest thread, you might remember the drag race challenge between Wildman and myself with "R2 V2" my 4" V2 and whatever he could dig out of his pile... He did find a sorry looking V2 to race me with, and you could just tell by looking at them, that mine was gonna win. He chose a J540 Redline for the race, and it was my first experience with a medusa nozzle. Luck was with me when Tim tried to sneak a pyrodex pellet into the nozzle and it didn't fit. He also lost his ignitor walking out to the pads, and Sharon had a spare conveniently available. :dark:
I'm hoping that this thread will give others a chance to post up pictures of our flights, but even without evidence, my win was obvious to everyone present.
My last flight of the day was with my 5" jart "Jughead". It's modified to a 75mm motor mount with a donut avbay that lets me fly 4 grain loads. I chose an L1115 classic for it, and lucky for me, Eric Cayenberg got a shot of it:

Thanks Eric for the great shot!
It would be a futile attempt to list all the great people we met and talked to throughout this launch, but Sharon and I both agree that Airfest is by far the best launch we have ever attended. We will be back tomorrow with Saturday's events, which was a BIG day for both of us.

 

[captbk]

I heard ya'lls camera went missing and that's a shame those pics are gone but hopefully you have more. Great report and pics so far Wayne.

 

[viciouspeanut]

Awesome recap! I am going next year no matter what (wife promises..).

But you left out a very critical detail - did you ever get to eat your stew?!

 

[ColumbiaNX01]

I got a 2017 cummins last April. It made the tow so much better then my half ton gas that I had for years. I was not loaded down as Wayco but was hauling close to 7,000 pounds. I got 14 miles to gallon on the trip. Mostly if not all high way miles. I could have the a/c on high the window rolled up and the radio on a normal volume while accelerating up the hills and it was whisper quiet in the cab.. Wish I could of gotten a new truck years ago but it takes time to save $55,000 (I saved about 1/3).

 

[ColumbiaNX01]

Awesome recap! I am going next year no matter what (wife promises..).

But you left out a very critical detail - did you ever get to eat your stew?!

If you have to have your wife promise you can go a year in advance.........idk lol

 

[Hardline]

Awesome recap! I am going next year no matter what (wife promises..).

But you left out a very critical detail - did you ever get to eat your stew?!

It's coming - wait for it....!

 

[viciouspeanut]

If you have to have your wife promise you can go a year in advance.........idk lol

Well, it was more a time constraint this year and to make me less sad she threw that out there. No permission needed lol

 

[Wayco]

It's coming - wait for it....!

What she said. We will continue this blog later today, after Sharon is done with work. We still need to go and buy a new truck, which could be over $70,000 if she gets what she wants. And if you know Sharon......

 

[ColumbiaNX01]

Well, it was more a time constraint this year and to make me less sad she threw that out there. No permission needed lol

Hope no permission needed!!!! I have one hobby and that is rocketry. My wife has many hobbies gardening, zumba, yoga, ect. I never complain about hers and so I expect her not to complain about rockets lol. It is what it is.

 

[Buckeye]

Camera "disappeared" as in "stolen?" Not cool.

 

[Wayco]

Camera "disappeared" as in "stolen?" Not cool.

Yeah, not cool. We don't usually take a lot of pictures, but I like to add them into our launch reports when we do. I'm still hoping that others at the launch got some shots of our rockets.

Friday Evening was the Jambalaya fundraiser where Andrew Grippo and others made a big, BIG pot of Jambalaya to raise funds for the Houston flyers who opted to stay and help with the Houston flooding victims. Around $1400 was raised and just shows what an awesome group of people that are involved in rocketry.
And another night goes by, with the Santa fe stew still sitting in the refrigerator....

It rained Friday night. Saturday morning was clearing up nicely, but the roads and fields were muddy. The Kloudbusters didn't want us driving our truck on the road out to the away cells and putting ruts in it. I had an agenda on Saturday, I wanted to fly all four of my Darkstars, starting with the Ultimate, and the clock was ticking. Bob B. suggested we haul it out on quads, but I didn't like having people holding over 60 lbs. of rocket parts riding on quads through the field. So we walked it out to the 60's pads. I carried the nose cone, Skippy and a couple of volunteers carried the rest, and Sharon carried all the tracking stuff. It was great having Skippy on my ground crew, he sold me the N2000 that was loaded in the rocket a couple of years ago. We loaded it up on the rail and when we lowered it down, the bottom button slid off the rail. So we muscled it back on and used a short piece of 2x4 to keep it up. Pretty straight forward setup, and both wifi switches turned on the redundant altimeters. Sharon was getting good data from the Eggfinder, so we walked back to the LCO with my card. I wasn't the first rocket off, they had already flown a couple of smaller rockets in close. I had gotten a lesson in making ignitors from Pat Gordzelik using some cuttings from EX motors he built. My first home rolled ignitor lit this old motor right now and off it went. I watched it in binoculars to 15,583 ft. and everything in the recovery sequence worked perfectly. I could even see the secondary charges firing. It landed in the middle of the field just West of the rocket pasture, so we walked out from our trailer to recover it. With about 10 lbs. of mud on each foot, Sharon and I marched out with this huge rocket over our shoulders, changing sides every 100 steps. It was almost like a 3 Stooges scene, with only two stooges.
Sharon was up next with her RW Stinger. It was also flying off the 60's pads with an M1297, but fortunately, the roads had dried out enough we could take it out in the truck. Once again, when we loaded it on the rail, the bottom button slid off, and we had to jockey it back on, bracing it with another piece of 2x4. The Stinger uses the nose cone to hold the main chute, so no Eggfinder, just a CSI beacon taped to the drogue shock cord. Once again, it was a perfect flight, with all recovery events visible, apogee at 9318 ft. It went East instead of West, and landed out of sight about a mile away. We quartered the field it was apparently in, but missed the N/S side by quite a bit, making for a long walk to recover it. Over 1.5 miles round trip.
It was lunch time when we drove back in, but I didn't stop for corn on the cob, due to the lines at the vendor. We immediately started prepping my "Red Tailed Extreme" for the next flight. It was loaded with an L1250 Dark matter. We loaded it up in the truck and did a "drive by" RSO inspection at the away pads. The guys out there were getting used to seeing us, and it's not hard to tell if a Darkstar is ready for flight. There was a bit of a wait, the 60's pads were all full, and we had to wait for a guy that was recovering a rocket near the pads to clear. Problem was, every time they announced a flight off the 40's or 50's, he would stop and watch the flight....
When they flew all the loaded rockets, one of them took the 1515 rail with it! I watched through my binoculars as the rail detached right over our heads and continued to the Northeast. It was recovered later, and there was a presentation at the flight line:

There was a mad dash to get the next batch of rockets loaded, which we did in about 10 minutes! What the L1250 lacks in performance is made up in a spectacular display of dark smoke and sparks! Another perfect flight, which we watched clear the power lines and land just North of the road, less than a quarter mile away. The altimeter beeped out 11,671 ft. Even though it was a quick recovery, it was pretty apparent that I wouldn't be flying all four of my red tailed darkstars, but we still had time for my favorite rocket.

We hurried back to camp to prep my 3" Blackstar, and noticed that Sharon's primary camera was missing, so we used the back up camera for the above shot. With about 30 minutes of waiver left, we loaded my final flight of the day. There was a bit of trepidation associated with this flight, not only because we were flying another "Not your wimpy red" formula, but it was 8 grains stuffed into a 6 grain casing. There were several people that were concerned about that, but they let us fly it off the 50's pads. Burnsim said it was an L1453. The flight was awesome! Huge, bright red flame that carried it up to 12,185 ft. I lit it with another home rolled igniter, which spit out a chunk of propellant before it left. I lost sight of it, but the Eggfinder said it was coming down just South of the pasture, and we spotted it as the main was deploying.
There were a bunch of spectacular flights on Saturday, but one stood out in my mind. Pat G. mixed up an N sparky load that was off the charts, I watched it and just had to talk to him about it. When we discussed his motor, he offered to give us the formula, but warned us that one of the ingredients was "unobtainium", a special titanium sponge that had only been produced in England, and the plant that made it was no longer operating. He also said that it was the stuff that made the big AMW sparkies so special. Well, as some of you know, we had just purchased a bunch of stuff from Jim Rossen, who created some of the formulas for AMW back in the day. In that purchase was a 30 gallon barrel of that exact titanium sponge. I think Sharon is already planning to accept Pat's invitation to his ranch in Texas to go over the process he used for his motor. This is the kind of stuff that happens at Airfest.

Saturday night was the burger blast, and I ate way too much!
On another note, we still didn't get to eat our stew...
And on yet another note, we went to the GMC dealer today and ordered a 2018 GMC Sierra 1 ton 4x4 for our next trip to Airfest. Sharon made a smokin' deal on it too!

 

[Nick@JET]

Yeah, not cool. We don't usually take a lot of pictures, but I like to add them into our launch reports when we do. I'm still hoping that others at the launch got some shots of our rockets.

Friday Evening was the Jambalaya fundraiser where Andrew Grippo and others made a big, BIG pot of Jambalaya to raise funds for the Houston flyers who opted to stay and help with the Houston flooding victims. Around $1400 was raised and just shows what an awesome group of people that are involved in rocketry.
And another night goes by, with the Santa fe stew still sitting in the refrigerator....

It rained Friday night. Saturday morning was clearing up nicely, but the roads and fields were muddy. The Kloudbusters didn't want us driving our truck on the road out to the away cells and putting ruts in it. I had an agenda on Saturday, I wanted to fly all four of my Darkstars, starting with the Ultimate, and the clock was ticking. Bob B. suggested we haul it out on quads, but I didn't like having people holding over 60 lbs. of rocket parts riding on quads through the field. So we walked it out to the 60's pads. I carried the nose cone, Skippy and a couple of volunteers carried the rest, and Sharon carried all the tracking stuff. It was great having Skippy on my ground crew, he sold me the N2000 that was loaded in the rocket a couple of years ago. We loaded it up on the rail and when we lowered it down, the bottom button slid off the rail. So we muscled it back on and used a short piece of 2x4 to keep it up. Pretty straight forward setup, and both wifi switches turned on the redundant altimeters. Sharon was getting good data from the Eggfinder, so we walked back to the LCO with my card. I wasn't the first rocket off, they had already flown a couple of smaller rockets in close. I had gotten a lesson in making ignitors from Pat Gordzelik using some cuttings from EX motors he built. My first home rolled ignitor lit this old motor right now and off it went. I watched it in binoculars to 15,583 ft. and everything in the recovery sequence worked perfectly. I could even see the secondary charges firing. It landed in the middle of the field just West of the rocket pasture, so we walked out from our trailer to recover it. With about 10 lbs. of mud on each foot, Sharon and I marched out with this huge rocket over our shoulders, changing sides every 100 steps. It was almost like a 3 Stooges scene, with only two stooges.
Sharon was up next with her RW Stinger. It was also flying off the 60's pads with an M1297, but fortunately, the roads had dried out enough we could take it out in the truck. Once again, when we loaded it on the rail, the bottom button slid off, and we had to jockey it back on, bracing it with another piece of 2x4. The Stinger uses the nose cone to hold the main chute, so no Eggfinder, just a CSI beacon taped to the drogue shock cord. Once again, it was a perfect flight, with all recovery events visible, apogee at 9318 ft. It went East instead of West, and landed out of sight about a mile away. We quartered the field it was apparently in, but missed the N/S side by quite a bit, making for a long walk to recover it. Over 1.5 miles round trip.
It was lunch time when we drove back in, but I didn't stop for corn on the cob, due to the lines at the vendor. We immediately started prepping my "Red Tailed Extreme" for the next flight. It was loaded with an L1250 Dark matter. We loaded it up in the truck and did a "drive by" RSO inspection at the away pads. The guys out there were getting used to seeing us, and it's not hard to tell if a Darkstar is ready for flight. There was a bit of a wait, the 60's pads were all full, and we had to wait for a guy that was recovering a rocket near the pads to clear. Problem was, every time they announced a flight off the 40's or 50's, he would stop and watch the flight....
When they flew all the loaded rockets, one of them took the 1515 rail with it! I watched through my binoculars as the rail detached right over our heads and continued to the Northeast. It was recovered later, and there was a presentation at the flight line:

There was a mad dash to get the next batch of rockets loaded, which we did in about 10 minutes! What the L1250 lacks in performance is made up in a spectacular display of dark smoke and sparks! Another perfect flight, which we watched clear the power lines and land just North of the road, less than a quarter mile away. The altimeter beeped out 11,671 ft. Even though it was a quick recovery, it was pretty apparent that I wouldn't be flying all four of my red tailed darkstars, but we still had time for my favorite rocket.

We hurried back to camp to prep my 3" Blackstar, and noticed that Sharon's primary camera was missing, so we used the back up camera for the above shot. With about 30 minutes of waiver left, we loaded my final flight of the day. There was a bit of trepidation associated with this flight, not only because we were flying another "Not your wimpy red" formula, but it was 8 grains stuffed into a 6 grain casing. There were several people that were concerned about that, but they let us fly it off the 50's pads. Burnsim said it was an L1453. The flight was awesome! Huge, bright red flame that carried it up to 12,185 ft. I lit it with another home rolled igniter, which spit out a chunk of propellant before it left. I lost sight of it, but the Eggfinder said it was coming down just South of the pasture, and we spotted it as the main was deploying.
There were a bunch of spectacular flights on Saturday, but one stood out in my mind. Pat G. mixed up an N sparky load that was off the charts, I watched it and just had to talk to him about it. When we discussed his motor, he offered to give us the formula, but warned us that one of the ingredients was "unobtainium", a special titanium sponge that had only been produced in England, and the plant that made it was no longer operating. He also said that it was the stuff that made the big AMW sparkies so special. Well, as some of you know, we had just purchased a bunch of stuff from Jim Rossen, who created some of the formulas for AMW back in the day. In that purchase was a 30 gallon barrel of that exact titanium sponge. I think Sharon is already planning to accept Pat's invitation to his ranch in Texas to go over the process he used for his motor. This is the kind of stuff that happens at Airfest.

Saturday night was the burger blast, and I ate way too much!
On another note, we still didn't get to eat our stew...
And on yet another note, we went to the GMC dealer today and ordered a 2018 GMC Sierra 1 ton 4x4 for our next trip to Airfest. Sharon made a smokin' deal on it too!

Wow!! That's exciting,!Diesel?


Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum

 

[Wayco]

Wow!! That's exciting,!Diesel?


Sent from my iPhone using Rocketry Forum

Yep, Duramax 6.6L turbo-diesel 445 hp 910 lb-ft of torque and the Allison 6 speed auto. We wanted to get the Denali package, but they don't have them in white this year. Living in the desert pretty much requires a white truck with a moon roof to vent the heat out. We got all the features from the Denali package, except for some cosmetic touches we don't care about.
[FONT=&amp]
Hey Nick, how did that video of my Ultimate come out?
[/FONT]
I will try to finish up this blog tomorrow, got a lot of stuff going on right now.

 

[dixontj93060]

Bullshit on the desiel. Sounds like a goddamn hoard of cows snoring and can't hear one damn thing at the away cell when one of these drive up.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Rocketry Forum mobile app

 

[Tonimus]

Bullshit on the desiel. Sounds like a.goddamn hoard of cows snoring and can't hear one damn thing at the away cell.when one if these suck heads drive up. F#@$k the diesel; get all real truck!

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Rocketry Forum mobile app

Can't speak for the Duramax, but the modern Cummins that Ram is using sound great. Very little of that "diesel" tractor like sound one thinks of. And there's no substitute for torque. And DEF has done wonders for emissions.

Wayne, sucks someone jacked your camera. Goes to show that there are people with sticky fingers everywhere. Glad you guys enjoyed yourselves.

 

[WoShuGui]

Nice report Wayne. Enjoyed catching up with you and Sharon. Really stinks about the camera. I did happen to get a few shots of "Team Comfort" loading a Dark Star on Friday while helping Gary with his IROC. Not great photos, but at least something.

 

[jd2cylman]

Bullshit on the desiel. Sounds like a goddamn hoard of cows snoring and can't hear one damn thing at the away cell when one of these drive up.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Rocketry Forum mobile app

My brother's '13 GMC diesel is pretty quiet. Not gas engine quiet, but pretty good. And a LOT more torque.

 

[Mightyrocketman]

Waco here are a couple of pics


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[Wayco]

My brother's '13 GMC diesel is pretty quiet. Not gas engine quiet, but pretty good. And a LOT more torque.

One of the things Sharon didn't like was the noise the older diesels produce. We were loading groceries into our SUV and I had to mention to her that the truck running right next to us was a new GMC Duramax. Big difference compared to the older trucks.
Thanks to Dave (WuShuGui) and Mightyrocketman for the pics.
Mightyrocketman, were you part of the crew that helped carry my Ultimate to the pads? I'm bad with names, especially at launches with everything going on.

 

[Nick@JET]

You will love the diesel! I have a 6.6 turbo diesel HO 06 - highest mpg vehicle I own at 25 mpg if I can keep my foot out of it. Put a trailer on it and the power will really shine. Mine is quiet unless full throttle and the newers are much more quiet. I have a friend that decided to install a huge power converter ran of his engine instead of a generator for his camper, it was low noise!

Sry the cell video I hade of you N flight was unrecognizable.

Also Sry to hear about your camera. Rare at a launch to have something stolen


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[Mightyrocketman]

Yes it was me and Cory Brennan


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[Sabrina]

Hello Wayco!
This is pretty far off topic - nothing to do with Airfest - or big Diesel trucks, sorry.

I'm a big fan of night launches, and I just got the latest issue of Sport Rocketry magazine.

:dark: - Awesome - :dark:

 

[SS/EA 6BBL 71 Cuda]

One of the things Sharon didn't like was the noise the older diesels produce. We were loading groceries into our SUV and I had to mention to her that the truck running right next to us was a new GMC Duramax. Big difference...

You'll like the new Diesels Wayne (and, Sharon)...I have owned three Cummins trucks (1989, 1999 and, 2015) all NEW from day one and, the technology only gets better and, better with time.
But- When all the new *fly by wire* stuff fails...hope its under warranty. That's anything though.

Sorry we did not meet but, by 1pm (after Nick's launch and, recovery) i realized i had been up 18 hours straight and, it was really getting too me. Next year i will try to get Friday off so i can get a motel and, be in a better state of mind to fly and, be around my friends i only see once a year.

Also sorry to hear that your camera was misplaced. That makes two known camera thefts and, possibly one motor casing. WE NEED TO WATCH OUT for each other MORE at these launches people.

BULLPUCKY on the diesel. Sounds like a gotdamn hoard of cows snoring and can't hear one damn thing at the away cell when one of these drive up.
Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Rocketry Forum mobile app

That's because your used to all those sorry azzed farm boys around you (and, me) who live on their Daddy's subsidized farms throwing 20-30k into a 50k plus Diesel pickup and, running 5+ inch straight exhausts out the back pointed at the ground to reverberate.

Sounds like someone didn't get a good morning *poop* going on today!

I know what i'm going to get you for Hanukkah this year! View attachment 328369
A "Squatty Potty"!

I'll even deliver it! I'll sneak up your driveway in my super quiet Ram Cummins and, i bet we can have it installed in under an hour! Made from the finest Indian Porcelian in the world...:lol:

Can't speak for the Duramax, but the modern Cummins that Ram is using sound great. Very little of that "diesel" tractor like sound one thinks of. And there's no substitute for torque. And DEF has done wonders for emissions.
Wayne, sucks someone jacked your camera. Goes to show that there are people with sticky fingers everywhere. Glad you guys enjoyed yourselves.

870 pound feet of torque on mine from the factory...slightly over 1000 pounds once the box went on in very mild tune mode.

My brother's '13 GMC diesel is pretty quiet. Not gas engine quiet, but pretty good. And a LOT more torque.

The Duramax has come along way...It is an absolute animal when breathed on.

Hello Wayco!
This is pretty far off topic - nothing to do with Airfest - or big Diesel trucks, sorry.

I'm a big fan of night launches, and I just got the latest issue of Sport Rocketry magazine.

:dark: - Awesome - :dark:

That's my little Cirice...oint::dark: I'm soooooo proud!

 

[Maxter]

I love my 1997 Dodge . Sounds like a washing machine full of rocks...would not trade it for anything.

 

[Wayco]

Hello Wayco!
This is pretty far off topic - nothing to do with Airfest - or big Diesel trucks, sorry.

I'm a big fan of night launches, and I just got the latest issue of Sport Rocketry magazine.

:dark: - Awesome - :dark:

Thanks Sabrina, our copy arrived about an hour after you posted up that picture. Breaks my heart to see that rocket again, it may still be laying out in the desert near Alamogordo. Probably my best scratch built rocket, with five batteries, an altimeter and two separate lighting systems in the N/C. I posted up a reward, but doubt it will ever be found. Sharon and I walked over 20 miles in two days looking for it.

 

[SS/EA 6BBL 71 Cuda]

Thanks Sabrina, our copy arrived about an hour after you posted up that picture. Breaks my heart to see that rocket again, it may still be laying out in the desert near Alamogordo. Probably my best scratch built rocket, with five batteries, an altimeter and two separate lighting systems in the N/C. I posted up a reward, but doubt it will ever be found. Sharon and I walked over 20 miles in two days looking for it.

Somebody will find it Wayne- You'd be surprised what I've seen returned to its owner 1-3 years after being lost.
Until then you might want to talk to the "Little One" she has built some real stunning night rockets.
Might learn a thing or two...

 

[WILDMANRS]

Yep, Duramax 6.6L turbo-diesel 445 hp 910 lb-ft of torque and the Allison 6 speed auto. We wanted to get the Denali package, but they don't have them in white this year. Living in the desert pretty much requires a white truck with a moon roof to vent the heat out. We got all the features from the Denali package, except for some cosmetic touches we don't care about.
[FONT=&]
Hey Nick, how did that video of my Ultimate come out?
[/FONT]
I will try to finish up this blog tomorrow, got a lot of stuff going on right now.

Now that you will have a new diesel you can right over the top of the mountains .
Pack up the trailer including the parka's and show up at MWP.

 

[SS/EA 6BBL 71 Cuda]

Now that you will have a new diesel you can right over the top of the mountains .
Pack up the trailer including the parka's and show up at MWP.

Wayne and, Sharon in our backyard? YES!:smile:

 

[SS/EA 6BBL 71 Cuda]

Wayne! Check this out...

With me being a professional Truck Driver, even i need help sometimes in planning a route from point A to point B. So... I go to the Swift Transportation online route planner occasionally to guide me.

As you'll see here: If you type in Phoenix Arizona to Princeton Illinois it shows you this neat little path in Yellow (like the Yellow Brick Road!) Weee! That comes up with 1400 miles. Hey that's ONLY a few inches on the map!
View attachment 328417

Ok, so now we enter Phoenix Arizona to Argonia Kansas and, we follow the Red Line. Total mileage is around 2000 miles.....Owwww
That's like two or three days on the road...
View attachment 328418

Be forewarned though that this technology may be slightly off, untested, may lead you over train tracks that are not marked with lights...into alleyways...ghettos.......tight rural roads.

But, hey it's FREE!

How could you not trust the wisdom of a Truck Driver, were just like Sailors of the Highways without the cute little hats! :boat:

 

[Hardline]

Wayne! Check this out...

With me being a professional Truck Driver, even i need help sometimes in planning a route from point A to point B. So... I go to the Swift Transportation online route planner occasionally to guide me.

How could you not trust the wisdom of a Truck Driver, were just like Sailors of the Highways without the cute little hats! :boat:

After your "helpful" maps I realize how fortunate Wayne is to have me to give him directions.

And talking about night rockets, I see I got a (uncredited) picture in the Sport Rocketry magazine on the second page with my Night Saucer that Ken Rico built for me. I agree - night rockets are lot of fun. It would never work at Airfest, besides all the issues Bob Brown mentioned I wouldn't be able to stay awake long enough for it to get really dark (I'm a morning person).