Many successful launches on a stormy Hawaiian evening
When we arrived in Waipahu, the town was inundated with a rain storm. Fortunately, we planned to order dinner at Little Caesar's Pizza (pretzel crust is back) and pick it up after the park. By the time we ordered the food, the storm had passed leaving behind magnificent dark clouds and the pervasive trade winds for the past month.
I started with the old Vortico and then the new Vortico XL. I used the long delay motors because I have a surplus of them. I was wondering if it was possible to stage the Vorticos. Has anyone successfully done that? It's apparent that I tend to lose the Viking rockets on cloudy days. Perhaps I do need to use lots of shiny Mylar streamers to keep track of their descent. For the rest, the Mylar streamers worked well. They tend to rip at the end like an old flag and easy to cut off and tape an extension if necessary.
No problems this time setting off the Q-Jet C12-4 with the DIY controller. It currently is using the alligator teeth connectors but plan to replace with flat connectors using the trick that
@neil_w suggested. I honestly did not see the small aircraft approaching. The park is not in a designated flight path. Helicopters are a lot easier to spot because they're noisier. I replaced the previously broken fin and added the pinstripe, so it's looking really nice. The tube got a little crinkle while I was removing the old broken fin. The Titebond II and Quick&Thick combo is impressively strong. I think it sticks to the cardboard like epoxy but is lighter and less messy.
We were waiting for twilight so I could launch the Supernova payload with the LED lights, but it wasn't dark enough yet. We decided to launch the Tarmon again with the Q-Jet B4-4. By that time, it was
6:15 and the pizzas were waiting so decided to pack it in. The days are getting longer so will have to wait until
6:45 for the sky to be dark enough to fully appreciate the lights. With living close to the Equator, the latest that the sun sets is 7:16pm on June 21st.
Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:27 Vortico 3pts
01:16 Vortico XL 3pts
02:39 Viking #3 2pts
03:25 NOMAD 4pts
04:11 Tarmon 4pts
06:14 Drone Killer 4pts
07:57 Patriot Missile 652ft 5pts
09:14 Mini Executioner 4pts
10:44 Tarmon Q-Jet 4pts
11:35 Total 33pts