ok, we finally got out of pyjamas around 3PM and put on shoes and walked to the local soccer/baseball field.
first off the pad was my son's Estes Snitch on a C6-0, dated 1988. perfect up & down and he almost caught it.
next off the pad was our usual wind tester, Quest Recoil on A8-3. It was a little windy and with the grass I thought it would be OK if the parachute didn't open, but it opened and didn't fly away.
The wind test was followed by Estes Fat Boy on C6-3. Nice up, a little arc to windward, over the school buildings, parachute opened and it drifted almost to the fence at the downwind edge of the field.
feeling braver we launched my Estes Guardian on B6-4. nice up and not toooo much altitude, all that drag on those fins... oh no, separation!!! the body tube tumbled down and my son almost caught it. meanwhile the nose cone and upper section drifted away, up to the edge and almost over the fence again.
ok, back to basics. put up the Snitch again with one of those old C6-0s. I don't know why I don't trust the old motors, they never have CATOed and they always work great with new ignitors.
my daughter launched the Recoil, again on an A8-3, perfect flight and ejection but "wadding recovery" until the parachute finally popped open about 50' up.
last flight was Fat Boy, again on C6-3. This time, it arced downwind and ejected and drifted over some rocket-eating trees, over the fence and neighbor's back yard, over the front fence - GONE!!
we eventually found it, the shock cord was wrapped around the driver's mirror of a car.
nice end to a perfect day!!
Although Grandma took pictures, I don't have any to post because she used a film camera.
Cliff & Diana & Aidan
first off the pad was my son's Estes Snitch on a C6-0, dated 1988. perfect up & down and he almost caught it.
next off the pad was our usual wind tester, Quest Recoil on A8-3. It was a little windy and with the grass I thought it would be OK if the parachute didn't open, but it opened and didn't fly away.
The wind test was followed by Estes Fat Boy on C6-3. Nice up, a little arc to windward, over the school buildings, parachute opened and it drifted almost to the fence at the downwind edge of the field.
feeling braver we launched my Estes Guardian on B6-4. nice up and not toooo much altitude, all that drag on those fins... oh no, separation!!! the body tube tumbled down and my son almost caught it. meanwhile the nose cone and upper section drifted away, up to the edge and almost over the fence again.
ok, back to basics. put up the Snitch again with one of those old C6-0s. I don't know why I don't trust the old motors, they never have CATOed and they always work great with new ignitors.
my daughter launched the Recoil, again on an A8-3, perfect flight and ejection but "wadding recovery" until the parachute finally popped open about 50' up.
last flight was Fat Boy, again on C6-3. This time, it arced downwind and ejected and drifted over some rocket-eating trees, over the fence and neighbor's back yard, over the front fence - GONE!!
we eventually found it, the shock cord was wrapped around the driver's mirror of a car.
nice end to a perfect day!!
Although Grandma took pictures, I don't have any to post because she used a film camera.
Cliff & Diana & Aidan
