January 2004 launch report (1/27/2004)
Brrrr !
On Saturday, January 24th, a few dedicated fliers and guests
came out to the field in White Bear Lake for MASA's first launch of
the year. The day also marked the 7th anniversary of MASA's
first official club launch.
A few of the flights:
MASA members - please send in your thoughts about the
launch!
Ken Jarosch writes:
I almost missed a near perfect day because I was busy and
didn't have anything ready. Just threw some of my winter (junk)
rockets in the car.
I got there late (945) and several MASA members were already
flying. I used Mike's controller and used my ProPad as the 3rd
pad. Thanks Mike!
My flights were
1) Interceptor C11-3 (Pathfinder + Bertha)
2) Firehawk C11-3 (Modified 18 mm C)
3) D-Region Tomahawk C11-3 (Scratch Build)
4) Blue Ninja D12-5 (Modified for E9 & F21)
5) BroadSword D12-3
6) Firehawk D12-5
All flew great but sustained damage on landing due to frozen
ground. The Interceptor, Firehawk and the Blue Ninja each
had one fin ripped off, while the D-Region Tomahawk and the
Broadsword had crushed fin tips on one or two fins.
I wish I had several E30-4T's along for some of the larger
Estes rockets. No wind to speak of out there today.
Lee Frisvold writes:
I agree with Ken. I almost missed it too, but I was glad I
went.
My flights
1. Prowler C6-3 very nice but low flight , this kit should have
had a D engine stock
2. Silver Comet D12-5 Nice flight but it took 3 igniters to ignite
it.
3. Skywinder C6-3 very nice flight
4. Nike Smoke (Quest) B6-4 very nice flight
5. Corkscrew C6-3 very nice corkscrewing going up but loosened a
fin on landing.
Mike did the official stomp rocket to make the launch
official. Ken launched the last rocket of the day around
1200 then we cleaned up. Thanks Mike! No wind, blue
sky what could be better than launching some rockets.
Mike Erpelding writes:
Today's launch went really well! It was -5F when I left home
this morning with no wind and a clear sky. The weather in White
Bear Lake proved to be a little warmer with a very slight breeze
from the northwest. I , myself was dressed for the weather; as
were the others who showed up. Six members filled out flight cards
for a grand total of 32 flights. The first flight of the day was a
drag race between Mark Thell and Mike Martens. Both rockets had
good flights. New member Breh McDowell had four near picture
perfect flights with his new Estes Patriot. Lee Frisvold
also had several great flights, including his Estes Skywinder;
which he let one of the kids, from one of the families who came to
watch, press the button. Ken Jarosch also had several great
flights.
My first flight was my Estes Stars and Stripes on a B6-4. Great
flight; but upon retrieval I noticed that the cellophane tape that
holds the streamer on almost completely let go, talk about a close
call!
My second flight was my Estes Heatseeker. I usually fly it on a
B6-4 for what some have told me is an almost underpowered flight
(solid plastic fins and plastic motor mount parts). I decided to
try it on a C6-3 for the first time. It could have used a little
more noseweight for C's; since the flight was a little corkscrewy
heading to the southeast. One of the kids said it landed on the
roof of the school. Oh well, it seems at least one rocket has to
land up there at every launch. -)
Next I launched my Stomp rocket on a B6-4 to demonstrate
B.O.I.N.K. recovery to the kids. I also let one of the kids
launch one of my Mach 12's on a B6-4.
We wrapped up the launch around 1130; after everyone had a
chance to launch all of the rockets that they brought to fly, not
due to the cold.
I had a lot of fun and I hope the weather for the Feburary
launch is almost as nice!
Mark Thell writes:
Greetings, I arrived at Sunrise by 900 to find Mike Martens and
Mike Erpelding already there. We set up Mike E's launch controller
and just a couple pads. Mike Martens and I decided to celebrate
the 7th anniversary of the 1st MASA launch with a drag race of
Fatboys on C6-3's They flew in formation (meaning they came kinda
close to colliding) Both deployed their chutes. I tested a
new chute material; I had some landscaping fabric left over from
gardening. The material allows water and air to penetrate. I
thought I'd give it a try. I cut a 12 sided chute out and put it
in the Fatboy. It seems to work well; there's no swinging from
side to side like the plastic chutes. It also seemed to work well
in the cold weather.
I then sent up my green glider carrier; you probably remember
this one. I put a small foam chuck glider on it piggyback style
and launched on a B6-4. The glider popped off at apogee and glided
down nicely while the booster came down on chute.
Mike Martens then launched his stretch Bertha on a D12-5. Great
flight but he "treed" it. This answered my question
about what to put in my Cherokee-D clone. I used a B6-4 I believe
for its first flight. It flew well , but spit the motor adapter
while deploying the chute. Then came my Estes Pathfinder on a
D12-3. It flew great, but the Kevlar line between the booster and
nose broke on ejection. The nose came down nicely, but the booster
broke a fin on landing. I also flew my Custom Tristar for the
first time on an A8-3. Nice little kit, It'd be gone on a C6-5
though. I flew my glider one more time then packed it in for the
day.
Nice to see new faces at the launch . It was also good to see
Lee Frisvold, it's been awhile. I paid my dues for this year, and
hit the road. Thanks again to Mike E for hauling out the stuff. It
was a GREAT day for flying.
Brett McDowell writes:
Well, here goes with a launch report for my first ever time at
a MASA launch. I got there about 15 minutes after the start time
and brought 4 rockets with me, 3 of which I actually launched.
They were all Estes stock kits: a Skywriter, Sizzler, Patriot and
Alpha 3. The first launch was with my just finished the night
before unpainted Patriot. I was a bit nervous as this was my first
launch but it went off smoothly with a C-6-3. After that I tried
my Skywriter which was fine on launch with another C-6-3, but
sadly I didn't put in enough wadding and the chute lines burned up
so the chute was lost. No damage to the rocket other then a
slightly bent tube. After that I tried the Sizzler, note to self,
don't try a high altitude rocket on a a big engine when you aren't
in the mood to chase it. Thankfully, with a little help from
another member, I found where it landed in a yard across the
street on the other end of the field. After that, I launched my
Patriot a couple more times, only problem was with the last
launch, it backdrifted into the street and got a little wet and a
bent engine hook, but nothing major. I was very pleased as a new
member with everyone there. I saw a lot of nice rockets, and
everyone was great to talk to and had advice and info that was
very helpful. I will definitely be coming to more launches and
meetings.
The Details:
Full launch tally (in
Adobe Acrobat PDF form, requires version 4 or newer of the Acrobat
reader)
The totals were: 32 flights, 32 motors. The
cumulative total impulse was 288 Ns with an average total impulse of
9 Ns. The motor breakdown follows:
|
Type |
# Burned |
| MicroMaxx |
0 |
|
1/4A |
0 |
|
1/2A |
0 |
|
A |
2 |
|
B |
9 |
|
C |
15 |
|
D |
6 |
|
E |
0 |
|
F |
0 |
|
G |
0 |
|
H |
0 |
(Alan Estenson)
|
