March 2008 launch report (4/4/2008)
On Saturday, March 29th, MASA held it's third launch of the
year. This launch was held at Apple Valley High School to
assist with TARC team qualification flights.
A few of the flights:
MASA members - please send in your thoughts about the
launch!
Dwayne Shmel writes:
Cold and windy. Did I say windy?!? Yup, it wasn't ideal
weather for sure. I only put up one rocket - an Executioner on
an E9-4. I angled the launch rod about 10 degrees or so with the
wind and the rocket took off nicely. It weather cocked back into
the wind moderately and deployed about 550 up and about 150 feet
or so to the South (upwind). The wind then carried the rocket
northward at a fast clip during descent and the
rocket landed about 800 feet north of the pad. As I ran down
range, I saw the wind dragging the rocket over the field, up the
hill, and across the street (another 250' or so). Luckily there
were no cars appoaching
and I retrieved the rocket from the other side of 140th Street
with only minor damage (mostly from the dragging after it
landed). I decided that Mother Nature was sending a clear
message: "Go home and enjoy a nice hot cup of cocoa while you
design your next rocket on Rocksim." I listened.
Ted Cochran writes:
A small but hardy and enthusiastic group of MASA members
turned out at Apple Valley High School this morning. The weather
started breezy, and only got breezier as the day wore on, until
we were forced to shutdown shortly before noon. There were, I'm
guessing, a little over a dozen flights, more than half of them
by TARC teams, on motors ranging from B to G.
The tallest cottonwood tree in the westerly woods, after
waiting patiently for six years, finally claimed a rocket this
morning, but not before the rocket had flown to a great
qualifying score earlier in the day. The rocket now hangs eighty
feet off the ground, its fully inflated fluorescent orange
parachute acting like beacon, warning off those who would hazard
a flight on that field when the wind is blowing.
By the time we left, even the kite flyers were having
trouble.
Art Gibbens writes:
Alas, the words already spoken by Ted refer specifically
to the HCA TARC Team. It's their rocket stuck in the top of the
Cottonwood. Yes they had a pretty good score (10.52) which might
be good enough to get them invited to the finals. We'll have to
wait and see. Neal has agreed to keep an eye on the rocket to
see if it succumbs to gravity anytime soon. After the first
qualifying flight Glenn mentioned that they had used up their
allotment of Karma on that flight - I think he was right.
Hopefully they can get back the altimeter, chute and nose cone.
The rest is paper and wood, so the elements will not be kind to
it.
Thanx for timing/witnessing the flight Ted and Glenn.
The Details:
(Alan Estenson)
|
