Another ECOF '96 launch report

Another ECOF '96 launch report

Post by Norman Heye » Wed, 31 Jul 1996 04:00:00



If Bob can post a launch report for the August Eat Cheese of Fly, so can
I.

Note: This report contains no political squabbling and hence may be
offensive to some. Reader discretion advised.

Also note the successful use of copperheads.

  Eat Cheese or Fly, '96

  This was my second ECOF, and had just as much fun this year as last.
Maybe even more.  This year held a couple of firsts for us.  I
volunteered for a shift as pad manager and Nancy had her first flight
on her very first rocket.

  Although I was a bit hesitant to volunteer, it turned out to be as
much fun as flying.  This is a great way to meet people.  You get an
excuse to look at everyone's rockets.  I got to put a face to many
names I've seen on the Internet, read in the newsletters and heard
about from others.  There were some really nice looking models.  Some
are really excellent models, as well as some interesting versions of
models I'd seen before.  There are a lot a variations on the 'three
fins and a nose cone' theme.

  Last summer I discovered Nancy had never built anything like a
rocket before.  A quick call got an Aerotech Cheetah on it's way.
Nancy built and painted it without help from me.  While it was hard
not to 'help', she did a great job.  Painting it fluorescent pink, and
with the white decals, it is an eye catcher.  After many attempts to
get her to fly her 'baby', she must have ran out of excuses, so the
Cheetah makes the trip to Wisconsin.  We choose a single use F14-6
black jack motor.  There was some concern about flying it with a
copperhead and in the wind.  But it was decided that a near vertical
launch would be best and a heads' up was called.  Nancy's name was
announced and the countdown begins.  At zero, the black jack lights
right up, with fire, noise and smoke.  Even this low thrusting motor
pushes the light Cheetah up quickly.  Our eyes follow the 800 foot
trail of dark smoke before the lime green chute appears against the
blue sky.  The chute fills near apogee and starts it's drift to earth.
Even with the wind, there is little weathercocking and the drift is
minimal.  In spite of the trees that seemingly surround the launch
arena, it lands safely in the grass.  While I can't convince her to
fly it again today, Nancy is happy and e***d.  On Tuesday, she
brings in pictures of her 'baby' to work and shows them off.  Maybe we
have a second rocket nut in the house?  Or is that the third?

  While I was doing pad manager duties, Nancy and Nathan are busy
prepping and flying.  After several attempts to ignite a spent engine,
things go better for them.  (Why do you keep all this 'junk'?  my
family asks.)  They flew the Serval twice, the Big Bertha twice, my
scratch built Sprite twice and a Fire Hawk once, for seven flights.
Even though the Sprite was lost in the swamp across from the launch
area, there was no other damage.  It was getting to be quite an
assembly line in prepping and flying.  I couldn't help but to be proud
of Nathan as he sets up the rockets by him self.  And he gets a real
kick out of doing it and hearing his name announced.  It's nice that
kids are accepted on the same terms as ***s.

  After a quick lunch, we prep my BT-60 based 'Goblin and a quarter'
on a D12-5.  All day Nancy and Nathan haven't had any recovery
problems.  I decide to use a 6"x60" nylon streamer.  I pack it too
tightly and we get 'blow nose' recovery.  Fortunately, the tall grass
breaks it's fall, and after a bit of searching, the recovery is a
success.

  I had planned on flying my new Vaughn Brothers VB Extreme 38 on a
G80.  But the wind makes the decision to wait for another day seem
prudent.  So under pressure, I prep an H123 white lightning for my
'Stretched EZI'.  Again the copperhead does it's job and the heavy
rocket quickly reaches about 1000 feet.  Last time I flew this beast,
the ejection charge fired on the way down, way far down on the way
down.  About 30 feet off the ground far down.  It looks like deja vu.
Again it is well past apogee and picking up a lot of speed before the
ejection charge fires.  I am becoming a firm believer in Rocketman
parachutes.  Even though the EZI is streamlining down fast, the chute
didn't strip and there was only a hint of a 'zipper' in the tube,.
You gotta love it.  My friend Jeff helped my track it down in the tall
grass.  From a pretty good distance, Jeff spots my rocket on the
ground and points towards it.  Seeing nothing, but following his lead,
we talk and walk for a couple of hundred yards before I start to
question if he knows what he is doing.  Jeff begins to think that I am
as blind as a bat.  He couldn't believe that I couldn't see it on the
ground.  After all, it has a 4 foot bright yellow chute.  Suddenly,
within 15 feet of me, is my rocket.  That's right, I had to be within
15 feet of it to see it.  It is right behind a tall clump of weeds.  I
call Jeff over and as he stands where I am, he can't see it either.
And you wonder why we lose rockets.  Remember, this is a 6 foot tall,
4 inch diameter rocket!

  Speaking of Jeff, he came to our Christmas party last year and saw
the LDRS tapes playing.  And the rocket bug bites hard.  Within a
couple of months he comes over and shows me his very well finished
Estes SR-71.  And wants to know more about high power rocketry.  After
reading some HPR magazines, and looking through my catalogs, he calls
Magnum and orders a Thoy Phoenix and some G80's.  While he is an R/C
airplane builder, this is new to him.  But he is e***d to fly.  We
make a half-hearted attempt to attend a WI TRA launch at Bong in
March, but the weather gets worse the closer we get and finally decide
this is crazy and go home.  In May we have better luck.  He flies the
Phoenix three times and begins to dream of bigger 'military' rockets.
It looks like a PML Amraam 4 is next.  I keep telling him that he has
to paint the Phoenix first.  Anyway, Jeff can't drive up with us, but
talks a friend of his and his son into driving up to Bong with him and
his son Tyler.  He flies his Phoenix twice at ECOF and his SR-71 a
couple of times.  (If any one found a nice black SR-71 in the grass
down wind of the launch area, please let me know.)  See how fun rubs
off on others?  He'll be back on a regular basis.

  Bong Recreational Area is getting to be a nice place to spend a
Saturday inhaling the fragrance of burned AP.  Did you notice that
flying model rockets is one of the 'non-traditional' activities they
mention in the flier handed out at the front gate?  I have to get a
season pass next spring.

  So what did I have the most fun doing?  Besides trying to figure out
how come every one builds better looking rockets than me?  Talking to
friends I get to see only once in awhile.  Swapping stories, sharing
tips and showing off and handing out my launch pictures.  Brian C. and
I trade e-mails often, but only see each other about once a month at
the Bong launches.  I get to see Bob W., Bob K., Mike V. and Steven K.
only at rocket launches.  And I met Jack W., a name I recognize from
the Internet.  There are getting to be more faces that I know, which
is the great part of flying rockets.  And the pad manager duties
aren't difficult, even fun in fact.  I got to see lots more launches
and talk to people that I wouldn't have otherwise.  And there is a
good feeling in knowing that you can help others.  Maybe I can LCO
some time and get to 'push the button'.  Highly recommended.


                             |   Even I don't know what I'm doing.

 
 
 

Another ECOF '96 launch report

Post by Norman Heye » Thu, 01 Aug 1996 04:00:00



Quote:


> :>
> :>  Maybe we
> :>have a second rocket nut in the house?  Or is that the third?

> Congratulations!
> I'm still working on that.

Stefan, keep working on it. It really helps when the credit card bill
comes... :-)

Later,
Norma


                             |   Even I don't know what I'm doing.

 
 
 

Another ECOF '96 launch report

Post by Stefan Wimm » Thu, 01 Aug 1996 04:00:00



:>
:>  Maybe we
:>have a second rocket nut in the house?  Or is that the third?

Congratulations!
I'm still working on that.

 ______________________________________                                ____
|      Stefan Wimmer                  / c / e / l / l / w / a / r / e /    |
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| Tel:   ++49(30)4670 8235            Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25                |
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|                                     WWW:   http://www.cellware.de/    |
|__________________________________________________________________________|

Do 't tou h the f op ydi ks su f ce!

 
 
 

Another ECOF '96 launch report

Post by Doug Gilmo » Fri, 02 Aug 1996 04:00:00


Quote:
>Note: This report contains no political squabbling and hence may be
>offensive to some. Reader discretion advised.

Darn!  You probably won't get much response

Quote:

>Also note the successful use of copperheads.

>  Eat Cheese or Fly, '96

(Major Snip)

Norman:

You must know a trick about using those copperheads.  I gave up months
ago. Nice report.  Wish I had been there.

Congrats on getting your wife involved.  I think its a good way to avoid
those "how much money are you spending on this" kind of questions.  I
bought Regina a Lil' Nuke, and she usually shows up at our launches a
little before noon expecting me to load up an F40 or a G33 for her.  Then
she takes off and goes to the mall.   Funny, that Nuke has more flights
on it than any other rocket in our house!

DOUG GILMORE              
TRA #4666