A³maQ

Launch

Launch Report for Saturday, September 8th, 2001
(Salvo 13)

Estes Tomcat on an Estes C6-3

I think this Estes Tomcat was Jacques' again, but I'm not certain.  One wing snapped open in mid flight and it made a high speed powered glide for a fraction of a second before settling into a lower speed glide on motor burnout.

Flight 600, 119th flight this year
Keith Bedard's Estes Maniac on an Estes D12-5 for its 19th flight

My veteran Estes Maniac went up on a D12-5 for its 19th flight with the Estes Transroc II on board with a 36" by 1" streamer.  The streamer separated at apogee and freefell to the ground about 200 feet north of the pad.

Kemal's scratch built Silver X on an Estes D12-5

Pierre Laurendeau's Aerotech Initiator on an Aerotech F25-6W

Pierre's Aerotech Initiator blasted into the air on an F25...

Dominique Martel's LOC/Precision Onyx (stretched) on an Aerotech E30-4T

Next up was Dominique's stretched LOC Onyx  on an E30-4.  Everyone who buys one of these things seems to stretch them... I don't think I've ever seen one of these fly stock.  I'm starting to think that I should stretch mine too!

Jacques Beauséjours' Aerotech Initiator on an Aerotech E30-4T

Jacques' Initiator was next on an E30-4 and a small chute...

Nicholas Palis' Atria on an Estes D12-5

I had a chance to talk with Nick about his rockets and I was surprised to find out that his entire fleet consists of multiples of only two of his scratch built designs... the Atria and what I'm assuming is his heavy lift vehicle, the Triton.  Clearly, he has a purpose in mind when he designs them.  The Atria's (pictured below) are BT60 based with 1.5 inch mail tubing purchased at Bureau en Gros being used as a coupler for the payload section with the cap being used as the bulkhead at the base of the payload section.  The tubing was also used to reinforce the Estes BT60's throughout the main & payload section airframes making the structure very able to survive flights on E30's or even more powerful motors should he choose to use the recently released Aerotech 24mm F motors. The much larger Triton rockets fly on 29mm motors and he uses these to loft his 35mm camera payload which exposes the entire roll of film throughout the flight.  I was fortunate enough to see the first flight of the Triton 30C at one of last year's launches on September 10th. The Atria that he launched today went up on a D12-5 with no payload on board as far as I know for a nice flight with little weathercocking and a landing just east of the launch area.

Return to Launch Reports Index

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Just to say Hi?

E-mail: kbedard@rocketryonline.com

Back to Keith's Rocket Page