Launch Report for Saturday, August 4th, 2001

Total Impulse Today:  45.43 N-s

Launch Location
The Schoolyard of
Howard S. Billings Regional High School
Chateauguay, Quebec, Canada

I just had to get a fix of BP this afternoon since the winds were light and I wanted to try out the new Quest Micro Maxx rockets that I had just picked up yesterday in a starter kit so I loaded up my backpack with my new Micro Maxx stuff and a few of my Estes & scratch built rockets and I walked over to the schoolyard of Howard S. Billings Regional High School for a few flights.

I brought my NCR Command Control launch controller and my Estes Porta Pad 03 launch pad to fly the stuff that uses 1/8 inch launch rods and my Quest Silo launch pad for my Micro Maxx rockets.  As always, I brought my Sony TRV103 digital camcorder and all the photos & videos that appear on my web site were produced using this camera.

Winds were shifting between the north and the east at about 5km/h and the temperature was about 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees F) with sunny skies.

All the motors I used today were made by Estes unless otherwise specified.

The images you see below are thumbnails and clicking on them will magnify the image by a factor of four.

Let the launch begin!!!...

Flight 572, 91st flight this year
Scratch built Jupiter 1 on an Estes 1/2A3-2T for its 6th flight

In a return to previous years' launch procedures, I launched a small rocket on a small motor with streamer recovery to determine wind direction at altitude.  On that note, my scratch built Jupiter 1 went up on an Estes 1/2A3-2T for its sixth flight.  Boost was straight as an arrow, but the motor delay was easily less than a second and the ejection charge fired well before apogee.  Jupiter 1 broke a fin on landing.  When I used to do these small flights to determine wind direction, my loss rate was less than one percent.  For some reason, I stopped doing these "launch rod calibration" flights and so my losses jumped substantially and for this reason, I've returned to the practice of the first flight being a streamer recovered rocket on a 1/2A.  This has worked well for me today.

Flight 573, 92nd flight this year
Estes Black Brant III on an Estes A8-3 for its 3rd flight

Next to go up was my 1981 vintage Estes Black Brant III on an A8-3 for only its third flight.  This rocket was only the second one that I had ever bought and I'm proud that I still have it and that it's still flying today.  Excellent straight boost with deployment at apogee.

Flight 574, 93rd flight this year
Estes Rampage on an Estes B4-4 for its 9th flight

Next up was my Estes Rampage on a B4-4 for its ninth flight.  Nice boost with deployment a bit past apogee.  The shock cord separated near the shock cord mount and the parachute took off with my payload section and it finally landed 60 seconds into the flight 392 feet northwest of the pad.  It was only during the last twenty feet of descent that I knew whether or not I was going to get this payload section back since there was a row of trees in that area and it was really 50/50 whether or not it was going to land in them.  In the end, it just cleared them.  The booster section tumbled down about 200 feet north of the pad and into the adjacent schoolyard of St. Willibrord Elementary School.

Flight 575, 94th flight this year
Estes Fireflash on an Estes C6-5 for its 5th flight

My Estes Fireflash was up next on a C6-5 for its fifth flight.  Boost looked a bit underpowered as it arced towards the north going more horizontal and then the rate of climb increased I'm guessing because the forward fins started to act more like wings as the rocket started to go more horizontal.  The chute lines got tangled in the forward fins during deployment and the chute never fully opened.  In the the end, two shroud lines got pulled from the chute.

Flight 576, 95th flight this year
Estes Gamma on an Estes B4-4 for its 5th flight

My early eighties vintage Estes Gamma was up next on a B4-4 for its fifth flight.  This one is always a great flier and today was no exception.

Flight 577, 96th flight this year
Estes Mach 12 on an Estes B6-4 for its 5th flight

My Estes Mach 12 was next on a B6-4 for its fifth flight.  Also another consistently good flier, this flight was no disappointment.

Flight 578, 97th flight this year
Estes Fat Boy on an Estes C6-3 for its 3rd flight

Next up was my Estes Fat Boy on a C6-3 for its third flight.  This flight was a little different since it was also the first flight of my Estes Transroc II transmitter which in turn is my first electronic payload.

Flight 579, 98th flight this year
Estes Mach 12 on an Estes C6-5 for its 6th flight

My Transroc II went up again, this time inside my Estes Mach 12 on a C6-5 for its sixth flight.  What a ride that must have been!

Flight 580, 99th flight this year
Quest Alien UFO Saucer on a Quest Micro Maxx for its 1st flight

Last for the day was my Quest Alien UFO Saucer on a Micro Maxx motor for its first flight and my first ever Micro Maxx flight.  After three ignition attempts, the saucer finally popped off the pad to a an altitude of about 15 feet and then it plopped to the ground.  Total flight time was a little over two seconds and it landed two and a half feet from the pad.  Literally a backyard rocket!

My Quest Space Fighter was supposed to go up next on a Quest Micro Maxx motor, but after five ignition attempts, I finally gave up and went home.  This would have been my 100th flight of the year.  Despite the heat, it was a fun day of flying today and I would have flown more, but I forgot to bring my recovery wadding and so I could fly only those rockets that were preloaded with wadding at home.  It was also a day of firsts for me with my first electronic payload, and my first use of a Micro Maxx motor and it's these firsts that always make a launch just a little bit that much more fun.  Can hardly wait till next weekend! :)

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