Launch Report for Sunday, November 4, 2001

Total Impulse Today:  36.875 N-s

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

Today, the winds were such that I could do a bit of flying at the local high school's schoolyard without much risk of losing anything so I marched off to the schoolyard of Howard S. Billings here in Chateauguay, Quebec, Canada with my backpack, motor box, and a long box full of rockets, some of which were newly painted and had never flown before.

I also brought my NCR Command Control launch controller and my Estes Porta Pad 03 launch pad.  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 light and coming in from the southwest at about 5km/h and the temperature was chilly at about 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees F) with overcast skies with a ceiling of about 3500 feet (1067 m).

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

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

Let the launch begin!!!...

Flight 607, 126th flight this year
Estes Solar Warrior on a Centuri 1/2A4-3M for its 4th flight

My Estes Solar Warrior was the first of the day to go up and it went up on a 1975 vintage Centuri 1/2A4-3M for its fourth flight and my first use of this motor.  The flight was perfect and no damage was sustained from the flight or landing.

Flight 608, 127th flight this year
Estes Firestreak on an Estes A8-3 for its 1st flight

My long since built but never painted until now Estes Firestreak was up next for a flight on an A8-3 for its first flight.  This rocket was sitting in the construction room for over two years with Hobbylite Filler on the fins before I got around to sanding and finishing up this rocket.  The boost was straight as an arrow with deployment at apogee and the landing was perfect.

Flight 609, 128th flight this year
Quest Astra 1 on an Estes A8-5 for its 1st flight

Like the Firestreak, my Quest Astra 1 was waiting to be sanded & finished for about two years before I finally got around to it and this rocket finally made its first flight this morning on a vintage A8-5.  Surprisingly, the 5 second delay seemed to be a little long for this rocket with deployment being well past apogee as it accelerated for the ground.  This could be due to the fact that this rocket's airframe has received reinforcement with a soaking in CA which adds to the weight of the rocket.  Again, there was no damage from the late deployment or the landing.

Flight 610, 129th flight this year
Estes Mini Cobra on an Estes 1/2A3-0T staging to an Estes 1/4A3-3T for its 6th flight

My Estes Mini Cobra was up next flying for the sixth time and the first time with its new paint job.  It took off on its 1976 vintage 1/2A3-0T, but the 1/4A3-3T in the upper stage didn't light and the rocket nosed over and lawn darted into the track & field track which was made up of dirt and gravel.  The top of the airframe was mushroomed a bit and the rest of the airframe was a little wrenched, but surprisingly it was still in flyable condition.

Flight 611, 130th flight this year
Estes Mini Cobra on an Estes 1/4A3-3T for its 7th flight

I sent Mini Cobra into the air again as a single stage rocket to use up that 1/4A3-3T that didn't light as an upper stage motor the first time.  Flight, deployment, and landing were perfect.

Flight 612, 131st flight this year
Estes America 02 on an Estes A3-4T for its 2nd flight

My second Estes America was up next on an A3-4T for only its second flight.  I changed the chute on this rocket for a 24 inch streamer.  Perfect flight and landing.

Flight 613, 132nd flight this year
Estes America 02 on a Quest B6-4 for its 3rd flight

I sent America up again, this time on one of the German made Quest B6-4's with the blue casing and graphite nozzle.  As is typical with other Quest motors I've used, this motor had a higher takeoff thrust than the Estes equivalent, and the rocket blasted into the air for a very cool flight with deployment near apogee and a landing 164 feet southwest of the pad.

Flight 614, 133rd flight this year
Estes Mongoose 02 on an Estes B6-0 staging to an Estes B6-6 for its 1st flight

My second Estes Mongoose was up next on a B6-0 staging to a B6-6 for its first flight.  I bought this rocket to replace the first Mongoose that I lost last year.  I did the paint scheme a bit different with this one with the booster being painted a bright flourescent orange and the upper stage being painted gloss black.  This was the highest altitude flight of the day and yet it was the closest landing to the pad with the upper stage landing 26 feet southwest of the pad... closer to the pad than the booster (34 feet west) and even closer than the launch controller!

Flight 615, 134th flight this year
Custom Oasis on an Estes B4-4 for its 2nd flight

My Custom Oasis made only its second flight today and its first with its newly completed paint job.  It went up for a perfect boost on a B4-4, but the chute didn't open and it came down fast, breaking a fin on landing.

Flight 616, 135th flight this year
MRC Firefighter on a Centuri 1/2A4-3M for its 2nd flight

Also going up for only its second time and its first with a new paint job, my MRC Firefighter went up on a 1975 Centuri 1/2A4-3M for a perfect boost, deployment near apogee, but a broken fin on landing when one of its swept fins dug itself into the soft ground on landing.  I used a 12 inch streamer for this rocket.

Flight 617, 136th flight this year
Estes Heatseeker 02 on an Estes B6-4 for its 6th flight

My second Estes Heatseeker went up on a B6-4 with the Transroc II beeper onboard for its sixth flight and the Transroc's 20th flight.  The boost was perfect but there was a shock cord separation and if it weren't for the weight of the Transroc, the parachute would have taken off with the payload section and nose cone, probably never to be seen again.  In the end both parts were recovered easily.

Today's flying day was good although I kept the altitudes and power levels low for the most part.  The damage that did occur will be easy to fix and I got some great videos out of these flights!

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