Launch Report for 2001/11/11

Motor Power	Least Powerful	Estes A (2.5 N-s)
	Most Powerful	Estes D12 (17 N-s)
Flight Duration in Seconds	Shortest	7 (Flight 618)
	Longest	40 (Flight 631)
Distance From Pad in Feet	Shortest	29 (Flight 624)
	Longest	~450 (Flight 632)
Number of Landings Outside the Recovery Area		2
Number of Flights Carrying Payloads		2
Number of non-Estes Motors Used		6
Total Number of Flights Today		15

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

After my parents stopped by for a visit, I bummed a lift to my nearest flying field at the schoolyard of Howard S. Billings High School here in Chateauguay, Quebec, Canada and I brought quite an arsenal of rockets with me.

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 a little breezy but manageable, coming in out of the north at about 20km/h and the temperature was quite cold at about 1 degree Celsius (34 degrees F) with sunny skies with cloudy periods.

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

Flight 618, 137th flight this year
Estes Snitch 02 on a Centuri C6-0 for its 1st flight

Time at Liftoff:	12:39:54
Flight Duration in Seconds:	7
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	42 southeast

Used a 1975 vintage Centuri C6-0 for this flight. I sent this one straight up to get an idea of what the winds were like at altitude before sending up the higher altitude stuff.

Flight 619, 138th flight this year
Custom Oasis on an Estes B6-4 for its 3rd flight

Time at Liftoff:	12:47:36
Flight Duration in Seconds:	22
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	159 southeast

Used a 12 inch Estes chute on this rocket for recovery instead of the Custom 18" due to winds.

Flight 620, 139th flight this year
Estes Dagger on a Quest B6-4 for its 5th flight

Time at Liftoff:	12:56:19
Flight Duration in Seconds:	32
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	~300 southeast

Flight 621, 140th flight this year
Estes Tidal Wave on a Quest B6-4 for its 4th flight

Time at Liftoff:	13:10:46
Flight Duration in Seconds:	18
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	30 north northeast

Flight 622, 141st flight this year
Estes Heatseeker 02 on a Quest B6-4 for its 7th flight

Time at Liftoff:	13:15:47
Flight Duration in Seconds:	27
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	160 southeast

Flight 623, 142nd flight this year
Estes Alpha on an Estes A8-5 for its 3rd flight

Time at Liftoff:	13:23:17
Flight Duration in Seconds:	11
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	64 west

A vintage Estes A8-5 took my Estes Alpha into the air for its 3rd flight. This was the only rocket that flew today to sustain damage. One fin broke upon landing probably because of too high a descent rate since used an 18 inch streamer to recover the rocket for this flight.

Flight 624, 143rd flight this year
Quest Astra 1 on an Estes A3-4T for its 2nd flight

Time at Liftoff:	13:28:56
Flight Duration in Seconds:	13
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	29 north northeast

Flight 625, 144th flight this year
Estes Firestreak on a Quest B6-4 for its 2nd flight

Time at Liftoff:	13:33:10
Flight Duration in Seconds:	29
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	208 west southwest

First use of a Quest motor in this rocket. This one really blasted into the air quick!!! Good thing I used an 18 inch streamer to recover this one or I never would have seen it again!

Flight 626, 145th flight this year
Estes Flash on a Quest B6-4 for its 8th flight

Time at Liftoff:	13:43:32
Flight Duration in Seconds:	10
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	~150 north

First use of a Quest motor in this rocket. Chute didn't deploy, nose cone popped off of payload section (don't ask me how since it's a sealed payload section), and the rocket core sampled. Estes Transroc II transponder was on board and was still beeping even after I pulled the rocket out of the ground!

Flight 627, 146th flight this year
Estes America 02 on an Estes B4-4 for its 4th flight

Time at Liftoff:	13:51:20
Flight Duration in Seconds:	15
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	216 north

Flight 628, 147th flight this year
Estes America 02 on an Estes C6-7 for its 5th flight

Time at Liftoff:	13:58:00
Flight Duration in Seconds:	33
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	274 south southeast

First use of a C6-7 motor in this rocket. Estimated altitude was about 1100-1200 feet. Landed near four kids playing football on the other side of the field. YIKES!!!

Flight 629, 148th flight this year
Estes Mongoose 02 on an Estes B6-0 staging to an Estes B6-6 for its 2nd flight

Time at Liftoff:	14:04:27
Flight Duration in Seconds:	26
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	47 east ~200 east

Kickass flight!! Booster came down stable which made me nervous. I got a couple of young spectators with this flight who in turn stayed for the remaining flights today and even recovered my rockets for me. :)

Flight 630, 149th flight this year
Estes Big Daddy on an Estes D12-3 for its 2nd flight

Time at Liftoff:	14:20:11
Flight Duration in Seconds:	25
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	~200 east

This rocket was sent up next at the request of my spectators, uh I mean my recovery crew. This rocket's first flight with its new paint job.

Flight 631, 150th flight this year
Estes Silver Comet on an Estes D12-5 for its 3rd flight

Time at Liftoff:	14:27:51
Flight Duration in Seconds:	40
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	~300 southeast

First flight in its new paint job. Landed near a row of trees near the far edge of the field. The kids got this one back for me. This one also went up with the Transroc II onboard, but it separated from the rocket at apogee and smashed onto the ground. When I found it, I turned it back on (the impact must have tripped the switch off) and it still worked!

Flight 632, 151st flight this year
Estes SM-3 Seahawk on an Estes D12-5 for its 4th flight

Time at Liftoff:	14:41:03
Flight Duration in Seconds:	39
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	~450 southeast

Again, first flight with its new paint job. I almost lost this one since it landed in someone's back yard. The recovery crew was nice enough to get it back for me without my asking (I didn't even know where it landed until they told me!) and I gave them each a dollar for helping me out. I wanted to give them more, but it was all I had besides a twenty!

Despite the breezy conditions, I didn't lose a single rocket and in fact only one of them sustained any damage... Not bad for a day of 15 flights!

Temperature	~1^o C (34^o F)
Winds	~20 km/hr north

Launch Controllers	NCR Command Control
Launch Pads	Estes Porta Pad 03

The 18 to 13mm adaptor used for this flight ejected from the rocket and was lost.