Launch Report for 2002/06/20

Motor Power	Least Powerful	Estes, Centuri 1/2A (1.25 N-s)
	Most Powerful	Estes C11-3 (10 N-s)
Flight Duration in Seconds	Shortest	11 (Flight 666)
	Longest	28 (Flight 669)
Number of Landings Outside the Recovery Area		0
Number of Flights Carrying Payloads		0
Number of non-Estes Motors Used		1
Total Number of Flights Today		7

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

Today's launch was my first since late January in part because the weather wouldn't cooperate and also because for some strange reason, I just didn't feel like flying for the longest time. I headed out to my local flying field at the schoolyard of Howard S. Billings High School here in Chateauguay, Quebec, Canada and I brought roughly 10 rockets with me. It was a longer walk than usual today since I walked toward the other end of HSB's very long field since kids were using my usual flying spot to play soccer. I hadn't flown at this end of the field since I lost my scratch built X-3 on the roof of the school back in 1982.

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 at 10km/h coming out of the south and the temperature was 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees F) with sunny skies.

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

"(Flight) Number of the Beast"
Flight 666, 3rd flight this year
Estes Alpha III 02 on an Estes 1/2A3-2T for its 15th flight

My first flight in roughly five months was my 666th flight since I started in rocketry back in 1981. Strangely, when I tried to come here in April to launch, I forgot a critical piece of my launch pad and so I had to walk back home without launching. Yesterday, I tried to launch and I made sure that I had everything this time, but when I got to the field, this time I realized that the launch controller had been on probably since the last time I came out to launch in April. Again I had to walk back home without flying. Hmmm... bad luck, I think! Finally, my second Alpha III lifted off on a 1/2A3-2T after one misfire for a perfect flight to gauge wind direction and speed at altitude. The wind seemed to be coming in out of the west at ground level, but my Alpha III told me that this was not so at altitude since it landed to the north of the pad.

Flight 667, 4th flight this year
Quest Big Rage on an Estes C6-3 for its 8th flight

My Quest Big Rage was next up on a C6-3 for its first flight with its recently applied decals and its eighth flight overall. The flight was gorgeous and the sound of the "C" motor echoed off the wall of the school that was a few hundred feet away.

Flight 668, 5th flight this year
Scratch Built Super Nova on an Estes C11-3 for its 6th flight

My scratch built Super Nova was next on one of the new Estes C11-3 motors for its sixth flight. This was my first use of the new C11. It made a nice throaty roar that again sounded great with the echo effect off the nearby school. This rocket was built from all that remains of my Estes Super Nova Payloader that suffered a mid-body separation during a winter launch back in late 2000.

Flight 669, 6th flight this year
Estes Multi-Roc on an Estes A8-0 staging to an Estes A8-5 for its 21st flight

With its 21st flight, Multi-Roc has now flown more often than any of the other rockets in my fleet. The rocket boosted on a 1973 vintage A8-0 that staged to an eighties vintage A8-5 for a perfect flight and recovery. I'm always nervous when I fly this rocket since I bought it in 1982 and I don't want to lose it, but I just can't bring myself to retire it!

Flight 670, 7th flight this year
Estes MK-109 Stingray on an Estes B6-4 for its 6th flight

Flight 671, 8th flight this year
Scratch Built Outatime on an Estes C11-3 for its 3rd flight

My five and a half foot tall scratch built Outatime was next up on a C11-3 for only its third flight despite the fact that this rocket was built in 1985. It was built from spare parts of BT-60, BT-50, and BT-20 body tubes and this was its first flight since 1986 and its first flight with its new paint job.

Flight 672, 9th flight this year
Estes Gnome 002 on a Centuri 1/2A4-5M for its 2nd flight

To end the launch day, my second Estes Gnome was next on a long since discontinued 1974 vintage Centuri 1/2A4-5M mini motor for a perfect flight, but a less than perfect recovery since I chose not to put a streamer on this rocket because I felt that it was light enough that it didn't need one. It came down quite fast and the lower third of the body tube buckled when it hit the ground.

Today was a day of some firsts including my first use of the new Estes C11 motors as well as my first use of a Centuri 1/2A4-5M mini motor. A great day of flying overall with no losses and with one notable exception, no damage.

Temperature	28^o C (82^o F)
Winds	10 km/hr south

Time at Liftoff:	18:38:39
Flight Duration in Seconds:	11
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	~50 north

Time at Liftoff:	18:46:39
Flight Duration in Seconds:	23
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	~120 north northeast

Time at Liftoff:	18:53:44
Flight Duration in Seconds:	17
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	47 west southwest

Time at Liftoff:	19:02:16
Flight Duration in Seconds:	28
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	Booster: ~10 north
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	Sustainer: ~50 South southeast

Launch Controllers	NCR Command Control
Launch Pads	Estes Porta Pad 03

Time at Liftoff:	19:08:22
Flight Duration in Seconds:	26
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	~50

My MK-109 Stingray was up next on a B6-4 for its 6th flight and a very nice flight it was.

Time at Liftoff:	19:15:09
Flight Duration in Seconds:	19
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	~50 north northeast

Time at Liftoff:	19:23:17
Flight Duration in Seconds:	13
Distance from Launch Pad in Feet:	~50 west