October 22nd and 23rd in Mansfield
Washington ends the flying season for 2005 for me. I was able to
get five flights in with 3.7 being successful in the end. :)
PML Small Endeavor - CTI H143SS - a little long on the delay leaving
a big hike for the recovery team but looking good to approx 3000 feet.
Public Enemy Gladiator - CTI I285 - this was a first flight for this
very different rocket. I had to add 2 lbs of lead to the nose on
Thursday evening to get the CP/CG right. Got a lovely boost to about
2400 feet and came down a little closer than the Small Endeavor.
(started to get grief from the recovery team :) )
Wildman - CTI K570 - This was the biggest thing I've put in this
rocket yet and got a tad over 9300 feet out of it per the G-Wiz and
PerfectFlite comps. Unfortunately I had a problem that I thought I had
beaten previously - the main deployed at apogee :(. Several theories
abound as to why but will have to wait for analysis and more testing to
prove. I hunted long and far for it with no success. Earl than
graciously volunteered to help search some more since he tracked it down
so off we went in the truck. We spent a good hour plus with no success -
I felt bad having Earl out there when his son Bob's club project was
being put up, but he wouldn't give up. As the sun was heading down we
finally packed it in. We went to dinner in
Mansfield and before the food even got there in comes Jim Wilkerson with
a "guess what I have for you" :). He found it laying along side the road
not but 50 feet from where Earl and I gave up looking. In fact we drove
by it 4 times!!! but were looking the other way each time. Thanks to
Earl and Jim for help and recovering many $$$ in equipment. (even if Jim
had a vested interest in it :) - the loan of his 54mm
casing)
Video of the Wildman on a K570 can be
seen here.
Giant Leap Firestorm 54 - CTI H143SS - this was the first (and last)
flight for this rocket after a frustrating assembly given the design
including the dead battery once we got to the pad (check the voltage
BEFORE assembly Brad!!). This was also a first in another way - the CTI
motor CATO'd!! Blew the aft closure clean off and sent the motor burning
up and through the booster. the AV bay did it's job and deployed
everything at 274 ft :) bringing it all back down where the booster
followed a second later. Going to have to talk to CTI about this one.
Everyone said they had never seen that happen. Chutes, cords and
electronics all in tact.
Video of the Firestorm flight/CATO
can be seen here.
PML Small Endeavor - G40-5 SU - Bob at Sunriver decided late Sunday
to start handing out demos so I quickly put the G40 SU into the Sm
Endeavor for a nice flight to about 1000 feet and a recovery right
outside of Bob's tent. Great way to end the weekend!
Jim Wilkerson with his speedy red rocket which
returned with the paint melted off the fins!!
