2019 Launch Reports

Jan   Feb   Mar   Apr   May   Jun   Jul   Aug   Sep   Oct   Nov   Dec

January, 2019

The January launch was scrubbed due to poor weather.

 

February, 2019

The weather was single digits ºF, mostly sunny and light breezes. When the sun was out it felt much warmer. Later in the day, the sky started clouding up and it felt much colder. There were several inches of fresh snow on the ground on top of the snow that had come earlier in the week topped by some rain. The road was mostly drivable except for about a 100 foot section which had snow with a crust underneath; the same place my truck got stuck a year earlier. It took Jim, Paul and myself about 45 minutes of clearing away that snow before everyone could drive down. By 1030hrs, we were ready to go.

Since the day was so nice, there were three planes which flew directly over the field, unaware that there was a NOTAM reserving the space for a model rocket launch. The Burlington airport tower called to make me aware of them (we were watching them and could see them). The tower reported that all three planes were piloted under VFR (Visual Flight Rules) and their pilots were not responding to tower calls. Instead, the tower was calling other planes in the area and asking them to call the planes on a frequency reserved for inter-plane communication and relaying a message to call the BTV tower. This eventually worked and we could see the planes veer away.

We did have a team from UMASS Amherst come up to attempt the NASA qualifying flight. They came up in three cars. Two were there together around 1100hrs but the other car which had most of their rocket, got lost and showed up about 90 minutes later. The team assembled their rocket on the field and tested their ejection charge to make sure it was enough. This is a good practice for all rocketeers.

There were a total of about 18 people at the launch including 6 members, 1 guests, and 11 from UMASS. There were 19 flights with no multi-motor launches, and the average launch being an I which is big for the CRMRC. The total propellant burned was an M with every motor class between D and L flown. The distribution of motors was: 3-D, 1-E, 1-F, 4-G, 4-H, 2-I, 2-J, 1-K, and 1-L.

With the help of everyone cleaning up, we were off the at 1600hrs and went to the usual brewery and smokehouse where we discussed what the CRMRC should be doing to support the 50th anniversary of the first landing on the moon.

In the list below, you will see where in time all the flights are in Jim's video. Also, if a motor does not have a manufacturer, it is an Estes motor.

Here are the flights:


Guest Howard, whose name is on the flight card for the UMASS Amherst team flew the following for their NASA qualification. Unfortunately, the rocket came in ballistic into a solidly frozen ground about half a mile north of the pads.

- Grey and red custom 6 inch by 115 inch UMASS SLI weighing around 40 pounds on a CTI L1355 Smokey Sam with a Missileworks RRC3. (21:13)

Member Ben had 1 flight:
- Blue and gold scratch Upscale Dark Zero on an AT E11-J with an Ardino onboard (14:07)

Member Jim had 2 flights:
- Green and black Madcow Mantis on a CTI H163 White Thunder with an Eggtimer Quark and JL Alt III on board with the dual deploy working just fine but the main did get tangled (3:49)

-
Red, white and yellow Wildman 1/4 scale Patriot on a CTI I242 White with a JL Alt III and a JLCR @ 400 feet. The motor CATOed by splitting at the top and the rocket was undamaged and landed safely. (11:24)

Member Daniel had 3 flights:
- Yellow and blue rocket called E-30 on a AT F50-6 Blue Thunder which had a complete separation but both pieces were recoverable (4:47)
- A blue PML Miranda on an AT G67 Red (7:57) with a delay a bit long and an AT H123 White (18:31)

Member James had 4 flights:
- Blue scratch built 2.6 inch x 31 inch "Blue Shadow" on an AT G74-4 White (0:12)
- Black and white MAC Black Fly on a CTI H123 Skidmark (15:12)
- Purple 7.5 inch x 84 inch LOC Bruiser on a CTI J316 Pink with multiple chutes (12:20)
- Always Ready Rocketry Predator 10K painted orange on a CTI K711 White with an Eggfinder GPS, JLCR @ 400 feet, and Perfect Flite altimeter reported to 9999 feet and 938mph (5:52)

Member Paul had 6 flights:
- Blue and silver scratch built Blue Bird Zero 1.6 inch x 40 inch on a D12-3 (1:36)
- Green scratch built Fatman 2.6 inch x 14 inch (Estes Fatboy-like) on a D12-5 which landed in the drainage ditch by the pipe we drove over to get on the field (7:00)
- Estes Solar Warrier on a D12-7 (19:59)
- Blue Madcow Skipper twice, both on AT G75-7 Black Jack motors with a JL Alt II and @ 300 feet (16:58) with a tangled chute & ()
- Purple Wildman Dark Star Jr. on a AT I245-14 Green with Quantum Eggtimer GPS tracker with main at 300 feet (8:38)

Member Howie had 2 flights:
- Hanger 11 Arthur "build on the field" kit on a CTI H120 Red with JLCR @300 ft although the delay was drilled to 9 seconds, it ejected several seconds after that, ~3 seconds late (2:47)
- 1/4 scale Wildman Patriot on CTI J425 Blue Streak with 2 RRC2+ onboard which landed one field to the north (10:00)

The launch video can be found HERE

 

March, 2019

The weather was upper 20s ºF or lower 30 ºF, partly sunny and winds averaging in the lower teens mph. Although 25 degrees warmer than last month, it felt significantly colder without the sun and the cold wind. The ground was frozen dirt when we drove in and as the sun shone, the ground melted causing mud everywhere. The road was easy on the way in but extremely greasy and messy on the way out. We were ready to start flying by 1000hrs.

The wind was a major factor all day long, ranging between 8mph and 22mph. Add to that, the ground was mostly frozen dirt, it made flying tough. There was mud everywhere near the launching areas.

We did have a team from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) show up. The total attendance was 9 people: 3 RPI students, 1 guest and 5 CRMRC members. There were a total of 14 flight, average was a G and the mode was an H. The flights were: 1-A, 2-B, 1-C, 1-D, 3-G, 5-H, and 1-I.

Cleanup was done in stages but everyone was off the field before 1600hrs with most equipment, boots, and pants covered in mud. Being so dirty and expecting a St. Patrick's day crowd at the brewery, we decided to head home, although the RPI students stop at the usual brewery and smokehouse.

In the list below, you will see where in time all the flights are in Jim's video. Also, if a motor does not have a manufacturer, it is an Estes motor.

Here are the flights:

Guest Donna, one of the RPI students, went for her L1 certification.
- An orange custom 2.625 inch by 39.9 inch LOC called "Fox" on an AT H128 White with a Stratologger responsible for the dual deploy duties. The up portion of the flight was nice and straight but nothing separated or deployed a parachute, so the rocket hit the frozen ground hard. The guess was that the charge was not big enough to get the nosecone to come off. (10:14)

Guest Jasper, the leader of the RPI team had one flight.
- A grey 5.5 inch x 7 foot LOC called "Tom & Jerry" on a AT I600 Red with a Stratologger and RRC2+ doing the recovery duties for 4 parachutes. The altimeters did their jobs with the nosecone, and payload coming down on the correct chutes but the remainder of the rocket came down on a small drogue chute as the piston controlling the main got stuck, causing significant damage to the fincan. (12:32)

Guest Trevor, the third RPI student had two flights.
- A naked (unpainted) 2.6 inch by 36 inch custom unnamed rocket on a AT G75 Jack (black smoke) with both a Mini-Alt and PerfectFlite along for the flight. The up was good but the charge caused the two pieces of the rocket to land separately. (4:03)
- A nicely painted red and black Binder Excel called "1 ticket to Flavortown" on an AT H238 Blue Thunder, this time with no electronics on board. Again, the flight up was very nice but the motor delay was significantly too long, igniting about 1 second after the rocket crinkled into the hard ground. (13:27)

Member Ben had 1 flight:
- A blue and grey scratch built 3 inch AMRAAM on a CTI G68 White flew nicely and was recovered one field to the east. (9:02)

Member Jim had 1 flight:
- A green and black Madcow Mantis on a CTI H143 Smokey Sam with an Eggtimer Quark and JL Alt III on board with the dual deploy working just fine, landing in the launching field to the north. (7:03)

Member Michael had 2 flights:
- An orange Estes Freefall with a paratrooper inside on a B6-6 but this was severely underpowered and only went about 50 feet up. This caused the rocket to hit the ground before the parachute ejected. (3:41)
- A silver and red Estes Flash on a C6-3 which suffered separation with the fincan coming down unabated but undamaged, although the nosecone and parachute floated off in the wind. (2:45)

Member Paul had 3 flights:
- A scratch built shuttlecock called "Birdie" on a A10-PT which did not go very high but was a cute flight ending up with nearest to pad. (2:24)
- A lavender Estes Quinstar which performs like a saucer on a B6-0 which spun on the way up and down. (3:22)
- An Estes Patriot on a D12-7 which was thought to land near Dunsmore Rd, two fields to the east, but the rocket was never found. (8:20)

Member James had 3 flights:
- A blue scratch built "Blue Shadow" on an AT G74 White which was a great flight. (6:07)
- A black and white MAC Black Fly on a CTI H225 White Thunder which was the first flight of the day and landed one field to the east. (0:14)
- An orange AAR Predator 10K set up as James' first dual deploy with a RRC2+ powered by another CTI H225 White Thunder. Both the drogue and main were full size parachutes as insurance but both deployed at apogee so James had to figure out what went wrong. (10:55)

The overall success rate was only 57% (8 of 14) flights going as planned, although one flight was a successful failure because the dual mains enabled the rocket to land safely.

The launch video can be found HERE ( and you can hear the wind).



April, 2019

The April launch was scrubbed due to poor weather.

May, 2019

The weather was upper 50sF or lower 60sF, mostly cloudy with the winds between calm and 6mph. The road down to the field still had the large white bale in the middle. The road itself was dry but driving around the bale was wet and one truck got stuck. Between a tow strap, a second truck, and 5 guys pushing, the truck was gently put back on the road. The field at the bottom of the road was dry in most places, so the pads and parking were set up on that field. The stuck truck did delay setting up, so everything was set up around 1030hrs.
The total attendance was about 30 people: 17 CRMRC members and about 13 guests. There were a total of 41 flight attempts of which 40 made it off the pad and one was a two stage flight. The mean and mode were both a G with the total an M. The flights were: 1-1/4 A, 4-B, 5-C, 4-D, 6-E, 2-F, 8-G, 6-H, 2-I, 3-J and 1-K. Two people were successful for the L1 certification.
Flights were done around 1545 and with so many hands helping, everyone was off the field by 1615. About half the group ended up at the usual brewery for dinner and discussing the July launch. If a motor does not have a manufacturer, it is an Estes motor.

Here are the flights:

Member Zach had one flight:
- A PML 2.1 inch AMRAAM on a Aerotech (AT) G77R with a Jolly Logic Chute Release (JLCR) set for 500 feet. This was done as a drag race with member Paul.

Member James had one flight:
- An orange ARR Predator 10K on a Cessaroni Technology Inc (CTI) H225 White Thunder.

Member Dave Lang had one flight:
- A Gary Tortora 3 inch Painkiller on a CTI J250 Skidmark with Stratologger onboard. The apogee charge went off and the rocket separated. The main charges went off but did not sheer the sheer pins so the rocket hit hard, but with no damage.

Member Kevin had 1 flight:
- A white Wildman Darkstar 4 inch on an AT J460 Blue Streak with an Eggtimer TRS and Raven 3 onboard making the main at 600 feet.

Member Ben had 2 flights:
- A scratch black and white "Boson II" which is 1 inch diameter and 24 inches tall which was staged using a B6-0 to a B6-6. The staging worked great.
- A red, black and white Estes Ventris on a CTI F31-7 White.

Member Keira had 2 flights:
- A purple and green Estes Wacky Wiggler on a B6-4.
- A purple and pink Estes "Purple Murple Pinky" on a C6-5.

Member Guy had 2 flights:
- A Radio Shack Spool custom rocket (which looks just like it sounds) on a C6-0.
- An orange and white Wildman Wildchild on a E30-4T.

Member John had 2 flights, one successful and one which never made it off the pad:
- A grey Madcow Little John on a CTI I345 White Thunder which burned on the pad. The motor separated inside the rocket but the pressure ejected everything inside so none of the recovery materials were destroyed. This included a JLCR, a JL altimeter and a 36 inch orange parachute.
- The same grey Madcow Little John, post-first launch attempt with the same electronics but this time with a CTI I350 and the JLCR set for 300 feet, to an altitude of 2678 feet.

Member Michael had 3 flights:
- A yellow and black Estes Big Bertha with a C6-5.
- A red and yellow Estes Flare on a D12-3.
- A yellow and purple Estes Eliminator on a D12-5.

Member Matt G had 3 flights:
- A purple Estes Sahara on a E16-4 with a JL altimeter 1 onboard.
- A white MAC Performance Zodiac on a high power AT G-138 with a JLCR set for 500 feet.
- A successful L1 certification flight of a blue MAC Performance Ethos on a CTI H152 Blue Streak.

Member Jim had 3 flights:
- An orange and black Rocketry Warehouse Formula 54 on an AT G53-10 Fast Jack with a JL altimeter III and a JLCR set for 300 feet, which went to 1225 feet.
- A red, white and black Estes Ventris on a CTI G80 Skidmark with a JL altimeter III and a JLCR set for 300 feet which went to 1321 feet.
- A MAC Performance Aerobee Hi on an AT H180 White with a JL altimeter III and a JLCR set for 300 feet which went to 1654 feet.

Member Gary had 3 flights:
- A green Estes Baby Bertha on a B4-4.
- A silver Estes Silver Comet on a D12-5 twice.

Member Eric had 4 flights:
- A grey Estes E9 Eater on an E9-4.
- A red and green Estes Star Orbiter on an F40.
- A PML Callisto on an AT H242 Blue Streak with a Missile Works RRC2+ with the main set for 500 feet, which went to 2756 feet.
- The big flight of the day was a green Binder Velociraptor on an AT K550 White with a MAWD altimeter which went to 6575 feet.

Member Lawrence had 5 flights:
- A red, white and black Estes Honest John on a E12-6.
- A scratch built black and white 2.3 inch by 43 inch rocket called "Black Spy" with a JLCR set for 400 feet twice on a AT G64-10W (:) and a AT G76-10G.
- A scratch copper colored 2.7 inch by 41 inch rocket called "Steampunk" on an AT G64-10W with a JLCR set to 400 feet.
- A successful L1 certification flight of the "Steampunk" on an AT H220 Blue Thunder with the JLCR set to 400 feet.

Member Paul had 7 flights:
- A scratch built blue and white 0.5 inch by 13 inch "Blue Bird Zero" on a 1/4A3-3T.
- A scratch built blue and white 0.9 inch by 26 inch "Blue Bird Zero" on a C6-7.
- A scratch built blue and white 1.1 inch by 32 inch "Blue Bird Zero" on a C6-5.
- A scratch built blue and white 1.3 inch by 36 inch "Blue Bird Zero" on a E20-4W.
- A scratch built blue and white 2.6 inch by 80 inch "Blue Bird Zero" on an AT H178-10 Dark Matter.
- A scratch built blue and cream 1.63 inch by 13 inch "Gooney Bird Zero" on a C6-5.
- A grey 2.3 inch PML AMRAAM on a AT G77-7R with a JL altimeter II and a JLCR set for 300 feet as part of drag race with Zach to 1254 feet.

Howie had 2 flights:
- A custom green and copper high performance 2.6 inch by 13 inch rocket named "Fat Boy III" which lawn darted into the ground, jamming the nosecone in, on a CTI E22 Smokey Sam.
- A naked (unpainted) Madcow 1/3 scale Nike Smoke on a CTI J425.

It was a great day to be out with almost no bugs, not too much sun and a great crew for flying rockets.
The launch video can be found HERE

 

June, 2019

The weather was overcast with temps in the lower to upper 60's F for most of the day. Winds were a bit heavy averaging 12.6 mph with gusts recorded up to 25 mph. The large white bale in the middle of the road is almost gone but we still had to navigate a short distance around it. The field was dry and the planting of corn has been delayed, although, by the end of the day there was a tractor out in the far field that appeared to be seeding the ground. We were set up and ready to fly by 10:00 am. Kevin brought a new control panel that was acquired and he refurbished. The panel is set up to control two banks of four launch pads. It worked perfectly.

The total attendance was about 25 people: 13 CRMRC member and about 12 guests/spectators. There were a total of 19 flight attempts all of which made it off the pad. We had one successful Level 1 certification flight. The flights were: 1-1/2A, 5-A, 3-B, 2-C, 1-D, 1-E, 4-F, 2-G, and 1-H.

We were done flying early around 2:00pm and off the field by 3:15 pm as we still had a few folks out tracking down their wayward rockets though all were successfully located. A group of about 10 finished out the day at the usual brewery for dinner and more discussions about the July 4th launch.

Here are the flights:

Member Daniel M. had one flight
- A black and yellow Aerotech Arreaux on an AT F50 to around 1,000' with no electronics. Dan spent nearly 90 minutes searching for his bird about two fields north but succeeded in find it

Guest David B. had two flights
- A silver Estes Big Bertha on a B6-4
- A yellow and blue Estes Space X on a cluster of 2 A8-3

Guest Jenny B. had one flight
- A silver Estes Alpha on an A8-3

Member Paul S. had three flights
- A lavender Estes Quinstar on a B6-0
- A yellow and red scratch built "J350-W" on a D12-3
- A white Estes Sentinel on a C6-5

Member Michael W. had one flight
- A blue and yellow Estes Sky Shark on an A10-3T. There was no separation and the rocket lawn darted.

New member Hugues L. had three flights including a successful Level 1 certification:
- An orange Madcow DX3 on an ATS DMS H135 White. Electronics included an altimeter, GPS tracker, with motor ejection and JL Chute Release set to 300'. Altimeter recorded 2,661' for a successful Level 1 flight. Flight video is HERE
- A grey and white Aerotech Mustang on an AT G138 Blue Thunder. Electronics included an altimeter, camera, and motor ejection with JL Chute Release set for 300'
- A blue Mach 1 Xcelerator on an AT E28-7 Blue Thunder with an electronic beeper

New member Victoria H. had three flights
- An orange and blue Estes Super Trooper on a 1/2A3-4T
- A blue and yellow Estes Baby Bertha on an A8-3
- And he Estes Baby Bertha again on a C6-5

Member Kevin T. had two flights
- A yellow and red LOC Graduator on an AT G77 Red with motor ejection and a JL Chute Release set to 300'
- A white Scale Kits Bullpup on an AT F52-4 Blue Thunder with motor ejection and a JL Chute Release set to 300'

Member Ben G. had two flights
- A red, white and black Estes Patriot on a B6-4
- A grey and blue scratch built Amraam on a CTI F59-5 White

Member Matt G. had one flight
- A purple Estes Sahara on an AT F42-4 Blue Thunder. Upon separation the elastic shock cord broke and the rocket came down with the upper portion under chute and the sustainer separate but appeared to not be damaged.

It was a little windy but still a great day to be out flying. Not too hot, not too cold, and all rockets were retrieved. Thank you to all who showed up and participated in flying, spectating, and setting up and taking down the launch equipment.

 

July, 2019

On Tue, Jul 8th the CRMRC conducted a launch with the Williston & Essex Junction libraries. A total of 32 CRMRC saucers were built, with 31 flown (one kid did not want to fly his saucer). Additionally, Howie flew an Estes 1/200 RFT Saturn V on a C6-3 and his blue pyramid on a AT G79-4W. All of the saucers went off without a hitch and the kids behaved very well. The Saturn V was a total bust, going up maybe 25 feet and totally unstable. It hit the ground undamaged before the parachute came out. The pyramid was a great flight to about 75 feet. Everyone had a great time. Many thanks to John C and Scott T for helping make the launch go smoothly.

On Saturday July 20 the CRMRC regular monthly launch was a special one commemorating the 50th anniversary (to the day) of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The temperature reached 95º with a humidex of 102º F. We had 85 flights, including the second "M" flown in Vermont. If the heat had not been so oppressive, I am sure we would have topped 100. The launches ran into the night for those who stayed around.

Christina Guessferd of WCAX channel 3 spent the day covering our event.

The initial WCAX coverage including a video is HERE

The video that aired on the 11:00 PM news is HERE

A number of members took photos which are posted on the CRMRC Facebook page.

Greg M. took some shots during the night portion of the launch. His shared photos are HERE

Flight stats:

The average motor was an "H" and the total motors were a medium sized "N" with "B" being the most common motor size. The most common single motor (other than Estes) was CTI I180 Skidmark. There were 3 flights with multiple motors: B-B, C-B, and C-C. As far as statistics go:


Motor manufacturer:
Estes 50
CTI 22
AT 18
Quest 1
Micromax 1

Colors (not counting Estes):
Red 11
Skidmark 8
White 7
Blue 6
Black smoke 3
Green 2
IMAX 1

Motor distribution
A 1
A 2
B 17
C 16
D 10
E 7
F 4
G 13
H 3
I 10
J 4
K 1
L 1
M 1

A lot of people helped out. There is no way the small CRMRC could have pulled something this big off without help from the majority of members. Many thanks to all who helped. There are a few I would personally like to thank because they went above the norm:
John A, for handling the shirt, lunch, and dinner orders, ordering the Porta Potty, driving up Friday to the field to tell the Porta Potty delivery where to put it, bringing up the truck load of gear I assembled in my garage on Saturday, and the driving up for a third time on Sunday to reset the orange pipe to where it was originally.
Jim V, for handling the breakfast, and bringing the truck load of gear from his house to the field (the latter which he does every month, along with being the club treasurer).
Paul S, Daniel M, Kevin T, and Eric M, who helped fill out the majority of things we needed to pull everything off.
I know many of you also helped by bringing gear, arriving early to help with setup, and by taking shifts to either direct people coming in or under the tent. I certainly appreciate everyone who did so. We could not have pulled it off without everyone pulling together.

There were 3 winner of the club raffle:
Jim V -- Grand prize winner of the MAC Scorpion with chute and altimeter.
Dave L -- Winner of an Estes kit.
(Forgotten) -- winner of a 2nd Estes kit


Hope to see all of you next month, with the temperatures less and the corn taller.
Howie


August, 2019

The weather was upper mid to upper 80sF, mostly sunny with the winds between calm and 6mph, but an occasional set of gusts up to 17mph would roll through for a few minutes. Most of the wind was close to the ground as the upper winds appeared quite calm. The road down to the field was dry and easily navigated. Everyone parked on the right side of the road facing downward and the equipment was set up one field to the north, relatively close to the corn, which was about head height or taller. With lots of help and a significantly easier setup compared to last month, the equipment was set up by 0950.

One thing to note was the path through the farmer's field we used to get to last month's launch was all green and had grown back. That path was totally brown at the end of last month's launch.
The total attendance was about 18 people: 13 CRMRC members and 5 guests. There were a total of 27 flight attempts, all of which eventually made it off the pad. No multi-motor flights were attempted. The mean and mode were both a G with the total an L. The flights were: 1-A, 2-B, 7-C, 4-D, 2-E, 2-F, 3-G, 3-H, 2-I, and 1-K. Two people were successful for the L1 certification.
Flights were done around 1430 and we were on our way to the usual post-launch location by 1500. The launch was much more low key compared to the last month's Apollo anniversary. In the list below, you will see where in time all the flights are in Jim's video. Also, if a motor does not have a manufacturer, it is an Estes motor.

Here are the flights:

Guest Andy had two flights.
- A first time flight of a 4"x48 inch MAC Performance Rocketry Menace painted blue and white with a PerfectFlite altimeter and Featherweight GPS. This 5lb, 14oz rocket flew on a Cessaroni Technology Inc (CTI) H123 Skidmark (38mm) as for an L1 attempt. The motor ejection was good and everything was successful and congratulations to Andy for a successful L1. (8:10)
The same rocket as above was later flown on a CTI I223 Skidmark and it weighed a bit more, at 6 lb, 2.5 oz (you can figure out the grain weight). The electronics were different: Jolly Logic (JL) altimeter III, JL chute release (CR), and again the Featherweight GPS. This flight max'ed out at 421mph and 2429 feet but landed without the chute fluffing. Damage report unavailable. (15:26)

Member Dave L.had one flight.
- A yellow and black scratch built 7-3/4 inch diameter Bumble Bee saucer which flew on a D12-7. This first flight was a typical saucer flight and landed just fine. (15:02)

Member James had one flight.
- The ever reliable gold and black 2"x42" Estes Mammoth on an Aerotech (AT) F67 White which caused it to scream off the pad. The flight was successful and the rocket recovered. (3:00)

Member Michael had two flights.
- A nicely done 2"x19" white and black Estes [Mercury] Redstone with a Liberty Bell 7 capsule complete with red escape tower on top. This flew on a C6-3 although it did not get very high but landed softly. (0:08)
- A 1-1/3"x31" purple and yellow Estes Eliminator on a D12-5 which took several tries to get it off the ground. The rocket separated with the nosecone being recovered but the airframe drifted off into the corn and was not found. (6:22)

Member Ebbe had 2 flights:
- A 2-1/4"x50" white, red and black LOC Tomahawk with a JL altimeter III and CR set to 300 feet onboard. This was powered by an AT G76-7 Green and it took off like a shot off the pad, and was successfully recovered. (10:13)
- A 2.6"/3.5"x38" flat green Madcow Honest John with the bulbous nosecone had a JL altimeter III and JL CR set for 300 feet. This was powered by a CTI H53 Mellow which has a very long burn (4.4 seconds) which made for a cool junior L1 attempt flight. Everything worked just fine, so congratulations to Ebbe for a successful junior L1. (19:24)

Member Guy had 3 flights:
- A custom 3.75"x3.25" "Radio Shack Spool" flew twice on C6-0s, both times with the same flight profile as a saucer: low, slow, and fun to watch. (1:28) (9:45)
- An orange, white, and black 1.5"(38mm)x34" Wildman Wildchild on an AT E30-4T Blue Thunder which had a very successful flight. (5:39)

Member Matt G. had 3 flights:
- A 2.6"x36" white and red Estes Super Big Bertha weighing just under a pound went up nicely on an F15-4 black powder motor which burned long for another nice flight to watch. (1:54)
- A 2.6"x36" purple pink Estes Sahara on an AT G74 White went high and landed to the south and near the road. With the relatively tall grass, it was difficult to find so at the end of the launch, a search party was sent out and the rocket recovered. (17:50)
- A 4"x85" split fin yellow and black Binder Design Thor flew on a CTI I-236 Blue Streak. The 6lb rocket whistled on the way up as most split fin designs do and was safely recovered. (10:57)

New Member Ted had 4 flights:
- A 1.3"x16" nicely painted white and black Estes AGM-12 Bullpup flew twice, once on an A8-3 and a second time on a C6-5. The A8-3 flight did not fly very high but the C6-5 was a great flight. The rocket weighed 3.0 oz and 3.4 oz for the flights, respectively, so you can see the weight difference between an A and a C. (12:07) (:)
- A 1.3"x23" also nicely painted white and black Estes Nike X also flew twice, first on a B6-4 and then on a C6-5. Both were nice flights. Again, you can see the motor weight difference because the B first flight weighted 3.3 oz and the C weighed 3.7 oz. (9:08) (14:03)

Member Jim had 4 flights:
- A 1.6"x13" black and yellow Estes Baby Bertha flew very well on a B6-4. (12:27)
- A 1.6"x24" also black and yellow Estes Big Bertha completed the trio of sizes of Estes "Berthas" as it flew on a C6-5 to a nice flight. (3:57)
- A 1.6"x23" green Estes Honest John took off on a D12-5 and was successfully recovered. (7:06)
- A 2.1"(54mm)x33" orange and black Rocketry Warehouse Formula 54 weighing just under 2lbs was propelled by an AT G53-10FJ Fast Jack (black smoke) with a JL altimeter III and JL CR inside. The altimeter III reported 1234' and the CR worked just fine for a nice flight. (18:27)

Member Paul had 4 flights:
- A 1.6"x16" silver Thrustline Sea Dart screamed off the pad on a C6-5 and was successfully recovered. (0:38)
- A 2.6"x13" scratch built green Fat Boy used a D12-5 for a nice flight. (20:50)
- A 2.6"x17" pink and purple Estes Mega Mosquito with a JL altimeter II onboard flew using an E15-4. (4:46)
- A 2.6"x60" blue and white scratch built "Blue Bird Zero" on an AT H180-10 White with a JL altimeter II and a JL CR set for 300 feet. A nice flight to watch. (13:05)

Member Howie had 1 flight:
- A 5.5"/6.6"x94" newly painted white, yellow, orange and red Madcow 1/3 Nike Smoke extended flew on a CTI K530 Smokey Sam with Marsa54 and Marsa33HD altimeters onboard along with a Wildman radio tracker. The 22lb rocket flew relatively slow with a maximum speed of 385ft/sec and to an altitude of 2103 feet. The main deployed at apogee but light winds meant it only drifted 3 fields to the north. The tracker was not connected to the rocket (user error) and fell out but was found by using the tracker. Thanks to James for allowing use of 1010 rail buttons and to Paul for assisting me by carrying the rocket back. (16:08)

It was a great day to be out with almost no bugs, not too much sun and a great crew for flying rockets.
The day's launch video can be found HERE


September, 2019

On Sept. 9, 2019 Howie did a show about the CRMRC for Positively Vermont on local PBS statio 17.

There are a lot of things everyone should recognize in the show: A CRMRC shirt (John, the shirt looks good on camera), many of Howie's rockets (His 6 patriots, Fat Boy III, Dark Star 2.1, 1/3 Nike Smoke extended), and many clips of many of your rockets flying (thanks Jim for recordiing, editing, and putting it out on YouTube).

The video can be watched HERE

 

Monthly Launch

The weather was picture perfect for a fine day of rocketry: sunny with temperatures in the low to mid-70s Fahrenheit (low 20s Celsius) and light variable winds. Our only concern was the nearby cornfield, where the corn plants were fully grown and lined up against us like a vast green army ready to capture errant rockets and rocketeers. More about that later.
Club president and rocket guru Howie was unable to attend (a rare occurrence), but we bravely carried on in his absence. Jim V. generously served as RSO, LCO, airspace safety liaison, and overall supervisor of everything. The launches proceeded smoothly and safely throughout the day. It was an excellent day of flying for all, and we appreciated everyone's hard work in setting up and taking down the equipment. Approximately 20 people attended the launch as fliers or spectators during the day, including 14 CRMRC members, 2 guest fliers, and approximately 4-5 more guests.

Set-up began at 0900 hours, and the field was ready for launches by 0945. Most people parallel parked on the north side of the farm road next to the launch area, although a few cars parked back at the crest of the hill. We set up the low-power rack in its regular location in the field at the bottom of the hill, north of the farm road. We set up two blue high-power pads at 100 feet from the launch table. The blue launch pads were about 25 feet apart, with a 1515 rail installed in the pad on the right, and a 1010 rail in the pad on the left. Most of the rods/rails were angled 10-15 degrees away from the direction of the cornfield. Eric M. set up a separate launch system for his hybrid motors about 300 feet away.
52 motors were flown on this busy CRMRC launch day: 11 A, 9 B, 11 C, 6 D, 2 E, 6 F, 2 G, 3 H, 1 I, 1 J, for a total of a K motor. Our mean motor size was a large C, and the median was a small C. The distribution of motors was bimodal, with a mode of 11 for both A and C. There were 5 complex motor configurations (clusters or two-stages). In terms of total impulse and average thrust, the largest motor of the day was a CTI 1266-J760 (Matt G's L2 flight), and the smallest motor in terms of average thrust was an Estes 2.3-A8-3 (several people), and the smallest motor in terms of total impulse was an Estes 2.0-A10-T (several people). The most unusual motor (for CRMRC) was Eric's Contrail hybrid I255.

We had two successful Level 1 certifications and one successful Level 2 certification, along with many exciting low-, mid-, and high-power flights. As listed below, the group launched an unusually large number of low-power flights. The club took advantage of the great weather (and refused to give in to arachnophobia and corn-o-phobia). Most flights successfully stayed away from the perilous cornfield, but a small handful of rockets did fall into the abyss. Most were recovered, but a few small ones may still be out there hidden in the field. Rocketeers who ventured into the labyrinthine cornfield were greeted by large yellow and black spiders swinging down from the tall corn plants, and red and black spiders were reported as well. But rocketry is always an adventure.

Flight details are described below (if a motor manufacturer is not listed, it is an Estes motor). For each flight, the time listed in parentheses refers to the time (minutes:seconds) of the flight as found within Jim V’s Youtube video of this 9/21/2019 launch day.

Guest Ansel had two flights. He flew his white/pink/black Estes Outlaw twice, once on a B6-4 (13:05) and once on a C6-5 (19:39). Both were good flights. The first flight landed near the low-power pads, and the second flight landed in the grass in front of the trees to the north. The rocket is 1.3 inch diameter, 22” tall, 3.0 ounces (including motor).

Guest Gareth had three flights. He flew his lime green Estes Leviathan twice, including his successful L1 flight. First, he flew this 3 inch dia., 42 inch tall, 1 lb, 11-ounce rocket on an AT G74W-9 with JLCR set to 300ft (0:53). It was good flight, reaching 985 feet altitude. It landed right in front of the launch line. Gareth then used the same rocket for his L1 certification flight (16:04)), same rocket but weighing 2 lbs, 1 ounce since the motor was heavier. He used an AT H135W-10 with JLCR set to 300 feet. This L1 flight was successful, reaching 2560 feet at apogee, landing in the grass near the ridgeline about 1000 feet NW of the launch area. Congratulations, Gareth!
Gareth also launched a blue/white Madcow Piranha, 2.6 inch dia., 25 inch tall, 1 lb 1 oz, on an AT F23FJ-7 with a JLCR (8:01). The rocket was unstable at liftoff and the parachute deployment appeared to be late, but it landed safely on the edge of the corn south of the launch line.

Member Ted flew a red/black Estes Swift (0.54 inch dia., 4.5 inch tall, 0.5 ounces) on an A10-3T (10:47). The rocket was tiny and very fast, a good flight but the rocket was lost.

Member Casey had two flights on the same rocket. The first flight of his white Cosmodrome Nike Smoke (2.25 inch dia., 32 inch tall, 1 lb 1 oz.) used an AT F42WT (4:53). It was a good flight although slightly unstable. The rocket landed in the grass about 200 feet from the low-power pad. Casey then flew the same rocket again on the same motor (AT F42WT), once again slightly unstable but a good flight (10:58)). It landed several rows into the corn SE of the launch site.

Member Zachary flew two rockets. He launched his gray Public Missiles AMRAAM 2 (2.1 inch dia., 42 inch tall, 1 lb, 14 oz) on an AT F52 (15:30). The chute did not deploy, and the rocket landed in the grass on the NW side of the field. Zachary also flew a red/blue FlisKits Frick-n-Frack (23:09). This consists of two pieces, totaling 10 inch dia., 3 inch tall, 3 ounces. The flight had two stages: C6-0 and C6-5 with a tumble recovery. The crowd enjoyed this unusual rocket's flight, although one piece remained stuck to the pad. It was a good flight otherwise, landing in the grass near the high-power pads.

Member Paul H had three flights. He flew a yellow/black Estes Skywriter (0.79 inch dia., 28 inch tall, 3 ounces) on an A8-3 (7:43). This was a good flight, and it landed in the grass near the launch pads. Paul H also flew a red/copper-color Estes Crossfire (1 inch dia., 16 inch tall, 2.6 ounces) on an A8-3 (15:14). It was a good flight overall. The chute became slightly tangled, but the rocket landed safely. Paul H also flew a yellow/silver/purple Estes Showstopper (1.5 inch dia., 26 inch tall, 5.8 ounces) on a C11-3 (26:42). This was also a good flight, and it landed near the high-power pads.

Member Kevin K flew his Estes Little Red (appropriately named) three times. The rocket is 0.75 inch dia., 12 inch tall, 1.7 ounces. The first two flights were on B6-4 motors (14:31 and 21:44), both good flights, landed in the grass near the launch area. Kevin K used a reflective mylar streamer. Some club members commented that his streamer was brighter and more sparkly than some streamers bought from rocket hobby companies. Kevin K said that he bought the mylar foil from Amazon, and it is produced by a company called VivoSun. Kevin's third flight of the Estes Little Red was on a C6-5 (25:17), also a good flight. The rocket landed past the trees to the north of the launch area.

Member Ben had three flights. His black/green Estes Alien Invader (1 inch dia., 24 inch tall, 2.5 ounces) flew on a B6-4 (22:31). This was a good flight that landed in the grass about 100 feet north of the high-power pads. Ben flew his black/white scratch-built Boson twice. The rocket is 1 inch diameter, 3.9 ounces, 30 inch tall, and it has two-stages. Ben used a B6-0 booster and B6-6 sustainer (31:08). It was a good flight that landed about 50 feet SW of the low-power pad. For his second flight of the Boson, Ben used a C6-0 as the booster and a C6-6 as sustainer (36:11). During the sustainer stage near apogee, this flight had a highly anomalous spiraling motion. Even so, the parachute deployed successfully, and the rocket landed safely near the low-power pad.

Member Victoria had four flights. She flew a red/white/blue Estes Alpha (1 inch dia., 12 inch tall, 2.3 ounces) on an A8-3 (10:12). This was a good flight that landed in the grass near the launch pads. She also flew a red/beige Estes Big Bertha (1.5 inch dia., 23.5 inch tall, 5.3 ounces) on a B6-4 (17:59). This flight was underpowered and low. Motor ejection occurred on the way down at about 20 feet in the air above the launch line. The rocket landed a few feet in front of the launch line. Victoria also flew a white Estes Bull Pup (1.5 inch dia., 15.5 inch tall, 4.2 ounces) on an A8-3 (24:18). This flight was also underpowered, and it crashed next to the low-power pads. Motor ejection occurred right as it landed on the ground. Finally, Victoria flew a pink/purple, Estes Star Orbiter (1.75 inch dia., 45.5 inch tall, 11.4 ounces), on a 29mm E16-6 (27:19). This was a good flight, and it landed in the grass close to the trucks.

Member Hugues had a busy day of five flights. His yellow Estes Goblin (1 inch dia., 12 inch tall, 4 ounces) flew on a D12-7 with streamer recovery (0:07). This was a good flight, and it landed in the grass near the tree line north of the launch site. Hugues flew his brown (unpainted) Estes Expedition (1.6 inch dia., 22 inch tall, 6 ounces) on a C11-3. This was a good flight, and it also landed near where the Goblin landed. Hugues also flew a blue Mach 1 Xcelerator (1.1 inch dia., 30 inch tall, 11.5 ounces). For this rocket, he used an AT E28-7 (8:37). It was a good flight, reaching an apogee of 1300 feet, and it landed in the grass about 500 feet NW of the launch site. Hugues' fourth flight ended in the cornfield. His yellow Quest Magnum (1.2 inch dia., 24 inch tall, 6.5 ounces, with altimeter) flew on a cluster of two Estes D21-7 motors (18:17). It was an unstable flight, as the nosecone broke away from booster, and then both pieces were landed in the cornfield SE of the launch area. Hugues eventually found the yellow booster but not the black nosecone, which contains an altimeter. This small piece would be almost impossible to find in the tall corn. Hugues marked GPS coordinates of his search area in the field and may return later to look again after the corn is harvested (although it may not survive the harvesting equipment). Hugues' day ended on a happier note with a successful flight of his green Estes Big Daddy (2.6 inch dia., 16 inch tall, 10.6 oz) on an F44-8 (29:25), which landed about 300 feet north of the launch line and 10 feet from the corn. We were all happy for Hugues that this rocket didn't go into the corn like the Quest Magnum.

Member Gary was the busiest flier of all, completing 8 flights. He flew his red Estes Baby Bertha (1.5 inch dia., 12 inch tall, 2.5 ounces) on a B4-4 (4:43). There was no separation or chute, and the rocket lawn-darted hard into the grass near the low-power pad. In addition to the Baby Bertha, Gary also has a Big Bertha (1.5 inch dia., 24 inch tall, 4.1 ounces), and he flew this rocket on a C6-5 (5:59). This was a good flight that landed in the grass NW of the launch area. Gary also flew his tan Estes Express (1.25 inch dia., 24 inch tall, 4.6 ounces) on a D12-5 with an Estes Altimeter on board (11:40). This was a good flight that landed near the trees to the north of the launch line. Gary's green two-part Estes Spinner (0.5 inch dia., 4 inch tall, 0.5 ounces) flew on an A10-T (18:55). It was a good flight, and it landed near the high-power pads.
The ill-fated flight of Gary's black/orange Estes Alpha (0.75 inch dia., 12 inch tall, 1.8 ounces) began quite promisingly, with a smooth launch on an A8-3 (23:46). The chute deployed properly, but the rocket landed approximately 200 yards into the cornfield east of the launch area. Using the video of the flight, we could see that the rocket landed not far past a single green bush standing in the corn. But even with this landmark, it was too difficult to locate the rocket in the dense corn and spider webs. Rocket lost.
On a happier note, Gary's red Estes Wildfire (1 inch dia., 12 inch tall, 2 ounces) flew successfully on an A8-3 (36:48), and landed near the low-power pad.
Gary's red/gold Estes Sparkly rocket (1.25 inch dia., 15 inch tall, 3.4 ounces) flew on a C6-3 (35:00) but broke apart during flight. The booster was recovered in the tall grass next to the corn.
Finally, Gary flew his white Estes Firebird (1.25 inch diameter, 3 ounces, 24 inch tall) on a C6-3 (37:13). This was a good flight, and it landed about 10 feet west of the cornfield.

Member Eric M continued his work with hybrid motors today (liquid and solid propellant combination). Many of the fliers in attendance had never seen a hybrid launch before, so it was interesting to learn from Eric about hybrid motors. The actual flight didn't quite work out this time. Eric launched his green scratch-built String Bean (2.5 inch dia., 96 inch tall, 8 lbs) on a Contrail I155 Hybrid with a PerfectFlite altimeter set for deployment at 300 ft (10:35). The hybrid motor over-pressurized, so the rocket only rose to about 25 feet and fell back down, damaging the rocket.

Member James only launched one rocket today (6:50), and it was his first build of a minimum-diameter rocket (54mm). This apple-red MAC Performance HYPER54 rocket (78 inch tall, 5 lbs 6 oz) is designed for head-end deploy (HED). The rocket carried redundant dual deploy altimeters RRC2@300ft and Altus Metrum EasyMini@500ft (connected to shared canisters), Featherweight magnetic switch, Featherweight GPS, PerfectFlite APRA altimeter, MaxQ/Binder Design aluminum fins, and Additive Aerospace flyaway rail guide. James launched this rocket on a CTI H225WhiteThunder. The flyaway rail guide was recovered easily about 20 feet away from the launch pad. The flight itself was smooth going up, and the deployment charges fired properly both for the drogue and then at 500 feet for main chute. Unfortunately, however, the chute remained stuck in the nosecone. The rocket landed hard, but there was no damage at all -- the aluminum fins are very strong! James and Ted recovered the rocket in the grass just past the first line of trees to the north. In the future, James should put the HED charge farther down inside the tip of the nosecone.

Member Carolyn had two flights, including her successful L1 certification. First, she launched a black MAC Zodiac (2.1 inch dia., 49 inch tall, 2 lbs 12 ounces) on an AT G76-7G with JLCR set to 400 ft, and an Eggtimer TRS/GPS (20:44). It was a good flight, reaching 976 ft at apogee, and it landed in the grass about 100 feet north of the low-power pads. For her successful L1 certification (32:01), Carolyn flew the same MAC Zodiac (3 lbs) on an AT H165R, with an Eggtimer TRS/GPS. The chute released at apogee (which was 1703 feet). The rocket landed nearby, just past the trees to the north. Congratulations, Carolyn!

Member Matt G successfully received his L2 certification on a yellow/purple LOC VII (1:54). The rocket was 7.5 inch diameter, 90 inch tall, and it weighed 17 lbs 10 oz. Matt launched it on a CTI J760WT using the 1515 rail. The parachute deployed at apogee as planned, and the rocket gently descended on an elegant SkyAngle parachute. It landed softly in the grass near the trees NW of the launch site. Congratulations, Matt!

As a newly minted L2, Matt stayed busy launching one mid-power flight and four low-power flights. He launched his orange Aerotech Arreauxbee-Hi (2.5 inch dia., 53 inch tall, 1 lb, 7.5 oz) on an AT F42-4 (13:37). This was a good flight although there was some instability during lift-off, maybe underpowered. The rocket landed in the grass about 400 feet NW of the launch site. Matt also launched his blue/silver Estes Curvilinear (1.64 inch dia., 10.5 inch tall, 50 g) on an A10-3T (19:16). This was a good flight that landed in the grass just north of the high-power pads. Matt flew his yellow/blue Estes Checkmate (0.74 inch dia., 17 inch tall, 40 g) as a two-stage flight (24:29). He used an A10-0T as booster and an A10-3T as sustainer. This was a good flight, and it came down with streamer recovery, landing in the grass about 50 feet north of the low-power pads.

Matt flew his blue/white Estes Conquest on a D12-3 (1.5 inch dia., 22 inch tall, 212 g) (28:29). It was a good flight. It landed a few rows into the cornfield, but Matt located it quickly. Lastly, Matt flew his white/red Estes Super Big Bertha (2.5 inch dia., 36 inch tall, 12.5 ounces) on a D12-3 (35:40). This was a good flight that landed in the tall grass next to the cars, easily recovered.

By 1430, we had exhausted our supplies of rocket motors and our personal energies, so we packed up and went home.


October, 2019

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, as Charles Dickens might say — but mostly it was the best of times. After a few early setbacks, the October 2019 CRMRC launch was a great success on a beautiful sunny day in St. Albans, including Dave L.’s Halloween-themed flights, the famous Howie Pyramid, a double-glider Shuttle Express flight (Gerry & Dave), and many other interesting and successful flights. We were pleased that a reporter from Vermont Public Radio came to observe the launches, and she brought along her family to participate. In addition, the weather was excellent: low winds, comfortable temperatures around 50 F / 10 C (it felt warmer in the sun), and mostly sunny skies with just an occasional small white cumulus cloud floating by at approximately 2000 feet above ground level. The fields were slightly soft from rain earlier in the week, which helped to limit the effects of some hard landings. There were a few small patches of open water in the fields and in the ditch beside the farm road, but we quickly learned to avoid the wet areas (some people learned this lesson with wet socks). The ditch beside the road had approximately 1 foot of water standing in the middle of the crossing areas, but rocketeers learned to avoid this water in the ditch by attentively stepping across it. Many rocketeers wore tall rubber boots. Other rocketeers had wet shoes and socks. In our main field, there were several low patches with standing water about 110 feet from the launch table, but we were able to place the blue 1010 pad in a dry area in front of those water patches. Most cars and trucks were parallel-parked along the north side of the farm road, and there were no problems with driving on the road (in fact, the west half of the farm road has been freshly treated with a gravel surface, making it easier to drive on). Winds were light and variable, sometimes almost calm.

Despite these near-perfect flying conditions, we faced several challenges early in the day. When club members arrived at about 0900 hours to begin setting up the equipment, we discovered mechanical problems in both of the blue 1010 high-power launch pads. But rocketeers are always resourceful and persistent, and the group soon found a way to stabilize one of the blue pads for successful high-power launches (Paul S. has kindly offered to repair the problematic bolts before next month’s launch). The battery that powers the launch system posed the second challenge: it had lost its electrical charge. The low/mid-power pads were in their usual location 50 feet from the launch table, and Jim V. helpfully drove his truck into a position just west of the launch table. Club members then connected jumper cables from Jim’s truck battery to the launch system. The third major challenge came when we were finally ready to begin launches, sometime after 1000 hours: a light wind was blowing directly toward the cornfield, which was still not harvested even this far into October. Jim V. had warned us about this situation the night before when he visited the field. On launch day, we found that the corn stalks and husks were dry but still standing unharvested, about 7-8 feet tall, and the field was still fully dense and difficult to navigate. Fortunately, there were far fewer insects and spiders than in September. Only one spider was reported, although some old spider webs still lurked among the corn stalks. As discussed below, one and a half rockets were lost in the cornfield during this day. But in the end, we defeated the corn: First, we angled the launch pads 5-10 degrees to the west so that most rockets returned safely to our main field or just inside the cornfield where they could be easily recovered. Second, the winds seemed to become progressively calmer during the morning, so that later in the day most rockets were easily recovered in the main grassy field or in the other grassy field to the south of the farm road. Third, Hugues ventured deep into the cornfield and found the nosecone from his rocket lost in September, including his lost altimeter. Fourth, Dave L. found the booster from a purple Estes Eliminator in another part of the cornfield, and this turned out to be the booster tube that Michael W. had lost in September, albeit somewhat warped from sitting for a month in a wet field.

The VPR reporter and her family joined us from about 1000 to 1100 hrs. She interviewed Howie, Ben G., Howard G. (UMass-Lowell) and several other rocketeers, and she made audio recordings of a few rocket launches. She stayed long enough to observe several low- and mid-power launches and two high-power launches. After a demonstration flight of a CTI H123-Skidmark (38mm), she and her family had to leave for a sports event to attend. We look forward to her VPR report about CRMRC.

The UMass-Lowell student team set up their rocket equipment on the south side of the farm road, near the crest of the hill. As with many college teams, they chose to do many of their rocket preparations on the field, so they were not ready to launch until about 1430 hours. After their flight and ensuing adventures in the cornfield (see below), we all packed up around 1530 hrs and headed to Mill River for the traditional CRMRC after-launch meal, a monthly event attended this time by 10 CRMRC rocketeers and/or family members, as well as a UMass-Lowell student.

Other club notes: FYI the bright blue extension cords and the bright red extension cord were measured as 100 feet long. Also note that (since July 2019) the club has two public signs that can be posted along Maquam Shore Road at the entrance to our launch site: (1) the original small black/white CRMRC sign with its rocket drawing, and (2) a tall model rocket with the CRMRC logo and the words Rocket Launch (see video at 0:09).

Motors:

We flew 35 motors of varying sizes, and the total for the day was equivalent to an L motor. Each impulse class from B to K was represented by at least one launch. Surprisingly, no A motors were flown on this day. The number of motors in each class are listed as follows: 1 B, 8 C, 6 D, 2 E, 2 F, 6 G, 6 H, 2 I, 1 J, 1 K. Our mean motor size was a large E, the median was a small F, and the mode was a C motor (8 C motors). There was only 1 complex motor configuration (a two-stage flight of C6-0 to C6-7 by Jacob). In terms of total impulse and average thrust, the largest motor of the day was a K motor (CTI 2108-K780BS, UMass-Lowell), and the smallest motor was an Estes 5-B6-0 (Jim V.).


Flights:

Flight details are described below (if a motor manufacturer is not listed, it is an Estes motor). For each flight, the time listed in parentheses refers to the time (minutes:seconds) of the flight as found within Jim V’s YouTube video of this 10/19/2019 CRMRC launch day.


Guest Jacob
Estes Mongoose, yellow/purple, 1-inch dia, 30-inch tall, 4 ounces
-Two-stage C6-0 to C6-7 (video: 1:53)
-Result: Good flight, booster recovered nearby, rocket landed safely away from the corn.


Guests Gerry & Dave
Estes Shuttle Express, white/blue, 1-inch dia, 18-inch tall, 3.6 ounces
-C6-5 (video 9:28)
-Result: Good flight with a double-glider system. The launch was smooth, and the two shuttle express gliders separated from the booster properly at apogee and glided down to the main field. One glider appeared to glide in a more stable manner than the other one, but both landed safely, and all parts of the launch system were successfully recovered.


Guest Ryan G.
1. Estes Space Twister, white/green/black, 1-inch dia, 20-inch tall, 25 grams
-C6-5 (video 3:47)
-Result: Nice space-twisting, good flight, landed a few rows into the cornfield but successfully recovered.

2. Estes Phantom Blue, silver/blue/black, 1-inch dia, 18-inch tall, 26 grams
-C6-5 (video 5:04)
-Result: Good flight, landed in the tall grass on the edge of the cornfield, successfully recovered.


Member Ben G.
Scratch-built Unnamed Sequel Machbuster unpainted, 1.6-inch, 30-inch tall, 1 lb 4 ounces
-CTI F36-9Blue with JLCR at 300 ft, Eggfinder GPS, Ardiv altimeter (video 19:09)
-Result: Good launch, but broke into two pieces after the ejection charge deployed, recovered safely.


Member Ted R.
1. Estes Honest John, white/red/black, 1.64-inch dia, 23-inch tall, 7 ounces
-D12-5 (video 6:50)
-Result: Good launch and motor ejection, but parachute was tangled. Landed in the grass about 200 feet from the low-power pads.

2. Estes Bertha, orange/white, 1.64-inch dia, 24-inch tall, 4.1 ounces
-C6-5 (video 10:10)
-Result: Good flight, landed safely in the main field.

3. Estes Nike X, white, 1.33-inch dia, 23.4-inch tall, 3.4 ounces
-C6-5 (video 14:52)
-Result: Good flight, landed in the tall grass next to the cornfield, easily recovered.


Member Jim V.
1. Squirrel Pie-in-Sky saucer, pizza colors, 4.6-inch dia, 2.75-inch tall, 1.2 ounces
-B6-0 (video 6:28)
-Result: Good flight, interesting spinning motion, recovered near the low-power pads.

2. Wildman Punisher Sport, black/green, 2.1-inch via, 33-inch tall, 1 lb 15 ounces
-AT G64W-10 with JCLR set to 300 feet (video 8:25)
-Result: Good flight, JLCR deployed at 300 feet, landed in the main field.

3. Estes SR71, black, 1-inch dia, 19-inch tall, 5.4 ounces
-C6-3 (video 15:50)
-Result: Good flight with realistic jet-like appearance during the launch, successful deployment and recovery in the main field.

4. Rocketry Warehouse Formula 54, orange, 54mm dia (2.13 inches dia), 33-inch tall, 1 lb 14 ounces
-AT G76-7G with JLCR set to 300 feet and JL AltIII altimeter (video 26:04)
-Result: Good flight, successful deployment at 300 feet, descended with an interesting swinging motion of the booster in circles beneath the chute, landed safely on the edge of the cornfield, easily recovered.


Member Hugues
1. Madcow DX3, orange, 2.6-inch dia, 44-inch tall, 2 lbs 9 ounces (video 5:44)
-AT H115DM with JLCR set for 300 feet and an altimeter, tracker, and camera. The camera was made by Mobius.
-Result: Somewhat unstable during launch, but spectacular Dark Matter motor (similar to Skidmark formula but darker). Landed on the edge of the cornfield, easily recovered.

2. Estes V2, red/white, 2.6-inch dia, 20-inch tall, 9.5 ounces
-E12-4 (video 16:21)
-Result: Good flight, landed in the main field.

3. Quest Magnum, 1-inch dia, 18-inch tall, 7 ounces
-D21-7 with altimeter (no video available)
-Result: Good flight


Member Daniel M.
1. Public Missiles Miranda, blue/yellow, 3-inch dia, 60-inch tall, 3 lbs 5 ounces
-CTI H182-R with JLCR at 300 feet (video 0:45)
-Result: Good launch, JLCR appeared to release correctly at 300 feet, but the parachute didn’t complete unfurl — a bit tangled. Even so, the rocket landed nearby in the soft grass without damage.

2. Madcow Black Brant, black/white, 2.6-inch dia, 48-inch tall, 3 lbs 7 ounces
-AT G75J with JLCR set to 300 feet (video 14:14)
-Result: Nice launch with black smoke from the AT Black Jack propellant formula (similar to CTI Smoky Sam) but the flight ended anomalously without complete chute deployment. The rocket landed in the main field.

3. Aerotech Arreau, yellow/black, diameter/length not listed, 1 lb 1.2 ounces
-F-50-6T (video 20:05)
-Result: Good flight, landed near the tree-line of the main field.

4. Blue Bird, yellow booster with blue nosecone, 2.25-inch dia, 47-inch tall, 7 ounces
-AT G77-4R (video 27:47)
-Result: Good launch but the yellow booster broke away at apogee and landed separately, far out into the cornfield. The blue nosecone landed in the cornfield under the parachute. Daniel and James found the nosecone and parachute but not the booster (which is similar in color to the yellow corn cobs and the light brown corn stalks).


Member Dave L.’s Halloween Trio (video of trio begins at 17:01)
1. Scratch-built Halloween Saucer, orange, 11-inch dia, 4-inch tall, 4.6 ounces
-D12-3 (video (18:02)
-Result: Very nice saucer flight, landed safely right beside the Pile-o-Pumpkins rocket waiting for launch (see below)

2. Scratch-built Pile-o-Pumpkins, a stack of four orange plastic pumpkins in decreasing size, 8-inch dia, 24-inch tall, 3 lbs 5 ounces
-CTI H123SK (29mm) (video 18:29)
-Result: Highly anomalous but entertaining spiral motion during launch, successful deployment, recovered on the edge of the cornfield. We noticed that the spark stream of the Skidmark motor was notably separated from the smoke portion of the exhaust — projected outward at two different angles of rotation during the spiraling part of the flight.

3. Scratch-built Departed, painted white with a big skull as the nosecone of the rocket, 2-inch dia, 26-inch tall, 14.8 ounces
-AT E20-4 (video 17:07)
-Result: Good flight, good deployment, landed on a vehicle and bounced off.


Member Paul S.
1. Scratch-built Fat Boy, green, 2.6 inch dia, 14 inch tall, 5.6 ounces
-D12-5 (video 0:14)
-Result: Good flight, except that it landed about 3/4 mile into the cornfield to the east. Paul searched for it diligently, but the rocket was not found.

2. Estes Leviathan, pink and black flame pattern, 3-inch dia, 41.5-inch tall, 1.12 lbs
-AT G75J-7L with JLCR at 300 ft and JL AltII altimeter (video 12:32)
-Result: Good flight, 1782 feet apogee reported, landed near the launch site.

3. Madcow Seawolf, cream-color, 4-inch dia, 38-inch tall, 7 lbs 0 ounces
-AT I364FJ-10 with JLCR at 300 ft and JL AltII altimeter, using masking tape as additional protection against possible drag separation due to large fins/extra weight in nose (video: 22:23)
-Result: Spectacular launch of the Seawolf on Fast Jack propellant (dark billowy smoke), straight and smooth flight up, successful deployment, landed safely in the field south of the farm road.

4. Scratch-built Kilter, white, 1.63-inch dia, 16-inch tall, 6 ounces, split fins
-D12-3 (video 27:12)
-Result: Good flight, landed on the main field.


Member James
1. MAC Performance Rocketry Menace 442, blue/white, 4-inch dia, 42-inch tall, 6 lbs
-CTI H123SK (38 mm) with Featherweight GPS and PerfectFlite APRA altimeter (video 2:49)
-Result: Good flight, landed near the tree line on our main field.

2. Estes Mammoth, black/gold, 2-inch dia, 60-inch tall, 1 lb 2 ounces
-AT G74W-4 (video 11:03)
-Result: During the launch, we observed considerable instability at max-Q, and club members suggested that this aging rocket may have outlived its glory days and may need to be retired. Otherwise, a good flight, landed safely in front of the tree line on the end of the main field.

3. MAC Performance Rocketry 3-inch Black Fly, black/white, 3-inch dia, 39-inch tall, 4 lbs 1 ounce
-CTI H110White with JLCR at 300 ft (video 23:45)
-Result: Smooth launch to 1,942 feet apogee at 234 mph, successful deployment at 300 feet, landed safely in the field south of the farm road, near where the UMass-Lowell students were assembling their rocket (so Howie implemented the warning airhorn).


Member and Club President Howie
1. Estes Saturn V (1/200th scale), white/black, 2-inch dia, 20-inch tall, 6.4 ounces
-Quest D16-6 (video 7:32)
-Result: Good launch of this Saturn V on the interesting APCP Quest D motor, but then the booster separated from the nosecone. Both parts were successfully recovered in the main field.

2. Scratch-built Pyramid, light blue, 24-inch dia, 12-inch tall, 1 lb 6 ounces
-CTI H90CL (video 13:47)
-Result: Good flight of the ever-reliable and entertaining Howie Pyramid. Landed right next to the low-power pads.

3. Wildman Dark Star Classic, black, 3-inch dia, 94-inch tall, 10 lbs 8 ounces
-CTI J381SK with MissileWorks RRC set for main deployment at 500 feet (and small drogue at apogee) and Wildman Tracker (video: 24:40)
-Result: Good flight, loud and crowd-pleasing launch with Skidmark propellant, straight flight up accompanied by distinctive whistling sound from the split-fins design of the Dark Star, reached an apogee of 2,270 feet, successful deployment at 500 feet, safely recovered near the tree line of the main field.


Member Howard G.
Giant Leap Rocketry Road Kill, gray, 2.5-inch dia, 72-inch tall, 5 lbs 1 ounce
-CTI I345WT with Missile Works RRC3 set for main chute at 700 feet, drogue-less (video 20:48)
-Result: Good straight launch, successful deployment at 700 feet, landed safely at the edge of the cornfield

Member Howard G. with UMass-Lowell students
Scratch-built Astrohawk, blue/white/orange, 4-inch diameter, length not listed (appeared to be approx. 6 feet), 16 lbs 5 ounces
-CTI K780BS with three PerfectFlite Stratologgers and Wildman tracker, with main chute set for 700 feet (video 28:53)
-We moved the blue 1010 pad out to 200 feet for this K motor launch.
-Result: Fairly stable launch, bright blue flame from the Blue Streak propellant, motor ejection at apogee with drogue, but the dual-deploy systems did not appear to deploy at 700 feet, landed in the corn near the north end of the cornfield. The student team walked together into the corn, carrying a 1010 rail with an orange flight card taped to the top for visibility. Howie communicated with them via cellphone, providing directions along the line-of-sight of where the rocket landed. The rocket was successfully recovered; some repairs may be needed due to landing under drogue rather than main parachute.

 

November, 2019

In recent months, CRMRC has bravely outlasted insects, arachnids, and dense cornfields, so now it is time for the challenge of snow. The November 16, 2019 CRMRC launch day was a great success on a beautiful sunny day with light winds. We just had to cope with a bit of snow. When club members arrived at about 0900 hours, several vehicles immediately became stuck in a patch of hard-packed snow drifts on the farm road near the ridge of the hill. This is our traditional location for stuck vehicles in the winter, so we went to work. Using metal shovels and some elbow grease, we eventually dug out Paul and Vickie H's truck, but Jim V's Chevy Silverado was in too deep. John A drove back to a nearby store to buy an appropriate tow line, and then used his big burly Ford F250 to yank Jim V's truck out of the snow on the first try.


Because of these snow adventures, we were not ready to begin setting up the launch site until 1045. Rocketeers hand-carried their gear down the farm road approximately one-quarter mile to the launch site, which we set up on the western edge of the cornfield (the east field). We were pleased to see that the cornfield had been harvested, so it was a perfect place for rockets to land all day. The equipment trucks were able to drive down to the launch site using the northwest field, which was relatively free from snow. They parked on the west side of the drainage ditch near the launch site. In the east field, the low-power rack was set up 50 feet from the launch table. Since the light wind was generally from the NW, we angled most of the rods/rails about 5-8 degrees NW. We set up the two blue pads at 100 feet with 1010 rails, along with an extra length of 100-foot cord for K-motor flights and an optional 1515 rail. The two blue pads featured Paul S's expertly designed new bolt system, which worked perfectly (thanks, Paul!). Launches began about 1145, about two hours later than usual.


The weather forecast had called for windchills as low as 0 F (-18 C). But actually the wind turned out to be lighter than expected, so it was quite comfortable (at least for rocketeers who were dressed with appropriate winter gear). Club president and rocket guru Howie had a hunch that Saturday would be a better flying day than Sunday on this weekend, and this proved prescient. On Saturday the temperature was just cold enough to keep the fields from becoming too muddy during the sunny afternoon (the dark ground absorbs sunlight radiation), whereas Sunday would have been a full-scale mud fight.


The launch was attended by 12 CRMRC members who launched rockets, 7 guests who launched rockets, and 8-10 more guests who came to observe flights throughout the day. We welcomed college student groups from Northeastern University (Boston) and Rensselaer Polytechnic (Troy, NY) who joined us on this launch day (see their launch details below).


Notable events:


Congratulations to both Kevin K and Kavya V. for their successful L1 certifications, as discussed below.


Paul S. found the 2.25-inch diameter yellow booster from Daniel M's Blue Bird rocket that had been lost in the cornfield for a month. During the October launch of this rocket, the booster had landed separately far out in the tall corn. It had pulled free from the nosecone during the flight (Aerotech G77-4R). Last month, the team of rescuers had only been able to find the blue nosecone, not the yellow booster, which matched the corn stalks too closely in color. Paul found it today.


The closest-to-pad award goes to James for his See-Thru Rocket, which landed approximately 10 feet from its launch location on the low-power rack. (This contest requires no skill, just luck.)


Motors:


We flew a total of 27 motors, with no clusters or multi-stage flights. For the second month in a row, no A motors were flown (reason unknown). However, every impulse class from B through K was represented by at least one flight. The distribution of motors was 1 B, 5 C, 3 D, 1 E, 2 F, 1 G, 6 H, 4 I, 2 J, 2 K. In terms of impulse classes, the mean motor size was H, the mode was H (6 H motors), the median was a small H, and the overall total was a small M. Note: Even though the mode was H, the distribution was still a generally bimodal pattern in H and C (6 H and 5 C), which is often the case for our club.


Smallest motor: Estes B4 with 5.0 Newton-seconds of total impulse and 4.2 N/s average thrust, which is an 18mm x 70mm motor with a listed burn-time of 1.0 sec.


Largest motor: CTI 2372K1440 (85% K) flown by the Northeastern University student team with a total impulse of 2372 Newton-seconds, or 533 lbs total across the burn. It also had the largest average thrust of the day (1440 Newtons/second, or 324 pounds/second). This 54mm x 572mm 6-grain motor uses a fast-burning propellant formula (White Thunder), and the burn-time is 1.6 seconds. In other words, it is an awesome motor as long as you don't blink. The second largest motor of the day also used White Thunder propellant: Howie's CTI 1633K940, which is a 54mm x 404mm 4-grain motor (28% K) with a burn-time of 1.8 seconds.


Longest burn-time: The motor with the longest burn-time was Ben's CTI 168H54WH/LongBurn motor, which is listed with a burn-time of 3.1 seconds.

Flight details:


Guest Luke B:
-Estes No-Name, gray, unknown diameter and length, 2.5 oz. Two flights on Estes C6-5. Videos of the two flights start at 0:07 and 7:16.
Results: Good flights.


Member Howard
-Custom Fat Boy III, red, 2.6 in. dia., 2 in. tall, 1 lb 4 oz, JLCR set to 300, CTI E31WT. Video at 5:12.
Result: Good launch but the chute did not appear to deploy correctly. Landed fairly hard in the west field.


Member Zachary T:
-PML AMRAAM 2, gray, 2.1 in. dia., 42 in. tall, 1 lb 13 oz, AT F52-8T. Video at 1:05.
Result: Good launch, ejection charge was a little late, but safely deployed and landed successfully in the west field in front of the tree line.


Guest William H:
-Scatch-built Screw Cone, red and white, 3.1 in. dia., 43 in. tall, 2 lbs 10 oz, AT G75 Black Jack. Video at 9:58.
Result: Good flight, landed nearby in the east field.


Member Michael:
-Estes Savage, white, pink, black, 1.33 in. dia., 32 in. tall, 4.3 oz, Estes C6-7.
Result: Good flight, landed in the east field. Video at 15:42.


-Estes Red Flare, red and black, 2 in. dia., 14 in. tall, 8.5 oz., Estes D12-5. Video at 5:34.
Result: Good flight, landed in the east field.


Member Paul H:
-Estes Heatseeker, red and silver, 1.08 in. dia., 18.75 in. tall, 3.2 oz, Estes B4-4. Video at 2:29.
Result: Good launch and separation although the parachute was a bit tangled., landed safely.


-Estes Phoenix Bird, 1.35 in. dia., 24.25 in. tall, Estes C6-5, 4.5 oz. Video at 7:53.
Result: Good flight, landed nearby in the east field.


Member Vickie H:
-Estes Patriot Missile, red, white, yellow, black, 1.64 in. dia., 21.125 in. tall, 5 oz, Estes C6-5. Video 2:08.
Result: Good launch, late deployment charge but landed safely in the west field.


-Estes Goblin, yellow and black, 1.33 in. dia., 14.4 in. tall, 4.6 oz., Estes D12-5 (video not available)
Result: Good flight


Member and Club Secretary Jim V:
-Madcow Mantis, green and black, 3 in. dia, 50 in. tall, 3 lbs, 14 oz, carrying Eggfinder Quark altimeter, CTI H163WT, dual deployment. Video at 8:42.
Result: Good flight, landed safely in the east field. The rocket reached an apogee of 996 feet. The main charge fired on the way down at 500 feet as planned, but this happened to be the same time as the ejection charge. As a result, both main and drogue were deployed at about the same time.


Member Ben G:
-Scratch-built untitled and unpainted, 1.6 in. dia., 36 in. tall, 1 lb 8 oz, ArdIV, Eggfinder GPS, JLCR set to 300, CT H54-10WH Long Burn. This was Ben's latest flight of a future Mach-buster flight. Video at 2:48.
Result: A bit unstable during launch, but otherwise it was a good flight. We look forward to Ben's future Mach-busting flight on this rocket.


Guest Kavya V. (Northeastern University):
-L1 certification flight of Binder Excel, white, 4 in. dia., 50.4 in. tall, 3 lbs, 4 oz, AT H165RL. Video at 12:58.
Result: Successful L1 certification flight, good launch, deployment, and descent, landed gently in the east field near the launch area. The booster landed upright in the ground (it stuck the landing, as rocketeers like to say). Congratulations, Kavya!


Member John A:
Little John, olive green, 4 in. dia., 48 in. tall, 7 lbs 15 oz, CTI I350 Smokey Sam, Jolly Logic Altimeter. Video at 3:24.
Result: Good flight, reached an altitude of 2,776 feet, successful deployment, landed in the east field.


Guest Jasper (RPI)
Scratch-built Madness, yellow, 1.1 in. dia., 22 in. tall, 1 lb., AT I205W, streamer recovery, altitude predicted to 9000 feet, which is nicely ambitious but it is hard to locate a small rocket at high altitudes with no GPS tracker. Video at 7:29.
Result: Vanished into thin air.


Member Kevin T:
Scratch-built AMRAAM, gray, 4 in. dia., 81 in. tall, 8 lbs, Eggtimer TRS, Raven3, JLCR set for 400, AT I435 Blue. Video at 6:41.
Result: Good flight and successful deployment, landed near the tree line of the west field.


Member Kevin K:
-L1 attempt on Madcow SuperDX3, red and white, 4 in. dia, 68 in. tall, 5 lbs 2 oz., AT H100W, JLCR set for 400. Video at 5:59.
Result: Good launch and separation, but chute didn't deploy. Rocket landed hard in the east field, but undamaged. Certification not successful (but see his next flight below).


-L1 certification on Madcow SuperDX3, red and white, 4 in. dia, 68 in. tall, 5 lbs, 6 oz, CTI H225WT (no JLCR this time). Video at 14:24.
Result: Successful L1 certification. Good straight launch, and the rocket landed safely in the east field, easily recovered. Congratulations, Kevin!


Member James:
- Scratch-built See-Thru Rocket, made from a transparent plastic tube (45-inch long, 2 inch diameter tube donated by Daniel M) with an Estes Pro Series 2-inch fin can and nosecone. The rocket is 62 in. tall, 1 lb 8 oz, and it flew on an AT F67-4W. Video at 0:36.
Result: Good flight.


- IN MEMORIAM: On this sixteenth day of the eleventh month in the year two thousand nineteen, James' dearly beloved Madcow SuperDX3-Extended was laid to rest after suffering a severe motor failure at approximately 1500 feet high and 500 mph. This red and black, 4 in. dia., 79 in. tall, 8 lb rocket carried a JLCR, Featherweight GPS, and Eggfinder GPS (built by Ben G.). The rocket was powered by the usually reliable CTI J394Green (6XL), predicted for 4500 feet at 580 mph. Unfortunately, this particular J394 motor over-pressurized about 2 seconds into the flight, cato-ing the rocket in a sudden burst of smoke, then skywriting across the sky for several more seconds of burn time. Video at 4:31. Howie notes that motors will burn slowly if the motor case is depressurized (as formalized in St. Robert's Burn-Rate Law: Burn rate is directly proportional to chamber pressure). Pieces of the rocket then began raining down on the field (at a safe distance from onlookers), including the three fins and various scraps from the airframe and motor mount. When Luke and James recovered the main part of the rocket in the field, they found it lying in the snow with the booster section burning quietly with orange flames and dark smoke. James and Luke sprinkled snow on the booster section to extinguish the fire until it was safe and cool enough to handle. Everything else on the rocket is fine, including payload bay, nosecone, shock cord, parachute, GPS trackers, and other equipment in the upper half of the rocket. The onboard GPS trackers correctly reported the landing site coordinates. Post-flight inspection of the still-smoldering motor mount showed that the heavy aluminum CTI 6XL motor case had suffered a fatal 2-inch long gash all the way through the case. This SuperDX3 rocket had lived a long and happy life over the years, including James' L1 and L2 certifications and numerous other flights, such as a J530-Imax to 5121 feet and also two flights on the Loki K627 to 6200 feet at 640 mph (Loki K627 is the largest commercially certified 38mm motor).
R.I.P. (Rest In Pieces)


Guest Trevor D (Northeastern University)
L2 certification attempt of his I-Got-Better Binder Design Excel, white and red, 4 in. dia., 72 in. tall, 6 lbs, 4.5 oz, AT J500Green, dual deploy with RRC2+ set for main at 500 feet. Video at 12:22.
Result: Good launch (very straight) but main chute deployment did not occur, and so the rocket had a hard landing, not certified. It appeared that there was a motor ejection, but no dual-deploy system charges.


Member Paul S:
-Estes Big Daddy, blue and yellow, 5 in. dia., 16 in. tall, 9.6 oz, Estes D12-3 (x-form 18 inl parachute). Video at 1:39.
Result: Good flight, landed in the east field.


-Estes Leviathan, pink and black flame design, 3 in. dia., 41.5 in. tall, 14 oz, JLCR set for 300, JL AltII, AT H97 Blackjack. Video at 9:28.
Result: Good flight, landed nearby in the east field, but lost the JL AltII somewhere in the field. It had been attached with a fishing swivel/clip, but pulled loose somehow during flight. CRMRC members are encouraged to keep an eye out for Paul's JL AltII while walking in the east field (and also look for a JLCR out there somewhere).


-LOC Goblin painted Goblin green, 4 in. dia, 40.5 in. tall, 4.12 lbs, JL AltII, JLCR set for 300, flying on AT I195 Black Jack. Video at 10:41.
Result: Nice smoke-filled launch on the Black Jack propellant. The rocket reached an altitude of 2244 feet, and the JLCR correctly deployed the main chute at 300 feet. But as the parachute began to unfurl, it happened to collide with the booster section of the rocket. This impeded the parachute from completely unfurling, resulting in a hard landing (in the east field). Post-flight inspection showed that one of the fins had became dislodged, but other damage appears minimal. Paul plans to re-epoxy the fin, and it should be fine.


Guest Arun C. and the Northeastern student team:
Red and black custom PTR 2.0, 4 in. dia., 94 in. tall, 25 lbs 4 oz, CTI K1440WT, 2 x Stratologger CF, 2 x Altus Metrum EasyMini, dual deployment with main chute set for 700 feet. Video at 13:56.
Result: Good launch on the fast-burning White Thunder propellant, but the main and backup charges did not deploy properly. This resulted in a hard landing.


Member and Club President Howie:
Custom 1/3-scale Nike Smoke Extended (white and dark red, with orange and yellow fins), 5.5 in. dia., 94 in. tall, 23 lbs, flying on a CTI K940WT with dual deployment, 2 altimeters, Wildman radio tracker. Video at 11:21. Howie used MARSA and MARSA 54 altimeters on the Nike Smoke because they have an option to calculate altitude using accelerometers, not barometers. This is crucial for the Nike Smoke because the nosecone has a significantly larger diameter than the booster tube, which can result in a sharp pressure differential and turbulent air along the booster (recall the classic laminar airflow diagram of an airplane wing cross-section). The pressure-equalizing ports in the Nike Smoke airframe are located in this region near the top of the booster section, so barometric altimeters are not reliable. In a prior flight (see April 2017 CRMRC Launch Report, Howie's Nike Smoke on K600W), the barometric altimeters deployed too early (PerfectFlite and MW RRC2), causing early separation and a hard landing. But today's flight was a complete success. The accelerometer-based altimeters correctly sensed the altitude and deployed at their proper times, including backups.
Result: Good straight launch on the White Thunder propellant, picture-perfect deployments at the planned altitudes, smooth landing in the east field. The rocket descended gently to the ground on a large yellow-and-black parachute, which appeared to be tethered to a swivel so that the chute could rotate independently without rotating the shock cord or tangling it. In terms of average measurements across the two MARSA devices, the rocket had an acceleration of 10.21 g's, maximum velocity of 436 ft/sec (297 mph), and an apogee of 2797 feet.

 

December, 2019

Winter Solstice Launch Report

December 21 is the shortest day of the year here in the northern hemisphere, as the Earth's axis is maximally tilted away from the sun. But the Champlain Region Model Rocket Club made good use of the available daylight, and it was another highly successful club launch day. Approximately 30 people attended the event (10 CRMRC members, 11 guest rocketeers, and 8-10 other observers). Paul noted that up to 17 cars and trucks were parked on the field at one point in the day. Guest fliers and observers included college student teams from Northeastern University (9-10 students) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (6-7 students), who drove from the Boston area to our field in northern Vermont. CRMRC club members came from as far away as Montreal.

The farm road was relatively free from snow, so we were all able to drive down to the launch site in the east field (formerly the corn field). The fields had about 4-6 inches of snow on the ground, with patches up to 3-4 feet deep in the ditches. We were glad that temperatures were cold enough to keep the ground from becoming muddy in the afternoon sun. Club members arrived around 0915 hrs and promptly set up the equipment; the first rocket was ready for the pad at 1002 hrs. The low-power rack was installed 50 feet north of the launch table, and the two blue high-power pads were placed at 100 feet with 1010 rails. For Howie's K-motor flight (see below), one of the blue pads was moved out to 200 feet, and the 1010 rail was replaced with the 1515 rail. Howie and Jim V took turns serving at the launch table as Launch Control Officer/Range Safety Officer.

During the morning, the wind chill was below zero Fahrenheit (below -18 C), frequently numbing the fingers of rocketeers as they installed igniters on the pads. But the weather became much more comfortable around noon, and the pace of launches increased as our fingers warmed up. Throughout the day, winds were light and variable at ground level. At higher altitudes (approximately 1500 feet and higher), the wind appeared to be blowing at about 5-8 mph toward the northwest, which is where many of our higher-altitude rockets landed.

Sundown was at 1617 hours in St. Albans on this shortest day of the year, and the last rocket flew at about 1615 (Christian's L2 attempt; see below). We quickly packed up the equipment in the last glimmer of the setting sun, and then headed for dinner to celebrate another fun-filled day of CRMRC rocketry. Ten CRMRC club members and family went to Mill River Brewing/BBQ, and approximately ten college students went to eat at Bayside Pavilion.

MOTORS:

We flew 40 motors, including at least one motor in every impulse class from A to K:
2 A, 2 B, 11 C, 5 D, 3 E, 2 F, 4 G, 4 H, 3 I, 3 J, 1 K

As a group, we launched a total impulse of exactly 8,665.9 Nsec, or 1,948.2 total pounds of thrust (that's a lot). This is equivalent to a 69.3% M motor. The average impulse class for motors flown on this day was an H (216.6 Ns), the median was a small E (22.0 Ns), and the mode or most common motor was a C (11 C motors). Among the 11 C motors flown on this day, the Estes C6-5 was most popular by far; we had 8 launches on the venerable Estes C6-5. In addition, there were two complex flights: a flight of C6-0 to C6-5, and a flight of D12-0 to D12-7, both by Ted R.

The smallest motor flown on this day was an Estes A8-3, which is an 18mm x 70mm single-use bp motor with a total impulse of 2.5 Ns. This motor has 3.2 N/s average thrust over 0.73 seconds of burn time, and it was flown in Gary's Estes Viking and in Ansel's Estes Alpha III. The largest motor was a CTI K1440 White Thunder flown by Howie in his 1/3 scale Nike Smoke. The K1440 is a 6-grain 54mm x 572mm ammonium perchlorate composite propellant motor (APCP) with 2,372 Ns total impulse (85% K) and average thrust of 1,829 N/s during 1.6 seconds of burn time (fast-burning White Thunder formula).

NOTABLE EVENTS:

Closest-to-pad for the airframe and/or nosecone of a successfully deployed and recovered rocket: Michael M's blue and orange RaceRocket (handsomely crafted and painted in the color scheme of NASCAR Richard Petty's 43 car). The rocket landed about 10 feet SE of the low-power rack.

Closest-to-pad for any portion of a rocket: Ted R's Estes Sasha booster from a two-stage flight. The booster landed about 10 inches from the low-power rack (the rest of the rocket landed about 500 yards to the south after the sustainer burn).

Closest to a parked vehicle: Nehemiah's Estes Patriot, which landed gently on the trunk of a 2005 Toyota Camry in the parking area of the field.

Most spectacular CATO or otherwise failed flight: Gary's 1.5-inch Super Neon, which experienced a motor CATO at launch, including two bright flares rising 100 meters while the rocket airframe remained on the launch rod.

Runner-up for most spectacular CATO or otherwise failed flight: The Northeastern University team's first launch of their Baby Yoda rocket, which launched successfully but failed to separate, and then crashed into a tree in the NW field. The tree slowed the rocket's fall so that the rocket gently dropped to the ground without damage (they flew the same rocket successfully later; see below).

Second runner-up for most spectacular CATO or otherwise failed flight: James' See-Thru Rocket. The launch was nominal, but then the parachute failed to unfurl completely in the cold weather. The rocket crashed with a loud smack on the unforgiving frozen ground near the edge of the farm road. The plastic fincan shattered into multiple pieces: the three fins scattered individually around the road, along with 3-4 other random chunks of the plastic Estes 2-inch motor mount. The main airframe and nosecone were unharmed, and so the rocket might fly again someday.

Best on-the-field solution to a rocketry problem: Club president and rocket guru Howie used a Wildman Big Un's igniter to successfully ignite the motor in Christian's rocket, after all other methods had failed to ignite it.

Runner-up to best on-the-field solution to a rocketry problem: Gary used baby powder to lubricate his nylon parachutes so that the nylon didn't stick together in cold weather (other rocketeers suffered from unfurled parachutes on this day).

Best workshop solution to a rocketry problem: Paul's elegant repair of a badly zippered booster tube from a prior launch, using glass-cloth smoothly immersed in heavy layers of epoxy.

FLIGHT DETAILS:
If the manufacturer is not listed, it is an Estes motor.
Video times from Jim V's YouTube video are listed after each flight. Video is HERE


Guest Axel:
-Estes Hornet, 2 in. dia., 15 in. tall, 8.1 oz, black/gold.
Motor: D12-5 (24mm single-use motor, 1.7 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight, landed in the west field
Video at 1:16


Guest Ricky:
-Thrustline Sea Wolf, diameter/length not listed, 2.8 oz, silver.
Motor: B6-4 (18mm single-use motor, 0.9 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight, landed in the east field.
Video at 11:25


Guest Grant:
-Estes Solar Warrior, diameter/length not listed, 11.8 oz, blue/orange.
Motor: C11-3 (24mm single-use motor, 0.8 sec burn time; same total impulse as a C6 (8.8 Ns) but the C11 has a faster burn rate and larger diameter)
Result: Good flight, landed near the high-power pads.
Video at 10:36


Guest Michael M:
-Estes/Scratch-built RaceRocket, 1.5 in. dia., 20 in. tall, 9.4 oz, blue/orange pattern of 43 car Richard Petty NASCAR.
Motor: D12-5 (24mm single-use motor, 1.7 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight, landed about 10 feet from the low-power rack (closest to pad)
Video at 1:43


Guest Ted B:
-Thrustline Aârobee Hi, 1.6 in. dia., 14 in. tall, 2.2 oz, orange/silver/white.
Motor: B6-4 (18mm single-use motor, 0.9 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight, landed in the west field near the tree line.
Video at 9:56


Grandson Nehemiah:
-Estes Patriot, 1.64 in. dia., 21.3 in. tall, 6.5 oz, red/white/yellow/black.
Motor: C6-5 (18mm single-use motor, 1.9 sec burn time)
Result: ?Good flight, landed nearby in the west field.
Video at 7:55

-Estes Patriot, 1.64 in. dia., 21.3 in. tall, 3.7 oz, red/white/yellow/black.
Motor: C6-5 (18mm single-use motor, 1.9 sec burn time)
Result: Good launch, but hard landing near the parking area.
Video at 8:49


Guest Ansel:
-Estes Alpha III, 0.98 in. dia., 12.3 in. tall, 1.3 oz, orange and black.
Motor: A8-3 (18mm single-use motor, 0.73 sec of burn time)
Result: Good launch, but parachute didn't unfurl, hard landing (but the snow was soft).
Video at 11:04

-Estes Outlaw, 1.35 in. dia., 22 in. tall, 3.2 oz, white/pink/black.
Motor: C6-5 (18mm single-use motor, 1.9 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight, although the plastic parachute didn't unfurl completely, landed in the west field.
Video at 13:28

-Estes Alpha III, 0.9 in. dia., 12.3 in. tall, 2.2 oz, orange and black.
Motor: C6-5 (18mm single-use motor, 1.9 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight, landed in the second field toward the northwest.
Video at 17:16


Member Michael W:
-Estes Spirit, 1.33 in. dia., 21 in. tall, red/white/blue.
Motor: C6-5 (18mm single-use motor, 1.9 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight
Video at 0:54

-Estes Big Bertha on C6-5, 1.6 in. dia., 24 in. tall, 3 lbs 5 oz, yellow and black.
Motor: C6-5 (18mm single-use motor, 1.9 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight and recovery (slightly unstable launch).
No video available


Member Ted R:
-Estes Bertha, 1.64 in. dia., 24 in. tall, 6.4 oz, orange/white.
Motors: two-stage C6-0 to C6-5 (18mm single-use motors, 1.9 sec burn time for each one)
Result: Successful flight, somewhat horizontal in the second stage but parachute deployed in time. Landed in the east field.
Video at 8:24

-Estes Sasha, 1.64 in. dia., 31.5 in. tall, 10.5 oz, green/gray.
Motors: two-stage D12-0 to D12-7 (24mm single-use motor, 1.7 sec burn time for each one)
Result: Good two-stage flight. The booster landed right beside the low-power rack, and the upper section landed safely under chute in the east field.

-Estes Honest John, 1.64 in. dia., 23 in. tall, 7.9 oz, white/red/black, carrying an Estes altimeter.
Motor: Estes E12-6 (24mm single-use motor, 2.4 sec burn time)
Result: Good launch but parachute didn't completely unfurl.
Video at 19:36


Member Gary:
-Estes Sparkly, 1.25 in. dia., 18 in. tall, 3.2 oz, red/gold.
Motor: C6-3 (18mm single-use motor, 1.9 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight, landed in the east field
Video at 9:13

-Estes Viking, 0.63 in. dia., 12 in. tall, 1.3 oz, yellow and green.
Motor: A8-3 (18mm single-use motor, 0.73 sec of burn time)
Result: Good launch, but two pieces came down separately, landed in the east field.
Video at 16:50

-Estes Silver Comet, 2.5 in. dia., 24 in. tall, 8 oz, silver.
Motor: D12-7 (24mm single-use motor, 1.7 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight, landed nearby in the east field.
Video at 20:28

-Estes Super Neon, 1.5 in. dia., 36 in. tall, 8.7 oz, red/blue/green with tubular fins.
Motor: Estes E12-4 (24mm single-use motor, 2.4 sec burn time)
Result: Spectacular CATO (see discussion above) with little damage to the rocket itself.
Video at 21:44


Member Ben:
-Scratch-built Saturn 1B, 3 in. dia., 36 in. tall, 14 oz, painted in the classic NASA black and white pattern
Motor: AT F24-4 White Lightning (24/40 case, 2.1 sec burn time)
Result: Good launch (slightly wobbly), landed nearby in the west field.
Video at 18:40

-Estes Ventris, 2.5 in. dia., 52 in. tall, 1 lb 6 oz, black/white/red, JLCR set for 300 feet.
Motor: CTI G57CL (29mm 2-grain motor, 1.9 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight and chute release, landed past the tree line in the northwest field.
Video at 24:20


Member Daniel:
-Initiator 2, 2.75 in. dia., 59 in. tall, 1 lb 9.3 oz, painted orange.
Motor: AT F50 Blue Thunder (29mm single-use motor, 1.4 sec burn time)
Result: Good straight launch but the parachute didn't unfurl. Landed in front of the tree line in the west field.
Video at 14:06

-It's Silver, 2 lbs 10 oz, silver.
Motor: AT G75 Blackjack (29/180 case, 2.4 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight

-Bouncing Baby, 2 in. dia., 1 lb 8 oz, blue and pink.
Motor: AT F50-4 Blue Thunder (29mm single-use motor, 1.4 sec burn time)
Result: Good launch but the parachute became tangled in the fins on the way down. Rocket sustained minor damage. Landed near the ditch just west of the launch area.
Video at 21:09


Member John A:
-Madcow Little John , 4 in. dia., 48 in. tall, 8 lbs 0 oz, painted olive-green, carrying JLCR set for 500 feet.
Motor: CTI I255 Red Lightning (38mm 4-grain motor, 2.0 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight and recovery, landed in the northwest field near the tree line.
Video at 23:24


Member James:
-Scratch-built See-Thru Rocket, 2 in. dia., 63 in. tall, 1 lb 9 oz, clear plastic with black plastic fin can and nosecone
Motor: AT G75-4 Metalstorm (29mm single-use motor, 1.6 sec burn time)
Result: Good launch on the crowd-pleasing Metalstorm propellant, but the parachute didn't unfurl and the rocket crashed, shattering the fincan.
Video at 0:21

-MAC Menace 442, 4 in. dia., 46 in. tall, 5 lbs 12 oz, painted blue and white, carrying JCLR set for 300 feet.
Motor: CTI H225WT (38mm 2-grain motor, 1.2 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight and chute release at 300 feet. Landed in front of the tree line in the northwest field.
Video at 2:11


Member Paul:
-Scratch-built Gooney Bird Zero, diameter/length not listed, 2.7 oz, blue and cream-color.
Motor: C6-5 (18mm single-use motor, 1.9 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight, landed in the east field.
Video at 11:58

-Scratch-built Blue Bird Zero, 2.6 in. dia., 80 in. tall, 2 lbs 15 oz, painted blue and white, carrying JLCR set for 300 feet.
Motor: AT H180 White Lightning (29/240 case, 1.3 sec burn time)
Result: Good flight with chute release, landed in the northwest field.
Video at 22:03

-Madcow SuperDX3, 4 in. dia., 68 in. tall, 5 lbs 8 oz, painted white and purple, JLCR set for 300 feet,
Motor: AT I180-8 White Lightning (38/360 case, 1.8 sec burn time).
Result: Good launch, but parachute was late. The parachute did not open until the booster section had already hit the ground, although the parachute was open before the nosecone/payload bay hit the ground. The booster section only sustained minor damage, and this resolute SuperDX3 will fly again. Post-flight analysis suggested that the JLCR most likely released the chute at the proper altitude but the chute unfurled too slowly, either due to cold temperature or tangling.
Video at 27:13


Member and Club Secretary Jim V:
-Madcow Orangutan, 4 in. dia., 70.5 in. tall, 12 lbs 11 oz, orange and black fiberglass, carrying a MissileWorks RRC2 altimeter for dual deploy with main at 500 feet.
Motor: CTI J360SK (54mm 3-grain motor, 2.8 sec burn time)
Result: Crowd-pleasing launch of this relatively large Skidmark (58% J) with loud noise, dark smoke, lots of sparks. Successful recovery about one mile away in the field to the north.
Video at 25:28


Guest Max (WPI student):
-Scratch-built Xerxes, 8 lbs 12 oz, height/diameter not listed (appeared to be approx. 3 in. dia. and 60 in. tall), painted sliver and green, dual deploy set for 600 feet.
Motor: CTI I255 Red Lightning (38mm 4-grain motor, 2.0 sec burn time)
Result: Launch was smooth and straight, but the main did not deploy. Fortunately, the rocket landed in deep snow without damage, but this L1 attempt was unsuccessful.
Video at 3:40


Guest Bennett (WPI student):
-Tube That is Blue, 3 in. dia., 60 in. tall, 6 lbs 4.5 oz, painted blue and orange, carrying two Stratologgers for dual deploy with main chute set for 500 feet.
Motor: CTI H125CL (38mm 2-grain motor, 2.2 sec burn time)
Result: This Level 1 certification attempt was not successful because the main did not deploy.
Video at 2:59


Guest Christian (WPI student):
-Scratch-Built Sepatron, 4 in. dia., 58 in. tall, 3 lbs 4 oz, white/gray/yellow, carrying a Stratologger for dual deploy with the main parachute set for 700 feet.
Motor: CTI J210CL (54mm 2-grain motor, 4.0 sec burn time).
Result: This flight was a Level 2 certification attempt. Ignition failed multiple times. Around 1615 hrs, as twilight was rapidly approaching on the field and on the hopes and dreams of this rocket, Howie helped put in a Wildman Big Un's igniter and the motor finally lit. The launch and dual deploy were picture perfect, but unfortunately the nosecone pulled free. The rocket landed in the northwest field. Certification failed, but the rocket did not sustain damage.
Video at 7:12


WPI student team with Howie (CRMRC) as the L3-certified signatory:
-Scratch-built Solstice, 4 in. dia., 84 in. tall, 16 lbs 14.5 oz, painted black and white, carrying two Stratologgers for dual deploy with main chute set for 500 feet.
Motor: CTI J295CL (54mm 3-grain motor, 4.0 sec burn time)
Result: Good straight launch, good deployment and recovery. Landed in front of the tree line in the west field.
Video at 5:49


Guest Arun and Northeastern University student team:
-Scratch-built Baby Yoda (first flight of this rocket, see below for the second flight), 2.1 in. dia., 51 in. tall, unpainted Blue Tube, 3 lbs, 10 oz, carrying a Stratologger.
Motor: CTI H123SK (29mm 4-grain motor, 1.4 sec burn time)
Result: Aptly named after the new Star Wars character in the Mandalorian series, the rocket did not properly separate during flight. It crashed in tree but was undamaged (see discussion above)
Video at 4:36

-Scratch-built Baby Yoda (second flight of this rocket), 2.1 in. dia., 51 in. tall, unpainted Blue Tube, 3 lbs, 9.5 oz, carrying a Stratologger, motor ejection.
Motor: CTI G126-13WT (29mm 2-grain motor, 0.9 sec burn time) Note: Although this is a G motor, it is classified as a high-power flight since it has greater than 80 N/s average thrust (126 N/s).
Result: Wobbly launch but otherwise good flight, landed in the east field
Video at 5:26


Member and Club President Howie:
-1/3 scale Nike Smoke (booster section from Madcow), 5.5 in. dia., 94 in. tall, 24 lbs 4 oz, white and dark red, with orange and yellow fins, carrying MARSA and MARSA 54 altimeters with dual deploy set for main at 600 feet.
Motor: CTI K1440WT (see description above)
Result: Following last month's successful flight of this rocket to 2797 feet on a 28% K motor (CTI K940WT), Howie launched it today on an 85% K motor. One of the altimeters reported an average apogee of 4,646 feet and maximum velocity of 588 feet per second (401 mph). The dual deploy system functioned as planned, but unfortunately the parachute remained trapped inside the airframe. As a result, the rocket suffered a relatively hard landing. Post-flight analysis suggested that the long shock cord absorbed too much of the momentum from the deployment charge, leaving the parachute inside the booster. Howie normally connects a longer shock cord to the upper section of the rocket and a shorter shock cord to the booster. Today this pattern was reversed. Even so, this legendary 1/3 Nike Smoke rocket only sustained limited damage: just one fin and the nosecone will need some repair.
Video at 14:59



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