2021 Launch Reports
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
January, 2021
The club's January launch was cancelled due to poor weather.
February,
2021
The club's February launch was cancelled due Covid-19 restrictions
.
The club's March launch was cancelled due Covid-19 restrictions
April 24 : Better Late
Than Never!
=========================================================
Our first club launch of 2021 was delayed for three months and one week due to the Covid-19 pandemic and weather cancellations. In April, Covid conditions had improved enough for a club launch with people from Vermont, or locations near the border of Vermont, or anyone who is fully vaccinated. After the long hiatus, everyone was thrilled to be on the field launching rockets together again, and the launch day was a great success. As always during the pandemic, we greatly missed our Canadian CRMRC friends who were unable to attend.
25 people attended the launch, including
some people who had learned about our launch through an article published in
the Burlington Free Press on the day HERE
In addition, a representative from WCAX CBS Television attended the launch. The WCAX evening news of the launch day presented a short piece about CRMRC, including some footage of our launches. WCAX video is HERE
=================
HEALTH AND SAFETY
=================
We followed all of the Vermont and federal Covid-19 safety guidelines for outdoor events, including social-distancing, masks, and a formal written sign-in list for contact tracing. Hand sanitizer was also available on the RSO table.
Club President Howie D supervised the event and managed the LCO table. Other club members assisted with RSO duties, including the newly minted L2 Kevin K.
======
SET-UP
======
The first person on the field was John A, arriving about 8:20 am, and other
club members began arriving over the next 30-45 minutes. Howie, John A, and
Kevin K brought CRMRC equipment in their vehicles. Club members and guests parked
along the south side of the farm road or else in the parking area at the top
of the ridge. We took a little more time than usual in assembling the club equipment
since we were rusty after many months of hiatus. We set up two blue pads with
1010 rails at 100 feet from the launch table and laid a cable to 200 and 300
feet in anticipation of K and L flights. The low-power rack was positioned at
50 feet from the launch table. Finally, at 10:34 am, the first rocket of the
2021 CRMRC season lifted off! We launched 28 flights over the next 6 hours,
including a wide range of rocket types and motor classes. The event ended about
4:30 pm as everyone finished packing up and left the field.
============================
WEATHER AND FIELD CONDITIONS
============================
The air temperature was comfortable all day, starting at 52 degrees F (11 C) at 8:30 am, then rising to the mid-60s for much of the day, and ending at 67 degrees F (19 C) at 4:30 pm. The wind and clouds posed some challenges. During the mid-morning flights, the club anemometer showed gusty winds at about 7-12 mph with gusts up to 15 mph. The wind direction was primarily from the WSW, but gusts were quite variable. Both the wind speed and direction were somewhat unpredictable and varied by altitude.
As for cloud cover, we began the morning with concerns about some bands of relatively high-altitude cirrus clouds, but those clouds quickly dissipated. In fact, for most of the day, we enjoyed near-perfect blue skies with just a handful of stray high-altitude clouds occasionally floating around the edges of our airspace. But then later in the day, at approximately 3:00 pm, we began noticing low-altitude cumulus clouds forming in our area (some of these clouds appeared to have small rain shafts at 1000-2000 feet, but no precipitation reached the ground). The base of these cumulus clouds appeared to be approximately 1000 feet, and we adjusted our flight plans accordingly. This estimate of a 1000-feet ceiling was confirmed by Ben G with his launch of a 2-inch MAC Black Fly: This rocket had a simulated apogee of about 1000 feet, and in the actual flight it skimmed just below the lower face of one of these clouds.
The soil in the field was slightly damp, but rocketeers appreciate that softness since it can cushion the effects of hard landings. We noticed an occasional puddle of open water in the fields, but we did not have difficulties with mud. Some of the ditches had shallow water, but it was not difficult to find a dry path.
=====================
AWARDS AND MILESTONES
=====================
Successful L2 certification: Kevin K with CTI J400 in his Madcow Super DX3. Congratulations, Kevin!
First mid-power flight: Michael W Estes Majestic on Estes F25
Closest-to-pad: Luke on his third flight of his Estes Der Red Max (C6-5), launched from the low-power rack, and landed near the high-power pad
Best metallic paint effects: Eric M and his sparkling gold/orange PML Callisto
Most variety of sizes of MAC Black Flies in one CRMRC launch day: Ben 2-inch Black Fly, James 3-inch Black Fly and James 6-inch Super Black Fly
Rocket most likely to be flying at any given moment at any given CRMRC launch: John A and his green 4-inch dia. Little John rocket
Most complex successful deployment design: Howie, Wildman Giz GW on K600 with nosecone designed to land separately from booster and a deployment bag for the main chute
======
MOTORS
======
We flew a total of 28 motors in 28 flights (no staged or cluster flights). The smallest motor was the Estes A3-4T (2.5 Ns, flown by Tim in Estes Mosquito, Luke in Estes Swift, and Michael in Estes Firehawk). The largest motor was a CTI L805 (2833 Ns, flown by James in Mac Super Black Fly).
Motor distribution:
3 A motors
0 B motors
11 C motors
0 D motors
1 F motor
5 G motors
2 H motors
0 I motors
4 J motors
1 K motor
1 L motor
The most common motor class was C by far (11 C motors), and the most common C motor was the Estes C6-5, which was flown 9 times. The total impulse for the club was 8908.1 N-s (2002.6 lb-s), which is equivalent to a large M (74% M). The mean motor impulse was 318.1 N-s, which is equivalent to a large H (99% H).
===============================
FLIGHT DETAILS AND LAUNCH VIDEO
===============================
The day's launch video is HERE
========
Member Tim
Estes Mosquito, yellow and black, 3 in. tall, 0.5 in. dia., 0.4 oz, tumble recovery
Motor: Estes A3-4T
Result: Good flight, vanished into thin air, but then later the rocket was found
without its nosecone
Video at 0:14
========
Member Luke
Estes 220 Swift, red, 3 in. tall, 0.5 in. dia., 0.4 oz, tumble recovery
Motor: Estes A3-4T
Result: Good flight but vanished into thin air
Video at 0:45
Estes Der Red Max, black and red,
16 in. tall, 1.6 in. dia., weight 3.8 oz
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 4:22
Estes Der Red Max, black and red,
16 in. tall, 1.6 in. dia., weight 3.8 oz
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 18:39
Estes Der Red Max, black and red,
16 in. tall, 1.6 in. dia., weight 3.8 oz
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 25:52
========
Member Andre B.
1. Estes White Streak, white, 18 in. tall, 1.25 in. dia., 4.5 oz
Motor: Estes C11-3
Result: Good flight, also caused a dog to bark
Video at 5:17
2. Estes White Streak, while, 22.9
in. (the rocket seemed to grow from 18 to 22.9 inches since the first flight),
1.25 in. dia., 4.5 oz
Motor: Estes C11-3
Video at 22:12
========
Member Keira:
Imagination, CRMRC saucer
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 9:01
========
Guest Xander:
Super Saucer, CRMRC saucer with red, blue, orange, and white
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 12:13
========
Guest Jay:
NCC-1701 Flyer, CRMRC saucer, white with Starship Enterprise marking
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 12:30
========
Member Noah G
MAC Arcas, unpainted canvas phenolic, 40 in. tall, 2.2 in. dia., 2 lb 7 oz
Motor: CTI G68 White
Result: Good flight, landed near the shrub line on the north end of the east
cornfield
Video at 14:02
========
Member Eric M:
PML Calliston, orange, 24 in. tall, 2 in. dia., 2.1 lbs
Motor: CTI G69 Skidmark
Electronics: RRC2 set to 500 feet
Result: Good flight, although main chute deployed early
Video at 12:44
========
Member Michael W
1. Estes Majestic, purple and silver, 30 in. tall, 2 in. dia., 11.8 oz
Motor: Estes F25-4W
Result: Good smooth flight on the Estes F25 with white flame and brown smoke.
Apogee at approximately 2000 feet. The wind then blew the rocket about 3/4 mile
due east, where it landed in the cornfield. After the boost, we lost visual
on the rocket as it transited the Sun from our perspective. Fortunately, another
person named Michael spotted the rocket as it was landing far out in the cornfield.
Michael W and James successfully recovered the rocket.
Video at 0:56
2. Estes Farside, blue and white,
12 in. tall, 0.5 in. dia., 2.5 oz
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 4:59
3. Estes Spirit, red white and blue,
12 in. tall, 1.5 in. dia., 1.2 oz
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 15:30
4. Estes Firehawk, sliver and red,
12 in. tall, 0.5 in. dia., 1.1 oz
Motor: Ests A3-4T
Result: Good flight
Video at 21:36
========
Guest Jasper:
1. Wildman DarkstarJr, red, 60 in. tall, 2.26 in. dia.
Electronics: PerfectFliteStratologger set to 550 feet
Motor: AT G75 Metalstorm
Result: Good flight and landing (maybe some slight instability during boost)
Video at 23:08
2. Wildman DarkstarJr, red, 60 in.
tall, 2.26 in. dia.
Motor: AT H238 Blue
Electronics: MARSA 33
(no video)
========
Kevin K
Madcow Super DX3, red white and blue, 54 in. dia., 4 in. dia., 7 lbs 4 oz
Motor: CTI J400 Smoky Sam
Electronics: JLCR set to 600 feet, Eggtimer Proton GPS tracker
Result: Good flight, successful L2 certification, apogee 3748 feet
Video at 9:25
========
Member Ben G
1. Estes Patriot, red and white, 24 in. tall, 1.6 in. dia., 3.5 oz
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 5:41
2. Scratch-Built Patriot, red and
white, 48 in. tall, 3.1 in. dia., 3 lbs 3 oz
Motor: Loki H144-10W
Electronics: PerfectFlite Put, JLCR set to 400 feet
Result: Good flight to 2202 feet, distinctive roar of the Loki motor, parachute
did not fully inflate. Post-flight inspection showed that parachute had slightly
melted itself together due to contact with ejection gases.
Video at 16:24
3. MAC Black Fly (stretched), 30
in. tall, 2.2 in. dia., 1 lb 13 oz
Motor: CTI G80-7 Skidmark
Result: Good flight
Video at 24:23
========
Member John A:
1. Madcow Little John, green, 48 in. tall, 4 in. dia., 9 lbs 1.5 oz
Motor: CTI J354 White
Electronics: JLCR set to 500 feet, Featherweight GPS
Result: Good flight to 3584 feet, good deployment
Video at 18:00
2. Madcow Little John, green, 48
in. tall, 4 in. dia., 9 lbs 1.5 oz
Motor: CTI J381 Skidmark
Electronics: JLCR set to 500 feet, Featherweight GPS
Result: Good flight, apogee 3000 feet, good deployment
Video at 26:33
========
Member James
1. MAC Super Black Fly, red and yellow, 84 in. tall, 6 in. dia., 29.1 lbs
Motor: CTI L805WH
Electronics: Double-redundant dual deploy with Altus Metrum (750 feet), RRC2L
(600 feet), RRC2 (500 feet), and ride-along JL Altimeter3 and FlightSketch altimeter,
and Jiobit Pet Tracker for GPS
Result: Good flight, apogee 5096 feet, max speed 395 mph, good smooth deployment
of the elegant 10-foot diameter Spherachute, landed softly in the 2nd field
to the north. Main deployment charge appeared to occur at 600 feet rather than
750 feet. The Jiobit Pet Tracker phone app showed that the rocket had landed
in the middle of the small east-west farm road that leads out from the farm
on the northeast side of our launch area.
Video at 6:05
2. MAC Black Fly, black and white,
36 in. tall, 3 in. dia., 3 lbs 1 oz
Motor: AT G74-4W
Result: Good short flight to 400 feet, good deployment, landed nearby in the
ditch on the west side of the cornfield.
Video at 22:35
========
Club President Howie D
1. Wildman Darkstar3, black, 84 in. tall, 3 in. dia., 10 lbs 12 oz
Motor: CTI J381 Skidmark
Electronics: RRC3
Result: Good flight to 2067 feet, good deployment, landed just west of the ditch
between the southwest and southeast fields.
Video at 2:33
2. Wildman Giz GW, black with red, 72 in. tall, 5 in. dia., 21 lbs 10.5 oz
Motor: CTI K600 White
Electronics: RRC and PerfectFlite
Result: Good flight, apogee reported at 4385 feet and 4387 feet by the two altimeters,
good deployment of main chute from deployment bag, and the nosecone landed separately
as planned. The two parts of the deployment system landed within about 100 feet
of each other in the cornfield, about 1/2 mile southeast of the launch site.
Howie and Kevin retrieved the rocket without difficulty.
Video at 19:33
May, 2021
Rockets of all shapes and sizes soared through the air for 6 hours during the highly successful May 15 CRMRC club launch, including many exciting and memorable flights. As discussed below, we burned a total impulse equivalent to an O motor together as a group. In all of this flurry of activity throughout the day, not a single rocket was lost, which fits our club policy of No Rocket Left Behind.
Approximately 40 people attended our club launch event during the day, including 11 CRMRC members, 12-15 college student flyers (Olin College and Northeastern University), and 6-8 young kids (future astronauts or aerospace engineers). Flyers and spectators traveled from as far away as Rhode Island and Montreal to attend the launch in St Albans. Unfortunately, most of our Canadian club members are still blocked by the pandemic border policies separating our two nations, but one club member managed to slip across the border to fly with us!
Rocketeers and guests began arriving on the field about 900 hrs. We arrived to find tall thick green grass growing in our main cornfield launching area, and similar grass in the surrounding fields. We also noted deep water in the ditches, but no rockets suffered any water landings. The fields themselves were not muddy. We also noted that corn had not yet been planted for the current growing season, and the field had not been plowed since the fall harvest. The grass growing in the cornfield was deep enough to hide small rockets, so we paid extra attention while watching the descent trajectory of each rocket.
Club President Howie D, John A, and Kevin K brought club equipment in their vehicles. Most rocketeers and spectators parked their vehicles along the south side of the farm road or in the parking area at the crest of the hill. During the day, there were approximately 10-15 vehicles parked at a given time.
We first spent some time cleaning the launch rods and rails, then assembled the low-power rack and placed it 50 feet northwest of the launch table. We set up two blue pads with 8-foot rails north of the launch table: one at 100 feet for H, I, and J motors, and one at 200 feet for K motors. During the day, we used 1010 and 1515 rails as appropriate for different rockets. Club members assembled the large yellow pad (12-foot rail) at 500 feet northeast from the launch table. The Olin College team launched an L motor and an M motor from this pad, and Ryan R (Northeastern) also used this pad at 100 feet for a J motor on a 7-foot tall rocket.
The first flight lifted off at 1031 hrs, and the last flight lifted off at 1641 hrs, so we enjoyed a total of 6 hours (and 10 minutes) of flying.
=========
WEATHER AND SKY CONDITIONS
=========
Temperatures were 60s F in the early morning, then steadily climbing to a high of about 74 F in the afternoon. Winds were light and variable, with occasional gusts that sometimes carried rockets out near Dunsmore Road on the east side of the main cornfield. However, most rockets landed within convenient walking distance in the main cornfield, or in the nearby hay fields to our west and southwest.
There were occasional patches of cirrus clouds and other high-altitude clouds (estimated at approximately 10-15K altitude), but very few low-lying cumulus clouds were observed near our airspace.
Despite the official NOTAM that Howie had registered, several airplanes (and a helicopter) encroached our airspace during the day. We conscientiously waited on each plane to fly out of our area, and some were chased away by airport controllers via radio.
=======================
AWARDS AND MILESTONES
=======================
-Successful L1 certification: Doug G on MAC Bolt with AT H169SWL
-Successful L2 certification: Ryan R on Scratch-built Leominster with CTI J290WH
-Successful L2 certification: Ben H on Scratch-built Traffic Violation with CTI J285CL
-The return of Dave L from Canada!
-First dual-deploy flight: Kevin K with his Madcow SuperDX3
-Most propellant launched by a college team at a single CRMRC event: Olin College student team and their L and M motor launches on the same day (with Curtis H as L3 supervisor)
-Best chrome paint job: Dave L and his Sputnik model
-Best detail work on model rockets: Doug G with his nicely finished MAC Bolt and Estes Bomarc
-Most grandchildren flying rockets: John A
-Best (and only) hybrid motor launch: Eric M with Contrail J150
=======
MOTORS
=======
We launched a total of 33 flights on 33 motors (no cluster or staged flights), amounting to 22,403.8 N-s of total impulse, which is equivalent to a small O motor. The average total impulse was 678.9 N-s, which is equivalent to a small J, and the median total impulse was 164.2 N-s, which is a small H motor. The largest motor was the AeroTech M1340 White Lightning (7,369 N-s total impulse) flown by Curtis and the Olin College team, and the smallest motors were the Estes A8-3 and A3-4T (both have 2.5 N-s total impulse) flown by Judah A and Michael W.
As shown below, we flew at least
one motor in each class from A-M with the sole exception of F. The distribution
is bi-modal, with a mode of C among the low/mid-power motors (6 C motors), and
a mode of J among the high-power motors (6 J motors).
A: 3
B: 1
C: 6
D: 3
E: 1
F: 0
G: 2
H: 2
I: 5
J: 6
K: 2
L: 1
M: 1
=================================
FLIGHT DETAILS AND LAUNCH VIDEO
=================================
The day's launch video is HERE
Member Luke
1. Estes Der Red Max, black and red, 1.64 in. dia., 16.3 in. tall, 3.8 oz.
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 00:09
2. Estes Der Red Max, black and red,
1.64 in. dia., 16.3 in. tall, 3.8 oz.
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 21:07
3. Estes Der Red Max, black and red,
1.64 in. dia., 16.3 in. tall, 3.8 oz.
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight
Video not available
======
Member Judah
1. Estes Wizard, yellow, 0.74 in. dia., 12 in. tall, 1.2 oz.
Motor: Estes A8-3
Result: Good flight with streamer recovery
Video at 18:03
2. Estes Wizard, yellow, 0.74 in.
dia., 12 in. tall, 1.2 oz.
Motor: Estes A8-3
Result: Good flight with streamer recovery
Video at 24:32
======
Member Nehemiah
1. Estes Red Flare, red, 2.6 in. dia., 24.4 in. tall, 8.4 oz.
Motor: Estes D12-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 18:43
2. Estes Red Flare, red, 2.6 in.
dia., 24.4 in. tall, 8.6 oz.
Motor: D12-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 27:58
======
Member Michael
1. Estes Alpha III, orange and black, 1 in. dia., 12 in. tall, 2.2 oz.
Motor: Estes C6-7
Result: Good flight
Video at 04:00
2. Estes Firehawk, silver and red,
0.74 in. dia., 11 in. tall, 1.0 oz.
Motor: A3-4T
Result: Good flight
Video at 14:18
3. Estes Patriot, yellow/black/white/red,
1.64 in. dia., 21 in. tall, 2.2 oz.
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good launch, tumbled down gently (chute stuck in the airframe)
Video at 25:06
4. Estes Farside, 1.64 in. dia.,
25 in. tall, 2.5 oz.
Motor: Estes C6-7
Result: Good flight
Video at 28:29
======
Guest Ben H
1. Scratch-built Traffic Violation, orange, 3 in. dia., 62 in. tall, 6 lbs 15
oz.
Motor: CTI J285CL
Electronics: Two PerfectFlite Stratologgers, main set for 500 feet
Result: Good flight, successful L2 certification, landed near the farm on the
east side of the east cornfield
Video at 26:59
======
Guest Andrew G
1. Scratch-built Spruce Goose, blue/orange/white, 4 in. dia., 83 in. tall, 10
lbs 5.5 oz.
Motor: CTI I540WT
Electronics: two Altus Metrum Easy-Minis, and computational reefing method for
controlling parachute physical size
Result: Good flight, good deployment of a constricted main chute at 2200 feet,
then expanding chute size at lower altitude
Video at 32:02
======
Guest Ryan R
1. Scratch-built Leominster, red and black, 4 in. dia., 83.4 in. tall, 13 lbs
4 oz.
Motor: CTI J290WH
Electronics: Two Altus Metrum Easy-Minis set for main at 600 feet and 500 feet
Result: Good launch, anomalous deployment but rocket was deemed flyable after
landing, successful L2 certification
Video at 33:42
======
Member Eric
1. Scratch-built String Bean, green, 2.5 in. dia., 96 in. tall, 7.5 lbs
Motor: Hybrid Contrail J150
Electronics: PerfectFlite MAWD set for 500 feet
Result: Good flight with distinctive whistling sound
Video at 15:47
======
Member John A
1. Madcow Little John, army green, 4 in. dia., 48 in. tall, 9 lbs 5 oz.
Motor: CTI J400SS
Electronics: JLCR set for 300 feet
Result: Good flight, good deployment
Video at 06:50
======
Member Kevin K
1. Madcow Super DX3, red/white/blue, 4 in. dia., 54 in. tall, 7 lbs 3 oz.
Motor: CTI I470WT
Electronics:Eggtimer Proton and EggFinder GPS
Result: Good flight, apogee at 2690 feet
Video at 08:48 (part of the launch is missing in the video due to technical
glitch)
======
Member James:
1. MAC Menace442, blue and white, 4 in. dia., 48 in. tall, 6 lbs 6 oz.
Motor: CTI I223SK
Electronics: Dual deploy altimeters RRC2 and Altus Metrum EM
Result: Good flight and dual deployment, apogee 1960 feet, 220 mph
Video at 00:53
2. MAC Hyper54, red, 54mm min dia
rocket, 71 in. tall, 5 lbs 8.5 oz., flyaway rail guide
Motor: CTI J600R
Electronics: JLCR set for 300 feet, Jiobit GPS, JL Altimeter3, FlightSketch
altimeter, AttoTileRec audio recorder, and Tatoko 3KHz buzzer/alarm
Result: Good flight to 6437 feet reported by both altimeters, good JLCR deployment,
landed 3/4 mile northwest. The max speed was 796 mph Mach 1.04 but probably
actually closer to the simmed speed Mach 1.2 since the altimeters erroneously
showed negative acceleration briefly during the Mach transition.
Video at 10:09
=====
Guest Jake:
1. MadcowTomach, red and gray, 54 mm dia., 68 in. tall, 6 lbs 7 oz.
Motor: AT I600R
Electronics: dual deployment with Quantum (main at 500 feet) and Quark backup
Result: Good flight, good deployment, apogee at 4719 feet
Video at 02:39
2. Wildman Cherokee, white and orange,
4 in. dia., 72 in. tall, 13 lbs 10 oz.
Motor: AT K535W
Electronics: dual deployment with Quantum at 500 feet and Quark backup
Result: Good flight, apogee at 4567 feet
Video at 22:24
======
Member Doug
1. SBR Honest John, white and gray, 5 in. dia., 60 in. tall, 7 lbs 6 oz.
Motor: AT I175W
Result: Good flight, but one fin damaged, L1 cert not successful
Video at 19:24
2. MAC Bolt, light blue, 3 in. dia.,
60 in. tall, 5 lbs 1 oz.
Motor: AT H169 Super White Lightning
Result: Good flight, successful L1 certification
Video at 25:52
3. Estes Bomarc, black and white,
2.6 in. dia., 40 in. tall, 2 lbs 13 oz.
Motor: AT G77R
Result: Underpowered during boost, lost stability, crash-landed in the grass
Video at 31:22
======
Member Dave L
1. Rocketry Warehouse Sublime, green and black, 5.5 in. dia., 90 in. tall, 21
lbs 11 oz.
Motor: CTI K490GR
Electronics: Dual deploy set for 500 feet, PerfectFlite Mini Alt W/D, Raven,
and Mobius HD video camera
Result: Good flight, good dual deployment, apogee at 3943 feet
Ground video at 04:25, but see also onboard video footage HERE
2. Priority Stealth Going Postal,
red/white/blue, 9 in. dia., 8 in. tall, 4.4 oz., tumble recovery
Motor: Estes E12-6
Result: Good stable flight
Video at 15:10
3. Super Mario’s Rocket Ship, blue
and black, 2 in. dia., 23 in. tall, 6.4 oz.
Motor: Estes D12-5
Result: Good launch, but the parachute broke away from the airframe and was
recovered separately.
Video at 17:30
4. Sputnik, chrome/sliver-colored
paint, 3 in. dia., 16 in. tall, 2.0 oz.
Motor: Estes B6-4
Result: Good flight and tumble recovery
Video at 21:55
======
Member and Club President Howie
1. Wildman 1/4 Patriot, red/white/blue, 4 in. dia., 60 in. tall, 11 lb 0 oz
Motor: CTI J425BS
Electronics: dual deployment with RRC2 set for 500 feet
Result: Good flight, good dual deployment, the two altimeters reported apogee
as 2191 feet and 2133 feet
Video at 07:07
2. Wildman DarkStar 2.1, gold, 2.1
in. dia., 36 in. tall, 2 lb 3 oz
Motor: CTI G83BS
Electronics: JLCR set for 300 feet
Result: Good flight, good deployment
Video at 28:56
3. Scratch-built Pyramid, light blue
Styrofoam, built from a 24-inch wide piece of styrofoam into a tetrahedral triangular
pyramid, hypotenuse of each side is about 34 inches (24*sqrt(2)), diameter 39
inches (in terms of a circle with an equilateral triangle inscribed), 1 lb 14
oz
Motor: CTI H90CL
Result: Good flight
Video not available
======
Curtis H and Olin College student team
1. Scratch-built Phoenix III, black carbon fiber, 6 in. dia., 86.5 in. tall,
33 lbs
Electronics: Dual deploy RRC2 and RRC3 with JLCR backup
Motor: AT L875DM
Result: Good flight, good dual deployment, apogee at 5483 feet
Video at 11:11
2. Scratch-built Phoenix III, black
carbon fiber, 6 in. dia., 86.5 in. tall, 43 lbs 15 oz.
Electronics: Dual deploy RRC2 and RRC3
Motor: AT M1340WL
Result: Good flight, apogee 9912 feet, good dual deployment, but chute did not
fully inflate, and the nosecone was damaged
Video at 29:28
June, 2021
Sunday, June 20, 2021
-- Father's Day
Weather: 80s, light winds, mostly sunny
Flight summary:
26 flights: 3A, 7C, 1D, 2E, 4G, 3H, 3I, 3K
29 motors: 3A, 4B, 6C, 1D, 2E, 4G, 3H, 3I, 3K
Total impulse: M
Mean (average) impulse, both by motor and by flight: H
Mode (most used): C6-5
Median (middle value): E
Flights (maker, color, diameter x length, other things of note):
Rowan L
CRMRC Saucer, tumble recovery, on a C6-5
A'den R
Estes High Flyer, red, 1.5" x 24", on C6-5
Kyle B
Apogee Zephyr, white, 4" x 48", 3+lbs, on AT H128-Dark Matter
Noah G
MAC Performance Arcas, brown/white, 2.2" x 48", 2+lbs, ArdIU altimeter,
on a CTI G68 White
Kevin K
Madcow Super DX-3, red/white/blue, 4" x 54", 7+lbs, dual deploy @
600', altitude 3445 ', on a CTI I540 White Thunder
John A
Rebuilt/modified Madcow Osprey, red/black, 4.5" x 112", 26+lbs, redundant
dual deploy RRC2L, RRC3 @ 800' & 600', Featherweight GPS, altitude 3672',
on CTI K1440 White Thunder
Isaac K
Scratch "Travel Request Denied", red/black, 5.5" x 111",
33+lbs, redundant dual deploy 2 Easy Mini @ 600', on a CTI K1440 White Thunder
Dave L
1. Scratch Yellow Saucer, yellow/black, 9" x 5", tumble recovery,
on an Estes E12-6
2. Scratch Yellow Crayon, yellow/black, 4" x 36", 3+lbs, on-board
GPS, on a CTI H155 Smoky Sam
Daniel B
1. Scratch "Fred Sr.", cardboard brown, 2.1" x 47", 2+lbs,
dual deploy Featherweight & Eggtimer classic @ 500', on an AT G25 White
2. Scratch "Robert", cardboard brown, 2.1" x 33", 2+lbs,
Featherweight GPS, on an AT G64 White
Ben G
1. Scratch "Untitled Machbuster", naked [unpainted], 1.6" x 32",
1+lbs, JLCR, ArdIU, Eggfinder GPS, altitude 7854', on a CTI I204 Imax
2. Scratch "Atlas", white, 3 tube recovered separately, on an Estes
E9-6 & 2 Estes B6-4
Michael W
1. Estes Spirit, red/white/blue, 2" x 12", on a C6-5
2. Estes Alpha III, orange/black, 1" x 12", on a C6-5
3. Estes Red Flare, red/yellow, 3" x 24" on a D12-5
Doug G
1. Madcow Bomarc, black/white, 2.6" x 48", 2+lb, on an AT G74 White
Lightning
2. MAC Performance Scorpion Clear, green, 3" x 65", 6+lbs, on an AT
H169 White Lightning
3. SBR Hojo [Honest John], 4" x 65", 8+lbs, on an AT I175 White Lightning
Gary S
1. Estes Leo Space Train, white/black/grey, 1.5" x 17", on a C6-3
2. Estes Expedition, gold, 2.25" x 26", on a C11-3
3. Estes Sidekick, orange/black, dual tubes 0.75" x 21", on 2 B4-4
4. Estes Crossbow SST, white, 0.75" x 15", on an A8-3
5. Estes Supernova, grey/black, 1" x 27.5", on an A8-3
6. Estes Space Twister, white/black/green, 1" x24", on an A8-3
Howie D
Wildman 4" Darkstar Extreme, naked green, 4" x 96", 22lbs, redundant
dual deploy w/RRC3 & MARSA, altitude 4450', on CTI K780 Blue Streak
URRG was also held in June, and the CRMRC had 3 flights:
Eric M
Wildman Ultimate Wildman "Vermont", green, 6" x 144", ~65lbs,
dual deploy, altitude 7250', Sunday 6/27, on an AT M2400 Green
Howie D
1. Wildman Ultimate Wildman "Firebolt", dark red/white, 6" x
144", ~65lbs, redundant dual deploy 2 RRC3, altitude 6667', Friday 6/25,
on a CTI M1810 Red Lightning
2. Wildman 4" Darkstar Extreme, naked green, 4" x 96", 22lbs,
redundant dual deploy w/RRC3 & MARSA, altitude 4448', Sunday 6/27, on CTI
K1200 White Thunder
July, 2021
The July 17 CRMRC monthly club launch in St Albans was limited to low- and mid-power flights due to a layer of stratus clouds about 1900 feet above ground level. But any day of flying rockets is far better than a day trapped at home in a quarantine! The pesky cloud layer persisted throughout the day, rendering us unable to launch high-power flights (NAR regulations do not permit rockets to fly into clouds nor into an airspace where there is more than 50% cloud cover or less than 5 miles of visibility). Even so,we had a great day at lower altitudes flying A-G motors. As discussed below, the flights included a series of 4 Estes Big Berthas (Gary) and many other successful and intriguing rockets, such as Abby with her scratch-built Titemillion, Eleanor and her scratch-built Toothless, and Ken with his Cosmic Lampshade.
John A and James S arrived at the club field site north of St Albans at 9:00 am and began setting up equipment in the main grassy field. We noted that the cornfield to the east had short corn, approximately 4 feet tall, along with some dry grass. Temperatures were in the low 70s F when we arrived, gradually rising to the mid-70s by early afternoon. The ground in the fields was dry, and there was no water in the ditches. Winds were calm in the morning, and then a slight breeze began developing later in the day with occasional gusts about 5 mph. This breeze was blowing from the southwest, so we angled the low-power rack toward the southwest. We noticed that some of our rockets were drifting under chute into the cornfield to the east, so we adjusted the angles of the launch rods so that they were pointed about 10-20 degrees away from the cornfield (20 degrees is the maximum limit allowed by NAR regulations). Once these adjustments were in place, very few rockets landed in the cornfield.
John parked his truck with the club launching equipment just inside our main field. Other vehicles parked along the south side of the farm road. We set up the low-power rack in our main (grassy) field, and placed the rackat a distance of 50 feet north of the LCO table. John served as LCO and RSO. James video-recorded the flights and helped with RSO duties. Later in the day, we also set up a blue high-power pad at 100 feet in hopes of flying a larger rocket, but weather conditions did not allow.
Club members began launching rockets at 10:00 am. For the first flight of the day, we decided to estimate the cloud ceiling with an altimeter. James put an altimeter (Flight Sketch) into the Estes Majestic that Michael launched on an Estes F25. The rocket grazed the lower side of the cloud layer above us, and the altimeter read 1944 feet for apogee. We therefore followed the assumption that the ceiling was approximately 1900 feet. These stratus cloud conditions remained in place throughout the day, with an occasional small cumulus cloud at lower altitudes nearby.
Even though we had registered a NOTAM with the Burlington Airport for this launch event, a small airplane was flying around doing aerial stunts at about 1500-1800feet altitude, just north of our launch area. We called the Burlington Air Traffic Control Tower. Sometime later, the plane finally left the area.
Overall, this CRMRC event was attended by 17 adults and 8 children, including an infant (future rocketeer). Approximately 10 vehicles parked along the farm road during the day. We packed up and left the field at 1:45 pm.
AWARDS AND MILESTONES
Best launch series: Gary and his series of 4 Estes Big Berthas of varying sizes
Best detail work on a model rocket: Gary and his Estes Astron Explorer, which includes intricate internal fluid dynamics
Most launches with the same rocket: (tie) Eleanor with 4 flights on her scratch-built Toothless and Abby with 4 flights on her scratch-built Titemillion
Most interesting design: Ken and his scratch-built Cosmic Lampshade, which as the name suggests, was made out of a lampshade.
Closest to pad: Gary and his Estes Camo Jet, which landed about 25 feet north of the launch rack
Farthest from pad: Abby and her scratch-built Titemillion, which was successfully recovered in the east cornfield at a distance of exactly 175 rows of corn from our edge of the field.
Most prolific rocketeer: Gary with his 10 flights in one day!
Smallest V2 model: Lee and his 13 mm V2 from Aerospace Speciality Products, which is 1:67 scale
Oldest rocket: The 50-year-old Gemini model that Gary launched, which is almost as old as the actual NASA Gemini program
MOTORS
We flew a total of 35 motors on 33
flights, two of which were staged flights by Gary (B6-0 to B6-6 and B6-0 to
B6-4). The motors were distributed among the following motor classes:
A: 6 motors
B: 6 motors
C: 6 motors
D: 13 motors
E: 1 motor
F: 2 motors
G: 1 motor
As a group, our total impulse was 542.5 Ns, which is equivalent to one I motor (this is an unusually low amount of total impulse for a CRMRC monthly launch). Our mean motor size was 15.47 Ns, which is equivalent to a D motor. The median was 8.8 Ns, which is a C motor, and the mode was D (13 D motors). The largest motor was an AeroTech G74 (flown by James), and the smallest motor was an A3-4T (flown by Lee and Gary).
FLIGHT DETAILS
Club video is HERE
========
Aiden:
Estes High Flyer, red/gray/black, 2 in. dia., 24 in. tall
Motor: Quest D16-4
Result: Good flight
Video at 10:03
========
James:
MAC Black Fly, white and black paint, 3 in. dia., 39 in. tall, 3 lbs 13 oz.
Motor: AT G74-9W
Result: Good short flight to approximately 350 feet as planned, but deployment
was late and the parachute was tangled and did not fully open. The rocket separated
properly, but the nosecone lawn-darted into the cornfield, burying the aluminum
tip about 4 inches deep into the soil. However, there was no damage at all,
and the rocket is perfectly fine (high-quality MAC components).
Video at 01:42
========
Ken:
1. Estes Pink Rocket, 2.4 in. dia., 25 in. tall, 15.1 oz.
Motor: Estes F15-6
Electronics: Loud beeper (to aid in recovery)
Result: Good flight, landed north of the ridgeline in our main field
Video at 14:50
2. Estes Mercury Redstone, white
and black, 2.05 in. dia., 28.6 in. tall, 7.5 oz.
Motor: Estes C6-3
Result: Dived into the grass before ejection
Video at 18:05
3. Cosmic Lampshade, 10 in. dia.,
9 in. tall, 6.8 oz.
Motor: Estes D12-5
Result: Entertaining flight, arced into the grass just after burnout but no
damage
Video at 18:24
========
Michael:
1. Estes Majestic, purple, 2 in. dia., 35.3 in. tall, 12.5 oz.
Motor: AeroTech F25-6W
Electronics: Flight Sketch altimeter
Result: Good flight, apogee at 1944 feet, rocket landed in the grass just north
of the ridge in the main field.
Video at 00:12
2. Estes Farside, blue and white,
1.625 in. dia., 25 in. tall, 2.4 oz.
Motor: Estes B6-6
Result: Good flight
Video at 05:14
3. Estes Savage, pink/white/black,
1.33 in. dia., 31.75 in. tall, 4.3 oz.
Motor: Estes C6-7
Result: Rocket did not separate, lawn-darted, booster tube damaged
Video at 09:09
4. Estes Spirit, white/black/red,
1.33 in. dia., 21 in. tall, 3.9 oz.
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 11:34
========
Eleanor:
1. Scratch-built Toothless, black, 1.64 in. dia., 14 in. tall, 4 oz.
Motor: Estes D12-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 02:17
2. Scratch-built Toothless, black,
1.64 in. dia., 14 in. tall, 4 oz.
Motor: Quest D16-4
Result: Good flight
Video at 06:36
3. Scratch-built Toothless, black,
1.64 in. dia., 14 in. tall, 4 oz.
Motor: Estes D12-5
Result: Good flight, some spiraling motion
Video at 14:14
4. Scratch-built Toothless, black,
1.64 in. dia., 14 in. tall, 4 oz.
Motor: Quest D16-4
Result: Good flight, although there was a sharp spiraling motion near apogee
Video at 16:37
========
Abby:
1. Scratch-built Titemillion, teal and red, 1.64 in. dia., 24 in. tall, 5.1
oz.
Motor: Estes D12-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 08:32
2. Scratch-built Titemillion, teal
and red, 1.64 in. dia., 24 in. tall, 5 oz.
Motor: Quest D16-4
Result: Good flight, landed far to the east in the cornfield, successfully recovered
175 rows into the field
Video at 10:24
3. Scratch-built Titemillion, teal
and red, 1.64 in. dia., 24 in. tall, 5.1 oz.
Motor: Estes D12-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 13:40
4. Scratch-built Titemillion, teal
and red, 1.64 in. dia., 24 in. tall, 5.1 oz.
Motor: Quest D16-4
Result: Good flight
Video at 16:05
========
Lee:
1. ASP V2, 13 mm dia. (0.51 in.), 7.75 in. tall, 1.2 oz.
Motor: Estes A3-4T
Result: Good flight
Video at 05:58
2. ASP Sandia Sandhawk, 13 mm (0.51
in.), 12.34 in. tall, 0.9 oz.
Motor: Estes A3-4T
Result: Good flight
Video at 09:29
3. ASP Tomahawk, white/black/red,
13mm dia. (0.51 in.), 11 in. tall, 0.8 oz.
Motor: Estes A3-4T
Result: Good flight
Video at 13:28
4. ASP Tomahawk, white/black/red,
13mm dia. (0.51 in.), 11 in. tall, 0.8 oz.
Motor: Estes A3-4T
Result: Good flight
Video not available
5. RocketariumTamir Missile, gray
and black, 1.6 in. dia., 28 in. tall
Motor: Estes D12-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 15:36
6. Rocketarium AIM-120 AMRAAM, 1.64
in. dia., 34 in. tall, 7 oz.
Motor: Estes D12-5
Result: Good flight
Video at 18:47
========
Gary:
1. Estes Baby Bertha, red, 1.625
in. dia., 12.75 in. tall, 2.3 oz.
Motor: Estes A8-3
Result: good flight
Video at 00:35
2. Estes Big Bertha, red, 1.625 in.
dia., 23.5 in. tall, 4.0 oz
Motor: Estes B6-4
Result: Good flight
Video at 01:10
3. Estes Boosted Bertha, red, 1.625
in. dia., 28.5 in. tall, 5.9 oz.
Motors: Estes B6-0 to B6-4 (staged flight)
Result: Good boost (booster landed near the launch rack) and good sustainer.
Rocket landed under chute nearby in the main field.
Video at 02:57
4. Estes Super Big Bertha, red and
white, 2.5 in. dia., 37 in. tall, 13.4 oz.
Motor: Estes E16-4
Result: Good flight, landed in the grass in the main field, right next to the
ditch on the side of the cornfield
Video at 04:10
5. Estes Astron Explorer, yellow,
1.25 in. dia., 42 in. tall, 9.0 oz.
Motor: Estes D12-5
Result: Good flight, landed just east of the ditch
Video at 07:35
6. Estes Supernova, black and gray,
1 in. dia., 27.5 in. tall, 3.6 oz.
Motors: Estes B6-0 to B6-6 (staged flight)
Result: The booster motor produced a good boost, but unfortunately the sustainer
motor did not light. As a result, there was no ejection of the parachute, and
rocket lawn-darted into the grass
Video at 11:00
7. Estes Camo Jet, green, 1 in. dia.,
16 in. tall, 4.7 oz.
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Good flight, realistic jet-like flight, good deployment, landed about
25 feet north of the launch rack (closest to pad)
Video at 11:48
8. Estes F-14, green, 1 in. dia.,
16 in. tall, 4.1 oz.
Motor: Estes C6-3
Result: Good flight
Video at 12:40
9. Estes Eagle, black/white/gray,
0.75 in. dia., 18 in. tall, 3.1 oz.
Motor: Estes A8-3
Result: Interesting glider-style launch, seemed to be underpowered since the
ejection occurred as it hit the ground
Video at 14.31
10. Estes Gemini, 1.5 in. dia., 19
in. tall, 3.3 oz., 50 year-old model rocket
Motor: Estes C6-5
Result: Did not separate, lawn-darted into the grass, motor mount damaged but
no other damage
Video at 17:30
August, 2021
FUN IN THE SUN: The CRMRC Monthly Launch on August 21, 2021
Club members began arriving on the field shortly before 9:00 am. Club equipment
was transported to the field by John A, Howie D, and Kevin K, including a set
of convenient trash buckets that he kindly brought to help everyone keep the
field clean. We noticed some high-altitude cirrus clouds early in the morning,
but these clouds soon faded away into mostly blue skies. The weather forecast
had called for possible thunderstorms in the afternoon, and we did notice a
row of cumulus clouds building in the early afternoon. But the clouds stayed
mainly to our east and never encroached on our airspace or threatened rain or
storms. Even so, because of this forecast for possible afternoon thunderstorms,
the Club President and Rocket Guru Howie D wisely arranged the airport NOTAM
to allow us to begin launching at 9:00 am, rather than our customary 10:00 am
starting time. Temperatures were in the high 80s for most of the day, and it
was quite humid. The heat index was in the high 90s for most of the day, but
rocketeers know how to protect themselves from all kinds of weather, including
extreme heat! Four canvas shelters were set up behind the flight line, providing
crucial shade from the unforgiving sun. Bottled water was also available on
the launch site. As for field conditions, this is the time of year when tall
cornfields pose the greatest challenge to rocketry. In the east cornfield and
other cornfields in the area, we saw dense rows of corn stalks standing 8-12
feet tall. The sight of this tall corn filled the rocketeers with dread and
trepidation since it is very difficult to find a rocket in a such a field. By
contrast, our main launch area was a friendly grassy field that had been trimmed
to just a few inches of grass. Fortunately, most rockets landed in these grassy
fields, but a few rockets strayed into the cornfields to suffer an uncertain
fate. In the end, only one rocket was left behind somewhere in the corn, as
described below.
John A. parked his truck on the south side of our main field so that we could
unload the equipment. Other vehicles parked along the south side of the farm
road or at the ridge of the hill. In our main field, we set up the low-power
rack 50 feet from the flight table, angling it diagonally toward the northwest
and setting the rails at 5-10 degrees away from the cornfield. Winds were calm
early in the day but later on some small gusts of approximately 5 mph emerged,
typically from the west (toward the cornfield!) or from the southwest. In terms
of physical comfort, we appreciated these cool light breezes, which also seemed
to drive away the small biting black flies which occasionally tormented us (maybe
they were MAC Black Flies). We set up a blue high-power pad at 100 feet (1010
rail), and another blue pad at 200 feet (1010 rail with 1515 rail available
as needed), and the heavy yellow pad at 300 feet (1515 rail). The regular launch
table (LCO table) was positioned on the south end of our main field, with the
large black storage bin as the chair for the LCO. We set up the RSO table behind
behind the LCO table. Howie also set up a rocket assembly table just behind
the flight line. We were ready for launches by 9:40 am. Howie served as LCO
and RSO throughout the day, while Kevin K and James video-recorded the flights.
The launch was attended by 8 CRMRC members, 5-6 college students from the Northeastern
University team, and approximately 8-10 other guests, including several children.
Flyers and spectators traveled to this club launch from eastern Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, New York state, and various locations across Vermont. As always
during the pandemic, we greatly missed our Canadian club members who are not
able to cross the border to join us for club launches.
Despite the heat and humidity, club members happily launched their rockets for
almost 6 hours until late afternoon, finally packing up the field about 4:15
pm. The Northeastern University students and some CRMRC club members stayed
on for some time longer to find their rocket in the cornfield, as discussed
below.
AWARDS AND MILESTONES
-Closest to pad: Howie and his Famous Howie Pyramid
-Farthest from pad: Doug and his MAC Ethos (far southwest cornfield, approx. 3/4 mile)
-Most flights: Michael and his 4 flights, all successful
-Most persistent search and rescue effort: Northeastern University student team, which spent about 2 hours in the east cornfield looking for their rocket and eventually found it!
-Best flight on bright pink propellant: John A and his CTI K650PK in his Madcow Osprey
-Best flight on smoky propellant: Stan and his Super Big Bertha on F26 with FastJack propellant
-Best flight on red propellant: Kevin K and his SuperDX3 on CTI J410 RedLine
-Most impressive 3D-printed rocket components: Kyle B
-Most relieved rocketeer: James, when he saw that his new 47-pound Ultimate Wildman had successfully deployed and landed gently in the grass in a nearby field
-Runner-up for most relieved rocketeer: John A, when he saw that his 26-pound Madcow Osprey had landed safely in the grass only 10 feet away from a cow pond filled with muddy water!
-Most well-organized rocketeer: Howie, the eternal champion of this category
-Most flights on MAC rockets: Doug G with his flights on MAC Scorpion and MAC Ethos
MOTORS
Together we burned through 19 motors on 19 flights (no clusters or staged flights)
for a total impulse of 11,220.6 Ns (2,525 lbs), which is equivalent to a small
N motor. Our average motor size was 590.6 Ns (a large I motor), and the median
was 118.8 Ns (a mid-sized G motor). Our motor distribution was bimodal with
a peak in the low-power range at C (4 C motors) and another peak in the high-power
range at H (3 H motors). The largest motor flown on this day was a CTI L1350
C-Star, which is a 67% L motor with 4263.1 Ns total impulse (960 lbs). Estes
B6-4 was the smallest motor of the day, which has 5.6 Ns total impulse (1 lb
4 oz). As a group, our motor distribution was as follows:
A: 0
B: 2
C: 4
D: 1
E: 0
F: 1
G: 2
H: 3
I: 2
J: 1
K: 2
L: 1
FLIGHT DETAILS
Club video link HERE
=====
Scott L:
Scratch-built, green and yellow, 18 mm dia., 16 in. tall, 4 oz
-Motor: Estes B6-4
-Result: Good flight, landed just a few feet from the east cornfield
-Video at 17:18
=====
Aiden B:
Estes Dinosaurs and Cars, 6.6 oz
-Motor: Estes D12-3
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 15:19
=====
Michael:
1. Estes Firebird, white and red, 1.3 in. dia., 23 in. tall, 3.2 oz
-Motor: Estes C6-3
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 03:51
2. Estes Spirit, red/white/blue,
1.3 in. dia., 21 in. tall, 4 oz
-Motor: Estes C6-3
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 16:24
3. Estes No Name, red and gold, unknown
dimensions, 3.5 oz
-Motor: Estes C6-5
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 04:51
4. Estes Bandit, black and yellow,
0.74 in. dia., 11 in. tall, 2.7 oz
-Motor: Estes C6-7
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 10:04
=====
Stan:
Estes Super Big Bertha, red/white/blue, 2.6 in. dia., 36.8 in. tall, 15 oz.
-Motor: Estes/AeroTech F26-6FJ
-Result: Good flight on the smoky FastJack propellant, good parachute deployment
-Video at 05:30 shows the parachute recovery (launch video not available due
to user error)
=====
Kevin K:
1. Estes Little Red, red, 1 in. dia., 12 in. tall, 1.7 oz
-Motor: Estes B6-4
-Result: Good flight, descended with a shiny streamer
-Video at 17:46
2. Madcow SuperDX3, red/white/blue,
4 in. dia., 54 in. tall, 7 lbs 8 oz
-Electronics: Dual deploy with Eggtimer set for 500 feet, Eggfinder GPS
-Motor: CTI J410RL
-Result: Good flight, altitude 4,001 feet
-Video at 00:19 (see also FB for a still photo of the rocket during liftoff)
=====
Kyle B:
1. Copper Bottom, unknown dimensions, 2 lbs 13 oz
-Motor: AT G64W
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 03:01
2. Scratch-built Dark Arrow, 2.6
in. dia., 4 lbs 8 oz
-Electronics: Dual deploy with RRC3 set for 400 feet
-Motor: AT I170-Mojave Green
-Video not available (sorry, Kyle, we missed this one)
=====
Doug G:
1. MAC Ethos, purple and orange, 3 in. dia., 48 in. tall, 4 lbs 1 oz
-Electronics: JLCR set to 300 feet
-Motor: CTI H123SK
-Result: good launch and deployment, but landed somewhere in the far southwest
cornfield, not recoverable. Doug, James, and John went back to search the area
using the original line of sight, but the rocket could not be found.
-Video at 22:27
2. MAC Scorpion, green, 3 in. dia.,
65 in. tall, 7.1 lbs
-Electronics: Eggtimer
-Motor: CTI I212SS
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 20:29
=====
Ryan and Northeastern University student team:
Scratch-built TRD, red and black, 6 in. dia., 99.5 in. tall, 33 lbs 12 oz
-Electronics: Dual deploy with Altus Metrum EM x 2 altimeters set for main 600
feet, also a second main parachute with reefing system (released before the
main). In the reefing system, the parachute opens at relatively high altitude
but remains partially constricted by a thin cord around it, then later a cord-cutter
breaks this at the desired altitude, allowing the parachute to fully open. Note:
Blue Origin used a similar system in their flight with Jeff Bezos on board in
July 2021.
-Motor: CTI K1440WT
-Result: Good flight, good deployment of the reefing system, but the rocket
landed deep inside the east cornfield. The rocket did not carry GPS, and so
the student team triangulated the landing location: One person stood on a step
ladder on top of John's truck bed and communicated via cell phone with the searchers
inside the field. After about two hours, they finally found their rocket near
the drainage ditch in the middle of the field.
-Video at 25:57
=====
James:
Ultimate Wildman, blue/red/yellow, 6 in. dia., 132 in. tall, 47.1 lbs
-Electronics: Dual deploy with Altus Metrum (1000 ft), RRC2L (900 ft), RRC2
(800 ft), JL Alt3, Jiobit pet tracker GPS
-Motor: CTI L1350 C-Star
-Result: Good flight to 4266 feet (avg from 3 altimeters), max speed 386 mph,
good separation at apogee, descent under drogue at 63 fps, main deployed at
1000 feet, descended under main at 20 fps (13.6 mph), landed safely about half
a mile away in the northwest grassy field, about 200 yards east of Maquam Shore
Road, located by GPS
-Video at 05:53
=====
John A:
1. MAC 54mm Black Fly Stretch, unpainted MAC canvas phenolic, 54mm dia., 39
in. tall, 3 lbs 4 oz
-Electronics: Dual Deployment with RRC2, AlusMetrum mini, Featherweight GPS
-Motor: CTI H123SK
-Result: Good flight, good deployment
-Video at 18:39
2. Madcow Osprey, red and black,
4 in. dia., 111 in. tall, 26 lbs 14 oz
-Electronics: Dual deploy with RRC2 and RRC3, also Featherweight GPS
-Motor: CTI K650PK
-Result: Nice straight launch on the pink propellant, altitude 3033 feet, good
deployment, landed about half a mile southwest of our field, just missed landing
in a cow pond by 10 feet
-Video at 11:30 and another view of the same launch at 13:09
=====
Club President and Rocket Guru Howie D:
1. The Famous Howie Pyramid, light-blue styrofoam, built from a 24-inch wide
piece of styrofoam into a tetrahedral triangular pyramid, weight 1 lb 11 oz
-Motor: AT G78-4 Mojave Green
-Result: Good flight with stable coasting recovery
-Video at 25:30
2. PML Black Brant, red/black/silver,
2.6 in. dia., 4 feet tall, 3 lb 13 oz
Electronics: JLCR set for 300 feet, and RF tracker
-Motor: CTI H110W
-Result: Good flight with motor ejection set for a delay of 9 seconds, then
successful JCLR deployment at 300 feet
-Video at 23:32
September, 2021
On this beautiful autumn day in St. Albans, the CRMRC rocketeers enjoyed brilliant blue skies, light winds, low humidity, and refreshingly comfortable temperatures in the high 60s F (15-20 C). We occasionally noticed a small friendly cumulus cloud here and there, but the skies became clearer and clearer as the day went on. In fact, by the end of the day, Club President and Rocket Guru Howie D observed that there was not a single cloud in the sky! Our only concern was the tall dense corn standing in the east cornfield, which can be a difficult place to locate rockets (for example, see the August report). But on this mid-September day, not a single rocket strayed into the east cornfield. Rocketeers carefully angled their launch rods and rails about 5-10 degrees into the gentle northwest wind (typically 3 to 8 mph). As a result, most of our rockets landed nearby in our main field or in the south or west fields, and never in the perilous east cornfield.
Despite this good fortune with the cornfield, we still experienced a few rocketry
mishaps and misadventures, as described below, but also many great successes!
Everyone agreed that this was a fabulous day of CRMRC rocketry, featuring a
dizzying array of multi-colored rockets and thundering motors, many exciting
flights and creative projects, and good times for all in the pleasant sunshine.
Approximately 28 people attended this club launch, including 10 college students
from Northeastern University. As always, we missed our Canadian CRMRC friends
who are still blocked from crossing the international border to join us for
rocket launches. May your maple leaves up there be plentiful and strong…
========================
Club Launch Equipment
========================
It took a little longer than usual to assemble the launch equipment due to the skeleton crew of club members at the start of the day. Early in the morning, John A had kindly driven over to the field and dropped off the club equipment so that it would be ready to be assembled starting at 9:00 am. James and Michael then arrived at 9:00 am to begin setting it up. The launch table was placed in its traditional location in our main field, just north of the farm road. We positioned the low-power rack 50 feet northwest of the launch table. We then set up the two blue 8.5-foot rails at 100 feet north of the launch table for H, I, and J motors (and later moved one of the blue pads out to 200 feet for K motors). Howie arrived at 9:43 am, after receiving a late-night email request for the 12 foot 1515 rail.
As for rail sizes, we used 1010 rails for most HPR flights on the blue pads,
but switched to 1515 for a few flights on one of the blue pads as needed. In
addition, the large yellow pad with 12-foot 1515 rail was set up at 200 feet
for two larger rockets.
Vehicles parked on the south side of the farm road or in the parking area at
the crest of the hill on the farm road. As flights waned in mid-afternoon, we
began gradually taking down equipment that was no longer needed for the remaining
planned launches. At 5:30 pm, after the last flights had been flown and recovered,
John A and Howie D packed up the remaining equipment and left the field.
=====================
AWARDS AND MILESTONES
=====================
-Most interesting motor: Dan B and his long-burning AT I59, which burned for
8 seconds and contained two different propellant formulas: White Lightning and
Warp 9
-Successful L1 certification: Dan B on AT I59WN. Congratulations!
-Successful L2 certification: Kartikey A on CTI J335R. Congratulations!
-Most successful flights: Michael W with 4 successful flights
-Closest to pad: Michael and his Estes Pulsar Pink
-Farthest from pad: Northeastern University team and their Carby Too, which came down about 3/4 miles to the southwest
-Flier with the most family members coming to view his flights: John A
-Best split-fin flight: Howie and his Wildman 3-inch Darkstar
-Highest altitude: Kyle and his Custom-Built Full Carbon which flew to 8628 feet
-Most extensive geological core-sampling of our field: James
-Best titanium-infused motor effects on grass near launch rail: Matt M and his AT I327 Dark Matter
-Best work with a water pump on grass near launch rail: Howie and Michel
-Best 3D-print work on rocket parts: (tie) Scott L and Kyle
-Most melted 3D-print rocket parts during flight: Scott L
-Best handcrafted igniters: Kyle
-Best transparent design of av-bay walls: Northeastern University team
-Best transparent booster tube: James (thanks to Daniel M and Gary)
-Best on-the-field solution to a rocketry problem: Howie and his clever way to remove a stuck Estes D motor that was jammed in a booster tube
-Best build of a rocket from MAC Performance Rocketry: John A and his extended MAC 54mm Black Fly
======
MOTORS
======
As a group, we flew 15 flights on 15 motors (no staged flights or clusters).
We burned a total impulse of 8080.7 Ns, which is equivalent to a mid-sized M
motor. Our mean impulse was 538.7 Ns, which is equivalent to an I motor, and
the median was 207.2 Ns or an H motor. The motor distribution is listed below.
As with many CRMRC monthly launches, our distribution was bimodal with one mode
in the low-power range (3 C motors) and the other mode in the high-power range
(3 J motors).
A: 0
B: 1
C: 3
D: 1
E: 0
F: 1
G: 1
H: 1
I: 2
J: 3
K: 2
==============
FLIGHT DETAILS
==============
The full club launch video is linked HERE
=======
Scott L
1. Custom-Built 3D Print Green, 18 mm dia., 16 in. tall, very light
-Motor: Estes C6-3
-Result: Not entirely successful but entertaining. Flew upward with a wide spiraling
motion due to a broken fin, crashed on the grass.
-Video at 00:43
2. MAC Scorpion, black and green,
3 in. dia., 53.5 in. tall, 3 lbs 7 oz.
-Motor: AT G80T-10 (Blue Thunder)
-Electronics: Jiobit GPS Tracker
-Result: Good launch but the ejection delay was several seconds too long, main
chute did not deploy until after ground contact.
Video at 03:26
======
Michael W
1. Estes Pulsar Pink, pink and black, 1.64 in. dia., 16 in. tall, 2.5 oz.
-Motor: Estes B6-4
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 00:14
2. Estes Farside, blue and white,
1.63 in. dia., 25 in. tall, 2.6 oz.
-Motor: Estes C6-5
-Result: Good flight, parachute was slightly tangled but that enabled the rocket
to land nearby.
-Video at 01:34
3. Estes Spirit, red white and blue,
1.25 in. dia., 21 in. tall, 4 oz.
-Motor: Estes C6-5
-Video at 02:24
-Result: Good flight
4. Estes Red Flare, red and yellow,
2.6 in. dia., 24.4 in. tall, 8.6 oz.
-Motor: Estes D12-3
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 07:49
======
Dan B: L1 certification flight
-Custom-Built MRS V3 M2, brown, 54mm dia., 48 in. tall, 3 lbs 6 oz.
-Motor: AT I59WN
-Electronics: Featherweight GPS, Altus Metrum EM
-Result: Good launch on the long-burning I59, which burns for 8 seconds and
combines two types of propellant formulas: White Lightning and Warp 9.
-Successful L1 certification. Congratulations!
Video at 04:30
======
James
1. Custom-Built Chimera, 2 inch dia. transparent tubing with 2.6 inch dia. Blue
Tube booster, 63 in. tall
-Motor: CTI F59WT
-Result: Good launch but no ejection until after it had core-sampled deep into
the ground (delay was several seconds too long). The plastic nosecone was shattered,
but the rest of the rocket is undamaged and will fly again someday.
-Video at 01:05
2. Wildman Mach3 with a Binder Design
Aluminum Fincan, red fiberglass and shiny aluminum, 75mm dia., 63 in. tall,
9 lbs 1 oz
-Electronics: Altus Metrum and RRC2 and Jiobit GPS
-Motor: CTI J420CL
-Result: Deployed properly at apogee but main chute did not deploy, and so the
rocket core-sampled in our main field, airframe damaged but fins and nosecone
were unharmed.
-Video at 02:55
======
Kyle
-Custom-Built Full Carbon, gray, 2.4 in. dia., 40 in. tall, 5 lbs 1 oz.
-Electronics: RRC3 set for 400 feet, T3 GPS
-Motor: AT J275WL
-Result: Good flight, apogee 8628 feet, good deployment
-Video at 06:53
======
Matt M
-Custom-Built Machiavelli, red and white, 38mm dia., 56 in. tall, 3 lbs 5 oz.
-Electronics: Stratologger x 2, Eggtimer, camera
-Motor: AT I327DM
-Result: Field was watered down prior to sparkie motor, small fires beyond the
watered down area were quickly extinguished. Very fast boost, main chute was
found near the farm road. The final fate of the rest of the rocket is unknown
at this time.
-Video at 10:36
======
Kartikey A: L2 certification flight
-Scratch-built Super Guppy, black and red, 4-inch dim, 84 in. tall, 10 lbs 14.5
oz
-Electronics: Strut and Telemetrum set for 500 feet
-Motor: CTI J335R
-Result: Good flight, apogee 1793 ft. Successful certification. Congratulations!
-Video not available
======
Brian J and Northeastern University student team
-Custom-Built Carby Too, black, 4 in. dia., 106 in. tall, 21 lbs 11.5 oz.
-Electronics: Altus Metrum EMx2 and Telemetrum GPS
-Motor: CTI K1085WT
-Result: Good flight, landed near Maquam Shore Road, challenging recovery but
successful
-Video at 12:15
======
John A
1. Madcow Osprey, red and black, 4.5 in. dia., 111 in. tall. 26 lbs 13.5 oz.
-Electronics: RRC2 and RRC3 and Featherweight GPS
-Motor: CTI K780 Blue
-Result: Good straight launch on the CTI Blue Streak propellant, apogee 3156
feet, good deployment and landing
-Video at 08:32
2. MAC 54mm Black Fly, unpainted
MAC canvas phenolic, 54mm dia, 39 in. tall, 3 lbs 6.5 oz.
-Electronics: RRC2 and Altus Metrum EM and Featherweight GPS
-Motor: CTI H151R
-Result: Good flight to 2171 feet, good deployment and landing
-Video at 13:52
======
Club President and Rocket Guru Howie D
-Wildman 3-inch Darkstar, black fiberglass, 3 in. dia., 86 in. tall, 10 lbs
5 oz.
-Electronics: RRC2 and RF tracker
-Motor: CTI J316PK
-Result: Good flight to 2277 feet, good deployment, landed softly near the crest
of the hill in our main field.
-Video at 15:38
October, 2021
What a difference eight days can make! Due to poor weather on the originally scheduled weekend (Oct. 16-17), Club President and Rocket Guru Howie D wisely rescheduled our October club launch for Sunday, October 24. This fine autumn day turned out to be perfect for rocketry, with sunny skies and low winds throughout the day. Even more importantly, the cornfield was fully harvested, so we enjoyed vast open spaces all around us for our rockets to land comfortably.
John A kindly dropped off the club launch equipment early in the morning (approx.
7:00 am), and club members began setting up at 8:52 am. Some vehicles parked
just inside the cornfield, while others parked along the farm road near the
cornfield or at the crest of the hill. We set up the low-power rack at a distance
of 50 feet from the launch table. Then, using the two blue extension cords,
we set up two blue high-power pads with 1010 rails at a distance of 100 feet
from the launch table. We also laid out the red 100-foot extension cord for
K flights (for a total of 200 feet from the launch line), including the option
to use the 1515 rail as needed. Kevin K also set up his excellent system of
garbage cans to ensure that we keep the fields clean. We were ready for launches
by 9:48 am.
Approximately 20-25 people attended the launch during the day, including two
children, as well as several Northeastern University students who had driven
4 hours to participate in the launch event.
====
WEATHER AND FIELD CONDITIONS
====
We enjoyed beautiful sunny skies with just a few small lines of clouds faraway
on the horizon to our north and east. At 9:00 am, we noted that the field temperature
was 43 degrees (F) with winds in the range of 5-10 mph from SE/SW. The wind
slowed as the morning progressed, varying in direction but typically from the
southwest. In fact, at some points during the afternoon (such as 2:50 pm), the
club anemometer measured exactly 0.0 mph. By mid- to late-afternoon, we noted
that 1-2 mph winds were typical. Field temperatures reached highs in the low
50s during the afternoon. The field had a few patches of mud here and there,
but it was not difficult to navigate around them. The ditches had standing water.
Most of the fields were fairly dry, yet just soft enough to be gentle on any
rocket that had a hard landing (a few rockets did have hard landings, as discussed
below).
The last flight lifted off at 3:41 pm, and club members finished packing up
soon later. Kevin K had the equipment loaded into his truck to be transferred
back to John A. All CRMRC members had vacated the field by 4:30 pm, but some
of the Northeastern students stayed on to keep looking for pieces of a shredded
rocket.
====
AWARDS AND MILESTONES
====
-Successful L1 certification: Stan and his LOC IV on CTI H123SK(38)
-Successful L2 certification: Doug G and his MAC VTS-6 on Loki J326LR
-Successful L2 certification: Bjorn and his Custom-built No-Thank-You on CTI
J285CL
-Closest to pad: Doug G and his MAC VTS-6 on his L2 cert flight, which landed
just 5 feet from the rail
-Most resilient rocket: Doug G and his MAC Ethos, which survived 2 months in
the southwest cornfield before finally being rescued by a farm worker harvesting
corn
-Most intricate modeling work: Gary and his highly complex Fliskit Thunderbird
-Most colorful unicorns/rainbow stickers on a high-power rocket: Jeni
-Most prolific flyer: Gary with 8 flights
-Fastest-burning propellant: Kyle and his AT H669 Warp9 (0.3 sec burn for total
impulse 221 Ns)
-Highest thrust-to-weight ratio: Kyle and his ELF on AT H669 Warp9 with a 114-to-1
thrust-to-weight ratio
-Most spectacular flight: Howie and his Darkstar4 on CTI K490GR
====
MOTORS
====
We flew a total of 37 motors in 36
flights, including one staged flight: Gary and his Estes Savage on Estes D12-0
to B6-4. The largest motor flown on this day was a CTI K490G, which was flown
by Howie in his Wildman Darkstar4. As a club, we burned a total of 9,291.7 Ns
of total impulse, which is equivalent to a large M (81% M). Our mean impulse
was 251 Ns, which is equivalent to a 56% H motor. As shown below, our club motor
distribution had a mode of H (7 H motors). All motor classes from A-K were represented
by at least one motor flown by the club:
A: 4
B: 3
C: 5
D: 1
E: 1
F: 4
G: 4
H: 7
I: 2
J: 5
K: 1
CLUB LAUNCH VIDEO LINK HERE
FLIGHT DETAILS FOR ALL FLYERS
Ansel
1. Estes Alpha III, 1 in. dia., 12 in. tall, 2 oz.
-Motor: Estes A8-3
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 19:37
2. Estes Alpha III, black and orange,
1 in. dia., 12 in. tall, 2.2 oz.
-Motor: Estes C6-3
-Result: Good launch, but the parachute broke away from the booster
-Video at 27:37
3. Estes Outlaw, black/white/pink,
1.5 in. dia., 21 in. tall, 3.1 oz.
-Motor: Estes B6-4
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 40:22
====
Michael
1. Estes Majestic, silver and purple, 2 in. dia., 35.3 in. tall, 14.1 oz
-Motor: Estes F15-8
-Result: Good straight flight on the long-burning F15 (3.5 seconds)
-Video at 11:20
2. Estes Phoenix, red and white,
1.5 in. dia., 12 in. tall, 1.5 oz.
-Motor: Estes C6-3
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 13:58
3. Estes Red Rocket, red and gold,
1 in. dia., 18 in. tall, 3.4 oz.
-Motor: Estes C6-3
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 25:09
====
Gary
1. Estes Star Hopper, 0.75 in. dia., 7.5 in. tall, 0.7 oz.
-Motor: Estes A10-3T
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 02:44
2. Fliskits Thunderbird, dark green,
1.6 in. dia., 18 in. tall, 5.2 oz.
-Motor: Estes B6-4
-Result: Underpowered, low-altitude, the ejection charge was late but rocket
did not sustain any damage
-Video at 10:47
3. Estes Space Crater, orange and
purple, 1 in. dia., 18.5 in. tall, 3.7 oz.
-Motor: Estes C6-5
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 20:13
4. Estes Ascender, white/red/black,
2 in. dia., 42 in. tall, 15.4 oz.
-Motor: Estes E16-4
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 29:39
5. Estes Centuri, white, 1.25 in.
dia., 20 in. tall, 3.7 oz.
-Motor: Estes C6-5
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 31:45
6. Estes Mini A Heli, orange and
yellow, 0.5 in. dia., 15 in. tall, 1.2 oz.
-Motor: Estes A10-3T
-Result: Good boost, but the rocket helicopter blades failed to open up
-Video at 39:03
7. Estes Savage, white/black/pink,
1.25 in. dia., 30 in .tall, 7.0 oz.
-Motors: Estes D12-0 to B6-4
-Result: Good flight of the two-stage rocket, sustainer ignited as planned,
booster landed nearby
-Video at 39:20
8. Estes Airborne Surveillance, red
and black, 1 in. dia., 11 in. tall, 1.2 oz.
-Motor: Estes A10-3T
-Result: Good flight
-No video available
====
Stan
1. LOC Micro-Magg, black and white, 4 in. dia., 31 in. tall, 1 lb 13 oz.
-Motor: AT F50-6T
-Result: Good flight, landed near the flight line, almost on top of the cameraman
-Video at 00:19
2. LOC-IV, red and white, 4 in. dia.,
48 in. tall, 3 lbs 7 oz.
-Motor: CTI H123SK(38mm)
-Result: Successful L1 certification, good flight
Congratulations, Stan!
-Video at 07:50
3. LOC Patriot, black and white,
2.6 in. dia., 34 in. tall, 1 lb 10 oz.
-Motor: AT G78-7G
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 26:12
====
Jeni and Kyle
-Custom-Built Unicorn, white with sparkles and stickers, 3 in. dia., 40 in.
tall, 2 lbs 12 oz.
-Motor: AT H178DM
-Electronics: JLCR set to 600 feet, and JL Altimeter2
-Result: Good flight, good deployment at 600 feet
-Video at 14:55
====
Kyle B
1. Custom-Built ELF, red and green, 38mm dia., 22 in. tall, 1 lb 2 oz.
-Motor: AT G339N (Warp9), streamer recovery
-Electronics: RRC2 and T3 GPS
-Result: Good flight to apogee 3500 feet, very fast-burning propellant
-Video at 01:24
2. Custom-Built ELF, red and green,
38mm dia., 22 in. tall, 1 lb 5 0z.
-Motor: AT H669N (Warp9), streamer recovery
-Electronics: RRC2 and T3 GPS
-Result: Good flight to apogee 6500, extremely fast-burning propellant
-Video at 25:32
====
Andrew G
-Custom-Built Spruce Goose, blue/black/orange, 4 in. dia., 83 in. tall, 10 lbs
3.5 oz.
-Motor: CTI I540WT
-Electronics: 2 x AltusMetrum EM and custom reefing system
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 32:31
====
Bjorn
-Custom-Built No-Thank-You, 4 in. dia., 73 in. tall, 9 lbs 13 oz.
-Motor: CTI J285CL
-Electronics: 2 x Stratologger
-Result: Good flight, successful L2 certification
Congratulations, Bjorn!
-Video at 37:14
====
Matt M.
-Custom-Built Machiavelli, red and white, 38mm dia., 56 in. tall, 3 lbs 6 oz.
-Motor: AT J500G
-Electronics: 2 x Stratologger
-Result: Rocket shredded during the boost (at approximately MaxQ), pieces landed
in several fields
-Video at 42:48
====
James
1. Custom-built Chimera, transparent and blue, 2 in. dia. clear plastic airframe
with 2.6 in. dia. Blue Tube booster/fincan, 63 in. tall, 2 lbs 1 oz.
-Motor: AT F67-6W
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 12:52
2. MAC 3-inch Black Fly, white and
black, 3 in. dia., 39 in. tall, 4 lbs 8 oz.
-Motor: CTI H123SK(38mm)
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 21:13
3. MAC Menace, blue and white, 4
in. dia., 48 in. tall, 6 lbs 7 oz.
-Motor: CTI H225WT
-Result: Good flight except that the chute became tangled in a shroud line,
but the rocket was not damaged.
-Video at 28:34
4. Custom-Built Chimera, transparent
and blue, 2 in. dia. clear plastic airframe with 2.6 in. dia. Blue Tube booster/fincan,
63 in. tall, 2 lbs 1 oz.
-Motor: AT F67-4W
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 35:45
5. MAC Menace, blue and white, 4
in. dia., 48 in. tall, 6 lbs 7 oz.
-Motor: CTI H225WT
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 41:38
====
Kevin K
1. Madcow Patriot, white/red/orange, 4 in. dia., 48 in. tall, 6 lbs 4.5 oz.
-Motor: CTI I470WT
-Electronics: Eggfinder, Adrel Altimeter, JLCR set to 600 feet
-Result: Good flight to 3104 feet apogee, main chute appeared to deploy at apogee
-Video at 04:18
2. Madcow SuperDX3, red/white/blue,
4 in. dia., 54 in. tall, 7 lbs 11 oz.
-Motor: CTI J400SS
-Electronics: Eggfinder Proton
-Result: Good flight to apogee of 3464 feet, good deployment at 600 feet
-Video at 23:00
====
Doug G
1. MAC Bolt, light blue and gray, 3 in. dia., 68 in. tall, 5 lbs 12 oz.
-Motor: CTI H152BS
-Electronics: Eggtimer Quark
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 03:24
2. MAC VTS-6, red and white, 4 in.
dia., 88 in. tall, 16.2 lbs
-Motor: Loki J326LR
-Electronics: MissileWorks and AltiDuo
-Result: Good flight, successful L2 certification
Congratulations, Doug!
-Video at 17:03
3. Madcow BOMARC, black and white,
2.6 in. dia., 60 in. tall, 3 lbs 1 oz.
-Motor: AT G125T (Blue Thunder propellant)
-Result: Good smooth boost but then the rocket failed to separate, crashed into
the grassy field to the west. The forward end of the airframe was damaged, but
the lower part of the rocket was unscathed. Note: BOMARC=Boeing Michigan Aeronautical
Research Center
-Video at 26:49
====
Club President and Rocket Guru Howie D
1. The Famous Howie Pyramid, light-blue styrofoam, built from a 24-inch wide
piece of styrofoam into a tetrahedral triangular pyramid, weight 2 lbs 0 oz.
-Motor: CTI G79SS
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 07:11
2. Wildman DarkStar 3-inch, black,
3 in. dia., 84 in. tall, 10 lbs 14 oz.
-Motor: CTI J381SK
-Electronics: RRC+ set for 500 feet
-Result: Good flight to apogee of 2195 feet, good deployment at 500 feet
-Video at 30:31
3. Wildman DarkStar 4-inch, light
green, 4 in. dia., 108 in. tall, 21 lbs 15 oz.
-Motor: CTI K490GR
-Electronics: 2 x RRC2 set for 500 feet and 300 feet
-Video at 34:32
-Result: Cato during launch, motor burned through the aft end of the motor case.
-Repair costs: Howie calculates that it will cost $301.74 to replace the parts
damaged by the motor failure, including CTI 54mm 6G casing ($123.01) + CTI 54mm
rear closure ($49.64) + CTI 54mm spacer ($16.09) + Aeropack 5475 adapter ($48.00)
+ Aeropack 75mm retainer ($51.00 for JB Weld-type retainer, but actually the
rebuild will require a flange retainer for $64.00)
November, 2021
ARRIVAL AND SET-UP
CRMRC members decided to arrive about half an hour earlier than usual because the weather forecast had called for increasing clouds during the day. Five club members arrived between 8:20-8:40 am and began setting up the launching equipment on the west side of the cornfield. The low-power rack was positioned 50 feet from the launch table. The two blue high-power pads were set up at 100 feet, using the blue and red 100-foot extension cords and the 8.5-foot rails (1010 and 1515 as needed). Club members also set up the large yellow pad at 300 feet to accommodate three L flights (12-foot 1515 rail). The launch rails were angled about 5 degrees toward the direction of the wind. We were ready to begin flying at about 9:30 am. Club President and Rocket Guru Howie D then notified the Burlington air traffic control tower and the Boston regional air traffic control center, and our first rocket lifted off at 9:54 am.
WEATHER AND FIELD CONDITIONS
Early in the morning, the sky was almost completely clear except for a few high-level cirrus clouds. By mid-morning we began seeing large patches of mid-level altocumulus mackerel clouds (mackerel sky / fish-scale clouds). We estimated the altitude of these clouds at 7-8K feet, as compared to the known trajectory of rockets that flew to 5K feet. About 1:00 pm, we noted that a wide, wispy band of lower-level stratus clouds had begun forming.
Temperatures were chilly but not uncomfortable. At 8:45 am the air temperature
was 30 degrees with variable 4-5 mph winds from the southwest/southeast. By
1:31 pm, the temperature had risen to 41 degrees and light winds continued to
blow from the southwest, with occasional gusts to 10-15 mph. Rocketeers wore
warm jackets, knit caps, and gloves for this late-autumn weather.
Flocks of migrating geese flew through our air space several times during the
day at approximately 1000 feet altitude, and we waited for them to clear our
launching area each time. The geese were not aware of the NOTAM for our rocket
launches in this area.
The corn had been harvested a few weeks earlier, and so we enjoyed vast, wide-open
recovery areas for our rockets to land. The main cornfield was somewhat wet
from recent rain, and we observed a few puddles of standing water. Some patches
of the field were quite muddy, as rocketeers discovered when they walked out
to recover their rockets. Even so, we were fortunate that the field conditions
stayed fairly stable throughout the day, rather than becoming muddier (apparently
because the sunshine was limited on this day). Most rocketeers went home with
muddy boots and some messy equipment, but everyone agreed that the soft fields
were helpful in protecting rockets from damage during hard landings.
ATTENDANCE AND PARKING
The relatively good weather conditions attracted approximately 35 people to this CRMRC monthly launch, including 15-20 college students from two universities: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY) and Northeastern University (Boston, MA). A few club members parked their vehicles just inside the cornfield, while other vehicles were parked along the north side of the farm road and at the crest of the hill. The last vehicles left the field at 3:20 pm, and 9 of us enjoyed a BBQ meal together at Mill River from 3:30-5:00 pm. Our meal together at Mill River BBQ was a pleasant revival of pre-pandemic club traditions, but we still missed our Canadian club members who were unable to join us.
AWARDS AND MILESTONES
-Successful L1 certification: Constantine C and his LOC EZI-65 on AT H123W
-Successful L1 certification: Joseph B and his Binder Design Excelsior on CTI H143SS
-Successful L1 certification: Chuck C and his LOC Goblin on CTI H123SK(38)
-Most resilient rocketeer: Chuck C and his three L1 cert attempts on the same rocket
-Coolest mid-flight separation of boosters: Rick D and his Apogee Flying Machine
-Best on-the-field solution to a rocketry problem: The Northeastern University team used a long rope to hook onto their rocket, which had fallen into a 250 ft x 250 ft manure retention pond. They successfully pulled it out of the pond.
-Attack of the MAC Black Flies! Mike C flew his 6-inch Super Black Fly, James also flew a 6-inch Super Black Fly, and John A flew his 54mm Black Fly. (See club video at 08:57)
-We did not see a clear, unambiguous, indisputable winner for the closest-to-pad award this month, so this award will wait until the next CRMRC launch.
MOTORS
We flew a total of 32 motors on 30 flights (including one cluster flight with
three motors; see Rick D below). Adding all of the motors together, we flew
a total impulse of 18,434.4 Ns, which is equivalent to a large N motor. Our
mean impulse was 576 Ns or a mid-sized I motor. The median impulse was 232.7
Ns, which is a mid-sized H motor. The most commonly flown motor was H (10 flights
on H motors). As shown in the following list, our motors represented all of
the motor classes from B-L:
A: 0 motors
B: 2 motors
C: 1 motor
D: 1 motor
E: 1 motor
F: 4 motors
G: 3 motors
H: 10 motors
I: 4 motors
J: 2 motors
K: 1 motor
L: 3 motors
Total: 32 motors
CLUB VIDEO IS HERE
LIST OF FLIGHT DETAILS
(includes time indexes for all flights in the club video)
======
Gary:
Estes Majestic, purple, 2 in. dia., 30 in. tall, 12.6 oz
-Motor: Estes F15-6
-Result: Good flight on the long-burning Estes F15
-Video at 05:46
======
William:
White and brown rocket, 1.64 in. dia., 45 in. tall, 8.2 oz
-Motor: AT F67W
-Video not available
======
Michael W:
1. Estes Super Big Bertha, yellow/red/white, 2.16 in. dia., 36.8 in. tall, 9.5
oz
-Motor: AT F23-7FJ
-Result: Some instability during launch, landed safely on the north side of
the main cornfield. Post-flight inspection showed some fin damage.
-Video at 04:16
2. Estes Phoenix, black and white,
3.1 oz
-Motor: Estes C6-5
-Result: Good flight. The parachute was a little tangled but the rocket landed
gently enough in the grassy field west of the cornfield.
-Video at 25:13
======
Rick D:
1. Apogee Zephyr Jr, white/green/black, 2.2 in. dia., 29 in. tall, 9.2 oz
-Motor: Estes D12-3
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 02:24
2. Apogee Flying Machine, silver,
2.2 in. dia., 47 in. tall, 1 lb 1.8 oz
-Motor cluster: 1 Estes E12-4 central motor and 2 outboard-mounted Estes B6-0
motors
-Result: Good flight, successfully separated into three parts and deployed as
planned. One portion landed in a tree but was recovered using a 50-foot rod
from Mike C.
-Video at 06:37
3. AeroTechStrongarm, white, 2.6
in. dia., 44 in. tall, 1 lb 7.2 oz
-Motor: AT F42-4T
-Result: Good flight, landed on the west edge of the main cornfield, near one
of the blue high-power pads.
-Video at 22:57
======
Scott L:
MAC Scorpion, black and silver, 29 mm dia., 60 in. tall, 3.5 lbs
Carrying a special payload of personal significance
-Motor: AT G80T
-Result: Good flight, landed in the grassy field west of the cornfield
-Video at 01:06
======
Calvin/Doug:
Giant Leap Rocketry Liberty, purple, 2.6 in. dia., 48 in. tall, 2 lbs 12 oz
-Motor: CTI G88SS
-Result: Good flight
-Video at 03:26
======
Preston:
Custom V2 Too, black nosecone with unpainted airframe, 54 mm dia., 35.5 in.
tall, 1lb 8 oz
-Motor: AT H115DM
-Result: Good launch but rocket separated into several disconnected parts during
descent (L1 cert not successful)
-Video at 19:18
======
Kyle:
Custom Hamster, 1.5 in. dia., 24 in. tall, 1 lb 10 oz
-Motor: AT H999N
-Electronics: RRC2
-Result: Good flight on the hyper-fast Warp Nine propellant
-Video at 25:52
======
Constantine:
LOC EZI-65, white and red, 4 in. dia., 57.75 in. tall, 3.11 lbs
-Motor: AT H123W
-Result: Good flight, landed safely near the tree line in the grass west of
the cornfield. Successful L1 certification. Congratulations, Constantine!
-Video at 27:35
======
Trevor D
Rocket named Steve, red and blue, 3 in. dia., 49 in. tall, 3 lbs 2.5 oz
-Motor: CTI H180SK
-Electronics: Dual deployment with RRC2 set for 500 feet
-Video not available
======
Joseph B:
Binder Design Excelsior, white, 4 in. dia., 50 in. tall, 3 lbs 12 oz
-Motor: CTI H143SS
-Result: Good flight, successful L1 certification. Congratulations, Joe!
-Video at 33:16
======
Chuck C:
1. LOC Goblin, orange and black, 4 in. dia., 42.5 in. tall, 3 lbs 3.14 oz
-Motor: AT H550ST
-Result: Good launch, but the parachute did not deploy. L1 attempt not successful.
2. LOC Goblin, orange and black,
4 in. dia., 42.5 in. tall, 3 lbs 3.15 oz
-Motor: AT H283ST
-Result: Good launch, but the parachute did not deploy. L1 attempt not successful.
3. LOC Goblin, orange and black,
4 in. dia., 42.5 in. tall, 3 lbs 3.14 oz
-Motor: CTI H123SK(38)
-Result: Good flight, successful L1 certification, landed near the yellow pad
(300 feet west of our flight line). Congratulations Chuck!
-Video at 29:53
======
Stan:
1. LOC Semper Fi, yellow and brown, 3.1 in. dia., 50 in. tall, 2 lbs 10 oz
-Motor: CTI G79SS
-Electronics: JL Alt2
-Result: Good flight overall, deployment was late by several seconds but main
chute deployed in time for a soft landing. Howie had already picked up the air
horn in case it was needed to notify spectators about a hard landing, but the
chute came out in time. The flight was determined to have a pucker factor of
8.5/10.
-Video at 08:11
2. LOC EZI-65, purple, 4 in. dia.,
57 in. tall, 4 lbs 6 oz
-Motor: CTI I212SS
-Electronics: JLCR
-Result: Good flight, good deployment with JLCR at 500 feet, landed in the grass
just south of the farm road.
-Video at 21:40
======
John A:
1. MAC 54mm Black Fly, natural-color canvas phenolic, 54 mm dia., 38.5 in. tall,
3 lbs 6.5 oz
-Motor: CTI H200BS
-Electronics: Dual deploy with RRC2 and Altus Metrum EM, Featherweight GPS
-Result: Good flight to 3088 feet, max speed 457 fps (311 mph), good dual deployment.
The rocket landed in one of the grassy fields to the west of the cornfield.
-Video at 15:01
2. MAC Osprey, red fiberglass with
black fins, 4.5 in. dia., 111 in. tall, 26 lbs 15.5 oz
-Motor: CTI K675SK
-Electronics: Dual deploy with RRC2 and RRC3 set for 800 feet, and Featherweight
GPS
-Result: Good straight launch on the loud Skidmark motor (club anemometer measured
8.8 mph northward wind at the time of launch). Deployment charges fired as scheduled.
The payload harness was not connected to a quick link, so the two pieces of
the deployment system landed separately. Fortunately, the rocket was not damaged
and it will fly again!
-Video at 26:41
======
Doug:
1. MAC Bolt, 3 in. dia., 65 in. tall, 5 lbs 4 oz
-Electronics: Eggtimer
-Motor: AT H169WS (Super White Lightning)
-Result: Good flight to 870 feet apogee, landed beside the farm road
-Video at 00:15
2. SBR Honest John, gray and white,
4 in. dia., 70 in. tall, 8 lbs 2 oz
-Motor: CTI I195RL
-Electronics: Eggtimer
-Result: Good smooth, realistic-looking, missile launch. The rocket flew to
940 feet apogee and separated properly, but the chute did not deploy. The rocket
landed in the soft grassy field without any damage, just west of the farm road
and the parked cars.
-Video at 24:07
3. MAC Scorpion, green, 3 in. dia.,
70 in. tall, 8 lbs 1 oz
-Motor: Loki I210LR
-Electronics: Dual deploy with RRC2 and Alti Duo
-Result: Good launch to 1510 feet. The nosecone disconnected from the booster,
but the rocket did not sustain any damage.
-Video at 32:44
4. MAC Pike, yellow and gray, 4 in.
dia., 76 in. tall, 9 lbs 1 oz
-Motor: AT 280DM
-Electronics: Dual deploy with RRC2 and Alti Duo
-Result: Good launch to 1680 feet on the titanium-infused Dark Matter propellant
from AeroTech, good dual deployment and landing
-Video at 17:21
======
James:
MAC Super Black Fly, red and yellow, 6 in. dia., 84 in. tall, 31 lbs 9 oz
-Motor: CTI L820SK
-Electronics: Altus Metrum EM set for 1000 ft, RRC2L set for 800 ft, and RRC2
set for 500 ft, with ride-along Flight Sketch altimeter and Jiobit GPS
-Result: Good flight with max speed 414 mph to 5062 feet apogee, where it arced
beneath a large patch of altocumulus mackerel clouds. Good deployment at 1000
feet. The rocket landed gently with a bright orange/yellow hemispherical parachute
(Spherachutes.com) in the main cornfield, approximately 250 feet south of the
landing spot of the same model of rocket flown by Mike C on AT L850W.
-Video at 12:01
======
Northeastern University (Matt M)
Carby Too, black fiberglass, 4 in. dia., 106 in. tall, 21 lbs 10 oz
-Motor: CTI L820SK
-Electronics: Dual deploy with 2 x Altus Metrum EM set for 800 feet
-Result: Good launch, good deployment, landed in a 250 ft x 250 ft manure retention
pond northeast of our field. The students were able to hook it with a long rope
and pull it out successfully.
-Video at 29:08
======
Mike C:
1. MAC Super Black Fly, elegantly painted in shiny dark gray and red, 6 in.
dia., 86 in. tall, 35 lbs, 14.5 oz
-Motor: AT L850W
-Electronics: Two RRC3 flight computers set for dual deployment (500 feet)
-Result: Good flight to 5800 feet, good dual deployment. The rocket landed to
our east in the main cornfield.
-Video at 08:57
2. MAC Firestick, mustard color,
3 in. dia., 72 in. tall, 9.12 lbs
-Motor: CTI J355RL
-Electronics: Dual deploy with RRC3 and Garmin GPS
-Result: Good flight
-Video not available
====
Club President and Rocket Guru Howie D
Wildman 1/4 Patriot, white/red/yellow, 4 in. dia., 54 in. tall, 10 lbs 0.5 oz
-Motor: CTI J354W
-Electronics: Dual deploy with 2xRRC2 set for 500 feet and RF tracker
-Result: Good flight to 1631 feet, good deployment at 500 feet, landed gently
in the main cornfield, east of the launch site
-Video at 31:29
December, 2021
LAUNCH SCRUBBED DUE TO POOR WEATHER
- See you next year!