2024 Launch Reports
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
January, 2024
January 20th launch was scrubbed due to weather; sky cover, winds, and very cold temperatures.
February, 2024
The normally scheduled launch of
February 17 was moved to February 25 due to weather concerns
=====
SETUP
=====
Club members began arriving on the field at approximately 0900 hrs. Kevin parked
his club equipment truck down near the flight line, but all other vehicles were
parked at the crest of the hill.We set up the new yellow pad at 500 feet north
of the launch line, the two new black pads at 200 feet, and the two blue pads
at 100 feet. The low-power rack was placed 50 feet east of the LCO table (perpendicular
to the high-power flight line). Kevin K. brought most of the club equipment
in his truck, and Howie D. brought some additional equipment. We were ready
to fly at 1045 hours, and the first rocket lifted off at 1059 hours. Kevin served
as LCO for most flights, while other club members helped with RSO duties. Kevin,
Howie, and John provided certification services. Howie set up the new Pyromate
ignition system so that we could use it for the yellow pad at 500 feet. Special
thanks to David Lavoie for generously donating this wireless Pyromate equipment
to CRMRC. We used our standard extension cords for all other pads. James filmed
the launches.
=====
WEATHER
=====
The weather was quite cold and windy all day, but the skies were mostly clear.
The air temperature at 0900 hours was 21 degrees F with windchills near zero
F. By 1300 hours, the air temperature had warmed to 31 F. The ground stayed
mostly frozen but occasionally slippery due to mud. The wind increased throughout
the day. By mid-afternoon, the wind was occasionally gusting over 20 mph, and
we delayed launches until the wind dropped below 20 mph (NAR rules). At the
end of the launch day, we noted that the average wind speed was registered as
13.1 mph on the club anemometer, and the maximum gust during the day was 28
mph.
=====
ATTENDANCE
=====
Approximately 50 people attended during the day, including CRMRC members as
well as college student teams from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), University
of Vermont, Northeastern University, and Tufts University. In addition, former
CRMRC regular flyer Ben G. joined us from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
Several visitors also came to watch flights. The last rocket lifted off at 1600
hours. We finished dismantling the launch equipment and left the field about
1630 hours. Some club members went out to dinner/lunch at Tims Place in St.
Albans.
=====
AWARDS AND MILESTONES
=====
--First time using our new yellow pad: Success! For future club historians,
note that the first flight on this pad was the WPI Capricornus rocket on CTI
M2505WT and the second flight was by Tufts University with their Custom CARM
on CTI L2375WH.
--First time using the new Pyromatewireless ignition system: Success! We used
it for the yellow pad at 500 feet for the WPI Capricornus rocket and then later
for theTufts University Custom CARM.
--Closest to pad: Ben F. and his Custom Orion on CTI J595BS (the booster portion
of the rocket stopped at the top of the launch rail, and the rest of the rocket
landed a few feet away under chute).
--Most impressive zipper: Sean T. and his Custom Starless Rogue
--Most flights: Stewart with 3 flights
=====
MOTORS
=====
As a group, we flew 16 flights on 16 motors (no clusters or staged flights).
The largest motor was a CTI M2505WL (7450 N-sec), and the smallest motor was
an Estes C5 (7.8 N-sec). The total impulse for all flights combined was 18,688.6
N-sec, which is equivalent to a large N motor. The mean impulse on the day was
1168 N-sec,which is a large J motor. The median was 182.55 N-sec,which is a
small H motor. There were two modes: E and J (3 E motors and 3 J motors). The
motor distribution is listed below:
A: 0 motors
B: 0
C: 2
D: 1
E: 3
F: 0
G: 2
H: 1
I: 1
J: 3
K: 1
L: 1
M: 1
Total: 16 motors
Club video is HERE
FLIGHT DETAILS
=====
Lydia (UVM)
Estes AIAA Rocket, unpainted, 3 in. dia., 25 in. tall, 3 oz
-Motor: Estes C6-5
-Notes: Good flight
-Video at 03:07
=====
Ben G. (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology)
Custom Dark Zero, brown, unknown diameter, 33 in. tall, 5.5 oz
-Motor: AT D9-4W
-Notes: Good launch but no chute
-Video at 05:18
=====
Daniel M.
Estes Interceptor, red, 1.33 in. dia., 26 in. tall, 15 oz
-Motor: Estes E30-4T
-Notes: Good flight
-Video at 02:01
=====
Darrian (UVM)
1. Estes Big Momma, 3 in. dia., white, 19 in. tall, 0.85 oz
-Motor: Estes E12-4
-Notes: Good flight
-Video at 00:43
2. Estes Big Momma (second flight), white, 3 in. dia., 19 in. tall, 0.85 oz
-Motor: Estes E12-4
-Notes: Good flight but parachute was tangled
-Video at 02:46
=====
Stewart
1. LOC T-LOC, 2.6 in. dia., 24.5 in. tall, 1 lb 2.2 oz
-Motor: AT G74-9W
-Electronics: JL Altimeter2
-Notes: Good flight, apogee: 1164 feet
-Video at 00:27
2. LOC Laser-LOC, 1.6 in. dia., 41.5 in. tall, 1 lb 2.8 oz
-Motor: AT G40-10W
-Electronics: JL Altimeter2
-Notes: Good flight, apogee: 2025 feet
-Video at 02:19
3. Estes NASA SLS, orange and white, 1.75 in. dia., 21.7 in. tall, 5.4 oz
-Motor: Estes C5-3
-Electronics: JL Altimeter2
-Notes: Good flight, apogee: 204 feet
-Video at 04:49
=====
Sean D.
Custom Gummet, green, 3 in. dia., 33 in. tall, 2 lbs 2 oz
-Motor: AT H140CL
-Notes: Good launch and deployment, but the rocket has not been found, so this
is an unsuccessful L1 certification.
-Video at 06:02
=====
James S.
Custom Supersonic Swordfish, red FG with aluminum fins, 3 in. dia., 72 in. tall,
10 lbs 10 oz
-Motor: CTI I303BS
-Electronics: RRC2L and EasyMini
-Notes: Good flight and good deployment. Apogee at 1552 feet.
-Video at 01:04
=====
Ben F.
Custom Orion, red and copper, 4 in. dia., 56 in. tall, 7 lbs 1.5 oz
-Motor: CTI J595BS
-Electronics: JL Altimeter
-Notes: CATO on the launch pad, unsuccessful L2 certification attempt
-Video at 05:36
=====
Sean T.
Custom Starless Rogue, 6-inch red FG based on Wildman Ultimate but with 4 fins
instead of 3 fins, 132 in. tall, 40 lbs 0 oz
-Motor: AT K1050WL
-Electronics: RunCam2, Eggtimer Quantum and Proton
-Notes: Good launch, no separation at apogee but separation a few seconds later
on the way down, resulting in a zipper on the booster and another zipper on
the payload bay. Good deployment of main chute.
-Video at 03:27
=====
Patrick M. / Northeastern University
1. Custom Teapot, pink, 6 in. dia., 78 in. tall, 15 lbs 10 oz
-Motor: CTI J295CL
-Electronics: Stratologger and custom system
-Notes: The rocket did not separate at apogee as planned (2000 feet), but the
main chute opened at approximately 600 feet
-Video at 07:54
2. Custom Rubber Ducky, yellow and orange, 4 in. dia., 36 in. tall, 14 lbs 6
oz
-Motor: AT J420R
-Electronics: 2 x EasyMini
-Notes: CATO at approximately MaxQ
-Video at 08:29
=====
Tufts University
Custom CARM, pink and silver, 6 in. dia., 140 in. tall, 66 lbs
-Motor: CTI L2375WH
-Electronics: 2 x RRC3 and GPS tracker
-Notes: Good flight
-Video at 09:17
=====
Noah K. / WPI
Custom Capricornus, red and white, 6 in. dia., 144 in. tall, 66 lbs 9 oz
-Motor: CTI M2505WT
-Electronics: Blue Raven, EasyMini, and custom system
-Notes: Good flight
-Video at 06:35
=====
Other February launches by CRMRC
members
James S. on Feb. 3-4 at MDRA (Ingleside, Maryland)
1. Custom Supersonic Swordfish, red FG with aluminum fins, 3 in. dia., 72 in.
tall, 12 lbs
-Motor: CTI J354WH
-Electronics: RRC2L and EasyMini
-Notes: Good launch and good separation at apogee, but no main (not enough charge).
The fins were slightly bent by the hard landing, but later repaired by Mike
C at MAC Performance Rocketry.
2. MAC Super Black Fly, red, 6 in.
dia., 84 in. tall, 35 lbs
-Motor: Loki M1650CT
-Electronics: RRC2 and EasyMini
-Notes: Good flight, apogee over 10K, good deployment
Flight
video is HERE
ATTENDANCE
Approximately 60 people attended the launch, including seven CRMRC members and
three large teams of college students from University of Massachusetts-Amherst,
University of New Hampshire, Northeastern University, and other guests.
=====
FIELD CONDITIONS
=====
The fields and the farm road were muddy and soft all day, which is good for
rockets (gentle landings) but not good for people trying to walk or drive to
the field. Howie D and Kevin K arrived early during a period of dense fog and
rain, so they waited to set up the launch equipment. At that time, they also
determined that it would not be possible to drive farther down than the ridge
in the farm road. They parked their equipment vehicles at the top of the ridge
and waited for the weather to improve. Club members did not begin to setupthe
launch equipment until the rain stopped and the cloud ceiling was at least high
enough to fly mid-power rockets.
=====
PARKING
=====
Due to the muddy conditions on the farm road, we needed to find a different
place for rocketeers and visitors to park. Fortunately, there is a gravel parking
lot located just across the paved road(west) from our launch field. We received
permission from a personwho was working in a cow barn nearby on that property,
and then about 20 rocketeervehiclesparkedin that gravel parking lot.
=====
EQUIPMENT
=====
After carrying the launch equipment from the equipment trucks down to the launch
site at the bottom of the hill, we arranged the launch pads as follows:
--Yellow pad with 1515 rail at 500 feetfrom the flight line, using Pyromate
controller. Howie D fabricated a custom bracket for the new Yellow Pad to provide
a standoff / support to prevent rockets from sliding all the way down to the
blast plate. The bracket did its job but showed deformation due to heat and
rocket motor blast. A new design is now underway.
--Black pad with 1515 rail at 300 feet with Pyromate controller
--Black pad with 1010 rail at 200 feet with Pyromate controller
--Two blue pads with 1010 rails at 100 feet with brown controller,and one of
these pads (right side) switched to 1515 rail later in the day
--Low-power rack at 50 feet with brown controller
We were ready to launch a few minutes
after 1100 hrs, and the first rocket lifted off at 1156 hrs. The last rocket
lifted off at 1753 hrs, and then club members and college students worked together
to carry the launch equipment back up the farm road to the equipment trucks.
Kevin K and Howie D repacked the (now-muddy) equipment into their vehicles,
and everyone left the field. Four club members then went to Tims Place restaurant
in St. Albans for some desperately needed sustenance. Club members had been
on the field over nine hours total during this launch day (0900 hrs to 1815
hrs).
=====
WEATHER CONDITIONS
=====
When club members first began arriving at the field at about 0900 hrs, we were
greeted by thick and ominousrain clouds (nimbostratus)hanginglow in the sky,
chilly temperatures in the mid-30s degrees Fahrenheit, and a light drizzle of
rain. Despite these morning weather conditions, we persevered with the launch
because we hoped that theweather might improve later in the day -- and fortunately
it did. During the morning, we estimated the cloud base tovary between approximately
1000 and 2000 feet. The sun started peeking through the clouds around 1200 hrs,
and the rain finally stopped soon later. By 1300 hrs the skyhad cleared up a
great deal, and we were pleased to see considerable sunshine. The clear skiesextended
up to at least one mile in altitude (1.6 km) with justa moderate amount of high-level
haziness. From then on, we enjoyed near-perfect air conditions for the rest
of the afternoon. For example, at 1346 hrs we observed mostly blue skies over
our launch site, temperature 42 degrees F, and very low wind. In fact, at 1430
hrs, our club anemometer showed cumulative average windspeed of just 1.9 mph.
=====
AWARDS AND MILESTONES
=====
--Most Level 1 certifications from a college team in one day: Seven UNH students
successfully certified Level 1
--Closest to a pad: Paul S. and his Goonie Max rocket launched on the low-power
rack on Estes C6-5 and landed on the rail of a nearby blue HPR pad
--Most exciting lighthouse launch: Scott L. and his FlisKits Lighthouse
--Best lawn dart and shovel recovery: David L. and his WM Journey 75, with help
from Paul and other club members (nosedived approximately 24 inches deep into
thick, clay-like mud).
--Best (and only) model of a hypersonic missile: Doug G. and his MAC Tsirkon.
--Excellent GoPro closeup footage of launch pads and onboard footage: Scott
L.
--Best tree/shrub landing of the day: Kevin K and his MAC 3-inch Black Fly
--First-ever successful drone deployment out of a large rocket at a CRMRC launch:
UMass-Amherst (NASA University Student Launch Initiative)
=====
MOTORS
=====
We flew a total of 34 motors on 34 flights (no cluster or staged flights). The
largest motor was an AeroTech L1520T, flown twice by the UMass team. The smallest
motor was an Estes C5-3, flown by Stewart L. As a group, our total impulse was
16,008.4 Ns, which is equivalent to an N motor. The mean motor size was 470.8
Ns (equivalent to an I motor). The median was 233 Ns (equivalent to an H motor),
and the mode was H (12 H motors).
The motors were distributed in the different size classes as follows:
A: 0 motors
B: 0 motors
C: 4 motors
D: 1
E: 2
F: 1
G: 1
H: 12
I: 8
J: 3
K: 0
L: 2
M: 0
Total: 34 motors
FLIGHT DETAILS
Club launch video is HERE
Stewart L.
1. Estes Astrocam, cream and red, 1 in. dia., 20 in. tall, 3.1 oz.
-Estes C5-3
-Video at 00:32
-Notes: good flight
2. AeroTech Mustang, cranberry color, 2 in. dia., 32 in. tall, 14.2 oz.
-AT F67-9W
-Electronics: JL Altimeter2
-Video at 00:50
-Notes: good flight, apogee 1587 feet
3. Estes Aspire, yellow and red, 1.2 in. dia., 29 in. tall, 5.2 oz.
-Estes E12-8
-Electronics: JL Altimeter2
-No video available
-Notes: good flight, apogee 1366 feet
4. WM Journey 75, yellow and red, 3 in. dia., 48 in. tall, 4 lbs 4 oz.
-AT I140W
-Electronics: JL Altimeter2
-Video at 09:25
-Notes: good flight
=====
Paul S.
=====
1. Custom J350, yellow cardboard AeroTech packing tube from a J350 motor, 2
in. dia., 21 in. tall, 6.8 oz.
-AT D12-3
-Video at 01:01
-Notes: good flight
2. Bluebird Zero, blue and white, 1.25 in. dia., 41 in. tall, 4.2 oz.
-Estes C6-5
-Video at 02:37
-Notes: good flight
3. Performance 54, blue (Rustoleum blue with satin finish), 2 in. dia., 32 in.
tall, 1 lb 13 oz.
-AT G64-7W
-Electronics: JLCR set for 300 feet, JL Altimeter2
-Video at 06:40
-Notes: good flight, landed in a mud puddle
4. Goonie Max, yellow and black, 1.4 in. dia., 11 in. tall, 2.8 oz.
-Estes C6-7
-Video at 18:24
-Notes: good flight, landed on the rail of one of the blue HPR pads
5. Goonie Bird Zero, cream and blue, 1.4 in. dia., 11 in. tall, 2.6 oz.
-Estes C6-7
-Video at 20:34
-Notes: good flight
=====
Scott L.
=====
1. FlisKits Lighthouse, white and blue, 5 in. dia., 13 in. tall, 9 oz.
-AT E20-4W
-Electronics: camera mounted on the side
-Video at 01:18 showsflightline view (GoPro)
-Video at 01:46shows onboard camera view
-Notes: interesting spiraling flight, landed hard in the field
2. MAC Scorpion, blue, 3 in. dia., 60 in. tall, 3 lbs 1 oz.
-AT H215T
-Electronics: Onboard camera and GPS
-Video at 04:03 shows flightline view
-Video at 04:33 shows onboard camera view
-Notes: good flight
3. MAC Scorpion, blue, 3 in. dia., 60 in. tall, 3 lbs 6 oz.
(second flight of this rocket today)
-AT H258ST
-Video at 09:54
-Notes: good launch but main chute got stuck in the airframe
=====
Kevin K.
=====
MAC 3-inch Black Fly, unpainted, 3 in. dia., 40 in. tall, 4 lbs 15 oz.
-CTI I175WH
-Electronics: Dual deploy with RRC3 and Eggtimer Quasar, main set for 400 feet
-Video at 14:25
-Notes: good flight, apogee 3219 feet
=====
James S.
=====
MAC Rayzor 54, orange and purple, 3 in. dia., 71 in. tall, 7 lbs 4 oz.
-AT I175WS (DMS)
-Electronics: Dual deploy with RRC2L and EasyMini
-Video at 02:56
-Notes: good flight
=====
David L.
=====
1. Apogee Zephyr, white/green/black, 4 in. dia., 42 in. tall, 4 lbs 15.5 oz.
-AT I300T
-Electronics: Telemetrum, JLCR set for 500 feet
-Video at 13:13
-Notes: good flight
2. WM Journey 75, yellow, 3 in. dia., 40 in. tall, 4 lbs 10.5 oz.
-CTI I357T
-Electronics: Altus Mega, JLCR set for 500 feet
-Video at 16:33
-Notes: good launch but did not separate at apogee. The rocket nosedived deep
into the field at a speed of approximately 294 fps (200 mph) according to the
audio output of the telemetry system. The nosecone was buried about 24 inches
in the ground, requiring shovel recovery.
=====
Doug G.
=====
1. Madcow Jayhawk, orange, 2.6 in. dia., 42 in. tall, 2 lbs 8 oz.
-CTI H123SK (29mm)
-Electronics: RRC2
-Video at 02:08
-Notes: good flight
2. MAC Tsirkon, blue and gray, 4 in. dia., 40 in. tall, 7 lbs 1 oz.
-CTI I223SK
-Electronics: Dual deploy with RRC2 and Eggtimer Quark
-Video at 05:54
-Notes: good flight
=====
UNH Level 1 Certification flights
=====
1. Jackson S: Custom Creamsicle, orange and white, 3.1 in. dia., 60 in. tall,
2 lbs 1.4 oz.
-AT H219T(DMS)
-Video at 07:18
Notes: Successful L1 certification flight
2. Owen F: Custom Cloud Buster, blue and white, 3.1 in. dia., 58 in. tall, 2
lbs 7 oz.
-AT H219T(DMS)
-Video at 07:56
-Notes: Successful Level 1 certification flight
3. Ethan L: Custom Rocketship, black and white, 3.1 in. dia., 58 in. tall, 2
lbs 8 oz.
-AT H219T(DMS)
-Video at 08:29
-Notes: Chute stuck in the airframe, unsuccessful cert flight
4. Ethan L: Custom Vengeance, black/white/orange, 3.1 in. dia., 58 in. tall,
2lbs 12 oz.
-CTI H143SS
-Video at 15:26
-Notes: Successful L1 certification flight
5. Alex M: Custom :) Rocket, blue and gray, 4 in. dia., 57 in. tall, 3 lbs 8.5
oz.
-AT H219T(DMS)
-Video at 08:55
-Notes: Successful L1 certification flight
6. Delaney F: Custom Midas, pink and blue, 3 in. dia., 60 in. tall, 2 lbs 12
oz.
-AT H219T(DMS)
-Video at 12:01
-Notes: Successful L1 certification flight
7. Edward (Teddy) C: Custom Canadian Excellence, red and gold, 3 in. dia., 59
in. tall, 2 lbs 12 oz.
-AT H219T(DMS)
-Video at 12:42
-Notes: Successful L1 certification flight
8. Noah K: Custom Sky Shooter, white and blue, 3 in. dia., 58 in. tall, 2 lbs
7.5 oz.
-AT H219T(DMS)
-Video at 13:43
-Notes: Successful L1 certification flight
9. Ethan H: Custom Visitor Volta, 3.1 in. dia., 59 in. tall, 2 lbs 13 oz.
-AT H219T(DMS)
-Video at 17:52
-Notes: broken fin, unsuccessful cert flight
=====
Kartikey / Northeastern University aka AeroNU
=====
1. Custom Olive Rocket, 4 in. dia., 84 in. tall, 9 lbs 2 oz.
-CTI I540WT
-Electronics: 2 x EasyMini, main chute set for 600 feet
-Video at 10:39
2. Custom Andrew Rocket, pink, 4
in. dia., 62.5 in. tall, 6 lbs 9.5 oz.
-CTI J335RL
-Electronics: 2 x EasyMini, main chute set for 600 feet
-Video at 15:53
-Notes: the main chute did not deploy, and the rocket booster stuck the landing
in the field
3. Custom Chris Rocket, 4 in. dia., 88 in. tall, 10 lbs 8 oz.
-AT J420RL
-Electronics: 2 x EasyMini, main chute set for 600 feet
-Video at 18:49
-Notes: good flight
4. Custom Bee Marley, yellow and black, 4 in. dia., 60 in. tall, 7 lbs 10 oz.
-CTI I216CL
-Electronics: 2 x EasyMini, main chute set for 600 feet
-Video at 20:03
5. Custom Fire Jet, black/orange/gray, 4 in. dia., 87 in. tall, 8 lbs 4 oz.
-CTI J520SK
-Electronics: 2 x EasyMini, main chute set for 600 feet
-Video at 20:55
=====
UMass Amherst
=====
1. Custom NOTAM Enforcer, black carbon fiber, 6 in. dia., 150 in. tall, 44 lbs
(first attempt)
-AT L1520T
-Electronics: RRC3 and EasyMini, main set for 700 feet, drone
-Video at 11:05
-Notes: The main chute opened at apogee rather than 700 feet, and it was not
possible to deploy the drone
2. Custom NOTAM Enforcer, black carbon fiber, 6 in. dia., 150 in. tall, 44 lbs
(second attempt)
-AT L1520T
-Electronics: RRC3 and EasyMini, main set for 700 feet, drone
-Video at 21:21
-Notes: Successful deployment of main chute at 700 feet and successful deployment
of the drone. The team then flew the drone for a few minutes, eventually landing
it in the field near the launch site. This was a successful qualification for
the next step in the NASA University Student Launch Initiative (USLI) by the
UMass team.
May, 2024
June,
2024
July, 2024
August, 2024
September, 2024
October,
2024
November, 2024
December, 2024