2026 Launch Reports
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
January, 2026
No launch was held this month due to poor weather.
February, 2026
Sunday February 22, 2026
FIELD CONDITIONS
A fresh layer of 10-12 inches of snow had fallen the day before this launch.
Kevin K plowed the farm road and also cleared the entrance of the main cornfield
for our launch operations. Recovering rockets in the field required walking
through the fresh snow on top of the previous snow, which was a bit tiring.
On the other hand, we did not have any major problems with mud, since the sunshine
was minimal and temperatures did not go beyond the low 30s F. Our main area
of launch operations at the entrance to the cornfield became somewhat muddy
by the end of the launch day, but the rest of the field was fine, and the farm
road remained passable all day. The field was covered with varying depths of
snow (6-24 inches), which made setting up launch equipment time consuming and
tiring. Retrieving rockets became a real chore if the rocket landed far from
the launch point.
WEATHER
Temperatures were in the mid to high 20s F in the morning, and then low 30s
in the afternoon. Winds were typically almost calm: approximately 0-2 mph for
most of the day. But sky conditions were marginal: Although the weather forecasts
correctly predicted the temperatures and wind speed, the predictions for percent
cloud cover and cloud-base altitudes were not very accurate. The weather forecasts
had predicted less than 50% cloud cover in the morning with a cloud base of
approximately 6000 or 7000 feet, then gradually becoming cloudier in the afternoon.
In reality, our morning cloud base appeared to be only about 4000 feet and it
covered about 80% of the sky. In the afternoon, the cloud base lowered to approximately
3000 feet, and so all rocketeers had to adjust their flight configurations accordingly
(NAR safety rules prohibit flying rockets into clouds).
ATTENDANCE
Six CRMRC members attended the launch, along with about 25 college students
from four different universities: Northeastern, Worcester Polytechnic, Rensselaer
Polytechnic, and Dartmouth. Several other spectators also attended the launch.
SETUP
Kevin K arrived at about 0800 hours and used the plow on his pickup truck to
clear snow from the farm road and the launch operations area at the entrance
to the cornfield. By about 0900 hours, several CRMRC members and college students
had arrived to begin setting up the launch equipment. Both Kevin K and Club
President Howie D brought club equipment in their vehicles, and they parked
just inside the entrance to the cornfield. Other vehicles were parked along
the south side of the farm road or at the crest of the hill.
Prior to the launch, Kevin K made a custom Goggle Map that was annotated with
boxes for placement of LCO table and the 100 ft, 200 ft, 300 ft, and 500 ft
launch pads. This map allows the club members to use the Goggle Maps App on
their phone to place launch pads and LCO table on the field at our predetermined
locations by GPS. This approach replaced measuring out distance with a 100-foot
power cord. The new technique made placement faster, easier, and repeatable
without dragging a power cord through the field. This new approach was tested
over multiple launch setups to verify the accuracy and safety. Once the technique
was proven, it became our standard method for launch equipment setup.
We set up the LCO and RCO tables at their customary positions just inside the
cornfield using Google Maps. We put two blue pads at 100 feet north of the LCO
table (both were 1010 rails), two black pads at 200 feet (1515 rail on left
and 1010 rail on the right, and finally the large yellow pad at 300 feet with
1515 rail. We used the wireless Pyromate system for all launches. We were ready
to fly at 1046 hours, and the first rocket lifted off by 1100 hours. The last
flight was launched at 1600 hours. CRMRC members and some college students then
worked together to disassemble the launch equipment and load it into the vehicles.
We all left the field by about 1645 hours.
CERTIFICATIONS
As listed below in the Flight Details section, there were 6 certification attempts:
four Level 1 attempts (4/4 successful), and two Level 2 attempts (0/2 successful).
MOTORS
We flew 16 motors on 16 flights (no cluster or staged flights). As a group,
we flew a total impulse of 11,491.8 Ns, which is equivalent to a small N. The
mean motor size was 718.2 Ns, which is a small J, and the median motor size
was 639.0 Ns, or a large I. The mode (most motors) was J.
Distribution of motors by class:
G: 1
H: 4
I: 3
J: 7
K: 0
L: 1
Total: 16 motors
FLIGHT DETAILS
Tom D.
-Wildman Mach 2, yellow and white, 2.6 in. dia., 57 in. tall, 3 lbs 6 oz, dual
deploy with RRc3 set for 400 feet, Tracki GPS tracker
-Motor: AT G75M-8
Result: Good flight
Siutiti H. (RPI)
-Custom Silver Bullet, pink and silver, 4 in. dia., 50 in. tall, 4 lbs 0 oz
-Motor: AT H100W
-Result: Good flight, successful L1 certification. Congratulations, Siutiti!
-Video is HERE
Sam A. (Dartmouth)
-Falcon 0.9 (MAC Altair), red/white/black, 3 in. dia., 47 in. tall, 2 lbs 12
oz
-Motor: AT H115DM
-Result: Good flight, successful L1 certification. Congratulations, Sam!
-Video is HERE
Matthew M. (Dartmouth)
-Origin II (MAC Altair), dark blue, 3 in. dia., 47 in. tall, 3 lbs 3.5 oz
-Motor: AT H115DM
-Result: Good flight, successful L1 certification. Congratulations, Matthew!
-Video is HERE
Elijah C. (Northeastern)
-Custom Carby V5, black, 4 in. dia., 109 cm tall, 6 lbs 0.5 oz
-Motor: CTI H255WT
-Result: Good flight, successful L1 certification. Congratulations, Elijah!
-Video is HERE
Kevin K
-MAC Black Fly, black, 3 in. dia., 40 in. tall, 5 lbs 2 oz, dual deploy with
Quasar and RRC3
-Motor: CTI I212SS
-Result: Good flight, apogee 2717 feet (Quasar), 2719 feet (RRC3)
James S.
-MAC Menace, blue and white, 4 in. dia., 53 in. tall, 8 lbs 1 oz, dual deploy
with EasyMini set for 600 feet and RRC2 backup set for 500 feet, Tracki GPS
tracker
-Motor: AT I500T
-Result: Good flight, apogee 2719 feet
Stewart L.
-PML Bumble Bee, yellow and black, 4 in. dia., 38 in. tall, 2 lbs 13 oz, JLCR
and JL Altimeter 1
-Motor: AT I140W
-Result: Good flight, apogee 2701 feet
Kaitlin K.
-Destroyer of Worlds (Wildman Skunk Ace), pink and black, 4 in. dia., 50 in.
tall, 9 lbs 10 oz, dual deploy with Eggtimer Quasar
-Motor: AT J435WS
-Result: Main chute did not fully deploy, some fin damage, unsuccessful L2 certification
attempt
Cedar S.
-Custom Apollo 67, white/orange/black, 4 in. dia., 74 in. tall, 12 lbs 11 oz,
dual deploy with Eggtimer Quasar set for 600 feet
-Motor: AT J435WS
-Result: Main chute did not deploy, unsuccessful L2 certification attempt
Gianni D. (Northeastern)
1. Custom Ethical Missile, black, 4 in. dia., 82 in. tall, 9 lbs 3.5 oz, dual
deploy with EasyMini set for 600 feet and custom altimeter
-Motor: AT J425R
2. Custom Suprisingly IT, blue and white, 4 in. dia., 88.3 in. tall, 8 lbs 2
oz, dual deploy with EasyMini set for 600 feet and custom altimeter
-Motor: AT J425R
-Result: no main chute
3. Custom Blue Up, blue, 4 in. dia., 58 in. tall, 9 lbs 4.5 oz, dual deploy
with EasyMini set for 600 feet and custom altimeter
-Motor: AT J425R
4. Custom Le Bronicles, blue and white, 4 in. dia., 67 in. tall, 7 lbs 2 oz,
dual deploy with EasyMini set for 600 feet and custom altimeter
-Motor: AT J425R
-Result: Anomalous deployment, booster separated without chute
5. Custom Rocket Works, blue and white, 4 in. dia., 70 in. tall, 7 lbs 7.5 oz,
dual deploy with EasyMini set for 600 feet and custom altimeter
-Motor: AT J420R
-Result: Good flight
Matthew D. (WPI)
-Custom Lift Rocket, green fiberglass with red tailcone, 6 in. dia., 143 in.
tall, 58.6 lbs, dual deploy with Blue Raven at 1500 feet and EasyMini backup
-Motor: AT L1940X
-Result: Good flight
WEATHER
We enjoyed perfect flying conditions in the morning: completely clear skies
and calm winds! The skies then gradually became more cloudy in the late morning
and early afternoon, and the wind increased to 7-10 mph. At 1300 hours, we observed
a hazy layer of clouds at about 4000 feet, and the local airport weather station
(Franklin County Airport, KFSO) indicated scattered clouds at 4200 feet at that
time. We limited the afternoon flights to a maximum altitude of 3000 feet, following
the safety rules of the National Association of Rocketry. By mid-afternoon (1500
hours), we observed several bands of thick snow clouds at about 2000 feet. At
1555 hours, the airport was reporting a solid overcast layer at 2900 feet and
scattered clouds at 1400 feet. We also observed a few snow flurries falling
at this point, which was the end of our launch day. As for temperatures, at
0855 hours the air temperature was 21 F, increasing to 27 F at 1155 hours, then
28 F at 1215 hours, where it remained for the rest of the afternoon (KFSO reported
28 F at 1555 hours).
FIELD CONDITIONS
Throughout the morning, the ground was mostly frozen, fairly firm, and easy
to walk on. As with all of our winter and spring launches, there were no crops
in the fields, so our range was wide open for easy rocket recovery. In the fields,
the only small obstacles were the short corn stalks left over from the fall
harvest (8-12 inches tall). Our main challenge on this day was the ever-increasing
amount of mud as the ground warmed up. Even though the air temperature stayed
well above the freezing point of water all day, the field became very muddy
in the afternoon. This is because the dark color of the soil helps it to absorb
heat from the sunlight, melting the frozen ground. When walking in the field,
we estimated that approximately 3 to 5 pounds of sticky, clay-like mud became
attached to each boot with each footstep. At the end of the day, Club Treasurer
Kevin K brought the club equipment home in his truck and patiently cleaned off
all the messy mud from the cables, storage boxes, launchpad legs, tables, and
other equipment.
ATTENDANCE AND SETUP
Approximately 25 people attended the launch, including college student teams
from U. Mass Amherst and U. Mass Lowell, several visitors, and six CRMRC members.
Club members began arriving about 0800 hours to begin setting up. The club anticipated
that morning would be the best flying weather, so we wanted to start the launch
one hour early, at 0900 hours rather than our normal starting time of 1000 hours.
The farm road was passable in the morning, but most vehicles parked near the
top of the hill, correctly anticipating the muddy conditions later in the day.
Club President Howie D and Club Treasurer Kevin K drove their vehicles down
to the main cornfield since they were carrying club equipment. They parked just
inside the main cornfield. Tom D and James S parked their cars at the bottom
of the hill just outside the cornfield, facing upward toward the exit route,
in order to make it easier to leave when the road became muddier. Kevin K used
his Google Maps system to locate the proper distances for the launch pads (see
our February 2026 report for details on this innovative system that Kevin has
developed). The LSO and RSO tables were positioned in their traditional locations
near the entrance to the cornfield. Two blue pads (1010 rails) were installed
at 100 feet from the LCO table. One black Frankum pad was placed at 200 feet
(1515 rail), one yellow Frankum pad at 300 feet (1515 rail). We were ready to
begin flying at 0855 hours, and Howie notified the air traffic control center.
Howie D and Kevin K served as LCOs and certification paperwork. Tom D and James
S helped with RSO duties. The first launch of the day lifted off at 0915 hours.
The last flight lifted off at 1509 hours. We finished packing up the equipment
by 1600 hours and left the field soon later. Four club members went to St. Albans
Diner for lunch/dinner.
CERTIFICATIONS
There were 4 certification attempts: One Level 2 attempt (successful) and three
Level 1 attempts (two successful).
MOTORS
We flew 16 flights on 16 motors (no cluster or staged flights, since Howie is
not finished building his staged rocket yet). The largest motor was CTI K1200WT,
and the smallest motor was AeroTech G78GR. As a group we flew 6622.9 Ns of total
impulse, which is equivalent to an M motor. The mean motor size was 413.9 Ns,
or an I motor, and the median was 234.6 Ns, or an H motor. Almost half of the
motors flown on this day were H motors (7 H motors). Our overall motor distribution
was as follows:
G: 3 motors
H: 7
I: 3
J: 2
K: 1
Total: 16 motors
FLIGHT DETAILS:
Josh B.
1. Custom Pavila III, red and blue, 3 in. dia., 40 in. tall, 3 lbs 1 oz, JLCR
set for 400 feet
Motor: CTI G106SK
Result: Good flight
2. Custom Beyonce, 3 in. dia., 55 in. tall, 4 lbs 8 oz
Dual deploy: Blue Raven set for 500 feet
Motor: AT H135W
Result: Good flight
=====
Stewart L.
1. Wildman Punisher Sport, black, 2 in. dia., 35 in. tall, 2.0 lbs, JL Alt2
and JLCR set for 600 feet
Motor: AT G80T
Result: Good flight
2. PML Small Endeavor, red/white/blue, 2.6 in. dia., 48 in. tall, 2 lbs 11.5
oz, JLCR and JL Alt2
Motor: AT H219T
Result: No main. Apogee 2,515 feet.
=====
Andrew B.
Custom Finally RED-y, red, 3 in. dia., 55 in. tall, 2 lbs 14 oz, JLCR set for
300 feet
Motor: AT H182R
Result: Good flight, successful Level 1 certification. Congratulations, Andrew!
Video HERE:
=====
Andrew M.
Custom Ranger I, 4 in. dia., 67 in. tall, 6 lbs 1 oz, JLCR set for 400 feet
Motor: AT H195T
Result: Booster separately anomalously. Unsuccessful Level 1 certification.
=====
James S. and Felix
MAC Rayzor shortened, orange and purple, 3 in. dia., 49 in. tall, 5 lbs 1 oz
Motor: Loki H144W
Result: Good launch, but no separation due to ejection anomaly
=====
Scott L.
1. MAC Scorpion, green and white, 3 in. dia., 63.5 in. tall, 3 lbs 6 oz
Motor: AT H219T
Result: Good flight
2. MAC Scorpion, green and white, 3 in. dia., 63.5 in. tall, 3 lbs 3 oz
Motor: AT G78GR
Result: Deployment anomaly, no separation
=====
Aidan G.
Wayward Zephyr (Apogee Zephyr), white and pink, 4 in dia., 53 in. tall, 4 lbs
14 oz, JL Altimeter 2
Motor: AT I140W
Result: Good flight, successful Level 1 certification. Congratulations, Aidan!
Video HERE
=====
Howard G. and UMass-Amherst
Custom Electric Boogaloo, black and pink, 3 in. dia., 76.5 in. tall
Dual deploy: Blue Raven/EasyMini set for 600 feet
Motor: CTI I303BS
Result: Good flight
=====
Kevin K.
MAC Black Fly, black, 3 in. dia., 41 in. tall, 4 lbs 15.5 oz
Dual deploy: EggTimer Quasar and RRC3 set for 450 feet
GPS: EggFinder
Motor: CTI I236BS
Result: Good flight. Apogee 3,471 feet
=====
Samuel D.
Custom Obsidian-1, black and purple, 4 in. dia., 62 in. tall, 6 lbs 6 oz, JLCR
set for 400 feet
Motor: AT J350W
Result: Main chute at apogee. Successful Level 2 certification. Congratulations,
Samuel!
Video HERE
=====
Tom D.
1. Wildman Mach 2, yellow and white, 2.6 in. dia., 52 in. tall, 3 lbs 12 oz
Dual deploy: RRC3 set for 400 feet
GPS: Tracki Tracker
Motor: AT H115DM
Result: Good flight
2. Wildman Drago XL, red fiberglass, 4 in. dia., 92 in. tall, 13 lbs 7 oz
Dual deploy: RRC3 and RRC2 set for 400 feet
GPS: Tracki Tracker
Motor: AT J425R
Result: Good flight. Apogee 1,668 feet.
=====
James S.
MAC Zodiac, blue and gold, 4 in. dia., 87 in. tall, 14 lbs 13 oz
Dual deploy: EasyMini set for 600 feet, RRC2 set for 500 feet
GPS: Tracki Tracker
Result: Good flight. Apogee 8,413 feet. Landed 20 yards west of Dunsmore Rd.
May, 2026
June,
2026
July, 2026
August, 2026
September, 2026
October,
2026
November, 2026
December, 2026