Saturday, September 11, 2010

LAUNCH! Bunnell, FL - N.E.F.A.R. 9/11/10


Skies were clear and winds were calm. I counted 26 cars at the launch today.
The Big Girtha screamed on a two engine C6-5 cluster.
That homemade baffle worked fine, the 18" ripstop nylon parachute looks like new.


The Martian Patrol had a first flight on a B6-4.

The altitude was poor, maybe 100 feet. Those styrofoam saucers sure flutter and add drag during boost. The four second delay was too long and it started to tailslide after apogee. Only one saucer detached and "hovered" down. The B6-4 was a recommended engine but ejection would be better timed on a B6-2 or C6-3.

I flew it again later in the day with a C6-3. Better altitude and ejection right as it was turning over. Both saucers detached this time. One hovered, the other saucer flipped end over end. The parachute opened but two shroud lines were pulled loose. Even with a little CA on the 35 year old tape strips, the lines still pulled out.


My favorite flight of the day was the Sky Condor Boost Glider.
With a Quest A6-4 engine it's flight duration was a respectable 25 seconds. I only did about 5 test glides and added a little clay to the tail to get a long, flat glide.
I added a small amount of clay to a wing tip to make it circle on recovery.
I'm impressed by how well it performed considering it only took ten minutes to assemble the glider.

The A-20 Demon downscale also flew on a 35 year old MPC A3-4m.

As I was loading up the car, John Bishop launched his upscale Quest Force V. With two D11-P in the outboards and a D12-5 in the center it was an impressive boost. Full chute at ejection and soft landing.
Except for the heat - a very successful day.

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