Dusk Launch, Schoolyard Soccer Field, January 25, 2015

A launch at dusk? 
I never launch at sunset. But the winds were calm and temps cool.
I learned a few things. The burst feature on my camera doesn't work when the light is low. It is fun to see all the sparks at launch and ejection.
These pictures look like I launched in the middle of the day. The camera adjusts for available light. Trust me, it was getting dark.

I just glued a new BT-5 in the previously cato-ed SPUDNIK.
The potato was loaded with a A10-3t. Boost turned it to the east, 20 degrees from vertical. But as before, not good enough to ever make a kit out of it. Estimated altitude? Maybe 125'.


I'm ready to give up on the MPC CADET CRUISER.
With an Estes B6-4 it was unstable - again! You can see the trajectory after it left the launch rod. You'd think this simple 4FNC design would would fly straight and true.
The skywriting altitude was about 50 feet and the rocket was already on the ground at ejection.
It may have a lot to do with the engine sticking 3/4" out the back of the main air frame. Nose weight? I don't know if it is worth wasting more engines on it! Maybe the PIG on the body tube should have told me something.

Before the last launch, I was having some igniter problems. I was using an old Quest Tiger Tail igniter.
The Odd'l Rockets UP! CUP didn't launch at first with a Quest Q2G2. The igniter popped and fell out of the engine. A Q2G2 fail?
Two boys had stopped tossing their football and yelled over: "You need some help with that?" I said: "Thanks, I just had a bad igniter."
He called back: "Okay. . . Well, I can show you how to do it!" Sure kid, I was launching these things before you were a gleam in your father's eye.
After the two marginal launches, go with a sure thing. The UP! CUP was stable with lots of noise and sparks. Estes C6-3 and altitude? 300 feet est.

It was really getting dark at about 6:30 p.m.
The Quest VIPER was prepped with a Quest A6-4.
The blurry inset picture shows the sparks bouncing off the blast deflector.
Estimated altitude would be around 225 feet.
It was dark and this would be a good finish to a quick launch - until I got back to the launcher.




Enlarge the picture and look close.
The upper half of the launch rod is gone!
I didn't want to leave without it. A schoolkid might get injured stepping on it.

I started walking the area in a grid around the launch area. It might have been  taken up with the rocket and dropped at ejection.
After ten minutes of searching I walked back to the launcher area and saw it.
Enlarge the picture and see if you can find it where I did.

Three out of four successes, not too bad.