N.E.F.A.R. Launch, Bunnell, FL, February 10, 2018

I was told the temperature was going to reach the high 80s today, there was low humidity so it was bearable. I'm not complaining - a few years back the February launch it snowed! There was a good wind so I taped some chutes so they couldn't open all the way.

Here's my new "first up, test rocket", the CURVILINEAR. Today I used a B6-4. With the added nose weight it was very stable with the 18mm engine. I'd guess the altitude at 400'. No damage will it drifting into the adjacent field for pickup 200 yards away.

The Odd'l Rockets F-104 STARFIGHTER kit will be introduced and sold at NARCON!
Today it got a C6-5 for 750'. Great flight with no roll during boost. The parachute was taped partially closed.
Good recovery but I noticed the stabilizer was cracked. It fell faster than normal with the reefed chute.






An Estes Monarch kitbash - the KOKOPELLI is based on the Arapaho design.
With a Estes C6-5 it probably reached 650'. Another reefed chute with no damage when it was retrieved.

My biggest engine of the day was a D12-5 in another kitbash - The B32 SPIKE.
I would bet it got over 1,000 feet. A large spill hole in the chute gave a fast descent and one lower fin was torn off the body tube when it hit.

This is the same rocket I just fixed on the blog. Did you ever have a model that was always seems to get dinged? This might be mine.




I didn't get a launch shot of the Custom SOLAR EXPLORER. The RSO did a countdown for the first rocket on the rack. This rocket was on the the third rod. My rocket launched! No biggie, that seems to happen every few years at club launches.
Very stable to 450' with an Estes B6-4 engine. No damage.

Five rockets launches, fin damages on two. I could blame it on the faster than normal descents. With the wind, recovery walks would have been ridiculous.