Occasional Post? A Lost Rocket Parachute?

I know I said the blog was "finished", but I might do some occasional posts or builds - Just not everyday!

This was too interesting to pass up.

When walking to check my mailbox, I saw something familiar in a planter. Red and white plastic.

Closer examination showed it was one of my Odd'l Rockets parachutes. What I found is on the left set next to a new parachute. It may have landed on a roof, eventually fell to the ground and was chewed up by a lawnmower.

It had to be from one of my "lost" models launched from the small schoolyard two streets to the West.

It seemed thinner than the original 1 1/2 mil plastic. It had started to degrade and felt thinner.

Launch! Soccer Field, October 10, 2020

The last three mornings I got up for a launch, there was either wind or light rain. Today the skies were clear with no wind!

I expected to hold down the launch button for a few seconds to launch the Fliskits MicroMaxx INTERLOPER. Ignition was quick and apogee was probably 100 feet. A narrow, short streamer brought it home.

The first launch of my Centuri VECTOR 5 clone blew out the engine hook! This time the Chinese made Quest Estes A6-4 was friction fitted. 250' estimated altitude with "parawad" recovery. The chute wasn't melted, it just didn't open. One loose fin and some cracked paint.

The Estes GBU-24 PAVEWAY III is a strange looking bird. It has multi piece fins that were tough to fill and paint. It is pretty banged up after six previous flights.

Today an Estes B6-4 pushed it to about 300' with full (old Centuri) parachute recovery. This one is now retired, scavenged for parts.

Here's my best flight of the day - 

Centuri ARGUS clone using a Q-Jet B4-4. Notice the gray smoke! 

These aren't as loud as an Estes motor. Instead of a hiss, these crackle a little.

Estimated altitude would be 325'. The original kit had two parachutes, I tethered the two long segments under a single 15" Odd'l chute. Textbook launch, no damage.

Everything was going well, until . . .

Here's the first (and last) launch of the recent Estes COLONIAL VIPER clone. 

I was expecting some "coning" during boost with the Estes B6-4 motor. There wasn't any wiggle but the trajectory turned a bit east. Maybe that angle cut of the nose cone deflected the airflow.

Ejection was outside the field and over the road. 

I said out loud: "Stay out of the trees, stay out of the trees!"

It snagged in the branches, 40 feet up!

I packed up and headed home, leaving the treed rocket. I walked back with an extendable pruner pole and ladder thinking that extra five or six feet might help reach the model.

No Luck! Oh well, we all lose a few along the way.

I hate losing models, but all the hard work wasn't in the build, but in the decal and canopy drawing. I still have those on file.

Five up, four recovered. Why couldn't the Paveway rocket got stuck in the tree?