LAUNCH! Soccer Field, October 11, 2011

After all the wind and rain this past weekend , Orlando finally had a calm morning. I got to the soccer field just before 8:00 a.m.

I rarely fly "naked" but I was trying out a new build of the Bruce Levison design - the CORKSCREW. This version had a shorter body tube, closer to Bruce's original design.
With a 1/2A3-2t engine it had a very pronounced corkscrew flight pattern.
It still flew stable and vertical and seemed to be "drilling" on the way up. Perfect flight and recovery under a red plastic streamer.


This was one I couldn't explain.
My MPC NIKE SMOKE went unstable launched with an Estes B6-4!

It stuck nose first into the ground and the end tip was broken off the plastic nose cone.
I examined the engine and couldn't find anything wrong with it. I don't know what went wrong, it's always been stable in the past.




My Semroc ASTRON flew well with a 13mm A3-4t friction fitted into a 18mm casing.
For some reason, this Semroc blue and white parachute is always sticky so it gets shaken out before a flight.
I would estimate the altitude was around 350'.






If the wind is calm, the Odd'l Rockets CYCLONE flys.
This one is an old protype and was loaded up with a 1/2A3-2t engine.
From a peak altitude of around 375 feet, the upper half spun for a 25 second duration.




Also flown:
A second flight of the CORKSCREW with an A3-4t engine. Estimated altitude was 550 feet. The corkscrew spin was much more pronounced and very evident with the smoke during the coast phase. Streamer recovery and no damage on recovery.