Launch! Schoolyard, October 7, 2012

Yesterdays Orlando R.O.C.K. monthly launch was cancelled, the field was underwater! Well, really muddy anyway.
I have a lot of models prepped and ready to fly. Off to the Soccer field!

I flew the new clone, the Centuri SATELLITE 62SL with a 1/2A3-4t engine.
Usually I can follow the flight (I'm right underneath these at the soccer field) but it teleported! Gone in a flash. I heard a loud POP at ejection.

I watched the foggy horizon line to hopefully see it spinning on the way down but couldn't find it in the air.

It was found 15 feet from the launcher stuck sideways in the ground.
I was concerned about stability, the dowel legs were cut to 4" when they should have been twice that long. I assume it was stable, it didn't hear any sky write "swooshing" and it landed close, if it was unstable it would have landed farther from the launcher.

For the Fall season, the RAISIN' MAIZE was flown with an A10-3t.
During boost there was a very slight corkscrew but stable enough for a Styrofoam corn cob.

The new streamer brought it down slow enough.
When I picked it up I noticed the engine ejected even though there was a wrap of masking tape around the exposed engine and engine mount tube.


The new Stingray Mk-108 had it's first flight with and Estes A8-3.

The launch was perfect, straight boost with no spin.
I would estimate the altitude to be around 250'.

At ejection, the parachute was open but spiraling more like a streamer.
Four of the six shroud lines were broken! Once in a while the Estes shroud lines are not good, an easy repair though.

My old standby, the Semroc ASTRON was launched with a Quest A6-4.

Great loud boost and good ejection with an estimated altitude of 300'.
The parachute didn't open all the way. I thought it may have been melted, but this blue and white Semroc 12" parachute has always been sticky if it sits too long.

Note to self: Always open parachutes before launch and use some talcum powder on this one.

TIP: If you don't own the Semroc Astron rocket, it's one of the better values out there at $9.50! (1" diameter with 12" parachute recovery) A classic design, just a little shorter than the original Centuri Astro 1. Just be careful not to glue the fins on wrong, it'll look like an Alpha!

I've never flown the Dr. Zooch SATURN V at the schoolyard until today.

With an Estes B6-4, it did well in the small soccer field. Stable with an Open Rocket altitude estimate at 350'.
You could hear a snap-back hit when the ejection went off. I caught this one before it hit the ground.

The tower was bent when I picked it up. Not broken, just bent. It was pushed back in place and set with a drop of white glue.

In the right side of the picture the model looks three feet tall! It's actually only 18" tall and flys with the nozzles on.

Also flown:
For Halloween, the downscaled MMX ZOOM BROOM was sent up.
Nose blow recovery and no damage at recovery, just wet.