Launch! Schoolyard March 17, 2013

I leave for a two week cruise later today so this morning was my last chance for a Soccer field launch!
Yesterday morning the field was being watered and was full of soccer players. Today the field was clear!

The Estes SUPER ALPHA was first up with an Estes B6-4.
This is really a great match for the small field - a BT-60 model with an 18mm engine.
Perfect flight and recovery.


The FlisKit 13mm UFF ATHENA flew to about 75 feet with an A10-3t engine.
Fun to watch - labored boost, turns over and floats down landing on the wire antenna legs.
Still, it feels like a wasted engine. I want to say: "More Power!" but the A10 engine is all you've got!

This was the first flight for the FlisKit PHEORD X150 saucer.
Another great small field model with an Estes C6-0.
While the web page says it gets up to 75 feet, it looked like closer to 200'.
When the booster burned out, the propellant wall broke through and you could see the sparks. This was early enough in the morning and the sun wasn't fully up yet.

This is an 18mm upscale of the UFF Athena with redneck graphics.

My highest flight today was the reinforced Custom SOLAR EXPLORER with a Quest B6-4.
Altitude looked like about 450'.
This one did drift and landed in the street.

While the parachute did eject, the wadding was still inside the body tube.
I'd hate to think it might be smoldering inside!
If one of you models had to land on asphalt, this it the one! The engine extends past the trailing edge of the fins and there was very little damage.

Also Flown:
MPC TAURUS with an Estes 1/2A3-2t engine.
Small models always look like they get better altitudes than they probably do. I'd estimate the altitude at about 275'.
The shock cord didn't hold and the body separated. The nose cone came down on the parachute, the body landed easily without damage. Time for a repair!