L.A.S.E.R. Launch, Groveland FL, October 18, 2020

I knew there was going to be some wind gusts, so I prepped smaller models, some with streamers.

I got to the Groveland launch site at 9:30 a.m., launching had started about 30 minutes earlier.

Jim Lytle converted his Odd'l Rockets Sputnik to a Corona Virus!

He had a stable flight with an A10-3t.

My Semroc MMX MARS LANDER was stable on it's first launch at the soccer field, but today flew erratic after catching a gust of wind. It only got about 15 feet up. No damage.

For Halloween, I broke out last years BONES design. An A10-3t got it to 200 feet.

At apogee, the eight inch parachute opened. It touched down, hanging  over the side of the mid power launcher.

Lonnie Buchanon finally reached Level 2 of the Estes Aerospace Club by successfully launching his EAC Viper clone.

This Viper was built to use 18mm engines. 

Congrats Lonnie! Now where did you leave those iron-on thrust bars?

David Hofmann flew his Patriot Saturn V (C-5) with a E12-4 engine. David has the  launch controller in his right hand and phone (filming the launch) in his left. 

This is how you land an R/C boost glider!

After a few lazy circles, club president Mike Meridith brought the Frank Burke design in close to his chair. 

My Estes TAZZ corkscrewed on the way up on it's C6-5 boost.

The engine pod ejected and the Tazz helicoptered in. I would guess the altitude to be about 500'.

To the far right are two of Lonnie's Presto rockets. With anything larger than a B6 engine - "Presto" they vanish.

Here's the landing of a final test launch of a new Odd'l Rockets kit, Bruce Levison's CORKSCREW. An Estes C6-5 got it to an estimated 650'.

The body tube was shortened which increased the corkscrew effect through the ejection of the tie-dye streamer.

Landing - I almost got a hole in one on the nearby miniature gold course. 

My Estes STARLINER (now being built on the blog) had a first launch with an 1/2 A3-2t motor. Not a great altitude, maybe 150'. 

The small chute didn't eject all the way, it was melted into a "hillbilly hat".

My best launch of the day was a Semroc POINT using a Estes C6-3.

Very stable and a bit noisy during boost. Altitude was around 325'. 

"Build it - Watch it fly - And wonder why!" 

I always hated that slogan from the Centuri catalog. 

I used one of my long lead Q2G2 igniters to make the micro clip connection easier.

The rigid body "chute" slowed the descent with no damage when picked up.

Six launches, one melted parachute. The humidity gets lower after about the middle of October making a full launch day bearable.