Rain was predicted for the early afternoon so pad set-up was scheduled an hour earlier than normal. Launching started a little after 9 a.m.
Here Tom D. gives the safety talk.
On the left, Julian C. Sr. set his mini shuttle on a launch boundary stick while he waited for a pad.
On the right is Julian C. Jr. He's a young rocketry enthusiast. I gave him a newly finished Estes Patriot.
I was L.C.O. for most of the morning launches, then Tom D. took over duties. I was able to launch two rockets before the rain started and things quickly closed up.
Here's the first flight of the New Way N21 SKY FIGHTER with an Estes B6-4. Estimated altitude was 325'.
The white chute seemed small but brought it back without damage.
Jonathan tried to launch his large Starship 002, a model built from one of the larger Red Max kits.
There were some stability concerns with the forward fins. A previous launch was unstable. He added nose weight and did some string tests.
The rocket never left the pad. We did see lots of smoke.
The clay nozzle blew out and down onto the blast deflector.
Look close and you can see the nozzle "welded" to the metal plate.
My second flight of the day was a favorite - The GOONEY HONEST JOHN using an Estes C6-5.
I would guess the peak of flight at 500'. This is a heavier model. Very stable.
It drifted towards the flight line and landed a little too close to a car!
I had the EAC VIPER upscale on the pad when we felt a strong cold breeze. That's usually a sign the rain is imminent. We were breaking down the launchers and rolling cables when the first drops of rain were felt.
Low winds, overcast and cooler - until the rain.
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