Lots of first timers flying their Christmas presents.
I ended up as LCO, so I only got three into the air after the initial rush was over.
The Semroc SNAKE JUMPER showed marginal stability with a noisy Quest Chinese made B6-4.
It flew 15 degrees to the South, maybe to 300 feet. Ejected a reefed chute and ended up high in a tree. I gave it up as lost.
My best launch of the day was the Estes MINI BERTHA clone.
It got higher than you would guess with the 1/2A3-2t motor. The reefed chute brought it home behind the flight line.
Estimated altitude, 250'.
Here's a unicorn,
The Estes BLUE ORIGIN NEW SHEPARD.
It's a rare bird, one of the few that was released before the fins were enlarged for better stability.
It wasn't perfectly balanced as it wiggled during the B6-4 boost to 300'. Under chute, it drifted into the trees.
I wasn't going to bother getting it down, but others retrieved it with an extendable pole!
Three up, one lost in a tree! I need to thin the herd anyway,
What is your strategy for thinning the herd?
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
DeleteI've been selling some finished builds at club launches. When lost in a tree or drift away, I don't sweat it very much.
Wait, is that possible? My wife disagrees.
DeleteLosing rockets and selling finished builds. That, and most all newer builds go right back to Estes or Aerotech/Quest.
Delete