DARS Model Rocket Launch - Frisco, Texas

DARS Model Rocket Launch - Frisco, Texas - August 25, 2007

I finally made it out to fly Saturday. After many rainouts from the spring onward, we got in a launch this weekend, albeit at a different field than originally planned.
A high power launch had been scheduled for our Windom field. I was gonna fly my bigger stuff, get in a hybrid flight and my first dual deployment. I even drove over to Carrollton Friday to borrow David Culp's hybrid gear and 20-pound nitrous tank. But before I made it back to the house, I got word that the Windom launch was cancelled. The rocket range was covered in 8-foot tall corn stalks. The club hastily put together a model rocket launch at our Frisco field, so, shifting gears, I prepared rockets for that instead. First up was this clone (above) of the 1960's vintage Estes Midget. Great flight and recovery. And the conditions were perfect. Sunshine with almost no wind. The booster even came back and hit the launch pad. That's about as good as it gets :)

	Normally, one mug of me is more than enough, but this one reminds me of my dad, Curt. This little bird is called Toy Rocket, and was inspired by the Midget above. It had a great flight and recovery. And again the booster came straight down to hit the pad.

At right is a closeup of the Bidget on the rod. It got in a great flight on a pair of C11 motors. There is an interesting story behind this rocket. Soon after getting back in the hobby in late 1999, I began building this 1.6x upscale (below left) of the original K-40 series Midget. My daughter Jordan and I attended a national event in Evansville, Indiana in 2003 where I flew it on a D12-0 to D12-7 combo. Unfortunately, it flew into the sun and I never saw the sustainer come down. Bummed as a I was, I built a replacement sustainer and flew it with the old booster. Here it is (below center) on the pad in Amarillo in 2006. On this flight, when the booster burned through to light the sustainer, the pressure burst the booster airframe. I considered repairing it, but it just couldn't be done. The damage was too close to the fin roots. Thus, a new booster was built. This is it on the right. All that's left of the original bird are the fins on the new booster. Below right, the booster pushes the rocket off the pad.

Here's my Tuber coming up to pressure. The C11 to D12 combo made for a great flight. One fin on the booster was broken, but that's not a big deal. Boosters get lots of wear and tear; it's the price of flying staged rockets. It can be glued back together with only a little scar left as a reminder.

The finale was the Thridget at right. This is a three-motors per stage upscale of the Midget, hence the name. Each booster fin separates with its respective motor. It had a great flight on three B6-0 booster motors staged to three B4-4 sustainer motors. All six lit.

The wind had begun to pick up as a storm was forming to the north and east. The winds aloft carried the rocket to the southwest across the road and right onto a sidewalk. The nosecone received a dent (dangit) and two of the upper fins got a little road rash. But it's to be expected. If they are to remain pristine, then they must remain on the mantel :)

This rocket also has an interesting story. Last summer at LDRS in Amarillo, it had an unfortunate flight. Here it is on the pad (below center) just before the problem. The host club flies mostly high power and experimental rockets, so their model rocket equipment was a little limited. In this case, no standoffs - clothespins - were on hand at the pad, and I didn't think to carry any with me, so I made do with what was available, in this case, dried cow patties. In the pic, you can just see the dark object below the rocket affixed to the rod with a wrap of masking tape. That piece of "organic material" provided just the clearance to get the rocket up off the stand.

When it came time to launch, one of the ignitors fell out and only two of the three booster motors lit. The reduced thrust resulted in the rocket weathercocking as shown in the pic at lower left.

When the booster motors burned through, the rocket was flying nearly horizontal. And it carried lots of speed when it impacted the ground to the south. Because it was moving horizontally, the damage wasn't completely fatal. The nosecone was dented in several spots, and the forward airframe was crushed. And there were lots of scratches, too.

Plus, since one of the boosters didn't light, it remained attached to the rocket during the sustainer burn. The fire from the two burning sustainer motors pretty much ruined it.

Photo courtesy of Tim Sapp

The rocket was returned to the garage where it was repaired. A new forward section was added to the sustainer ahead of the fins, and the nosecone was patched and repainted. A new booster fin was built, and all three received new paint along with the sustainer and nosecone. The result above turned out looking very sweet.

To add insult to injury, my buddy Tim took this picture of the cow pattie/standoff smoldering after the luanch. Not only did my rocket wreck, but I got teased for setting the cow doody on fire :)

Photo courtesy of Tim Sapp

August 26, 2007