Launch report: B6-4 Field, Ft. Thomas, KY (WARNING: CONTAINS ACTUAL ROCKETRY CONTENT)
 

I'm starting to see a trend here. Saturday I lugged all of my "big" birds up to Central Ohio for the TORC Launch, then found conditions perfect on Monday for some small field stuff at B6-4 Field. (By perfect I mean 80 degrees, sunny and calm; Ft. Thomas schools on spring break; and the ballfield torn up due to the apparent installation of drainage tiles.)




First on the pad was the Estes Rascal on an A8-3. TERRIBLE motor choice, but I'm still getting a feel for the field. :rolleyes:



The flight was fairly low, but in an age when we're concerned with the shotgun ejection charges in Estes motors, this one sounded like a bird fart. The chute only made it to the end of the body tube and the Rascal nosed in. Luckily it landed in the grass and damage was light.

Next was the Estes Super Alpha on a B6-4. This flight reminded me why I named this field after this motor. Straight up off the pad, ejection happened just as the upward motion stopped, and the rocket landed twenty feet from the pad. I was PUMPED!!!!







I love the recovery pic. The checkered chute shows up nicely against the sky, and I wish I'd bought more of them when I had the chance. They were an Ebay buy, ridiculously cheap, and I remember some of the other buyers complaining because they thought they were getting actual old Estes checkerboard chutes and these were cut out of vinyl picnic tablecloths. They've been great performers, they look cool coming down, and they were cheap. People are really stupid.

The Squirrel Works Red Baron was next on an A8-3. Great boost, dead straight and incredibly high considering the small motor.



Unfortunately it was also straight down.



Oof. Clearly I need to check the trim before the next flight. :rolleyes:

Ouch. I made the mistake of launching mine on a C engine a couple of months ago. I think it's still flying :eek:

The Zepher 5 was next, also on a B6-4. I could easily become accustomed to flying in these kind of conditions. This was a perfect flight until the end. I think this one is a little too fat to be a streamer bird, but that's how it came.





Hard hit on a hard infield. From now on this is a parachute bird. The black fin reminds me of my left ankle circa 1980. :eek:

The newly repaired Vector G was next. This flight was perfect from start to finish, and I STILL tossed a fin! Not a big surprise, though. Those fins stick out way too far to not get knocked off by even the most gentle recovery, and they don't get much more gentle than this one.

First flight for this original Big Bertha that I was the only bidder for on Ebay a long time ago. This and the Super Alpha, both B6-4 flights, were far and away the best of the day.







Not much more to say other than :cool: .

Next up was the Super Alpha, again on a B6-4. I have a video of the flight, but I can't get it off of my camera. :confused: :confused:

The junk-box Skyway Star was next. B6-4 flight with another weak sister ejection charge. :confused: Hit hard, but other than grass stains, no damage.

Just for Schlitz and giggles, I brought my 2001 Star Snoop upscale to the field. B6-4 flight, never got more than 100 feet off the ground. Just a big arch that ended with the ejection charge firing no more than 10 feet from disaster. I might try this again here with a C6-3.

Last flight of the day was the Edmond's CiCi that I call Apogee Or Bust. This rocket first flew here back in 2001 and immediately flew itself into the upper branches of a tall tree on top of the hill that is to the left of the pad. Luckily it bounced its way down through the branches and lived to fly again that day.





High and straight on an A8-3. At ejection it flew off into the upper branches of the tall tree on top of the hill that is to the left of the pad. I listened for the sound of it bouncing down, but heard nothing. I looked around the hilltop, but found nothing.
Yesterday I was out doing errands and decided to stop on the way home to see if the storms we'd had might have blown the CiCi down. I walked to the top of the hill, checked around the outfield, and was just about to leave when I looked into the back yard of the house at the top of the hill.





They even had a gate that I could walk through to get the rocket. (A good thing, because a fifty year old man in flip flops has no business trying to jump a fence in the rain.) It was a little wet, but it should fly again. Hopefully soon. :cool: