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  #1  
Old 04-26-2014, 04:43 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Default Empty field on a beautiful day = Box o' rockets launch

3:00 in the afternoon and no ball game.
So, you know the score, rockets, camera, ACTION!!!!



First flight of the day was the Squirrel Works X-RV, with new ballast! Made no difference. B6-2 flight. Left the pad on an angle, ejection charge sounded like a gunshot, X-RV plows into the ground in the parking area. No damage, but I'm not sure how much more tail weight this will take to get a glide.



JUST missed the gravel, which would have been problematic.
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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #2  
Old 04-26-2014, 04:50 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Next up was the FRW Screw Loose, now with added noseweight!!!



I think this is flight #3, and it will be the one that earns it some paint. A8-3 flight with a noticeable corkscrew motion. Next time I'll go with the B6-4.



You can just barely see the corkscrew smoke trail in this one.



I lost it at apogee and was scanning the skies for it, only to find it on the ground already. It's got a LOT of noseweight, so that B6-4 flight should be no problem.
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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #3  
Old 04-26-2014, 04:57 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Flight #3 was the Estes Laser Lance on a B6-4.



I really like the way this turned out, especially considering that I only bought it because it was something new on the Hobby Lobby racks.



Came off the pad in trouble, jigging to the right unlike most of the flights on the day. Ejection occurred over Woodfill Avenue, and from there we have trees, asphalt, phone lines and the school roof to deal with. Somehow it missed them all.



Landed up near the school entrance. I'm thinking the heavily reefed chute is the hero here. I thought it was a goner.
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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #4  
Old 04-26-2014, 05:23 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Flight #4 is the Estes Challenger II that I cloned with an Eliminator kit.



Nice performer for this field on a B6-4. Boosted slightly to the right, but was never not over the field.





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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #5  
Old 04-26-2014, 05:32 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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#5 on the day was the InFlight Nike-X on a B6-4. This isn't the first flight, but it is the first flight in full livery, so I was pumped.



This was the first mis-fire of the day, and I was beginning to think that my batteries were dead. It eventually got moving.



The flight was slightly wiggly, possibly from a mis-aligned fin, but the real problem happened at ejection. The same generic Estes red chute that had been handling all the other B6-4 flights tangled badly at ejection, the whole mess coming down in a wad.



I heard the impact from across the field, and thought for sure it would mean a broken fin, but when I got there, all was fine. Except the chute. There might be no saving it.
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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #6  
Old 04-26-2014, 05:58 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Flight #6 was the Estes Scout III on a 1/2A3-2T. No real glamour to the glamour shot, unless you like primer.



It also took some doing to get airborn, including changing the igniter when it farted the first one, then repositioning the clips when it failed to fly a second time. Eventually it got going.



I was pretty happy to catch the launch shot. It uses nose blow recovery, so I expected it to wind up on the field, but the feather-like lightness cause a huge amount of drift. Only one rocket recovered further from the pad that day, the Laser Lance after jigging the liftoff. From my vantage point, it looked like the falling Scout hooked one of the branches of the sweet gum tree, but when I got there, I couldn't see anything in the branches. I walked up to the road for a better look and noticed several pieces of white in the street.



Damage was relegated to a fin, but it lucked out in that it was sitting in the inbound lane to my neighborhood, and was missed by three cars before I could rescue it. Better to be lucky than good.
__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper

Last edited by A Fish Named Wallyum : 04-26-2014 at 10:48 PM.
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  #7  
Old 04-26-2014, 07:45 PM
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ghrocketman ghrocketman is offline
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What motor did you use in the Challenger II ?
I'm thinking NOT a D12-5 or D12-7 !
I have an original Challenger II that I built in the late 80's that I have never flown.
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  #8  
Old 04-26-2014, 08:04 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ghrocketman
What motor did you use in the Challenger II ?
I'm thinking NOT a D12-5 or D12-7 !
I have an original Challenger II that I built in the late 80's that I have never flown.

B6-4. I built it specifically for this field.
__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #9  
Old 04-26-2014, 08:11 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Next up was the Estes Flutter-By on a B6-4. I recently finished the paint, but can't remember where I put the decal.



This one left the pad with AUTHORITY! I was surprised at how quickly if left, considering what a pig it is. It was another bird that took several tries to get off the pad. I need to break out the new Quest launcher that Chas sent me. Had it ready to go the other night, but time conspired against me.



Got it farting on the pad, but then it was GONE! The two parts landed a hundred or so feet apart. I recovered the nose section first, then the tail. The tail was tremendously hot. So much so that it melted the glue that held the fins on. Both were wiggly, but neither of the fillets was cracked.
__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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  #10  
Old 04-26-2014, 08:20 PM
A Fish Named Wallyum A Fish Named Wallyum is offline
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Flight #8 was the Semroc Lil Hercules, recently converted to 13mm power because I disliked the tennis court recovery 100 or so yards away over the treeline.



This flight was on a 1/2A3-2T. The engine was friction fit, but got stuck when I put it in and I couldn't get it to pull loose. It was my second last flight and I didn't feel like walking to the car for my multi-tool, and I flew it anyway.



Mistake. It went unstable just off the rod and was cartwheeling through the air when the ejection charge fired. It was about 50 feet up and went STRAIGHT into the ground. No damage. The motor ejected, so I'll give it another chance on the 1/2A to see if the fact that the motor didn't install completely caused the instability, or if the change in balance is from the mini engine mount.
__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Gee'Hod, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Snake Jumper
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