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Old 07-24-2021, 10:28 PM
caheaton caheaton is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 42
Default got lucky tonight (no not that kind....)

Headed out to the local park tonight about an hour before dark to get in a bit of rocketry. First 2 flights were the Ghost Chaser with B6-4 motors and an Estes altimeter for the payload. Flights clocked at 256' & 252'. Fairly close to Openrocket's prediction of around 265'.

Given that there was no perceptible wind, I was surprised that they drifted as far as they did (about a third of the way down the field). I decided to take a chance and prepped the next launch with a C6-5. The rocket boosted nicely, straight off the pad, but I lost sight of it on the way up nor did I see the ejection (heard it though). Lucky for me some youngsters were also watching off to the edge of the field and they caught sight of it on the way down (they too lost track of it on the way up....guess a white rocket against an overcast sky is a bad combination ). Even though I'd reefed the chute the rocket drifted out of the park and across the street but missed some trees and landed at the foot of driveway. Rocket was successfully recovered, but recovery wouldn't nearly have been as quick if the kids hadn't spotted it on the way down and gave me a bead on it's direction.

But, the night wasn't over! My next flight was the upper stage of the Mongoose. I've flown this before and with a B6-4 it always landed safely in the field. But not tonight. Tonight it drifted much further than usual and landed in the top of 20' tree at the edge of the field! The kids again came to my rescue! The youngest (I'd guess maybe 10 in age) began climbing the tree and was able to climb right to the top. He was able to reach the rocket and tossed it out of the tree! I thanked him and gave him a $10 tip for his efforts .

The moral...it helps to have a ground crew! Oh, and the altimeter reading on the Ghost Chaser that left the park was 727 feet.
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Old 07-24-2021, 11:42 PM
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BEC BEC is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Auburn, Washington
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Those are very plausible altitudes for the Ghost Chaser on B6-4 and C6-5. Glad the Estes altimeter worked for you....and that you got it back after the C flight (and also the Mongoose).
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