Comrades:

I finally got a chance to launch! No swim practice, golf tournament, ballet recital, Scout camp or other reason for my recovery crew to be absent. My sister and her kids and even my Dad went to the park and over two hours got 16 launches from a wide variety of rockets. We checked some boxes as my nephew got his Viking launched for his Webelos badge and I managed to get my NARTrek launches done. All photos are by SWMBO

First off the pad was my Dad's V-2 in White Sands colors with scale fins on a D12-5. I think it's absolutely the best rocket/engine combination Estes makes. Rock solid on boost, the upgraded TopFlight parachute opened in the 39 degree morning air and landed about ten feet from the pad.

It was also day of the gliders, on the pad is my Glider-Launching Rocket with a Vashon X-13 and Estes Firefly on board. We experimented with engines and decided a C6-3 was best with both gliders on board. Although covered in period-correct Monokote, the X-13 was the better flyer.

The MPC Nike Smoke from the eBay Rescue thread flew fine but the parachute, shock cord and nose cone became hopelessly tangled on the way down so it landed a little hard and cracked a seam on the nosecone. I already fixed it.

Great picture of my Sandman/Semroc Scrambler on three A8-3. This was supposed to be the test flight for an egg launch but we couldn't find an egg small enough to fit in the compartment. The egg launch will be next time. My sister's friend, who has her own chickens, said she would provide us with a smaller egg if we help her son launch his rocket. Deal.

Last is the return of the GLR, this time with a full-size Enerjet Pterodactyl, No problem on boost but the glider was more Steve Austin than Mitchell Gant. Gotta work on the glide on that one . . . .

I'll post some more pictures this evening.

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__________________
NAR 79743
NARTrek Silver
I miss being SAM 062

Awaiting First Launch: Too numerous to count
Finishing: Zooch Saturn V; Alway/Nau BioArcas; Estes Expedition; TLP Standard
Repair/Rescue: Cherokee-D (2); Centuri Nike-Smoke; MX-774
On the Bench: 2650;
Dream Stage: 1/39.37 R-7