Launch Date: 28 April, 2018

 

A check of the wind and weather websites revealed that today would be a warm day in Colorado with a minimal-wind launch window between 9:00 a.m. and noon.  It has been well over three months since I have had an opportunity to launch rockets, so I am long overdue for getting in a good flyin’ ‘fix’.

For today’s launch session, I would be flying at nearby Douglas County High School, so smaller power rockets would be the rule.  Off the shelf came the Hornet, the Generic E2X, the newly-built Star Seeker for its maiden flight, and….the Mosquito.
Arriving at the field at 11:00 a.m., I quickly got things set up and ready to go.  Wind speeds were estimated at around 5mph with no overhead clouds, and plenty of sunlight.
The first model prepped was the old familiar Hornet for flight #39. The old bird turned in yet another great flight on an A3-4T engine with recovery by a 10” parachute equipped with a spill hole.  Again, the model was returned with no damage.

Next bird to poke a hole in the sky was the freshly-built Estes Star Seeker. Not wanting to fly this bird in tumble recovery mode as specified by Estes, I equipped it with a 1”x 12” plastic streamer.
The model boosted high and straight on a 1/2A3-4T. 

 Following ejection, I saw no streamer, but observed the model falling in one piece. The cel phone video I took of the flight recorded me saying, “There’s gonna be some damage here”, as the bird was rapidly falling.  Reaching the crash site, I found that the Star Seeker was intact.  The streamer had ejected, but tangled along with the shock cord around one of the fin assemblies. The only damage to the model was a crack in the paint on the rear body tube, probably from engine heat.

I quickly prepped the model for a second flight.  Again it boosted straight and high.  This time at ejection, I completely lost sight of the model- no streamer again.

Spying the model lying on the turf a short distance away, I found it in this condition:

The motor casing had ejected instead of the recovery system. The fin damage was the result of,essentially, tumble recovery.  Easy fixes, though, and the Star Seeker will fly another day!

Next bird to be prepped for flight was the tiny Mosquito.  
The model performed its usual straight, high boost on a 1/4A motor.  The ejection cloud was highly visible against the clear blue sky, after which I caught a flash of sunlight off the model’s silver Monokote wrap.  To my great surprise, I actually detected the model descending in stable trajectory all the way to the ground, where it impacted, hopped in the air a couple of feet and fell back to the turf.  This is the first time I’ve ever witnessed an entire flight of one of these elusive birds.  Up until now, I didn’t think it could be done.  Needless to say, recovery was quite easy.

I quickly had an igniter installed in a new ¼A engine, and the Mosquito on the pad for flight number two.  Again, a nice boost was followed by a highly visible ejection cloud.  This time, I lost sight of the model, but walked in the direction of where I had seen the ejection charge.  I easily located the bird on the ground.  I counted 40 paces back to the launch pad.

 

Flight #2

Well, now, I was having so much fun launching and recovering this little bird, I figured I might as well have another go.  This would be flight #10 overall for this Mosquito.

Flight #3

Again the model flew nicely, and again, I was able to catch sight of its descent and follow it all the way to the ground, where it stuck in the turf ‘lawn dart style’.  Another short, leisurely walk to pick it up.
I had intended to stop at 3 flights, but I still had one more ¼A motor left.  Why not?

Up went the Mosquito again, and for the third time I caught sight of it streaking in for another ‘bounce-on-the-grass’ impact right in front of the soccer net. 








Had the model bounced a little further in the right direction, it might have scored a goal!




I had brought along the Generic E2X model to fly today as well, but found that the low-wind weather window was coming to an end.  Judging from my marker streamer I estimated that wind speeds had picked up to over 7mph, so I opted out on flying the GE2X.

As I was packing up the gear, I noticed this:

First time I have ever seen a starter plug land on the launcher!

7 flights on the day with no lost models and only one real mishap.  I’ll roll with that.