Today’s launch
was another ‘Shoe Box’ session conducted at Founders Park in Castle Rock,
Colorado.
Perfect flying
conditions prevailed for this session with wind speeds ranging from dead calm
to maybe 3 mph tops. Temperature at
launch time was near 80 degrees and the field was in perfect condition.
The first
launch went to the perennial Estes Hornet.
The model rose straight up on an A3-4T motor, reached apogee and ejected
the parachute, which opened instantly.
There must have been a little thermal activity going on upstairs,
because the model hung for a fairly long time under a 9 inch parachute equipped
with a small spill hole. At 42 seconds
after launch, the model touched down softly on the turf a short distance
away. This was perhaps the best ever
performance of the Hornet in its 46 year, 46 flight history!
The next
flight went to the Estes Lynx. After a
perfect straight-up boost and coast to apogee, the parachute ejected, but
failed to open. Fortunately, the model
balanced so that its descent was in a horizontal attitude, so no damage
occurred on the harder-than-planned landing.
The parachute failure was a bit perplexing because it was well powdered
just before the flight, and was properly packed into the airframe. Nevertheless, it was still a fun and
successful flight.
