This past Fall, Winter, and Spring along the front range of Colorado has been largely plagued with a non-stop succession of days in which there have been constant windy conditions, thwarting any hopes of flying model rockets. Today, we finally caught a break and took advantage of a morning of nice, calm conditions here in Castle Rock, ending a long hiatus that began back in October 2023.
We've been long over-due for a flyin' fix!
Joining me at Founders Park were Mike Goss, Mike Perreault, and Greg Hauser.
Greg is a newcomer to our 'Band o' Rocketeers'. It turns out that he is Mike Perreault's back door neighbor. A casual curbside conversation the other day revealed that Greg is an avid builder and flier, a past NAR member, and holds a Level 1 High Power Certification!
What are the odds of having three serious rocketry enthusiasts living in the same neighborhood only a few houses apart?
Anyway, on to the launch report.
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Mike Perreault started the festivities with a
re-named Hi Flier converted for 13mm motors |
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| 'Not-So-Hi-Flier' at ignition on an A3-4T. |
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Mike Goss flew this Estes Stormcaster for a
great run on a C11 motor. |
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| Greg Hauser's Estes Python-4 model poised for flight. |
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A perfect C6-5 powered liftoff of the Python 4 as
Mike Perreault and Mike Goss look on.
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Mike Perreault's second flight of the day -
a new Estes Mini Arcas. |
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| The Mini Arcas leaps off the pad on an A10-3T motor. |
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| An Odd'l Birdie ready for flight on Mike Goss's launcher. |
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"Keep your eye on the Birdie !"
Liftoff for a perfect flight on a plugged A10 |
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I finally got my first bird of the day on the pad -
a battle-worn EAC Viper for its 16th flight on B6-4 power.
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| Liftoff for a perfect, straight-up flight. |
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| Greg's Estes Red Nova ready to launch. |
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A 'Mighty D Engine' sends the Red Nova off
for a perfect flight. |
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| Mike Goss's scratch-built M-EX lifts off on a 1/2A motor. |
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| My Citation Patriot set to go on a C6-5. |
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| Leaving the pad for a textbook perfect flight. |
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| Mike Goss's Quest Nike K. |
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| Perfect flight on a B6-4. |
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Mike Perreault's new Mini Max.
The model turned in a great flight on an A10-3T motor. |
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Mike Perreault's Patriot Missile hits the skies on a C6-5 motor, carrying a Jollylogic 2 altimeter and an Estes Astro cam.
The model corkscrewed to around 200’ with a long lateral flight.
Chute deployed at
77’. A 'heart-stopper' flight, but the model sustained no damage.
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Mike Goss's Quest Payloader One takes to the
skies on an A8-3 motor. |
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Another of Mr. Goss's models - a Custom Rockets
Dynamic Carrier - sits ready on the pad.
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| Great flight on a B4-2 motor! |
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| Next up was my Estes Nike-X. |
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| A perfect B6-4 flight and recovery. |
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Greg Hauser's third flight of the day, an Estes
AIM-120 AMRAAM. |
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| Liftoff for a great flight on a C6-5 motor. |
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| Mike Goss successfully flew a Mini Max on a 1/2A..... |
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| ...followed by a Der Red Max on a B4-4. |
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Not long after, Mike Perreault had his new
Baby Bertha on the pad for its maiden flight.
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| Excellent flight on a B6-4! |
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| Mike Goss was in action again with the launch of a LOC mini Striker-X. Great A8-3 flight that returned via break-apart recovery due to the streamer failing to eject. |
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My final flight of the day went to the fleet Big Bertha.
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The Bertha turned in another perfect flight and
recovery on a C6-5 motor. |
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The next model to poke a hole in the skies
was Mike Goss's mini HyperLOC 835 on an A8-3 motor. |
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A Boosted Bertha in single stage configuration
was next launched by Mike Perreault.
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| A perfect C6-5-powered maiden flight! |
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In short order, Mike Goss had another bird prepped and on the pad. This is the PARA 'Bandersnatch', scratch-built from plans on JimZ. The model turned in a great flight on a B4-2 motor.
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| At this point, the two Mikes were the only ones who still had remaining models to fly. This is Mike Perreault's EAC Firecat. |
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A start to a perfect B6-4 flight!
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Next, Mike Goss was seen prepping what appeared at first glance to be a Centuri Laser-X. Turns out, it was an
Estes Plasma Probe instead.
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| Great flight on a B6-4 ! |
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| Mike Perreault's Bullpup takes off on a perfect B4-4 flight. |
At this point, Mike P., Greg, and Yours Truly blogger had exhausted (pun intended) our on-field arsenals of birds. The remaining three flights of the session were put up by Mike Goss, who had brought fifteen pre-prepped models to the party.
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| This cool-looking rocket is Mike Goss's New Way Sky Fighter. |
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| A superb B6-4 liftoff! |
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Next up was Mike's Nike Needle, an Estes Design of the Month plan.
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| The 'Needle' caught at ignition for a perfect B6-2 flight! |
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| The final launch of the day went to Mike's Estes Rogue clone. |
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The attractive classic bird turned in a great
flight on a 1/2A3-4T motor. |
To round things off, Mike Perreault had flown four other models during the session for which I have no on-field flight pics. Mike kindly sent me this after-the-fact group photo of the birds arranged on his workbench:
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Estes Little John
clone. Flew perfect on an A10-3T.
Mini honest John.
A3-4T. Great flight.
DoorBelle - BT60 downscale
of Doorknob.
Estes High Flyer.
B6-4. Great flight.
As you can see, all four of these models returned un-scathed!
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EPILOGUE....
All in all, it was a great day for model rocket flying. The field was in great condition and wind was very minimal. C and D motor day, indeed. Most of the rockets landed within leisurely walking distance of the pad area. Between the four of us, 34 models were aired out. There were no serious mishaps or losses. Only some minor scrapes or fin breaks on a couple of models.
One amusing anecdote:
At one point, I believe it was during Mike Perreault's Mini Max flight, I happened to be bent over my range box prepping one of my birds. I heard someone exclaim, "It's coming down right on top of Ed!"
Looking up, I saw the bird wafting down on its parachute just feet above me. I managed to immediately get to my feet and catch the model before it touched down!
And...here is the interesting and unusual photo of the day:
Thanks for looking.... Cheers!
