Quote from Eric Becher on December 8, 2025, 2:49 pm

December 2025 Launch Report

It was another unusually nice day for flying, albeit a little chilly. Light winds and occasional sunshine made for a nice day on the field, and a good crowd came out for it. Compared to the way this year started (the first 5 months were not fun!), we ended up on a high note!

Engine totals:

4 – 1/2A Engines
11 – A Engines
13 – B Engines
26 – C Engines
8 – D Engines
7 – E Engines
18 – F Engines
1 – G Engines
Total of 88 engines on 82 flights.
View Launch Statistics

Being that we are well into the holiday season, there was a lot of Christmas going on. Christmas rockets were flying in great numbers. Candy canes, Grinches, Trees, and even the Ghost of Christmas future (that looked eerily familiar from October’s launch). Some even carried and dropped peppermints or candy canes. And there was Buddy the Elf – flying and walking around the field!

Eric ran another contest. This one was for closest to the Christmas tree. It appeared that Charlie Brown picked out the tree. The prize being a little treat left by the Grinch himself. The results were strikingly similar to last month’s Turkey Shoot. Charlie took the early lead, with Dan later surpassing him. And that’s how it ended. Congratulations again to Dan, who is enjoying a nice seasonal fruit cake!

ARC teams showed up in force, which you can see by the high F motor count. There were 4 teams flying and they got 2 flights each. It is good to see that they are out flying well before the April deadline. It was noted that there was some congestion at the rails. Charlie and Eric will be working on adding another rail and maybe ¼” rod in the near term, which will hopefully help.

With the nice weather, a number of brave fliers went to high altitudes. A few rockets drifted into the tress across the field. Some were retrieved. Some were not. This time of year, it is much easier to wander back in the brush & bramble, and many lost rockets can be found. Some may even stand up to the weather, if they are constructed of the right materials. But many have nose cones, parachutes, and other parts that can be salvaged, so if anyone is hunting back there, please keep an eye out for other rockets, and bring back anything that might be partially salvageable. Sometimes even electronics that were left out for months can be saved! Just be aware that ticks are still alive in winter, so you still should do a check when you walk out.

No CATO’s this month, but a few sky writers, including 2 attempts at a straight flight of Eric’s finless Christmas tree. It flew well last year, so he’s not sure what changed, although one flight had an irregular nozzle burn. 🤔

Thanks to all who renewed their memberships at the field. ARC teams – remember to have one membership per team please. See Secretary Eric at the field, or you can mail it to our Treasurer Tom. Details and form HERE.

Thanks also to Buddy the Elf for sharing some of his treats. Of course, he had a little help from the #1 Santa assistant Joan too. (Or perhaps “Buddy” is the one that assists Joan? Not sure.)

With this, the last launch of the year, Eric will have the year-end stats to compile and post later this week. If you are a numbers person, keep an eye out for that.

Next launch is January 4^th. It will likely be chilly, so dress well and you’ll have fun flying those new gifts!

Finally, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, and a good Festivus to everyone. We’ll see you in the New Year!