Quote from Eric Becher on February 6, 2023, 7:28 pm
February 2023 Launch Report
It was a surprisingly nice day out on the field. Light winds and sunny skies made it quite pleasant for a February launch. There was a good crowd once again, and Rocketship Games was on the field and open for business.
We managed 85 launches, and burned 89 engines, which is great for a winter launch. We saw everything from 1/8A MMX engines to roaring F26’s. Thanks to all those who participated or watched the show.
Motor totals:
5 – 1/2A or less motors
17 – A motors
13 – B motors
25 – C motors
14 – D motors
8 – E motors
7 – F motors
0 – G motors
So much was going on, I don’t know where to begin. How about where we usually do – Charlie’s “Snitch”, which flew first off the pad and since the Groundhog didn’t see the Snitch’s shadow, we continued onward. Charlie followed up throughout the afternoon with many of his favorites – “Death Star”, “Lemon Drop” (canted), “Simitar”, “Fatboy” - each and every one accompanied by the usual joke he has for it. I will not be repeating any of them here. I’m now convinced that Charlie comes up with a joke first, then builds a rocket to pair with it. Thankfully the rockets fly better than the jokes!
With Valentine’s Day approaching (don’t forget all you husbands!) Eric & Jo Ann built and flew a pair of matching Valentine’s rockets. Ken had a similar Curvilinear and we tried a 3-rocket drag race, but there were many complications. I guess 3 is a crowd for this holiday!
Some egg rockets were seen flying aloft, including David’s “Monkey in Payload 2”, which may have carried a monkey as well as a camera, Brian’s “Green Eggs and Ham”, which has a monkey sticker, and the ASR TARC team’s rocket, which actually had eggs in it. The Team, from Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics in East Harlem, had several really nice flights with their “Red Pinocchio” and seem to be making good progress towards their targets. Keep up the good work guys!
A bunch of really nice-looking rockets went up, including, but not limited to, Mark’s “Balsa Verde” (with booster), Mak’s “Slo-Mo” and “Antar” were very nicely put together and finished, Eric’s new “SR-71” (faster than a Chinese “weather balloon”), and Brian C’s “Photon” and new “Der Rust Max” both looked and flew well. Jeff introduced us to his new “Patriot” (in operational copper colors) and again had a couple of nice flights with his “Tall Daddy”. Donald flew an interesting “Frik & Frak” 2-stage spinning odd-roc that was very fun to see (twice!). There were also a few small MMX rockets that flew really fast! Something different for us to see, but good fun (and available from Rocketship Games at reasonable prices).
To end the day the young students settled their grudge match with a drag race between Josh’s “Multicolor Buster” and the ASR TARC Team’s “Red Pinocchio”, both on F engines. I’m not getting in the middle of it, but the results can be seen in the gallery (Josh’s is the one with the black smoke).
While lots of good fun was had, there were an unusual number of “lawn darts” this month. Thank goodness the ground was soft and not all rockets were “totaled,” but this is a little concerning. Should a large rocket “come in hot” to the spectator area, someone not paying attention could get hurt. Please remember to check your rockets for proper nose cone fit (not too tight, not too loose) and make sure you have the correct ejection delay for your planned flight. Use engines in good condition to avoid failures. And spectators should always be paying attention to all flights in case something lands near the crowd.
Special thanks to the following for their contributions:
President Brian for 3D printing mini garbage can brackets and “dog bone” wire spacers, which keep our ignition wire clips apart. It’s very handy to have a 3D printer engineer in our midst!
Jay and his grandson for cooking up the hot chocolate
Joe and Rocketship Games for setting up his store for us, and the great prices (discount plus no shipping costs!) and great selection. Check out his online store and look for him again at a launch.
Everyone who has paid their 2023 dues or joined up as a member. Your dues support our outreach efforts, as well as Club equipment, picnics and contests, so thanks to those who pay their dues for everyone’s benefit.
Thanks to everyone who posted the great pictures in the Gallery. Did you check out Joe Z's video on YouTube?
If you get a chance, check out the CENJARS Calendar. We have some outreach events coming up in March, April, and May. All are welcome to help out for any or all of them. Details will be forthcoming in due course.
Next launch is March 5th. Keep building – warmer weather is coming!
February 2023 Launch Report
It was a surprisingly nice day out on the field. Light winds and sunny skies made it quite pleasant for a February launch. There was a good crowd once again, and Rocketship Games was on the field and open for business.
We managed 85 launches, and burned 89 engines, which is great for a winter launch. We saw everything from 1/8A MMX engines to roaring F26’s. Thanks to all those who participated or watched the show.
Motor totals:
5 – 1/2A or less motors
17 – A motors
13 – B motors
25 – C motors
14 – D motors
8 – E motors
7 – F motors
0 – G motors
So much was going on, I don’t know where to begin. How about where we usually do – Charlie’s “Snitch”, which flew first off the pad and since the Groundhog didn’t see the Snitch’s shadow, we continued onward. Charlie followed up throughout the afternoon with many of his favorites – “Death Star”, “Lemon Drop” (canted), “Simitar”, “Fatboy” - each and every one accompanied by the usual joke he has for it. I will not be repeating any of them here. I’m now convinced that Charlie comes up with a joke first, then builds a rocket to pair with it. Thankfully the rockets fly better than the jokes!
With Valentine’s Day approaching (don’t forget all you husbands!) Eric & Jo Ann built and flew a pair of matching Valentine’s rockets. Ken had a similar Curvilinear and we tried a 3-rocket drag race, but there were many complications. I guess 3 is a crowd for this holiday!
Some egg rockets were seen flying aloft, including David’s “Monkey in Payload 2”, which may have carried a monkey as well as a camera, Brian’s “Green Eggs and Ham”, which has a monkey sticker, and the ASR TARC team’s rocket, which actually had eggs in it. The Team, from Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics in East Harlem, had several really nice flights with their “Red Pinocchio” and seem to be making good progress towards their targets. Keep up the good work guys!
A bunch of really nice-looking rockets went up, including, but not limited to, Mark’s “Balsa Verde” (with booster), Mak’s “Slo-Mo” and “Antar” were very nicely put together and finished, Eric’s new “SR-71” (faster than a Chinese “weather balloon”), and Brian C’s “Photon” and new “Der Rust Max” both looked and flew well. Jeff introduced us to his new “Patriot” (in operational copper colors) and again had a couple of nice flights with his “Tall Daddy”. Donald flew an interesting “Frik & Frak” 2-stage spinning odd-roc that was very fun to see (twice!). There were also a few small MMX rockets that flew really fast! Something different for us to see, but good fun (and available from Rocketship Games at reasonable prices).
To end the day the young students settled their grudge match with a drag race between Josh’s “Multicolor Buster” and the ASR TARC Team’s “Red Pinocchio”, both on F engines. I’m not getting in the middle of it, but the results can be seen in the gallery (Josh’s is the one with the black smoke).
While lots of good fun was had, there were an unusual number of “lawn darts” this month. Thank goodness the ground was soft and not all rockets were “totaled,” but this is a little concerning. Should a large rocket “come in hot” to the spectator area, someone not paying attention could get hurt. Please remember to check your rockets for proper nose cone fit (not too tight, not too loose) and make sure you have the correct ejection delay for your planned flight. Use engines in good condition to avoid failures. And spectators should always be paying attention to all flights in case something lands near the crowd.
Special thanks to the following for their contributions:
President Brian for 3D printing mini garbage can brackets and “dog bone” wire spacers, which keep our ignition wire clips apart. It’s very handy to have a 3D printer engineer in our midst!
Jay and his grandson for cooking up the hot chocolate
Joe and Rocketship Games for setting up his store for us, and the great prices (discount plus no shipping costs!) and great selection. Check out his online store and look for him again at a launch.
Everyone who has paid their 2023 dues or joined up as a member. Your dues support our outreach efforts, as well as Club equipment, picnics and contests, so thanks to those who pay their dues for everyone’s benefit.
Thanks to everyone who posted the great pictures in the Gallery. Did you check out Joe Z's video on YouTube?
If you get a chance, check out the CENJARS Calendar. We have some outreach events coming up in March, April, and May. All are welcome to help out for any or all of them. Details will be forthcoming in due course.
Next launch is March 5th. Keep building – warmer weather is coming!
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