Quote from Eric Becher on June 5, 2023, 4:50 pm

June 2023 Launch Report

Another great day of flying! Pleasant temperatures and moderate winds made for an idyllic afternoon at the field. Several families were in full-on picnic mode!

Motor totals:

•   5 – 1/2A or less motors
•   4 – A motors
• 22 – B motors
• 27 – C motors
• 10 – D motors
• 10 – E motors
•   7 – F motors
•   4 – G motors

View Launch Statistics

Total of 89 motors on 83 flights (very close to last month’s numbers).

There were plenty of E’s, F’s and a few G’s once again. There were also a few clusters and staged rockets too. Good weather brings out the big stuff! Neil once again showed up with some very nice rockets. He flew his upscaled Goblin, Swift, and a nice-looking Aerotech Mirage. Brian C. had a few nice flights with some cool looking rockets, including his copper “Steamliner” steampunk rocket, and a Javelin that flew on two E engines (talk about tempting fate!). Joe Z flew an old bird, a Mini Alleggro, on 3 B6 motors. Joe then tried to emulate Jim’s “thousand foot” streamers. The first attempt didn’t fully unfurl. Throwing caution to the wind (groan!), he tried a second time and that seemed pretty long to me.

Staged flights of note: Don’s 2-stage, spinning “Frick & Frak” is a crowd pleaser that did so twice. The second time it left the first stage on the pad (although the motor took off flawlessly), which was a bit of a twist. Mark’s nice, green “Balsa Verde” boosted nicely. Unfortunately, the second stage didn’t ignite. We thought that was lost in the bramble, but he got it back fairly quickly.

A bit more stately, though still a lot of fun to see, Dan flew a couple of gliders (“Astron Invader” and “Double Ringer”) that performed nicely, as usual. At least they didn’t continue up, up, and away as Dan’s rockets have been known to do sometimes.

New member Raunak flew his Baby bertha and Amazon a bunch of times. He then picked up some ambitious projects from Rocketship Games to work on. Sawyer, Kate, Maria, and many others had plenty of nice rockets flying. From Bullet Bobby and a Birthday Candle to a couple of Squares, Crayons, and even a Porta-Pot, there is no end to the variety of rockets we see. It’s really fun to see what shows up at the field! Check out the Gallery for some great pictures and videos. And if you have some of your own, please post them for all to enjoy.

The last flight of the day was a good one! Joe K. put up his “Aerobee 100 Jr” on a G78. When I say “put up”, he REALLY put it up there! Officially it was 799.9ft, but that could have a considerable margin of error. We lost sight of it (possibly those pesky clouds got in the way) and then it suddenly reappeared, landing in the south bramble. Joe dove in head first and managed to come up with it pretty quick. Even more spectacular was watching him pack up the Rocketship Games store into a very petite “SUV.” Miracles never cease!

Thanks again to Joe at Rocketship Games for his attendance. If you’re looking for something, Joe’s probably got it. His prices are great and you can save on shipping, so take advantage when you see him. Joe won’t make it to July’s launch, but if you need something from him, check out his website and let him know.

You might have noticed some music playing between launches. Joe Z., now known as “DJ C.A.T.O.” arranged the music, and announced his new alter-ego. Next, we have to figure out what C.A.T.O. stands for. Post your ideas in a reply to this report!

Some of you might have noticed that we had some walking wounded. Brian and Franz both had recent surgery. They were moving slow, but still a part of the action, Franz even launching a spool and his “Rim 66”. Glad you guys are feeling better, and we look forward to seeing what you launch once you’re at full capacity.

Upcoming items:

Saturday, June 10^th we are putting on a demo for the Scouts at the Quail Hill Scout Reservation in Manalapan from 10am to 4pm (set up before). This is always a fun time showing the kids and parents what rocketry is about, and launching a bunch of small stuff in a small field. We could always use a hand, so come on out if you have a little free time. Details in the Calendar.

If you like road trips, Neil will be flying a full-scale Patriot rocket in upstate NY next weekend (weather permitting) at the URRF rocket launch festival June 9-11. It’s a trip getting up to the finger lakes region, but it’s a nice area, and a pretty cool rocket to see in person, along with a lot of other BIG rockets. Here is that Club’s website for info: https://urrg.us/ (hit the URRF tab and look for the BFR and Featured Flights)

Next launch is scheduled for July 2^nd. Get something patriotic ready to fly. Don’t forget those shade tents and umbrellas!