May 2023 Scheduled Launch
Attention CENJARS fliers,
May, it's here! Hopefully, all of the showers that April has bestowed (what a weekend!) will yield to the May flowers and some wonderful flying weather in the coming months. That said, let's see what we have in store for the scheduled May launch which is Sunday, May 7, 2023.
If you haven't been following along, which you are requested to do in the CENJARS Forum, the NAR has renewed the CENJARS charter for another year and issued our insurance certificates. In addition, CENJARS has been granted privilege to use the Wall High School Athletic Field Complex for the next four months. When the permit was issued, there was a caveat the we could ONLY fly from the Junior Varsity soccer field, the field directly to the east of the parking lot. After inquiring about this new restriction, it had been added by one of the new school staff that were unaware of what we do on the field. They feared we might destroy the Varsity fields on the complex. Thanks, in part, to viewing Joe Zielinski's video of our February launch, the staff approving the field use were able to see what we do and realized that we presented no jeopardy to the fields. Phew!
KEEP THE FIELDS CLEAN!!! As clean or cleaner than when you/we arrive to use the complex. If you see garbage on the field, please pick it up and dispose of it. After each launch, there are usually motor plugs near the pads. If you see them, pick them up for disposal. When you put your rocket on a pad, there may be a spent igniter on the clips; dispose of these too, don't just toss them on the ground. Eric and Jo Ann Becher contributed two small trash receptacles that look like small Rubbermaid trash bins. I, Poobah, 3D printed brackets to affix these trash bins to the pads. Put the aforementioned detritus into these cans!
And now, for something completely different, the upcoming launch.
Last month many of us were attending Red Glare and the April launch was primarily TARC teams hoping to get in their last minute qualification flights. Thus, the anticipated Egg Loft contest was not held. We will hold the Egg Loft contest at this launch. The rules are simple:
- Fly your rocket with a raw egg.
- If you can recover the rocket with the egg still intact, you've jumped the first hurdle toward winning the contest.
The rest of the rules will be detailed at the launch.
CENJARS is holding a raffle; no purchase necessary … almost. ALL CENJARS members that have paid their yearly membership fee will be automatically entered into the raffle. If you haven't renewed your membership, now is the time. Print out the membership form (available on the website under Section Hub/Join CENJARS), complete it, and bring it with your fee to the launch.
CENJARS will also hold another raffle. Its details will be outlined in the Forum on the CENJARS website. If you've not been to the CENJARS website and the CENJARS Forum, be sure to do so if you'd like to participate in this upcoming raffle.
Finally, this first week of May sees two special days.
- Cinco de Mayo — Fly a sombrero, a burrito, an enchilada, or your favorite hot sauce; maybe a piñata? Hmm. That reminds me, I have a Space Shuttle piñata. Maybe I could fill it with rocket motors? Nah!
- May the Fourth — Fans of the George Lucas movie franchise recognize this date as a holiday. Rumor has it that there may be a special visitor from the "Dark Side" attending the launch.
I expect we will see our on-site vendor Rocketship Games again at this launch as well. Make Joe's trek to our launch worthwhile!
That was a lengthy announcement! I'm tired from typing it and I'm sure your'e tired reading it. You and I need to relax after all that and what better way to do so than attending the next launch.
See you there!
It should be fun
Be sure to check out the arbor school letters from the kids! Great school demo which may lead to another engineer
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Quote from Admin on May 1, 2023, 10:36 amI expect we will see our on-site vendor Rocketship Games again at this launch as well. Make Joe's trek to our launch worthwhile!
Yep, I'll be there. Looking forward to seeing everyone again. Will post a code later in the week if people want to order particular things in advance. News for this month is that we're now stocking Aerospace Speciality Products (ASP) kits, and as many of you saw at Red Glare, are now carrying Estes E and F motors.
May is *also* the anniversary of Alan Shepard's 15 minute ride as America's first astronaut, so I am bringing my Mercury Redstone to the launch, as well as one of my egg-lofters. (and at least 8 other rockets, so it's going to be a full day for me).
Jo Ann & I will have a good size bucket too. Star Wars rockets, egg lofting rockets, and space program rockets! Plus, if the weather is right, a Kraken or two may appear!
To enter the above mentioned "Membership Raffle" you can also see me at the field. I'll have membership forms and I can receive checks or cash.
I also have some membership cards for folks who have already paid for this year, so see me if you don't already have your card and you are already paid up. If unsure about if you paid or not, see me and I'll let you know.
The weather report looks good, hopefully no wind this time. March and April were pretty darn blustery, I'd like to put a stop to that so I can launch some bigger stuff (Moondog will be in the car, but I will not launch if it's too windy). I'm also right now in the middle of a T-LOC, which is a 4" diameter kit with a 29mm motor mount, made for F and G motors, which should be interesting.... Will launch that in June as I'm running out of time for this month (and I already have too many rockets for this month). It's the prep that's killing me as I'm trying to be at Metra on Saturday and then Cenjars on Sunday, and it's a lot to handle. I know I'm going to lose something this weekend, I just hope it's not my sanity.
Quote from Brian C. on May 4, 2023, 8:53 pmI know I'm going to lose something this weekend, I just hope it's not my sanity.
Too late! 😂
Sorry. You left the door wide open!
Just be careful with our max ceiling of about 800ft. I also want to launch a couple of F and G's Sunday if weather cooperates. But we have make sure we don't overdo it.
Looking forward to all sorts of observances, including the egg lofting. I'll grab a dozen eggs, which should be enough. Joe Z has a few fun things planned too.
By the way, I would recommend you ditch the nylon shock cord that came with the T-LOC. At Red Glare I had my PML Bull Puppy separate and crash due to that cord burning through on ejection. Either Replace it with something more heat resistant or protect it somehow. Looks like a cool kit though.
Quote from Eric Becher on May 4, 2023, 9:48 pmBy the way, I would recommend you ditch the nylon shock cord that came with the T-LOC. At Red Glare I had my PML Bull Puppy separate and crash due to that cord burning through on ejection. Either Replace it with something more heat resistant or protect it somehow. Looks like a cool kit though.
According to LOC, the 4" T-LOC has a 3/8" nylon webbing shock cord. That should hold up but, depending on how it's affixed to the rocket, I'd suggest a length of kevlar from the rocket mount point to which you could then attach the nylon webbing. This would make replacement, should you need to, much easier.
A good length of kevlar in lieu of the nylon would work too. Kevlar is pretty inexpensive. I don't know if Rocketship Games carries any but Ken of Performance Hobbies or or Teddy of One Bad Hawk (right here in Old Bridge, NJ) would sell you what you need. You can also find it on Amazon (search: kevlar cord). See me about tips on cutting kevlar if you get any.
I had the Kevlar to nylon setup, and that's what fried. It's a lot of line and stuff to pack into the 2.2" bull pup, so some of the nylon got too close to the ejection. I promptly went to One Bad Hawk and now the Pup has all Kevlar shock cord. You'll have more room in the 4" T-loc, so maybe you can get around it, but I've been "burned" once, so no more nylon for me.