Saturday November 10 started off as cold, windy, and overcast with the TMO staff asking ourselves what in the heck are we doing here. We were thinking that Bill Good’s launch of his Cosmic Interceptor on a G motor was going to be the highlight of the day. That all changed late morning as the skies open up and the winds calmed a bit. We logged a total of 19 HPR flights for the day.
We were visited by the “rocket fairy” early in the day, delivering goodies for all the good rocketeers. Many thanks to Lee Berry of Merlin Missiles for stopping by and dropping off “stuff” on his way to support WSR and their launch.
TMO regular Jim Rosmarin launched his PML Patriot on an AT I205W for a nice flight and nominal recovery.
Andrew Kleinhenz had two great flight with his MAC Performance 4” Scorpion first on an AT J435SW and followed by a second flight on a Gary Dickinson Research J395 Mad River White motor. He also brought cookies, which were a HUGE hit with the TMO staff and flyers.
Martin Quanci made the trek from Chillicothe and brought the WV SOAR wireless PA system along for a trial. He also launched his very nice EZI-65 on an AT J500G motor for a screaming flight and nominal recovery using a Missileworks RRC2. Thanks Martin!
Nate Chiles Launched his 4” Mad Cow Nike Smoke on an AT I140W DMS for a nominal flight and recovery. He was also overheard talking L2, so we shall see.
Jeff Durkin from Whitehouse, Ohio made the journey to South Charleston to launch his King Viper III on a cluster of 3 K535W DMS motors. Jeff has been around since the dawn of HPR and it is very cool listening to him talk about the “good old days” of rocketry, when thermalite was king and dual deploy was still a dream. Sadly, the flight was less than expected, as only two of the tree motors lit and the rocket had a long arc to the west. Adding insult to injury, the main popped at apogee and the rocket suffered a major zipper according to Jeff.
TMO IT guru Bob McAninch brought his scratch-built URSA Major out for its umpteenth flight and flogging. Bob did flight number one on a Research J378 Everclear motor to 3537 feet AGL. Flight number two was on a Gary Dickinson Research J534 Mad River Blue motor to 2481 feet AGL. Bob, you need a new rocket. Just sayin’…..
We saw two TRA Level 1 cert attempts:
Former Ohio State BSLI member Mark Via came out and joined Tripoli and attempted his L1 certification with his Yard Sale I on an H180W. Sadly, the rocket came in ballistic. No word yet on the cause but we are hoping to see Mark back to get this done and move up the certification ladder.
Pat Chiles returned to the HPR ranks and we are happy to have him back! Pat warmed-up for his L1 launching his Mega Der Red Max on an AT G64-7W for a great flight. He came back with a successful L1 flight & recovery using a PML Mini BBX on an AT H135W. Welcome back to HPR Pat! Cannot wait for that L2 certification.
Any time we see a big yellow school bus coming down the lane, we know that Jim Seibyl is bringing his students from University School to launch with us! Jim and his students showed up to launch some rockets. Jacob Nathan flew his scratch-built Bumble Bee on an AT I205W and returned to fly his scratch-built The Beast on an AT I500. Both flights and recoveries were nominal. Nathan has his penchant for rocket with semi-circular fins. Interesting.
Turner Whitmore and Joe Smith both had successful NAR Junior L1 certification flights. Congratulations to these young rocketeers and we hope to see you back as you move up the certification ladder.
The new owners of LOC Precision provided Jim Seibyl with a brand-new LOC 7 kit to build and write a review on. Jim turned this over to his students to build. They were going to launch this on an AT L1000W. Sadly, they experienced a “flight anomaly”. It will be interesting to read the root cause analysis of the incident. I cannot say enough positive about what Jim is doing for HPR and these students. His dedication and rigor is going to g a long way to ensure that the hobby is fed a fresh batch of flyers that understand the dynamics of rocket flight and the discipline required to be safe and successful.
Most of the TMO regulars know that Steve Temple is leaving the hobby, or at least seriously scaling back his involvement. Steve came to the launch with a truck & trailer full of rockets, kits, and parts. Good deals abounded, and many rocketeers were seen leaving with “stuff”. While the TMO staff is sad to see Steve leave the hobby, we were happy with the deals. He will be visiting from time to time. God speed Dr. Temple…….
Now for some boring stuff: Tripoli Mid-Ohio #31 is always looking to improve the launching experience for flyers and staff alike. A couple of changes we have made:
• We have replaced the heavy & bulky automotive batteries with 11.1-volt Lithium Polymer batteries. All of the batteries for the Wilson F/X launch system now fit in a Bosch tool bag.
• All of our launch rails (except for one) are now tandem rails. This means that we have 1010 and 1515 rails bolted together. No more searching for the right rail: simply remove the rail and turn it 180° to have the right size for your rocket. We kept one 1010 rail separate for those “odd rockets” that may have feature that interfered with the mounting attachments.
Shout-out and thanks to our land owners Chuck Wildman & Marty Spears. All of us thank you for allowing us to use your land. Tripoli Mid-Ohio #31 will treat this as our own and protect I as best we can. Some of us had a chance to meet Marty after the launch and hope to see him back with his grandson.
Our next launch is scheduled for November 24th. Leave the turkeys at home and bring the rockets!
SYATNL!
