[RocketsNW] [WAC-Members] Mansfield ranch report.

[Mark Lyons]

Thanks BoberT
 


From: absworld at cet.com
To: rockets at rocketsnw.com; members at washingtonaerospace.org
Date: Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:03:10 -0700
Subject: [WAC-Members] Mansfield ranch report.





I arrived mid afternoon Friday to good conditions and a steady stream of arrivals up through midnight or so.
After a chilly night we woke to fairly decent weather which deteriorated rapidly.
Can you say WInDY?
It frikken howled through noon though most folks had adequate outerwear and did a lot of visiting.
Carl Hamilton served as ‘paperboy’.
By early afternoon conditions improved enough to allow launching.
While still breezy on the surface, winds at altitude proved to be quite friendly.
 
I got my tower set up and the MOD V version of my 38mm bird loaded with a J575FJ
Pad weight was 4 lbs 11 oz. and the Fast Jack motor left a black trail as the rocket boosted to just over 10K’.
Main deployed almost overhead and recovery was just over the first ridge to the south of camp.
 
Conditions continued improving and rocket activity was steady through the 1900 end of waiver.
Another hour would most probably have been utilized as the conditions continued to improve through sunset.
 
I loaded up the MOD I version of my 54mm bird with an AMW K530GG.
Pad weight was 7 lbs 5.5 oz.
As seems to be common with the Green Gorilla’s I spit and chuffed out twice before Denny calmly walked up with an igniter and confidently said “this will work”.
Well it did!  Not sure what was in his igniter but the motor came up to pressure nicely without any of the ‘bang’ that occurs with thermite.
Thanks Denny!
Boost was good to an apogee of just over 12K’.
Recovery was nominal until the primary main charge fired.
The N/C came off but the chute stuck in the upper end of the airframe.
Sign me up for another case where back-up electronics save the day as the main popped out just fine when the back-up charge fired.
 
A really nice camp fire capped off the evening.
We burned some awfully nice wood that the Launch Director called ‘scrap’.
All I know is I saw folks stealing firewood and stashing it away for some future project at home.
 
Sunday morning dawned calm and clear with a good frost on anything left exposed.
Breezy conditions began shortly after the 0800 opening of the waiver but nothing bad.
 
There was an early barrage of a couple racks then typical Sunday sporadic activity through noon.
 
I loaded up my 24mm rocket with a SU F32-15 and a Walston.
Boost was good and then the chute stripped at apogee.
For a minute or three I thought the Walston was with the chute and a real  ‘treasure hunt’ was about to begin but thankfully, the Walston stuck with the rocket and I only lost the chute.
 
Heard about some new P.A. system but never heard from it.
 
Kudos to launch Director Mark Lyons.
Even without his diaper, he managed to always be available, first out to set up, and still tearing down when I departed.
 
FITS prep can now commence.
 
BoBeRt
 
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-------------- next part --------------
Thanks BoberT
 
From: absworld at cet.com
To: rockets at rocketsnw.com; members at washingtonaerospace.org
Date: Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:03:10 -0700
Subject: [WAC-Members] Mansfield ranch report.
I arrived mid afternoon Friday to good conditions and a steady stream of arrivals up through midnight or so.
After a chilly night we woke to fairly decent weather which deteriorated rapidly.
Can you say WInDY?
It frikken howled through noon though most folks had adequate outerwear and did a lot of visiting.
Carl Hamilton served as ‘paperboy’.
By early afternoon conditions improved enough to allow launching.
While still breezy on the surface, winds at altitude proved to be quite friendly.
 
I got my tower set up and the MOD V version of my 38mm bird loaded with a J575FJ
Pad weight was 4 lbs 11 oz. and the Fast Jack motor left a black trail as the rocket boosted to just over 10K’.
Main deployed almost overhead and recovery was just over the first ridge to the south of camp.
 
Conditions continued improving and rocket activity was steady through the 1900 end of waiver.
Another hour would most probably have been utilized as the conditions continued to improve through sunset.
 
I loaded up the MOD I version of my 54mm bird with an AMW K530GG.
Pad weight was 7 lbs 5.5 oz.
As seems to be common with the Green Gorilla’s I spit and chuffed out twice before Denny calmly walked up with an igniter and confidently said “this will work”.
Well it did!  Not sure what was in his igniter but the motor came up to pressure nicely without any of the ‘bang’ that occurs with thermite.
Thanks Denny!
Boost was good to an apogee of just over 12K’.
Recovery was nominal until the primary main charge fired.
The N/C came off but the chute stuck in the upper end of the airframe.
Sign me up for another case where back-up electronics save the day as the main popped out just fine when the back-up charge fired.
 
A really nice camp fire capped off the evening.
We burned some awfully nice wood that the Launch Director called ‘scrap’.
All I know is I saw folks stealing firewood and stashing it away for some future project at home.
 
Sunday morning dawned calm and clear with a good frost on anything left exposed.
Breezy conditions began shortly after the 0800 opening of the waiver but nothing bad.
 
There was an early barrage of a couple racks then typical Sunday sporadic activity through noon.
 
I loaded up my 24mm rocket with a SU F32-15 and a Walston.
Boost was good and then the chute stripped at apogee.
For a minute or three I thought the Walston was with the chute and a real  ‘treasure hunt’ was about to begin but thankfully, the Walston stuck with the rocket and I only lost the chute.
 
Heard about some new P.A. system but never heard from it.
 
Kudos to launch Director Mark Lyons.
Even without his diaper, he managed to always be available, first out to set up, and still tearing down when I departed.
 
FITS prep can now commence.
 
BoBeRt
 
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