NC Rocketry

I left Raleigh at about 5am Saturday morning, and until I got to about Vanceboro, there was some of the most dense fog that I’ve ever seen. Seriously dangerous driving conditions. The weather at the field was just as predicted by most weather apps, but the clouds seem to break about once an hour, so we still got some flights in, and I’ll list them in the table below. As you can see, the high power pads were getting some serious love. Good stuff!

Jim Livingston brought out his freshly repaired LZ rocket and flew it on an 38mm I motor made with a very exciting mixture of Ferric Fudge and Jim Scarpine Tribute Blue #4B(JSTB). For those who don’t know, both of these propellants are wickedly fast and this motor turned in about a 0.5 second burn. Explosive, almost! He also flew his 5.5″ diameter SeaHawk?on a K-560 made with JSTB #4B for a perfect flight. Alan Whitmore was on site with his Astro Mollusk VII?and flew it with a 6 grain I motor filled with his Ferric Fudge propellant. I think I overheard him say that this flight was #85 or #86 for that rocket, impressive! Brent Bierstedt flew two rockets; a finely finished V2 on a KBA K-1750R and a beautiful Patriot Missile on a Loki J-320R. Dennis Hill flew his scratch built Army Hawk on an Aerotech H-180 for a perfect flight. He also flew one of David Rushing’s old kits he acquired some time ago for an out-of-sight flight on a 25 year old Aerotech H-45W long burn motor. Allan Rose came out and launched 3 rockets – his IROC on an Aerotech I-211W, his Minnie Magg on an Aerotech H-123W, and his Mongrel?on an Aerotech J-540R. Joe Hill flew his 4″ diameter rocket that he calls Iron Moon?on a CTI L-1350C* for a very fast/high flight, and after some extensive searching, brought it home with the help of his Marshall tracker and a farmer that happened to be wayyyy out in the field. Kurt Hesse flew his reliable 4″ diameter Performer 98?on a homemade 4 grain 54mm motor stuffed with CP4 propellant which came out to a K-1100ish with no problems.

Mike McKeon has caught the HPR bug in a big way and put up an extended version of his already built Zephyr?on an Aerotech I-285R for his first attempt at using electronic two stage recovery. After a few adjustments to the size of his ejection charges, he got it figured out perfectly. Good job, Mike! Dorsey Delavigne launched his first all fiberglass rocket, Viper,?on an Aerotech H-135W and as I recall, it hopped off the pad pretty quickly. Matt and Morgan Willis made the trip down and flew one rocket each. Morgan flew her 5.5″ diameter Psychedelic?on an Aerotech K-400C and Matt flew his scratch built Level 3 project on an Aerotech L-875DM sparky motor as test flight. Both rockets came home safely.

Matt Willis? ?Space Dragon? on a Aerotech L-875DM . Photo by Jim Livingston.

A couple people came out and made use of the low power pads, especially Allen Harrell. He flew 5 different rockets, including a two stage, on various Estes motors ranging from Bs to Es. Eddie Haith flew his XL Hi Flyer?on a D12-5 and Jeffrey Daniels flew his Smithsonian Member?on a B6-4.

Everyone has their own particular likings when it comes to this hobby, and I’ve always appreciated those who have done the hard R&D to figure out how to do clustered flights, two stage flights, or just flights on more than one motor in general. Having said that, Mike Nay and Paul Kraemer joined us and flew some really cool rockets. Mike put up his Loc Magnum on a central CTI K-515 Skidmark, and then air started two Aerotech H115DM sparky motors. He also flew his two stage rocket Double Shot. He chose a CTI J-780 White Thunder for the booster and an Aerotech J-135 long burn for the sustainer. Both flights were perfect. Paul flew his Loc Ultimate on a central Aerotech H-238T surrounded by six Estes F15s and his Loc King Viper III on three Aerotech J-180T motors which put out a beautiful bright blue plume.

Lastly, we had three universities join us – UNC Charlotte, NC A&T, and NC State. UNC Charlotte flew their project Olympus?on a CTI L-730 Classic, NC A&T brought back their rocket called Pizza Planet?on an Aerotech K1000T, and NC State flew their rocket called 81.5?on an Aerotech L-1520T. It’s quite evident that all these students are very passionate about their respective projects, and they all did a great job this weekend.

It was great seeing everyone on Saturday, and we’ll be out there again in two weeks. Join us if you can!

Joe Hill

Prefect, Tripoli East NC

The weather looked pretty grim during the morning hours on Saturday, but the clouds broke around noon and it warmed up to a very comfortable temperature. North Carolina has been seeing an immense amount of precipitation as of recent, and the field definitely reflected that. I arrived at the launch site around 8:45AM and there was visible standing water in just about every direction. However, we had some pretty determined club members and they didn’t let the muddy conditions stop them from putting up some rockets.

Certifications are always a highlight of any launch, and Mike Mckeon came out from Pittsboro to attempt his Tripoli Level 2 certification flight. After acing the written exam, he chose an Aerotech J-420R for his 4″ Loc Precision Goblin. The motor came to pressure almost immediately(which is sort of unusual for red flame propellants) and it took off rather quickly. Mike had trimmed down the delay perfectly, and ejection was right at apogee. He went with a Jolly Logic chute release and the main was released at 400′, bringing his rock back without a scratch. Congratulations on a successful Level 2 certification, Mike! I have a feeling we’ll be seeing Mike at Bayboro launches often.

Allan Rose was back out again and had two great flights. He flew his 6″ diameter Sun Dog?on an Aerotech J-350W and his 5.5″ diameter Bandit?on an Aerotech I-218R. John Allman sent his ‘early Indestructible?for a wild ride on an Aerotech I-59WN and also flew his Thor rocket on one of the new Q-Jet D16 motors from Aerotech. Daniel Knowler sent up his classic Estes QCC Explorer?kit on a D12-3 and his Shuttle Express?on a C6-5.

A few students from UNC-Charlotte made the trip and flew their NASA SLI project named Olympus?on an CTI I-MAX L-935. This rocket was loaded up with lots of electronics and everything seemed to perform nominally. Great job guys!

The regulars were out at the field once again and stayed busy prepping at least one flight, if not more. Brent Bierstedt put up three flights, and brought each one home with him. A beautifully finished V2?on a Loki J-528W, a rocket he calls Rebel Max‘on an Aerotech I-211, and most notably a Pringles can that he 3D printed parts for. He finished it with an Army green paint job, and fashioned it so it looked like a bomb from WWII. He rightfully named this rocket Ka Boom!?and it flew just fine on an Estes E12-6.

Mike Nay brought out a new rocket that he plans on using for his Level 3 certification, and flew it on a 75/3840 L-1256WS made with Aerotech’s Super White Lightning for a test flight. If you haven’t seen one of these motors go, it’s quite the visual. It emits an almost blinding white flame. Alan Whitmore flew his Red Flag of Mortal Peril?on a 4 grain 38mm homebrew motor which turned in a beautiful flight. Jim Livingston brought out a 4″ diameter rocket that he calls LZ 889?and put it up on an I-300 of his own making. Joe Hill flew his 7.5″ diameter rocket called Short Spoon‘on a Loki M-1650 Cocktail motor and brought that one home as well. Ralph Reda was on site with his Nike Zeus, and threw it up on a homemade 38mm I-200 made with Alan Whitmore’s very forgiving and reliable Black Velvet formula.

Paul Kramer has been flying with us again recently, and it’s always good to see him. He’s been a long time NC club member and even used to fly with us back in the Whitakers days. Paul is a cluster aficionado and did not let us down on Saturday. He flew a new rocket that he named Energizer II?on seven J motors. Off the pad, he lit a central Aerotech J-825R and 2 CTI J-94s(made with CTI’s Mellow propellant), at 5 seconds lit 2 more J-94s, and at 10 seconds lit another pair of J-94s. This resulted in about 17 seconds of time under thrust. The flight went off without a hitch, and Paul got his rocket back in great shape.

I want to personally thank everyone who attended the launch for following the CoVid-19 protocols that we have in place to keep everyone’s health in mind. A few of our club members have had both rounds of the vaccine, and even more have had at least the first round. Hopefully the statistics continue to downtrend and maybe by the end of March, we can have a two day launch. Until then, continue social distancing, mask-wearing, and washing your hands.

Joe Hill
Prefect, Tripoli East NC