Elsberry Launch Report 

Saturday, April 5th, 2003 

by Don Hanson

Wow! What a great launch! The temp was a bit on the low side at the start with lite winds. But the sun came out and warmed things up just right, although Larry Mills would have preferred it a little warmer! There was a nice turn out from both members and visitors. There were over 50 launches with sizes starting from those pesky Mosquitoes to a REALLY BIG PURPLE Sucker! High power launches were plentiful and spectacular! Jack Hollister started the day off with his Solar Sailor II flying on an H123 followed by Mark Grant's PML Nimbus on an I357. Mark likes to get our blood pressure up (and his own) with an absolutely last second main chute deployment!! Larry Mills launched his 1st video cam Amraam II off the HP pad with a powerful G80, and altimeter deployment, followed by Joe Towers flying his PML D Region Tomahawk on an I161 with nice ejection deployment at apogee, and a nice & easy parachute ride. Joe makes it look easy! "Team Morton" (Dave & son John) flew their Yank Enterprises Tomahawk on an H123 and had a little trouble with the parachute... Next up was a level 1 cert attempt by Corey Brand: His PML Ariel he calls "Yasmeen" flew with perfection on an H123! Welcome to High Power! Mark Grant came back with his re-named "Exuberance" of Post Dispatch fame, flying with all of his on-board electronics on a big smokey J350! 2 stage recovery, with a really big black chute (when it works) is WAY COOL!!!! Larry Mills came back with his Amraam II, his on-board camera and a Pro38 H153! About mid thrust, the nozzle and aft closure were dramatically ejected, but the flight reached apogee, deployed and was recovered successfully. If Larry would have left at that time He would have been home by 4:30!!!! Jim Felt stepped up to the pad to join Mark Grant's dual deployment club with the "Travis Banks Venus Project", flying on an I300! Bee-U-Tee-Full!!!! Next up was Jack Hollister with an 18oz rocket he calls "Allison" flying on an H128!! Wow!! He had his tracker handy, and NEEDED it!!! Joe Towers decided it was EZI time! An I161 did the trick with precision ! David Corley was the next level 1 cert attempt. His Yank Enterprises "Iris" flew well but, although a valient effort, it was another of those chute-less descents... David will be back for another try! Up next was Hank Clever with his LOC Expediter He calls "JMJ1" on an H128 for another cert attempt. Nice flight! One more successful graduate to the world of high power! Even though Mark Grant was very busy helping the new guys, He still had time to assemble and prep his PURPLE ROCKET for the grand flight of the day: Monster pad time! That BIG 40lb bird sat on the fiery plume of an L1120 with 5120 ns as it streaked skyward. Again, the dual deployment electronics worked perfectly. The huge main spread out with plenty of room to spare leaving Mark with-in spitting distance of his truck! We DEMAND to see that Beast again in October!!!!! Joe Towers came back again with his EZI-65 on an I284. It was a great flight, even though Mark's was a hard act to follow! Jim Felt, with Travis Banks this time, satisfied that his electronics were ready, assembled the Venus Project with a J350 a-top a Thoy Falcon booster with an I300 for a 5500ft attempt. A little tilt off the pad and a little too much delay on the staging made for a long walk out past the duck pond (rather than Elsberry) although the flight was an expected pleasure!!! Next up, My trusty and skillful Assistant Launch Control Officer, Don Ruis (RICE) was promoted! His successful Level 1 flight was a BSD Diablo flying on an H180! Quick, Straight flight, perfect deployment at apogee, and a nice soft landing inducted Don into the ranks of the elite HP Dudes, and automatically wins himself a chair at the LCO table at the next and future launches! Congratulations to our new HP Flyers!! And last, but Certainly not least, another PERFECT flight of Don Hanson's GOLD and RED EZI-65 (as featured in the photo gallery) on an H123, rounded out the day.!? Meanwhile, low and mid power rocket flights were abundant....in order of appearance: Steven Hacket flew a TILT 4 on a D12, Clayton Flores flew a Matrix on a B6-4, followed by Don Ruis with an F50 in his Arcas. Steven Hacket was up again with a Phantom 400 on a G40, Don Ruis with his Arreaux on an F23, Tom Mcatee with his Jinx on a HUGE A10 and Devon banks with his scratch-built "Fire Bird" on a D12. Next up, Dave Welch, flying a Barracuda on a G64 had a little issue with his forward closure! The flaming wreckage was quickly extinguished... Anyone wishing to donate a 29mm forward closure to Dave?...not to worry: Dave informs me He has already obtained a replacement Barracuda to entertain us with at summer launches! Steven Hacket decided to drag race himself with his Pac III and Astrobee-D on G80s. The latter went the former didn't! He Won! He Lost! .. at the SAME time! The Pac-III went up 8 minutes later... Devon Banks had a successful 1st flight of his Black Brant on a D12, while David Welch got his Blue Ninja back in 2 pieces after a D12 flight...then Devon flew his Athena on a D12 landing VERY close to the pad! There was a mosquito found a little closer, but the honors go to REAL rockets! John Moreton's first attempt with a beautiful Mercury Redstone suffered separation, although he would be back... AND Then, all of a sudden, we were swarmed with Mosquitoes! Don Hanson, during a lull between VISIBLE rocket flights, drag raced 3 of the little varmints! On powerful 1/2 A's, the Yellow Screamer the Red Devil, and the Emerald Marauder took to the sky and vanished in 3 tiny puffs! Next, in contrast, Don Hanson's Frequent Flying Initiator (he calls the Prodigal Rocket) again flew its "cork Screw" pattern on a G64 with a perfect apogee ejection and a long slow descent to a soft landing. Dave Welch was up again with a Cheetah on an E28 followed by Don Hanson flying a cool looking U.S. Rocket's Ion Pulsar on a C6-7... Watch Out: 2 more stinging Mosquitoes, the Blue Buzzer and the White Whistler !!!!! Then 2 more: The Orange Stinger And the Blue-a-lighter!!! PFFT!! Where'd they go?? John Moreton came back with the Merc and she flew great on a C6-4!! Jay Alvarez' scratch-bilt "Tribute" flew really "WOW" on a G80!!! That little 30mm "nosecone-on-a-motor" reached Mach 1.3!! Even on a streamer, Jay had quite a walk down to the south!! I would call that one a "G-squito"!!!!!!!! The BUSY Dave & Devon Duo stepped up again with an E28 powered Cheeta and a B6-4 powered Alpha... Both flew fast and HIGH!!! Next up, a Dual offering from Don Hanson with the Prodigal Rocket on a G80 (cork-screw, etc,) and the Maiden Voyage of the Wild Blue Mustang on a G64!!!! (Note to self: A parachute has absolutely NO chance of deploying if you don't actually put it in the rocket!) An amazing fast & high flight with just as quick a descent with "nose-cone-shock-cord-streamer" system....Most amazing: not a scratch! Devon and Dave again with the Black Brant on a D12 and an Aerotech of some sort on an Econojet F20...Clayton came back 2 more times with his "American Flyer" on a B6-4 alone and in a Great drag race with Devon's Fire Bird on a D12!!! Fun Fact: 9 mosquitoes flown: 8 came back!! For some reason, the one that got away was the one painted "grass green"??!! In other news, the NAR contest flights went on all day with tiny little shiny streamer things drifting by constantly!!! Luckily, there are plenty of Buder Park launches all summer to help us survive until October!!!!!!!!! Frequent flyer kudos go to Don Hanson with 13 launches (unless you don't count the 9 mosquitoes)..... Devon with 6, Dave with 5 and Steven & Clayton with 4 each are the runners-up. Mark, Joe, Don and John had 3 each. Travis, Jack and Larry had 2 each. And Jay, Hank, David, Corey and Tom with 1 each. The plain numbers really don't tell the REAL story.....Total Newton seconds burned : Everybody = Mark Grant Congrats again to our 3 NAR Level 1 members: Corey Brand, Hank Clever, and Don (it's still pronounced "RICE")Ruis!!!!!!!!!!! Don Hanson