May 17, 1997 Launch Report

Contributed by Tom McAtee

St. Louis Rocketry Association returned to the Polo Field for its May 17 launch. We had good weather with temperatures in the 70's and a gentle westerly breeze which faded as the day wore on.

Twenty-one flyers showed up and put in 91 flights. Six flyers also took Part in our Viking contest, an informal streamer duration contest for stock Estes Viking kits. B motors were most popular, powering 29 flights, including The contest flights. There were 6 1/2A flights, 8 A's, 29 B's, 28 C's, 14 D's, 8 E's, and 6 F's. James Hollister was the most frequent flyer, with 13 flights ranging from 1/2A's up to his AT Mustang. Bill Hrach was next with 9 flights, and Rob Chapie and Tom McAtee had 8 each. Bill brought out a very nice Army Hawk model from the Launch Pad kit, but unfortunately damaged it in a crash. Rob had several good flights with his Giant Mosquito and a new Estes F-22 glider.

Chris Gillham had a new Fat Boy modified for D power, but the wind carried it away on its first flight. Chris had better success with his 24mm RMS, making a great first RMS flight with his V-3. Mark Henriksen put in a good flight with his original Wildfire on F power.

Michael Sears came out the victor in the Viking contest. Unfortunately, along with the thrill of victory, he suffered the agony of losing his altimeter later in the day, when a broken shock cord allowed his payload section to drift away. Rob Chapie and Bill Hrach's Estes Longshot drag race provided a spectacular finale, with both rockets roaring off the pad and staging together.