August 16, 1997 Launch Report

Contributed by Tom McAtee

SLRA held its hottest launch yet on August 16 at the Polo Field. The weather was hot (temperature 96, heat index 109) and windy (10-20 mph) - at least the breeze made the temperature more bearable(!). Even with these conditions, we had 22 registered flyers and 109 flights. The conditions kept most of us from putting up as many flights as usual, and the wind blew several rockets into the woods.

James Hollister was again the most frequent flier, with ten flights from 1/2A to E power. No one else had the stamina to come close; John Buckley and Tom McAtee had six flights each, and Mark Henriksen, Chris Gillham, Kevin Souers, Rob Chapie, Bill Hrach, Leonard Scruggs, Steve Cox, Tim Sears, and Luke Stockdale each had five flights. C engines were the most popular, powering 34 flights. There were 4 1/2A flights, 20 A's, 22 B's 34 C's, 20 D's, 6 E's, and 3 F flights.

Ken and Nick Hogren and Randy and Brandon Boston joined us from the Springfield, IL area. Ken and Randy made good flights with VBR Blobbos, while Nick flew the Stretch version. However, their attempted multi-Blobbo drag race resulted in a Blobbo Disaster, with the two regular Blobbos going unstable for some reason and cartwheeling into the ground. Randy also had a nicely-built LOC Graduator which made good E-powered flights.

Leonard Scruggs also joined us for the first time with several nicely-built models. Leonard's SR-71 was the only one I've ever seen that flew perfectly straight. He had a couple of long chases, with a very high-flying Mongoose which was lost in the woods to the northeast, and a difficult retrieval of his Gemini DC from the rough. Bill and Kevin Souers returned with their interesting fleet. Kevin brought out a classic Estes Goblin, and made a very high D-powered flight. Bill made several good flights with a brand new Firebird, a replacement for his model lost at the July launch. Jack and Peter Hollister showed up with their fleet, and also brought along a new toy - a very nice adjustable launch tower purchased earlier in the month at LDRS in Colorado. Jack used the tower to fly his new mini-altitude rocket, the Intense 13.

Chris Gillham had a unique creation made from an eight foot long clear plastic tube, a fluorescent tube protector. It was a bit floppy, but made a good D-powered flight. Steve and John Cox joined us with several interesting models. Steve had an FSI OSO which made a good flight on an FSI D20. (First one of those we've seen, and perhaps the last!) They also had a good flight with their Pyramid, which left a great smoke trail.

Mark Henriksen made an impressive CATO-free flight with his modified Broadsword powered by 3 D12's. Rob and Alex Chapie had a new Fat Boy which made a good flight on a D13 reload. Bill Hrach had a very unique model, a large IMEX V-2 plastic model conversion. This made a perfect flight on F40 power. John and Corey Buckley flew their NARAM sport scale entries. John's V-2, which took 3rd place, made a good flight, as did Corey's Sparrow missile. Steve Seger joined us with a well-built LOC Onyx, which made a good flight on D power.