October 24, 1998
Billings, MT
Temp: 60
Wind: 5-10 mph
Where: BLM land at 17 mile marker
| Rocket | Motor |
|---|---|
| Estes Big Bertha | B6-4 |
| Estes Big Bertha | B6-4 |
| Estes Alpha III | B6-4 |
| Estes Black Brant II | D12-7 |
| Estes Silver Comet | G75-10J |
| Estes Terrier/Sandhawk | D12-3 |
| Aerotech Arcas | G64-7W |
| Vaughn Bros. Javelin 4.0 | J350-W |
| Rocket R&D 2.6" Sandhawk | H123-10W |
| Aerotech Mustang | F37-6W |
| LOC Hi-Tech H45 | G54-W |
| Aerotech Wart-Hog | G75-6J |
Highlights
Nice weather, cool early on. First launch was the Big Bertha. It had a fair flight, but the 'chute stuck in the body tube. No damage, so I tried it again. The 'chute again stuck in the body tube, broke the front inch of the body tube. Next launch was the Alpha III on a B6-4, nice flight, and I could finally figure the winds aloft. I flew the Black Brant II on a D12-7 for a perfect flight. Then came the Silver Comet on a G75-10J for a nominal flight, recovered nearly a half-mile away. The Terrier/Sandhawk flew nicely on a D12-3. Then the Arcas went on a G64-7W, another nice flight. Next was my big launch for the day, the Javelin 4.0 on a J350-W. A perfect flight, and two-stage deployment worked as planned. The IA-X96 reported 2932 feet (2549 feet barometric). Next up was the 2.6" Sandhawk on a H123-10W. Unfortunately I had forgot to connect the shock cord to the nose cone/payload section. The parachute never opened (the bungee cord wrapped around it) but the booster came in on a flat spin and had no damage. The payload section was not recovered. Then I flew the Mustang on a F37-6W, nominal flight. The Hi-Tech flew on its second flight with the AltAcc used for apogee deployment of the parachute. It worked perfectly, with the AltAcc reporting 823 feet. Final flight was the Wart-Hog on a G75-6J for a nice flight. The shock cord broke and the nose cone floated away with the parachute. The booster came in flat and only had cosmetic damage.