Welcome to Tripoli-San Diego
May Launch Report
Hi everyone,
Hard to believe we are down to just one launch left in our TRASD season.
There was much fear and trepidation of the wind last week. Those that
refused to be intimidated by forecasts and satellite photos showed up
Saturday morning. When I arrived around 8:30 the sky was clear, wind was
probably 8 - 12 mph out of the north, and the trailer was already there.
Thanks to Jim D. for retrieving it on Friday evening. Due to the road
construction he got the grand tour of Sunbeam Lake in the process. Jack was
also there, as were half a dozen other vehicles.
We quickly set up pads and had the range open. More people started
arriving, including our first Scout Troop. Thanks to DART, we had an extra
low-power pad and set one up just for them. In no time at all it seemed we
had a good crowd and I was collecting fees and giving Level 2 exams. We had
two out of three pass (better luck next time Steve J.). Kudos to Steve C.
for getting 100% and Kudos to Paul B. for earning both his Level 1 and Level
2 on Saturday. By mid morning the wind came down to about 5 mph.
Howard and other DART members hosted an official NAR competition. Todd
Mullin broke the G Dual Eggloft altitude record, but also broke his eggs for
a DQ. Howard's attempt at the G (Single) Eggloft altitude record did not
achieve the necessary altitude, but did break the egg for a messy DQ.
Both Todd and Howard attempted the G Helicopter duration record. Both
attempts achieved results which gave them the opportunity to do real-world
failure mode analysis. DQs all around. Quite spectacular, actually.
Chris made two attempts at the C Cluster altitude record. This event
requires a cluster of 6 C motors. Both attempts resulted in only 3 of 6
motors firing, a low, unstable trajectory. No record.
We now have 2 new NAR US Records from our club members. Now that we know we
can do it, the bet is we will be having more to come.
E Payload altitude 475.2 meters - Chris Flanigan
G Payload Altitude 788.2 meters - Howard Smart
Note that Chris broke the old G PL Alt record, but Howard broke it again
later in the day.
Of course there were many high power flights too. Joe fired off the biggest
motor of the weekend, an L730. There were a number of K flights. Larry was
there with his assortment of tube fin rockets. John B. and I had a drag
race of sorts. He put up a 5.5" LOC Mini-Mag on an H against my 4" scratch
built Red Eye on a G. The Mini-Mag ended up with a full second lead time
due to my slow starting smoky motor. It went south and the Red Eye went
north. Someone launched a high power two-stage rocket that I believe was a
successful flight. That's halfway to the President's Complex Rocket
challenge. Frank had a couple of test flights, working on his payload
experiments and design.
About mid-afternoon the wind picked up and another Troop of Scouts showed
up. It was their first time launching with us and they were armed with lots
of Alphas. They quickly figured out how to drag race and promptly lost half
a dozen Alphas to El Centro in the wind (now coming out of the west)
Our Saturday night pot luck was another great success. Grilled brats, herb
chicken, and steak was all trimmed with salads, veggies, and a pot of beans.
Desserts included several pies, cake, and John's homemade triple chocolate
cookies. There was plenty of food with some left over.
The wind blew all night, but it was low enough to fly on Sunday. The second
Troop of Scouts still had enough rockets to keep busy for hours. The rest
of us flew some medium power rockets and planned for LDRS.
Speaking of LDRS, pre-registration at $29 will close May 15. That's less
than two weeks away. Time to register if you plan to go. Jack is still
offering the Mad Cow Squat for $29. (After LDRS expect the price to go up
significantly). Jack also took delivery on some new kits with some examples
built by Andy. There was a 10" Nike Smoke and something that reminds me of
an upscale Big Bertha.
Paul
About Our Club
Tripoli-San Diego is a Prefecture of the Tripoli
Rocketry Association(TRA). Tripoli-San Diego was formed in the late 1980's.
Tripoli-San Diego works closely with DART promoting rocketry in the San Diego area. Both clubs are non-profit organizations
comprised of individuals and their families from all walks of life. Club members
are committed to conducting rocketry related activities and instructing groups
in the sport of Rocketry.
Tripoli-San Diego conducts monthly launches from September through
June at the Plaster CIty launch site in the desert near El Centro CA. The club,
in cooperation with DART, conducts an annual regional launch, Plaster
Blaster
Monthly launches are open to spectators. Rocketeers wishing to
launch must be certified by either NAR or Tripoli for high power launches. Certification
is not required for sport rocket launches. A launch fee of $5 is charged for
each family that is launching rockets .We operate in compliance with BATF, FAA, CPSC, Tripoli Rocketry Association, and California State Fire Marshall regulations. This means the maximum motor size you may fly is an “M” (10,240 N-sec), and the maximum total power of all motors is an “N” (20,480 N-sec), as long as the altitude waiver is not exceeded.
If you would like to become a member of Tripoli-SanDiego you can download a membership application
in .pdf.
Tripoli-San Diego Mailing List
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You can also view past messages and manage your subscription at this site.
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