Taking advantage of the narrow window between harvest and the onset of bad winter weather, we held a high power launch at the Flessner farm near Flatville on November 12. (Sunday launches are unusual for us, but the weather Saturday was awful.) It was fairly cold and there was a steady southeasterly wind, but the sun was shining somewhat and overall, it was a much more pleasant day than for the AE100SD launch the weekend before. There were a lot of large motor failures of various kinds at this launch -- some caused by human error, others due to manufacturing problems or perhaps old and stale motors. Despite all that, there were also some very good flights.
Greg Smith's Tornado with the RATV-2 onboard video transmitter payload before launch with an Aerotech I284 motor. This rocket ejected prematurely, right after burnout, and the payload section was torn apart by the shock of the parachutes opening at 400 MPH. Fortunately, it can be repaired, and will probably be flying again next spring. Photo by Greg Smith
Greg Smith's Tornado with the RATV-2 onboard video transmitter payload before launch with an Aerotech I284 motor. This rocket ejected prematurely, right after burnout, and the payload section was torn apart by the shock of the parachutes opening at 400 MPH. Fortunately, it can be repaired, and will probably be flying again next spring. Photo by Greg Smith
Camera: Canon (Canon Eos 20d) |
Original size: 1911px x 2448px |
Current: 234px x 300px |