1. Local Launches
  2. 2012 Launches

CIA Launch at Rantoul 3/24/2012

Our second club launch of 2012 was held March 24 at the Rantoul Aviation Center. The launch was delayed for an hour while we waited for the morning's low overcast to lift. But it turned out to be an almost perfect afternoon for rocket flying, with shirtsleeve temperatures, a partly sunny sky, and very light winds mostly from the west. Late in the afternoon, a light band of rain passed through, and by the time the front had passed, the wind increased enough that we decided to end the launch about 6:00 PM. But we were able to make some excellent flights during the day, with no rockets lost or seriously damaged. The first flight of the day was Gary Slater's successful Level II HPR certification attempt. Congratulations!
Read More
  • Mark Joseph and Gary Slater prepare to hook up Gary's Level II certification rocket, an upscaled Semroc Hydra, to fly from the far pad on a J350 motor.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Mark Joseph and Gary Slater prepare to hook up Gary's Level II certification rocket, an upscaled Semroc Hydra, to fly from the far pad on a J350 motor. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Ignition of Gary's upscaled Hydra with a J350.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Ignition of Gary's upscaled Hydra with a J350. Photo by Greg Smith

  • The Hydra clears the pad.  Photo by Greg Smith

    The Hydra clears the pad. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Successful recovery of Gary Slater's upscaled Semroc Hydra, his Level II certification flight.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Successful recovery of Gary Slater's upscaled Semroc Hydra, his Level II certification flight. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Liftoff of Mike Z's Phoenix scale model.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Liftoff of Mike Z's Phoenix scale model. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Mike Z's Phoenix recovering under parachute.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Mike Z's Phoenix recovering under parachute. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Liftoff of the first of two flights of Mike Z's Sky Dart, a new version of a classic Estes boost glider kit.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Liftoff of the first of two flights of Mike Z's Sky Dart, a new version of a classic Estes boost glider kit. Photo by Greg Smith

  • The Sky Dart in a lovely glide recovery.  Photo by Greg Smith

    The Sky Dart in a lovely glide recovery. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Dean Babcock's Aerotech Warthog clears the pad.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Dean Babcock's Aerotech Warthog clears the pad. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Recovery of Dean's Warthog.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Recovery of Dean's Warthog. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Dean Babcock's Warthog approaches touchdown.  The recent weather left the dirt field soft but not excessively muddy, nearly ideal for rocket recovery.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Dean Babcock's Warthog approaches touchdown. The recent weather left the dirt field soft but not excessively muddy, nearly ideal for rocket recovery. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Mike Z's Galactic Interceptor zooms into the sky on an E9-4.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Mike Z's Galactic Interceptor zooms into the sky on an E9-4. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Mike Z's Galactic Interceptor just a moment after ejection.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Mike Z's Galactic Interceptor just a moment after ejection. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Recovery of Mike Z's Galactic Interceptor with a fully deployed parachute.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Recovery of Mike Z's Galactic Interceptor with a fully deployed parachute. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Lon Westfall's Hawk's Hobbies Super Bandit lifts off with a G67 Redline motor.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Lon Westfall's Hawk's Hobbies Super Bandit lifts off with a G67 Redline motor. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Recovery of Lon's Super Bandit, an upscaled version of an Estes kit from the 1970s.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Recovery of Lon's Super Bandit, an upscaled version of an Estes kit from the 1970s. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Mike Z's Airliner before launch.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Mike Z's Airliner before launch. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Liftoff of Mike Z's Airliner on an A10-3T motor.  This one is meant to fly vertically.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Liftoff of Mike Z's Airliner on an A10-3T motor. This one is meant to fly vertically. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Mike Z hooks up his arrow-like Fletcher.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Mike Z hooks up his arrow-like Fletcher. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Liftoff of Mike Z's Fletcher.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Liftoff of Mike Z's Fletcher. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Recovery of Mike Z's Fletcher.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Recovery of Mike Z's Fletcher. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Adam Joseph connects the clips to his LOC EZ-I65 with a G80-4 motor.  This was intended as a low-altitude test of the Defy Gravity Tether recovery device, using it to deploy a small action figure on a parachute rather than the actual main 'chute of the rocket.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Adam Joseph connects the clips to his LOC EZ-I65 with a G80-4 motor. This was intended as a low-altitude test of the Defy Gravity Tether recovery device, using it to deploy a small action figure on a parachute rather than the actual main 'chute of the rocket. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Liftoff of Adam's EZ-I65.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Liftoff of Adam's EZ-I65. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Adam's EZ-I65 climbs with a G80.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Adam's EZ-I65 climbs with a G80. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Adam's EZ-I65 just after main 'chute ejection at apogee.  The Tether device, wrapped around the small parachute guy, can be seen just behind the payload section.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Adam's EZ-I65 just after main 'chute ejection at apogee. The Tether device, wrapped around the small parachute guy, can be seen just behind the payload section. Photo by Greg Smith

  • The action figure safely bailed out from the descending EZ-I65 and landed on his own.  Photo by Greg Smith

    The action figure safely bailed out from the descending EZ-I65 and landed on his own. Photo by Greg Smith

  • ... while the EZ-I65 continued down to its own successful landing after releasing the pilot from the Defy Gravity Tether.  Photo by Greg Smith

    ... while the EZ-I65 continued down to its own successful landing after releasing the pilot from the Defy Gravity Tether. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Mike Z's upscaled Astron Sprint takes off with an F35-11 motor to a flight of 2,635'.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Mike Z's upscaled Astron Sprint takes off with an F35-11 motor to a flight of 2,635'. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Chris Deem's heavily modified Estes Snitch lifts off on an E11-5J reloadable motor.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Chris Deem's heavily modified Estes Snitch lifts off on an E11-5J reloadable motor. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Dean Babcock's Public Missiles 1/4 scale Patriot lifts off on an H123 motor.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Dean Babcock's Public Missiles 1/4 scale Patriot lifts off on an H123 motor. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Dean's Patriot climbing with an H123.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Dean's Patriot climbing with an H123. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Recovery of Dean Babcock's Patriot after a flight to 1,115' with an H123 motor.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Recovery of Dean Babcock's Patriot after a flight to 1,115' with an H123 motor. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Mike Z loads his Aerotech Warthog on the pad.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Mike Z loads his Aerotech Warthog on the pad. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Mike hooks up his Warthog before launch.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Mike hooks up his Warthog before launch. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Liftoff of Mike's Warthog on an F40 motor.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Liftoff of Mike's Warthog on an F40 motor. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Mike Z's 2.6" Estes V-2 flies on an E9.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Mike Z's 2.6" Estes V-2 flies on an E9. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Ascent of Mike's V-2.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Ascent of Mike's V-2. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Recovery of Mike Z's Estes V-2.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Recovery of Mike Z's Estes V-2. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Lon Westfall loads his Hawk Mountain Transonic I on the pad, with an H170M-14 Metalstorm motor.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Lon Westfall loads his Hawk Mountain Transonic I on the pad, with an H170M-14 Metalstorm motor. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Ignition and liftoff of the H170M Metalstorm motor in Lon Westfall's Transonic.  The rocket flew out of sight and we didn't spot it again until it was found on the ground.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Ignition and liftoff of the H170M Metalstorm motor in Lon Westfall's Transonic. The rocket flew out of sight and we didn't spot it again until it was found on the ground. Photo by Greg Smith

  • After a long walk, Adam Joseph found Lon's Transonic near the southeast corner of the launch field.  Photo by Greg Smith

    After a long walk, Adam Joseph found Lon's Transonic near the southeast corner of the launch field. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Dean Babcock's WAC Corporal takes off with an E9-4 motor.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Dean Babcock's WAC Corporal takes off with an E9-4 motor. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Recovery of Dean's WAC Corporal after an E9-4 flight to 1,085'.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Recovery of Dean's WAC Corporal after an E9-4 flight to 1,085'. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Chris Deem's Primus I rises on another E9-4 motor.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Chris Deem's Primus I rises on another E9-4 motor. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Chris Deem's Primus I at the moment of ejection.  Photo by Greg Smith

    Chris Deem's Primus I at the moment of ejection. Photo by Greg Smith

  • Photo Sharing
  • About SmugMug
  • Browse Photos
  • Prints & Gifts
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Owner Log In
© 2022 SmugMug, Inc.