Indiana Rocketry September 2013

September 2013

/ Purdy Sod Farm

2 flights, 196 N-sec burned

Thanks to the hard work of Richard Cash, we were able to get back on the soft grass at Purdy Sod Farm for a few launches to wrap up the summer season. With the beans out, the site once again provided the tremendous recovery area that it did back when I first started flying here in 2009. This launch was the day after we helped out at the BSA Camporee event, so I was already pretty pooped, but still managed to get in a few nice flights.

Flight 1: Lil Nuke, AT F40

I figured that the Nuke on an F40 would be a good way to get back into the swing of things after a quiet summer. Loading was pretty quick (cleaning out my toolbox the night before helped here!) and I headed to the pad. Of course, I neglected to bring extra igniters, so after the first copperhead refused to light the stubborn old motor, I was kind of up a creek; luckily, I managed to scrounge some nichrome from the lid of my toolbox (which I *didn't* clean out) and a slice of propellant from an old grain. This got the motor lit right away, sending the Nuke on a nice flight over the farm. It landed about 200' from my car for an easy recovery!
Lil Nuke on an AT F40

Flight 2: LOC IV, AT G76

I had grabbed the LOC IV at the last minute heading out the door to the launch, and I was quite glad I brought it when I discovered a G76 burning a hole in the bottom of my motor box. I quickly loaded it up and got it on the pad, with a bit of a boosted igniter after my earlier shenanigans. The G motor lit right up and carried the LOC IV nice and straight into the air. Just after burnout, however, something happened—either a drag separation or the charge firing—making the chute pop early. No matter, as it all held together and drifted down, landing just behind the club trailer on the manicured sod. Count it!
LOC IV on an AT G76
I like to design, build, and fly rockets. PostFlight started as a project to help me keep track of them. Now I've opened it up so you can follow along, too.
I fly with:
Indiana Rocketry, Inc. MDRA
Hey! What are you doing down here? The rocket stuff (yea, it's © 2024 David Reese) is up there!