ROCtober 2014

I originally picked up this load for the Arcas, but since it was only 6 grains it would have been a tame flight compared with the steady diet of Ls that rocket had been eating, so instead I opted to shoehorn it into the booster of my Wildman 3 and let 'er rip. This is the slow WL load for the 2560 case, and it's immediately apparent why it's slow: the crystals of 400 mic are quite visible in the propellant! I installed a thermite igniter for guaranteed ignition, and Bryce Chanes did the honors. Even with the reduced massflow, the flame-to-rocket ratio was quite satisfying, and the rocket took off with authority and headed skyward. The big mudflap fins kept the duck on a precision course to apogee, where we were greeted with drugless deployment. I turned my attention to the rest of the flights on the rack, allowing the tracker to do its job of reporting the rocket's location; by the time I was paying attention again, main deployment was near, and the signal was still strong, even on low attenuator. The big Spherachute appeared at 700' and the duck touched down about 50 yards from our truck after a trip to just under 12,000'. Yeah, it was calm!

The Goblin at this point had only flown once in its ten year history, so I decided to pop it up on an I357T that I bought from Brian Perry when I was back in Indiana. (Thanks man!) I positioned the bird at the top of the rail, as is tradition, and it turned in a nice flight on the signature Blue Thunder plume.