ROC December 2016

I had pre-prepped the Demon for this flight, but hadn't chosen a motor yet, figuring I'd make a last-minute selection based on conditions. When I started building the K550, it was calm, but by the time I got to the pad the winds were a solid 15 mph. With all-fiberglass construction, I figured it wouldn't be a problem, and the classic 54mm reload did not disappoint. The Demon vaulted from the pad on a gorgeous plume of fire and weathercocked a few degrees into the wind before tearing off into the sky. Drogue deployment was visible, as was the main way off in the distance. I tracked it across 247, past BAR a mile away, and ultimately found it about two miles from the site wedged in a ditch; that was the only thing keeping it from going further! The fillets had some cosmetic cracking in them, probably from the plastic boattail flexing as it was repeatedly smashed into the playa by the chute.