ROCStock XXV
June 2007
/ Lucerne Dry Lake
2 flights, 1843 N-sec burned
ROCStock 25 was gorgeous, clear, calm, and warm. (No wind is really odd for the playa in June.) I spent the weekend running around, taking pictures, hanging out with Neil and Bob from ROCKETS, and flying rockets, of course. It was a fun weekend.
Flight 2: Bruiser, AT J275
Since it was clear and calm and the sun was beginning to go down, I decided to pull out the Bruiser for a dramatic flight. The recovery system was prepped with an R14 to give a slow descent, and a J275 was prepared with a short delay. I flew it from a rod on an old LTR-style pad, for added effect. Liftoff was slow and stately, and the boost was nice and straight. Deployment was slightly early, causing a small zipper, but the bird descended nicely on the R14 and made a gentle touchdown just behind the flight line.
Flight 3: Apache, AT J135
The Apache did quite well on the J90W, so I figured things would be even better with the J135W. And that turned out to be quite true. After a bit of a chuffy start, the J135W picked the rocket up with ease on a straight trajectory, cruising to 5600 feet on a perfectly straight flight path. (Those big Apache fins are awesome.) Ejection was on-time at apogee, courtesy of a MAWD, and recovery was gentle on an R7C.
