David
J. Miller's ECOF-2002 Report
Dave's ECOF-2002 Photos
For my first launch in about 2-1/2 years, I had a GREAT time!
It was great fun socializing with the older members I have not seen in a while,
and meeting some of the newer faces I have only seen as an address on this
mailing list. The club has grown, the launches have grown, and as one who had
been to the very first few ECOF launches, this was every bit, if not much more
FUN! I even had time to fly a few!
I brought the USS Atlantis out at several club member's requests for display,
and I think there were quite a few photos taken of it during the day, but the
most common question, of course, was "Are you going to fly that?" And the looks
of disappointment when I told those asking that the model was now retired to
permanent display at home....Four flights in the past was enough, and I could
not bear to do it again! :-)
I managed to get a few flights in of both the High and Low power models, and
since it was a special occasion to me (getting back and flying with the club
after a few years, I launched the Original Estes Mars Lander that I crudely
built when I was 13, not once, but twice on C6-3's, even amidst the protests of
"do not fly it, please!!!!" People hate to see a classic be risked to a flight,
but it was a special occasion, and it has always flown well. In fact, I believe
the very FIRST time it flown was at the very first ECOF, I had never flown it
before until then.....
The baby brother of the USS Atlantis, the USS Antares, went up twice and flew
beautifully each time on D12-5's, and Sirius Rocketry is seriously thinking of
kitting that model as well. I liked how at apogee, the model almost looked as if
it was going into a glide!
I flew several other Estes models, a Heatseeker twice on C65's, once with the
chute when the winds were calm, and again later on a streamer when the winds had
picked up. I flew one or two other low power flights as well, unlike some who
get into high power, I always enjoy the model rocket launches equally well as
launching the bigger ones!
I did borrow the correct delay to launch my 4" D-Region Tomahawk on an H-242,
and that rocket has survived about 20 flights, and was my original Tripoli
(Before there were cert levels) certification rocket that I flew successfully
for my high power certification back in Danville in 1994. This time was the
first time it flew that something went wrong, but the model survived to fly
again thanks to about 45 feet of shock cord. I had forgotten while I assembled
the reload that I was using one of the infamous BAD Red-colored delay liners on
the reload, I only remembered the bad things they were doing because they were
loosely-wound as I saw the results happen, and it was a bad red-liner by the
book. Early ejection blow-by on the way up! The flame front followed the loosely
wound ejection liner seam and popped the ejection charge about 200 feet up under
acceleration, but thanks to the Loooooong shock cord, nothing came apart,
nothing was seriously damaged, and there was successful parachute recovery. The
Tomahawk will fly again, hopefully another dozen flights in the future. I am
making SURE that I have thrown out all RED delay liners in my possession......
The other flight (using the WHITE delay liner) on an H-123 was flawless. It was
a flight of my PML Ariel named "Eradicator" on an H-123 White Lightning.
Gorgeous to about 1900 feet and relatively close recovery. I had been tossing it
up over whether to fly it on a G or an H, but coming down so close, I was glad
it was the H!
But most of all, it was fun being there to help set up and take down, and get a
chance to socialize with the rocketeers I have not seen in a few years. I had a
GREAT time, and hope to make one day of the two-day launch with my new wife and
stepson in August to do some more flying! And the smell of spent black-powder
motors again, well, any rocketeer can tell you it is good, I missed that smell!
:-)
It was great seeing Kurt, Scott, Dan, Fran and all the old club members again,
and it was nice to chat with the Other Scott, and to meet more of the New
members! And Pavels flights of the helicopter-recovery models made me want to
build a Rotaroc again! Baby, I'm BACK!
I also shot a lot of film, once those are developed, I will post them, and I did
manage to get about a dozen digital pix I will also try to upload for viewing a
little later.
Thanks all for a great time, and I am so happy to have flown with the club
again!
David J. Miller
NAR 28800 L2
TRA 2483 L2