November 18th, 2007 - TCC Fresno - Thanksgiving Launch Got up early, and stayed late, at the annual TCC Thanksgiving launch.  While a little wet in the morning, with dew and a little low fog, it cleared up and dried up about 10:30, and conditions were ideal.  No joking - 0-3 mph winds, and clear skies (there's always a little ground haze there...)   I had an awesome launch.  Saw many friends, and found a few more.  So many pitched in, the work was quickly done.   Here's what I flew: Alien Space Probe on a C6-3 - As usual, this rocket arched over, but it ejected at apogee, and the 'chute opened successfully.  Busted a leg on landing - darn! Flew the Tri-Light on a D12-5.  Nice flight and recovery.  Needs a bigger 'chute, though, and a 'chute protector. Flew the Sidewinder on a D13-7 - As usual, this motor took several igniters, and disassemblies.  When it finally lit (on one of my homemade igniters - yes!!), it took off briskly, but coasted way too long.  Separated at ejection (I'm just happy it ejected!), and the rear body lawn-darted.  Got some help finding the nosecone - it also left the parachute.  (Discovered that 'chutes with nothing on them stay up forever...).  Recovered all the pieces, and was delighted to find that the rear body wasn't even damaged. Flew Mimi on an F39-9, reduced to a 6 or 7.  Well, it still took way too long to eject, and the rear body separated.  Recovered the pieces, and found that the rear body had stuck a fin deep in the ground, which broke it loose.  Quick fix. Flew Big Fella (wearing the new Aluminum color) on an E9-6.  BLAM!  Why am I not surprised?  This rocket has failed so many times, and not of it's own fault, either. While LCO, I asked Rose and a couple other teenagers to retrieve my Lightnin.  They agreed.  I smiled to myself, because this rocket always arcs over and goes a long way.  Not this time.  The D12-0 to D12-7 combo took it straight up.  A looooong way up...  It ejected at apogee, and came straight down, landing 50 yards from the LCO table.  Talk about easy retrievals!  Thanks to Rose and the boys for the help. After I got off LCO, I flew the Glow-worm, (with the MAWD, 15K, and Pico) on the smaller combo of a D12-7.  Gentle flight to 535 ft, (15K), and good recovery. Repaired the Big Fella, and flew on an E15-4.  Nice flight, and it ejected right at apogee.  IT FINALLY WORKED.  Except for the1" zipper (of course...)  At least it didn't blow up again... Flew the Nike Smoke on a C6-5.  'Chute didn't open. Flew the Ranger on a G104.  Great flight, and apogee eject.  Drifted a long way on the 'chute, and had trouble finding it in the alfalfa.  It was farther away than I expected. Flew the Der V3 on an F12-5.  It hissed off the pad, and coasted a long way up.  Great ejection and recovery. After Christopher R badgered me forever, I flew the Bottle rocket on an F62 (with a drilled-out delay).  Opened right at apogee, and recovered well. Flew the big Honest John on a Cesaroni 384-I205, 3G, with the delay set to 8 seconds.  Great flight - lit instantly, and roared up to about 1300 ft.  Ejected at apogee, and floated down - looked great!! Since they weren't breaking everything down, I flew the PML Io on a G67.  A great flight and successful recovery.  Gotta pay better attention to where it lands, next time.  That alfalfa hides everything. I also saw: James D get his Level 3 with a big V2 on an M2400.  Great flight!! Rob B flying a 4" f/g rocket on a K1275 - great flight - I love that motor. James M flying a K550 - cool! A "1-H and 6 G80s" rocket end the season by blowing the forward closure and burning up on the ground. Someone flew a 4" fiberglass/kevlar/carbon-fiber rocket, and the rear body lawn-darted.  NO DAMAGE.  That is one tough rocket! All too soon, it was time to clean up and head home.  I can't wait to fly at Fresno next year. October Skies - October 19th and 20th, 2007 - Maddox Dairy, Fresno. I managed to get away to TCC for two days of fun and flying with friends.   Friday was perfect - of course I arrived at 1pm, instead of 9am like I was supposed to...   What I flew: Bottle Rocket on a G33-5(4) - Great flight, with a tight spin. Flew the Ariel on an I435.  This was probably a mistake, as the rocket tore off the pad, and early-ejected at about 3 seconds into coast.  Needless to say the results were devastating:  Zippered the body tube, and dumped parts everywhere.  Tore the shock cord - 1/8"x3/4" strap, and it tore it!!!  Recovered all the pieces, including the tracking gear, which was ejected from the payload bay. Flew Der V3 on an E28-7 - Great flight!!!  Straight up, and came straight down on the 'chute. Flew the Big Fella on an E15-7.  No ejection!!!  Really folded up the forward body, but other than that, no damage!  Can be rebuilt with another BT-80. Flew the Glowworm on an E15-7 with the MAWD providing backup.  Also, had the PF altimeter, and the Pico Altimeter.  Flew high, but separated at apogee, and the rear body came in ballistic.  Core-sampled about 5 inches!  Dang!   The PF Altimeters read 1410 ft, and the Pico read 39356. Flew the Lightnin' on a D12-0/D12-7 combo.  Arc'ed way over (downwind), and I had a heck of a time finding it.  Finally did, with help. Big Honest John on a Cesaroni 364-I-212-SS.  GREAT flight.  Majestic climb and eject at apogee. Upscale Cobra on 3xE9-8.  Great, vertical, flight.  Perfect eject, and slow decent in still air.  And it stuck the landing!!! Great evening with Charlie, Alan, George, Mike S, and his friend Steve.  Uh-oh - weather reports says "wind" for Saturday... And they were right.  My tent started flapping around 2am, and it blew all day.  Didn't stop us from flying, but it did slow us down. Flew the Mini Meanie on an A10-3.  Great flight, but hard to see - streamer didn't stream!  Recovered successfully. Flew the Orange Bullet on a 1/2A3-4.  High, but I saw it and recovered! Flew the Hellfire on a C11-3.  High, straight, flight! Flew the Johnston (Arrow 13) on an A3-4.  Went high, and I lost it!  Thought I had it coming down, but it disappeared in the haze!  Dang! Flew the Io on a G61 - Good, lower flight.  Still drifted a long way! Flew the Tang on an H242.  Ripped off the pad, and coasted to 2992 feet.  Deployed a streamer, and started to drift in the breeze!  While pursuing, I noted that the main fired at 300ft, and separated!  Rats!  Eventually found the the rear body - cracked upper section.  Couldn't find the nosecone and parachute.  Because they had already been found and turned in to lost and found!!  At least I got them back... Flew the Small-Time Gangster on a D12-7.  Went very high, and didn't open the 'chute right away.  Still drifted away!!!  I had a line on it, but couldn't find it in the alfalfa.  Phooey!!  Maybe it'll turn up lost and found... All too soon, it was time to say goodbye. Thanks to Andy and Larry for coming, and Charlie W, Alan T, and all my other friends for the helping hands. September 14th, 15th, and 16th, 2007, with AeroPac, at XPRS, Black Rock We expected XPRS to be better than Aeronaut and MudRock, both of which were windy and dusty.  We were wrong.   Friday, September 14, 2007 - Arrived at 12:09am, after leaving home exactly 6 hours earlier - "purposeful driving".  (I stopped only once, for 7 minutes of gas.)  Pulled onto the playa, and into a raging dust storm.    Within minutes, I couldnt' see more than 20 feet, and all I could see was swirling dust.  Crept across the playa (thank heavens for GPS!), and found the launch site.  Didn't want to set up a tent in that mess, so I slept in the car.  I've been more comfortable...   At 6:30am, the sun was up, and it was still blowing a storm.  No flying now.  Hung around the site until 4pm, when several of us decided to find nearby hotsprings.  We got good directions, and had a nice soak - no dust storm here!   Got back to the site and found it calm enough to fly: 1) D-Dart on an E9-6 - The streamer didn't eject, but the rocket flew like a plane, gliding down from 1000 feet, to a gentle, no-damage landing.  Couldn't have planned that to happen. 2) Mimi on an F24-7.  Great flight, with apogee deployment.  Busted off a whistle on landing.  Dang!   Saturday, September 15th, 2007 - Woke at 6:30am to a beautiful day!!  Not a breath of wind, no clouds.  Grabbed and flew:   3) Wahoo on a J350.  Screaming flight to 8571 feet.  Strong Walston signal until it hit the ground, then nothing.  Got in the car with D Rish, and went for a look - had to hurry, as I was LCO in minutes.   Couldn't find it in time!  Drove back, leaped out, and ran to the LCO table.  (Of course, D Rish found it minutes later.)  I won the J altitude contest with this flight (of course, it helped that no other flights were entered :) 4) Flew PML Io on a Cesaroni I212.  Biggest motor I've evert tried with this rocket.  Screamed off the pad.  Was spinning hard (axially) at apogee, but held together.  Just a spec at apogee, but I could see it.  Great flight! 5) Flew the Ranger on an H220.  Another huge motor/small rocket combo.  Used a Walston and a Perfectflite to help recovery.  Ripped off the pad, and disappeared.  Saw an event at apogee, but no 'chute.  Dang!  Eventually found with the Walston.  Slightly burned 'chute (burned closed, of course), and a cracked fin.  Rats. 6) Flew the new Starhawk on a C11-5.  Of course the Mylar 'chute didn't open.  Barry D: "I fill mine with Baby Powder, and all they do is catch fire..." ROTFLOL... 7) Flew the Small-time Gangster on a C11-5 - worked great. 8) Flew the Hornet on a J90.  Majestic climb off the pad, and terrific flight to 4900 feet.  The new streamer deployment at apogee was very visible, and the main opened right on cue at 1100.  Great flight. 9) Loaded an E9-6 in the new "Big Fella" (actually old, since I crashed it 5 years ago, and it took me that long to rebuild it.)  Bang!!!  The rocket lifted 12 feet in the air, inflated the chute, and landed gently.  Something punched a 1/2" hole in the bottom of the nose cone.  Weird! 10) Loaded another E9-6, for "The Return of The Return of Big Fella".  BLAM!!  Another CATO!  This time, burning propellent went 40' in the air, and the rocket only went 6 feet up.  No damage.  Two CATO's.  Nasty.   That did it for the daytime flying.  Went to Frog Pond for a dip.  Met some scary Burning Man-types.  Hope my daughters don't turn out like them.   Saturday, September 15th, Night Flights - Flew: 11) Beta on an A3-4 - Nice! 12) X-Ray on a B4-4 - Nice! 13) Beta on an A10-3 - Nice! And then I busted a lug off the X-Ray, trying to fly it on a C6-5.  Oh well.   Sunday, September 16th, 2007.  Woke at 2am, to the sounds of the wind picking up again.  Darn.  Got up and took down the Easy-Up cover.  Went back to sleep, and slept well until 6:30, despite the building dust storm.   Woke, and it was another dust storm.  Decided to evacuate, along with everyone else.  Good lunch and conversation at a brew-pub in Sparks.   More notable things that happened that weekend: Kevin McG's 2nd Level 3 attempt failed on a rocket failure.  That's a shame. Saw a 3" min-diam thing go to 33K on an M650.  Very cool! Saw  number of rockets turn to confetti at 800' on motors they just couldn't handle.  Entertaining! Saw few CATOs, other than mine.  Unusual. Saw another I59 fly a rocket to stupid heights.  Gotta get me one of those. Saw lots of Aerotech Mojave Green demos - looked great! Saw another demo - a Aerotech K270 took a rocket to great heights! Played Frisbee at 10:30pm on a very dark night - light-up Frisbee!  Very, very cool. Saw two large, complex projects "wait for better conditions Sunday".  That was a mistake. Saw a number of Arliss flights - all looked great. All too soon, I was back at work on Monday.  Can't wait for the next one. August 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 2007 - Aeronaut, with AeroPac at the Black Rock Desert. What a huge and amazing launch for me.  Despite constant wind and some blowing sand, we had a great launch.  My target was to fly 30 rockets all together, with 7 high-power.  I got close - 25 rockets (not 24, as previously thought), with 8 "G" and above.   Here's what I flew and when:   Thursday - Didn't fly anything.  Picked up Aaron S and a Porta-potty and made it to Bruno's about 2pm.  Discovered that my little truck doesn't like to haul 3000-pound trailers while loaded to the gills with rocket gear.  Got to the launch site around 2:30, and set up.  Quite relaxing to set up the day before.    But what's with all this wind?!?!   Friday - Still blowing.  Flew: Enterprise 98 on JPS M1297 Swamp Gas.  Slow light on 2 pyrodex pellets, but it finally came up to pressure, and roared off the pad, straight into the sky.  Burned forever.  Super strong signal on the Walston high-power unit - pegging the meter.  Attenuated.  STILL pegging the meter.  Where is it?  "There it is!!!!", yelled Alan T.  Hanging beautifully on the main, about 1/3 mile away.  Raced over and recovered - no damage, and 17,400 feet.  Yeehaw!!! Tang on G339.  Slammed off the pad, and soared to apogee at 1000 ft.  Great dual Deploy. Flew the D-Dart on an Ellis F20-6.  Slammed off the pad and raced east.  Couldn't see it!  Got it back by wandering across it - much farther north than I expected. (Well, that was the direction of the wind...) Lightnin' upper stage on an F39-12.  Great motor for this rocket, but the delay was about 5 seconds too long.  Separated the shock cord at ejection, and I could only find the body, heavily damaged.  And of course, Dave R found the nose cone. Arrow 20 on a C12-10 - Long out-of-production engine hissed off the pad, and arc'ed East, in a big hurry.  Couldn't follow it.  Couldn't find it either.  Thankfully, someone else did, and returned it. Thanks!! Glow-worm on an E18-10.  Great, arcing flight that disappeared.  Tore off the mylar parachute!!!  (Delay too long?)  Found the pieces by the Porta Potty.  Darn it - the engine's gone!  Looked for hours.  Couldn't find it.  Double drats!  At least the MAWD worked this time, and it went 1800 feet.  Wow! Der V3 on a D12-5.  Great flight. Flew the (big) Honest John on a Cesaroni J285 5-grain 38mm - the biggest motor I've flown in this rocket.  Great arc'ing flight, then disaster - separation at apogee.  (Note to self - THROW OUT ALL THE ELASTIC STRAP ON ANYTHING LARGER THAN A "C" - or at least use it in conjunction with something decent...).  The rear body came in ballistic, and slammed into the playa behind the flight line - thankfully missing everyone.  The nose cone took off on the 48" chute.  I knew that if I didn't get that chute back, I'd be mad.  Asked Tim G to pick up the pieces of the crash, and jumped into my car to chase the chute.  It hung up there forever, but eventually, came into reach - in fact, it hit the front of my car!  Hey - it's easy to keep up with rockets in the wind, if you have a car!!  And on the playa, you don't have to watch for obstacles - just the occasional other car.  I had to drive 3 and 1/2 miles to get back to camp. Analysis - the HoJo has taken some serious damage.  The rear body is heavily damaged all the way back to the fwd centering ring.  But it is fixable because:   a) I have the nosecone   b) I have the fin can, and it's fixable, and   c) The f/g reducer section, while damaged, is fixable, and the CR       associated with it is in one piece. Get to work. Saturday - Still windy, and I did a stint at LCO in the morning.  Fun! Flew the Ranger on a G75 full "G".  Went a long way on that baby.  Arc'ed a little into the wind, but only came back a little!  Not much wind up there in the early AM Sidewinder on a D13-7 (probably shortened).  Great flight! After LCO, I flew the Magnum on a J540 and 2 H238's.  Unfortunately, the H238's didn't light, and the 'chute tangled.  It came down in a flat spin, and slammed into the playa.  Initially, it looked like there wasn't much damage.  I soon discovered that much of the internal structure was smashed, and had tried to go through the side of the tubing.  What a mess!  At least the timer and altimeters looked okay.  Time for an extensive rebuild! PML Io on H123 - Great, soaring flight. PML Ariel on I300 - Great, soaring flight, and chased it down in my car.  Fun!!! Flew the Cobra on 3-D12-5's.  Tilted the pad AWAY from the wind, 'cause this thing weathercocks so badly.  It went high!  I chased it down in my car again.  More fun! Tri-light on a D12-5.  Great, straight flight, and open at apogee - beautiful.  Chased it down in the car.  It was going so fast sideways when it hit, it ripped off two of the pods.  Dang!!!   Saturday night:  Procured a blinky from Tom D, and flew: Mini Light on a 1/2A3-2.  Actually got a parachute to come out of a BT-5 tube, and open, and not separate!  This is a first for me!!  Easy and fun recovery, in the dark. Beta on a 1/2A3-2.  Flew the upper stage, with a little last minute help from Tim G.  It's fun when a rush project works... Sunday:  Beautiful day to fly in the morning.  Dave R walked out at 7am and set up - wasn't going to wait for the wind to kick up - smart guy!  I joined him, and flew: Mimi on an Ellis F20-6.  The perfect motor for this rocket, if you can get it lit!  Dave R recovered, way out there, because the wind didn't wait for breakfast to complete.  And while we're standing there, Gary saw way off in the distance...(amazing eyes...) Cee-Ya on an E18-10.  Ripped off the pad and angled East, through a cloud.  That's gonna be hard to find!  Drove out to get Mimi, and Gary pointed me at Cee-Ya.  Cool!! Orange Bullet on an A3-4 - High!!! Bottle Rocket on a G79W (RMS) - Great flight, but the clear BT was damaged by the charge, which blew out a section of the clear.  Easy fix, and no damage to the fins.  Yeah! Double X-Ray on a B6-0 to a B4-6.  Staged nicely, but got squirrely, and separated at apogee.  Dave R recovered that fore-body, and told me where the booster was.  Found the aft body missing a fin!  Couldn't find the fin.  Of course, Dave R found the fin later.  Yeah! Mark II on a B4-6.  Long burn, and a long fall, and a long walk.  No damage. V2 - D12-5 - Didn't open the 'chute - but no damage. Nike Smoke on a B6-4.  Thought it was a C6-5, but it didn't go nearly high enough. Other Stuff I saw: Someone piled in an $8000 turbine R/C jet.  Ouch!!!! Cherokee M on an N2000.  Cool! Arliss birds on M1419s. Aaron S flying a 38mm min diam (Acme Fin Can) on an I59 Warp 9.  Great 7-second burn, and vertical flight to 6000 feet! Dave R fly his Quantum Leap on "K" to "K" on Research day.  9000+ feet. A beautiful Polecat Raven didn't deploy and came in ballistic.  Completely destroyed.  That hurts. A kevlar'ed BSD Thor cert'ed on a J180, then tried a K700, and ripped itself to pieces. Lots of K min diams, many of which worked.  All went high! All too soon, it was time to clean up and head back.  It was a stretch for me to get home, but I finally made it. Thanks to: Andy at Polecat for stopping by, even if he was chased off. Scott for showing up and vending. Larry and Anna for vending and being nice. Gary of Aerotech for having the 'nads to show up and answer tough questions, and for giving out demo motors. James M of JPS for making that M1295 motor. Craig S for showing up Saturday night and STILL LCO'ing Sunday. and finally, thanks to Cliff S, Alan T, Tom D, Tim G, Erik G, Kevin and Mark W, and especially Aaron for being good company. July 19th, 2007 - At Lockheed lunch entertainment One group asked Paul P if we could fly rockets they built, to go along with picnic grub and activities.   He said "sure, and I know just the guys to help."  So Gabe B and Dave R came, and I also invited Lee A (and he invited John A).  Some of the other attendees brought rockets, and a good time was had by all (though a 10 mph cross-wind didn't help.)   I flew: Mini-Meanie on a 1/2 A3-2.  Streamer came out, but didn't inflate.  Landed on the grass - no damage. Wacky Wiggler on a B6-4.  At least it came off the rod this time, but it didn't completely extend.  No damage. Alien Space Probe on a C6-3.  Steep lean of the rod, and heavy weathercocking allowed this rocket to impact before deploying, breaking two legs.  Dang!  At least it didn't crush the tube - thanks for deep grass. Small Honest John on a B4-4.  Dang that went high, and drifted a long way, onto the top of my building!  Gotta get some help to get that down. Orange Bullet on a 1/2A3-2.  Nice. Big V2 on a C11-5.  Great flight, but it hung up forever on the big 'chute, and landed... in the street.  No damage though, and a soccer player retrieved it as I approached.  Thanks! Gyroc on an A8-3.  Worked fine, and landed in the soccer game.  No damage. Flew the Bottle Rocket on an F62, with an (M) delay element that had been drilled out .21".  (Was .45").  Ejected near (but before) apogee, and hung around on big silk 'chute.  Landed in the parking lot.  Dang, that's gonna bust a fin or three.  BUT IT DIDN'T.  No damage - guess that fiberglassing paid off.  I also saw: A beautiful Bullpup land in a tree.  Don't know if it was retrieved. An Initiator fly on an F23-4(?), and hit the side of a building under 'chute.  Almost landed on top, but not quite. Another Initiator fly on an E30-7, and eject after hitting an RV in the closed lot.  That's gonna hurt. All too soon, Air Traffic told us to stop, and we quit early.  In all, we flew about two dozen flights, and we're invited back next year.  Hooray! June 30th, 2007 - Last LUNAR Launch at Robertson Park My sadness around losing this site didn't stop me from waiting in long lines, and enjoying flying with my friends.  There must have been 200+ people there!   What I flew: Big Red Max on D12-5.  Great up part, but I melted the 'chute, and came in fast.  Thank heavens for grass!  Also, lost a launch lug! Little V2 on an A10-3.  Not very high, and the new (plastic) parachute didn't open.  Again, I was glad there was grass... Flew the Mark II on an A8-5.  Great, high, flight, and successful recovery. Flew the Wacky Wiggler on a B6-4, and it stuck on the rod!  Dang! Double Mini-light on an A10-0 - to - 1/2 A3-4 combo.  This went high!  Didn't see where the sustainer went!  Found later at Lost and Found. Wolverine on an A10-3.  High flight, as usual, and successful deployment.  Norman retrieve this, while I retrieved... Big V2 on a D12-5.  High flight, an a succesful deployment, way up there.  The parachute started drifting, and I started chasing.  Pretty soon I was running, and the darn thing wasn't coming down!  Looked like it hooked a thermal, and just kept drifting!  As it dropped below the sight line, I got a good bead on it - at least it was in front of those eucalyptus trees.  Crossed the street, and came to:  a vineyard.  I hate vineyards and orchards - impossible to get oriented, and find rockets.  I found the nose cone (!) and the parachute just before the vineyard.  Separation. Luckily, the rear body was at lost and found. That did it for flying.  I bid and won some parts, and ate cake and said goodbye to the last close flying site... June 15, 2007 to June 17, 2007 - Mudrock 2007 (DustRock) "The Father's Day From Hell"   Packed (late) Thursday, and left at 5:30pm, with the family in the minivan.  Got to Reno at midnight.  Finally got the kids to sleep, and the wife went off to gamble (returning at 4:30am!)    We had a nice (though bleary) breakfast at the Sands, and got on the road.   We got to the launch site at 11am.  Got a nice parking space, and set up.  It was a little windy, but there was a few rockets flying, and motors being tested.  LCO'ing was fun, too.   On Saturday, I flew a few rockets, then served as LCO until 11:30, when the wind and dust put a stop to things.  About that time, the wife and kids headed for a hotel room in Gerlach, and I tried to keep a handle on our camp.  The wind increased until the tent was collapsing, and the easy-up was trying to fly.  I realized that we had to go, and started striking.   The wife and kids returned at 5:30, and we packed up (with some help - thanks!!) and split.   I flew: Wacky Wiggler on a B6-4.  Tumbled and didn't fly straight.  Odd. The Bottle Rocket on a G54.  Great flight, and the "S" delay was the right one.  High wind broke all three fins on landing.  Dang! Ariel on an 364I212 (Cesaroni).  Great, soaring flight, with ejection at the top, and nearby recovery.  The only successful flight of the trip! Other things I saw: JPS burned the P8000 successfully!  If only the data recorder had worked, and not had a broken wire. Min Diam 98mm shred on an M1419. 6" Arlis rocket torn up on an M1419 burn-through. Warp 9 end-burner 38mm taking Aaron's rocket to great heights. Dave's QL2 going really high on a J800 to K185 combo. What Worked, What Didn't, and Lessons Pack early. Get a trailer F/G fins on Bottle Rocket Make own low-current ignitors and test ahead of time... I just needed more time, ahead of time. Driving with the kids asleep works. It's nice to be camped near the RSO Saturday, June 2nd, 2007 - Lockheed "Young Astronauts" Launch Arrived at the site at 8:35am, and there must have been 100+ people there ready to fly.  Stepped in as LCO, and started throwing rockets at the sky.  We did close to 300 motors, putting rockets everywhere. I launched a few of my rockets, as well: Launched Saturn 5 on an E15-4.  Motor lit poorly, and the heavy rocket arched into the ground before deployment.  Smashed the forward section, and busted a fin.  Dang! Launched the Alien Space Probe on a C6-3.  This one is always a crowd-pleaser - but not this time.  I hooked a wire on lift off, and the rocket was flung onto the ground, where it thrashed around, and broke all three legs.  Double dang! Surprisingly, I didn't have many rockets to fly.  Most were prepped for Black Rock or Fresno, so they had big engines - too much for the little baseball field.  I did launch the Orange Bullet on an A3-4.  Not surprisingly, it went out of sight, and I feared it gone.  Luckily, this 9-year-old girl saw where it went, and climbed a tree to get it back!  Whew! Friday, May 18, 2007 - EX Day at Dairy Aire - TCC Fresno, Maddox Farm Wow - What a day - An interesting day to fly, with a few highs and lows. Flew the Honest John on an I366 for an awesome flight.  High, arching, and straight up.  Engine deployed at apogee, and a good walk to get it back.  No damage. Flew the Estes Sidewinder on a D13-4.  The old delay on this was more like 6 seconds, and the chute came out close to apogee!  Nice. Flew the (rebuilt) Wasp on a F40-7.  Badly positioned igniter didn't smoothly light the engine, and it came off the pad slowly, until it threw a left turn and headed off toward the orchard.  It did deploy, but I had a poor fix - only trees to line up on!  I searched for over an hour, but no dice.  Rats!!  The owner's son say these are usually retrieved and returned.  I hope so, cause that's $200, plus lots of labor!  Oh - and my Walston did me no good sitting in my bins. Flew the Wahoo on an H999 - SPECTACULAR.  (This time, I used the Walston.)  Despite all the warnings about "this will be fast", "keep an eye on it", etc, I was unprepared for the speed this thing left the pad.  It just disappeared.  I was able to spot a trail WAY up there, and saw an event, but it was too high to see the rocket.  I lost sight of it.  Eventually, someone pointed it out on the main, and it made a nice landing.  3826 feet!! Flew the Bottle Rocket on an F37 Med-Short.  It flew well, but broke a fin on landing.  Dang! I also saw: A sugar motor blow sky high. An experimental motor (K1004) tear a quantum tube rocket (PML) to shreds. A very cool F104 Starfighter fly on a "J" motor. Dave R's Quantum fly on a J460 to (head-end) J (something).  Flew fine, and came straight down, as usual. All too soon, it was time to go home.  Conner and Mike and I drove home the 2 1/2 hours, and had a good time. Saturday, April 21, 2007 - TCC Fresno at Maddox Farm Another awesome day to fly.  High clouds at the start, with a late assault by lower clouds.  I flew lots of rockets!   Unfortunately, I drove by myself the whole way, and was tired when I got home.  I did meet up with Cliff and Dave C in Santa Nella, which was cool.  We got there about 10:30, and got to work.  Here's what I flew: Honest John on an I300.  Great flight, complete with tail-stand, tumble, and delayed ejection.  Full deployment, and slow recovery with no damage made this a killer flight! Flew the Ariel on an I161.  Dang that went high!  I must have lost sight of it 4 times on the way down, and thank heavens my fellow rocketeers had such good eyes.  It landed way in the middle of the weed patch (about 1 1/2 feet high), and disappeared!  I had a good bearing on it, and ended up walking right to it.  There was lots of us out there looking, and we all seemed to find what we were looking for. Flew the Io on a G77-R.  Great flight and recovery. Ranger on a F62 - Great flight, and recovery.  And I didn't have to walk for miles. Flew the Mimi on an old F39-9 (with a delay reduced to hopefully 6 seconds).  Well, the delay was more like 7.5, which gave me some heartburn, but at least it worked.  Thank heavens the LCO waited for me to get back before launching! Flew the D-Dart on an E28-7.  Roared off the pad, and chucked the old black streamer WAY up there.  Luckily, the red/silver one was still on, and it landed closed. Flew the Glow-worm on an E9-8, with a Walston and MAWD.  Roared off the pad and deployed at burnout!!  But the only thing that separated was the motor!  The chute held, the shock cord held, unbelievable.  Possible cause:  Rocket developed a waggle as the motor thrusted, leading to the possibility that the coupler was too loose, and it just folded in half.  No damage to the rocket body, other than a slight groove where the shock cord tried to cut.  Oh - and I forgot to start the MAWD.  Gotta come up with a better system. Launched the Lightnin' on a D12-0 to D12-7 combo.  Worked great!! Flew the Nike Smoke on a C6-5.  As usual, this went very high, but was recovered okay.  Broke loose a couple of fins, though. Flew the (rebuilt) Double X-Ray on a B6-0 to A8-5 combo.  Worked okay, except the chute didn't open, and I was totally in the wrong position to observe the flight (angle through sun, smoke in my face, too close).  No damage. Mini V2 - Flew on an A10-3, and as usual, the 'chute didn't open.  Gotta get another! Orange Bullet - Flew on a 1/2 A3-4 - Nice. Mace - Flew on a 1/2 A3-4, but the streamer was too twisted up to see.  Gotta replace that. Other notables:  Saw a 6' V2 fly on an J460.  Separated the nose cone, but it fell in the weed field, and was recovered without damage.  The body stuck the landing! Dave launched his Apache dual-deploy on an "I" motor, and put the electronics bay in a water-filled ditch!  Sounded like the deployment unit was working, later.  Other than that, a great flight! Cliff launched his Raven to a great flight. Cliff launched his (smaller) Goblin on a J275 to an incredible flight.  Roared off the pad and threw a hard turn at about 2000 ft.  Disappeared off into the distance, and was not spotted again.  Luckily, he had a tracking unit in it, and was able to get a bead on it and get it back! Saw an upscale Astron Cobra fly on a J570.  Awesome!!!! Very few catos, failures, or losses.  A rare day. All too soon, it was time to go home.  We were all sore and tired, but very happy! Thanks to Andy and Larry for making the drive. Saturday, March 3rd, 2007 - Snow Ranch An absolutely awesome day to fly.  Clear skies, no clouds or fog, and lots of rockets to fly.   I met up with Dave C, Steve K, and Conner C, and ended up caravanning/carpooling - always more fun.  We got there about 9, and got to work.  Here's what I flew: Ranger on a G33-7 - Great flight on a long-burn "G". Screaming Mimi on an F39-9 - White knuckle flight!  The F39 is the most violent engine I've flown in this rocket, and it held together!  Unfortunately, the F39 was very old, and the "9" second delay was closer to "14"!  Still, it opened at about 150 feet, and tough construction yielded no damage.  Whew! Upscale Cobra on 3xE9-8s.  This rocket finally stayed (mostly) vertical, instead of weather-cocking horribly.  As a result, it went really high, and drifted a long way on a (Fortune) de-mil'ed 36" parachute.  Once again, all three motors lit!  Thanks to Kimmee for bringing it back. D-Dart on E18-7 - This engine took 4 igniters, and I finally got it lit with a Firstfire Jr.  Roared off the pad, on a perfect flight, though I had a long walk. "Tang" (Thunderbolt 38) on a H73, with Perfectflite deploy.  While I was chasing the D-Dart, they launched the Tang, with less-than-spectacular results:  The modest tilt I put on the pad turned into a vicious weather-cock, and the apogee streamer didn't deploy.  The main (30") came out at 300', and "there was separation".  I went out looking.  I found the chute, but couldn't find the rocket.  Went and got my car, and some younger sets of eyes.  Naturally, Conner and Rose found it in a heartbeat.   Wow!  Zipper'ed the forward BT, and bent the coupler, and PARTED a 1/4" nylon shock cord.  That was violent!  Looks like the apogee charge fired, but it didn't separate the aft body. Kinda worried - no tones from the Perfectflite when we found it. Got some rebuilding to do. When I finally got back, I launched my PML Io on a perfect flight, with a G64-7.  Landed 100 feet away.  Cool! I was able to LCO for 2+ hours, and threw a passle of rockets at the sky. Other notables:  Saw a Cesaroni I800 blow a rocket sky-high. Saw Cliff launch his 10" Nike Smoke - very cool. I launched Jack G's 10" Goblin on a M1297 - very cool as well. I launched Tony Cooper's Pinata Rocket  on an I600.  Low flight, and impressive shower of candy to get the kids involved. Launched Steve K's 5.5" Nike Smoke on a "K".  Renamed "the Submarine" after the rear body spent an hour deep in a creek.  Probably lucky the electronics weren't there... Ended the day on the lovely note of some guy blow-torching the inside of his "Sumo" with a G64 that had no forward O-ring.  Where's the marshmellows? All too soon, it was time to go home.  We were all sore and tired, but very happy! Thanks to Discount Rocketry for making the big drive for us. February 18th, 2007, TCC Fresno Drove to Fresno with Conner and Cliff, which is always fun. Cramming three of us into the cab of a Ranger isn't fun!   Overcast at 1000 ft, we nevertheless bought lots and flew lots.  I've never had so many chutes that didn't open or shredded, and engines that wanted to escape... Flew Hellfire on a D12-5.  Even with re-shaped fins (though not re-oriented,) the rocket did a big corkscrew.   It didn't strip the chute this time (funny thing about nylon...), but it did whack fins on the wire in the vineyard.  Dang!  Needed to remove and re-align those anyway. Flew the Sidewinder on a D24-7.  When it finally lit (after chuffing a few times,) it roared off the pad.  But 7 seconds (or however long it was) was just too long, and it stripped both the chutes.  Got a feeling there's a single 20" nylon chute in the future. Flew the Screaming Mimi on a E18-7, for a terrific, vertical flight.  Ejected at apogee, and drifted a long way, but lost the 24mm reload!!  Dang, that's real money...  Tape fit next time. Flew the Ariel on an H220T.  Great, straight boost off the pad, and gentle flight to apogee.  But the chute didn't unfurl.  Twisted, tried to unfurl, but didn't.  Thank goodness it landed on a soft part of the field, not the road or...  Conner says "I got the engine adapter - it's straight that way!"  What!?!  You saw the adapter fall from 1000 feet?!?  Dang kids and their good eyes...  Walked right to it, saving me about $50 and a whole lotta hassle...  Ariel was un-damaged by the fall - good thing I fiberglassed the fins. Flew the Tang on a G67, dual deploy.  Great, gentle flight to 971 ft, streamer at apogee, but the main didn't fully deploy - wedged in the tube.  Dang!@!  Luckily, no damage. Flew the Nike Smoke on a C6-5, drag racing with Cliff who had another Nike Smoke on a C6-5.  Let's just say that building light helped me win that drag race, and I had a long walk to get that machine as it drifted in the wind. At the last minute, I decided to fly the Honest John (BMC Nosecone, JimZ plan, scratch) on a B6-4.  Dang it went high.  And another long walk... All too soon, it was time to leave, and cram back in the cab for the long trip home... Still, the other riders in that cramped little truck agreed that it was one of the most fun launches we've done. Thanks again to TCC, What's Up Hobbies, and Mojave Desert High Power. January 20th, 2007 - Robertson Park Had just a few hours to fly, with the family.  C didn't watch rockets much, but had a great time running around.  I flew:   Freaky Flyer on an A10-3.  Actually worked as planned!  But it broke one of the plastic fin/wing on landing.  Darn!  Of course I threw it out, and now I want to do an upscale... Flew the Mini-Light on an A3-4.  Opened the chute, but separated at the shock cord. Flew the Gyroc on an A8-3 - nice flight, and got some complements. Wacky Wiggler on a B6-4.  Worked as expected. Alien Space Probe on a C6-3.  Arced over a little, but deployed on time.  No chute!!  Chute popped at about 20 feet!  Whew! Hellfire on a D12-3.  Big looping arc, and tore shrouds on deployment.  No other damage. Screaming Mimi - Nice flight on a D12-5.  Even  heard a scream!