Blackhole Amateur Rocketry Club (BAR) Launch

at Telford site west of Spokane November 18, 2006.

Only three people were at this launch, the Prefect, Harold Kellams, myself (Gary Jacobs) and Dave.  We each made one flight.

David flew his minimum diameter rocket which quickly went out of sight and entered a different dimension. It was unfortunately lost.

My Cert one flight went to 707 feet (nice and easy low flight) on a Rouse-Tech Monster Motors 38/240 motor with an Aerotech reload.  The flight was successful.  No pictures were taken (too busy prepping the rocket).

Harold launched his carbon fiber rocket which attained well over 5000 feet.  He was able to recover his carbon rocket using his radio direction finder.

Harold raises his carbon fiber small diameter rocket  into position while David looks on.

Harold does a last check before launching his  carbon fiber rocket.

Dry Falls South of Grand Coulee Dam on the way  to the Telford launch site from Yakima

"Down stream" from Dry Falls

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MY LEVEL II CERTIFICATION AT FITS, Memorial Day 2007

Heading out to the launch pad with Black Rock Rocketry Cub prefect, Harold Kellams.	My first launch was unsuccessful so Harold suggested it was because we didn't get a picture of me with the rocket before the flight.  It must have worked because the second try was successful.
The roar of a high power rocket taking off is exhilarating!  It looks pretty neat, too.  The picture isn't real good because it is actually just a frame from the video I shot of it.  You just plain would have to be lucky to get a still shot at this point.	And there it is, the end of the successful level II launch with the parachute deployed and a nice soft landing in the grass.
This is me sitting at my table repairing my rocket after the first failed attempt.  My first attempt failed because the main chute deployed prematurely and ripped the shock cord right out of the piston.  The nose cone separated and landed by its chute a long ways away, and the main rocket came down with just the drogue and so made a pretty hard landing.  Fortunately, it landed in soft dirt so the landing didn't hurt it any.  My prefect was nice enough to keep an eye on the main chute with the nose cone and actually retrieved it for me while I recovered the main body in a different location.  The rocket had an altimeter that was set up for dual deployment with a drogue at apogee and the main set to deploy lower to the ground.  The reason it separated early was because the joint was too loose.  For the second attempt, to make sure there was no problem, I reset the altimeter for single deployment of the main chute at apogee with a backup charge a couple seconds later at apogee.  I taped the main section together so it couldn't separate. It was fortunate that I had brought along lots of repair stuff including the propane powered soldering pen I had just bought before the trip.  I used it to rewire the altimeter to put both charges on the main chute between the nosecone and the body.  I also had to do a little repair work on one fin.
Click here for the video clip of my launch.  4 Mbytes

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