CATO XXXVI Launch Report - October
22, 2000
Sterling, CT
Brisk winds out of the north in the morning persuaded
us to set up several hundred yards further north than usual. All
the corn was down, and we launched among the stubble. It worked out
well, and few (if any) rockets were lost in the trees. By afternoon
the wind was down to 5-10 mph and temps were up into the 60s. We
had bright sun and wide open skies for our 3rd Annual Pumpkin Lofting contest.
FAA waiver to 1360' AGL and large model notification to 6000'.
Launch Photos
Anyone wishing to contribute images
please e-mail them to Jay Calvert.
Todd Harrison's Yank 2"
Iris lifting off on an F22-5J. Rick Polzello's 1/4 scale Patriot
is on the right.
Photo by Jay Calvert
There goes Rick's Patriot
on an H123-6W!
Photo by Jay Calvert
Blue skies and brown stalks
forever...
Photo by Jay Calvert
The beginning of Paul Welling's
award winning pumpkin loft. The stretched LOC IV is thrusting on
an H128-6W with a 4" pumpkin on board. Seven seconds later the rocket
is abused by a 4 gram black powder charge. The pumpkin and its 9'
diameter drop cloth chute survive and continue on their 17 minute, 23 second
voyage into oblivion. The floating fruit thermaled from 1000'
up to about 3000' and traveled about five miles downwind before dropping
below the horizon.
Photo by Les Kurz
Len Haze's Aerobee 150A,
from Peter Alway's plans. This two stager (D12-0 -> C6-5) uses open-air
gap staging. Risky, but cool when it works. On this flight
the staging worked, but the booster failed to separate and got toasted
pretty good by the sustainer motor. The upper stage tried to float
into the CATO trailer.
Photos by Jay Calvert
Jeff Thomas' Little Yellow
Crayon zips skyward on an E30-4T. Beeper on board. In the background
is Les Kurz' Excel Plus by Binder Design.
Photo by Jay Calvert
Les' Excel Plus on an H238-10T.
Pumpkin along for the ride.
Photo by Jay Calvert
Aaron Welling's 2nd place
pumpkin loft. The stretched LOC Onyx is powered by a G35-4W and carries
a 3" pumpkin (The smaller, lighter 3" pumpkins come with a 50% handicap
in effficiency score). Aaron duplicated his old man's achievement
by promptly thermaling his payload into the great unknown. Official
time was 15 minutes, 28 seconds.
Photo by Les Kurz
The Candy Drop. Jay
Calvert's "The Great Pumpkin" (a PML Ariel) takes to the sky on an H128-6W.
At apogee, 20 pieces of candy (Twizzlers, Skittles, and Tootsy Rolls) were
dumped and fell 900 feet onto the heads of a ravenous swarm of feral children.
The spent rocket can be seen descending under a black X-form chute in the
second image.
Photos by Jay Calvert
Les Kurz and his PML Sudden
Rush before its maiden flight on an H220T. Dual recovery using a
Transolve P5 worked great.
Photo by Les Kurz
Rick Polzello's LOC IV3
ready to go on a cluster of one G40-7W and two E15-7Ws. Good flight.
Photo by Rick Polzello
Jay Calvert's stretched
NCR Archer, with pumpkin in the payload bay. Ready to go on an H128-6W.
Nose cone borrowed from Shadow Technology. Duration of 159.57
seconds for the pumpkin.
Photo by Jay Calvert
Brian & Barry's classic Estes Blue Bird Zero, converted to D power; Meghan Wilcock's Fat Boy (purple of course) lifting off with her
brother's Mongoose next on the pad; Barry Wilcock's Aerotech Initiator on its 1st liftoff (Barry writes "my first flight of anything bigger than Estes - very memorable!").
Brian Wilcock's Mongoose lifting off, Barry Wilcock's Initiator coming down, and various Estes rockets awaiting departure...
Brian Wilcock with Barry Wilcock's Aerotech Initiator after a sucessful 1st flight.
LAUNCH HIGHLIGHTS and STATS:
Registered Flyers: 27
Flights: 76
Motors Burned: 84
Clusters:
-
Team Atkinson's "Witch's New Ride" on three
D12-5s.
-
Jay Calvert's "Twisted Mamas" on two E16-7Ws.
-
Todd Harrison's "Cluster Bird" on two E15-4Ws.
-
Rick Polzello's "LOC IV3" on a
G40-7W and two E15-7Ws (see above).
Multi-Stage Flights:
-
Len Haze's Aerobee 150A on a D12-0 to C6-5
combo (see above).
-
Brian Wilcock's Estes Mongoose on a C6-0 to
B6-6 combo.
Notable Flights:
-
Rick Polzello's "E6 Machine" burned for a
loooong time on an Apogee E6-4, and took it's time coming down on a streamer.
-
Kevin Cuomo's PML AMRAAM 3 on an H180W using
an RDAS flight computer for dual deployment.
-
Best "pseudo-cato" of the day. Chris
Adams put an I300T in his Rocket R&D Old Glory, with a pumpkin on board.
The thrust ring on his 38/54 adapter gave way, allowing the motor to fly
through the center of the rocket and out the top. The rocket left
the pad in a horizontal direction in several pieces (the lugs ripped off).
The motor cartwheeled through the air and was eventually found several
hundred feet away, still wearing the shattered remains of the phenolic
adapter.
Contest:
Eight brave souls made eleven attempts at our 3rd
Annual Pumpkin Lofting Contest. Once again, our Prefect Paul
Welling demonstrated his mastery at making vegetables fly. Paul and
son Aaron both thermaled their most sincere organic payloads into that
great pumpkin patch in the sky.
|
OPEN PUMPKIN LOFT EFFICIENCY
DURATION CONTEST RESULTS
|
|
Standing/Name
|
Rocket / Motor
|
Duration (seconds)
|
Efficiency Score (PS/NS)
|
Prize
|
First Place:
Paul Welling
|
Stretched LOC IV / H128-6W
|
1043.27
|
5.864
1043.27/177.9
|
HARM AGM-88A Kit donated by
The
Launch Pad
|
Second Place:
Aaron Welling
|
Stretched LOC Onyx / G35-4W
|
928.71
|
4.422
(928.71/105) x0.5 for 3"
pumpkin
|
$10 Gift Certificate donated by Public
Missiles
|
Third Place:
Jay Calvert
|
3 Fins and a Pumpkin / G38-7FJ
|
121.36
|
1.291
121.36/94
|
Estes Tornado kit donated by A2Z
Hobbies
|
|
Jay Calvert
|
Stretched NCR Archer / H128-6W
|
159.57
|
0.897
159.57/177.9
|
- |
|
Todd Harrison
|
Semi-Dynamic / G64-4W
|
61.24
|
0.510
61.24/120
|
- |
|
Jay Calvert
|
3 Fins and a Pumpkin / E28-4T
|
12.24
|
0.306
12.24/40
|
- |
|
Rick Polzello
|
1/4 scale Patriot / H123-6W
|
62.67
|
0.254
62.67/246.8
|
- |
|
John Poulin
|
Broom Stick / G35-7W
|
23.69
|
0.226
23.69/105
|
- |
|
Les Kurz
|
Excel Plus / H238-10T
|
23.25
|
0.130
23.25/178.4
|
- |
|
John Poulin
|
Broom Stick / G64-4W
|
?
|
DQ
"Hey, there's no pumpkin
on that chute!" (ballistic vegetable)
|
- |
|
Chris Adams
|
Old Glory / I300T
|
none
|
BOOM!
|
- |
Top (Baker's) Dozen
Hot Shots:
| Name |
Total Impulse (NS)
|
Breakdown |
| 1. Rick Polzello |
644 |
H123W, 2xG40W,
2xE15W, E6, D12 |
| 2. Jay Calvert |
615 |
2xH128W, G38FJ,
F12J, E28T, 2xE16W |
| 3. Les / Matt Kurz |
579 |
2xH238T, H220T,
A10 |
| 4. Chris Adams |
542 |
I300T, F40W, D12,
B4 |
| 5. Paul / Aaron
Welling |
347 |
H128W, G35W, F20W |
| 6. John Atkinson and Team |
274 |
G64W, G38FJ, 3xD12, C6 |
| 7. Todd Harrison |
265 |
G64W, F22J, 2xE15W |
| 8. Kevin Cuomo |
237 |
H180W |
| 9. John Poulin |
225 |
G64W, G35W |
| 10. Dave / Austin / Conner Pallone |
218 |
G64W, F40W, 2xC6 |
| 11. Barry / Brian / Meghan Wilcock |
126 |
F20W, D12, 4xC6, B6, A8, 2x1/4A3 |
| 12. Len Haze |
90 |
3xD12, 4xC6, A8 |
| 13. Ron Verrilli |
89 |
F24W, E18W |
Motor Usage
|
Motor Class
|
Number Burned
|
| 1/8A (Micro Maxx) |
0 |
| 1/4A |
2 |
| 1/2A |
1 |
| A |
6 |
| B |
9 |
| C |
20 |
| D |
9 |
| E |
11 |
| F |
7 |
| G |
10 |
| H |
8 |
| I |
1 |
| TOTAL |
84 |
Total Impulse for the day was 4454 Newton seconds, equivalent to a mid
"L" motor.
Anyone wishing to contribute additional
images please e-mail them to Jay Calvert
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