CATO Rocketry - CATO LXXXVIII.I Launch Report

CATO LXXXVIII.I Launch Report - 25 April 2004
Sterling, CT

Slow connection? Click here for the thumbnail version of the launch report.

Photo by Mike Sherrod

After months of scrubbed launches, we decided to try CATO 88 over again the following weekend (hence CATO 88.1) - Mother Nature finally smiled and provided us with a beautiful spring day, with cool temperatures and mostly sunny skies. Eric Jonsson converted omega 3 enriched egg payloads into a low carb lunch for everyone in attendance, including bacon, sausage links, ham, red onions, broccoli, and peppers (as lunch, not payloads). Zack Lau won an Aerotech Warthog with his egglofter/piston combination design. Special thanks to Ulf Jonsson for getting the waiver for this weekend, Tim Hetland for pulling the equipment trailer to the launch site, and Mike Sherrod and Zack Lau for some awesome photographs! 11 flyers made 47 flights and burned 3,506 Ns of total impulse.

Launch Photos

Photo & caption by Mike Sherrod

Ulf Jonsson preps his hybrid fueled rocket... as other folks begin to prep their first models of the day. Mike Sherrod's newly-finished Executioner awaits its first launch.

Photo & caption by Mike Sherrod

Photo by Mike Sherrod

Ulf's hybrid fueled rocket leaves the pad. Clowning around as the Eggloft Duration Efficiency competition gets underway: Bill Dauphin gets an egglofter ready on the pad as George Boulas waves goodbye to his Estes BLU-97B Cluster Bomb on the rack in front of Bill. Dave Ristow's ring-finned model, christened "Daddy's Rocketship" by his two year old daughter, makes its maiden flight into the sky on a cluster of two F-20-4 econojet motors.

Photo by Sean Hogan

Chef Eric Jonsson and his assistant-Dad, Ulf, prepare an Atkins-style lunch for the hungry on-lookers! A spring rack of cheery yellow rockets is ready for launch - Mike Sherrod's Flea (by Fliskits) is on Blue 1 and the rocket on Blue 5 (to the right) is Len Haze's Big Daddy clustered with two E9-6 motors. Yet another rack of model rockets are ready to go: Jessica Ristow's Pink Popper, a birdie clone, is on Red 1 (please let the secretary know if you recognize any of the other rockets), while David Ristow's "Daddy's Rocketship" waits for launch on the away pad.

Photo & caption by Mike Sherrod

Photo by Zach Lau

Mike Sherrod's Deuce looked great sitting on the pad ... but because only one motor ignited, it set the day's record for the lowest flight (five feet) and the closest landing to the pad (six feet). Zack Lau makes the final pre-launch tweaks to his competition-winning egglofter/piston combination, which he describes as, "a custom rocket designed around the Quest B6-4 engine and the Pratt egg capsule (mixture of the single/dual shells)--took two tries to get the paper shroud right." Jessica Ristow loading her Quest Courier egglofter - Jessica took first in the junior and 3rd overall in the eggloft competition! Congratulations, Zach and Jessica!

Anyone wishing to contribute images please e-mail them to Jeannine Lawall

LAUNCH HIGHLIGHTS and STATS

Certifications: No certification flights were made during this launch.

Frequent Flyers: Jessica Ristow and her Dad, David, logged the most flights today, flying six rockets each for a total of twelve. Mike Sherrod came next, flying eight rockets. George Boulas, Zach Lau, and Ross & Ryan Tracey all finished up with four rockets each.

Clusters: Al Gloer tried out his LOC Viper III for its maiden flight on three E9-6 motors. Len Haze flew a Big Daddy on two E9-6 motors. David Ristow launched his "Dad Rocketship" on two F20E-4 motors. Mike Sherrod tried out one of the FlisKits popular Deuces' Wild rockets on 2 A8 motors.

Multi-Stage Flights: George Boulas's Farside-X three stage rocket made its first flight on two C6-0's and 1 C6-7 motors.

Classic Kits: None today

Motor CATOs: None today

Other Notable Flights: Ulf Jonsson launched a Phobos Long Hybrid rocket on an H70 motor. David Ristow flew an upscale Totally Tubular on an E-9-4 motor for the first time.

Contests: We held the Open Egg Loft Duration Efficiency Contest today. Zack Lau won with Egg Quest, his custom built egglofter/piston combination rocket. Mike Sherrod won second place with his Eggstravaganza 18, and Jessica Ristow took both third place and top Junior place with her Quest Courier rocket. Several creatively named rockets were flown - Mike Sherrod and Bill Dauphin both used an Eggstravaganza 18 from Aerospace Specialty Products; Dave Ristow flew a 2 Minute Egg, a competition egglofter designed by George Gassaway and a Scrambler; If I could award a prize for best names however, Bill Dauphin's six (!) egg egglofter, "Chicken's Nightmare," would have won! Ulf Jonsson & Les Kurz acted as contest directors today.

Open Egg Loft Duration Efficiency Contest

Place Contestant Rocket Intact Eggs Returned (Total) Duration (seconds) Motor(s) Impulse (Ns) Efficiency Score Prize

1 Zach Lau Egg Quest (Egglofter/piston combination custom built rocket) 1 (1) 53.2 Q B6-4 5 10.64 Aerotech Warthog

2 Mike Sherrod Eggstravaganza 18 1 (1) 95.44 C6-3 Piston 9 10.60 MRC Trailblazer (rare out of production kit)

Mike Sherrod Eggstravaganza 18 1 (1) 68.63 C6-3 Piston 9 7.63

3 Jessica Ristow Quest Courier 1 (1) 45.2 C6-3 9 5.02 Jessica earned both third place overall AND top Junior place - she had a choice between the 3rd place prize (QRC Egglofter) or the Junior prize (Estes Exoshell) - she picked the Exoshell.

Jessica Ristow Quest Courier 1 (1) 44.83 C6-3 9 4.98

4 Dave Ristow 2 Minute Egg 1 (1) 39.63 C6-3 9 4.40

Ulf Jonsson Eggster Rescue 2 (?) 2(2) 19.18 C6-3 9 4.26

5 Bill Dauphin Eggstravaganza 18 Platinum 1 (1) 18.78 B6-4 5 3.76

Zach Lau Egg Quest (Egglofter/piston combination custom built rocket) 1(1) 17.35 Q B6-4 5 3.47

Bill Dauphin Eggstravaganza 18 Platinum 1 (1) 14.31 B4-2 5 2.86

Dave Ristow 2 Minute Egg 1 (1) 24.5 C6-3 9 2.72

Bill Dauphin Chicken's Nightmare 5 (6) 40.76 (2) E9-8
E9-4 85.5 2.38

Jessica Ristow TBA 1 (1) 18.1 C6-3 9 2.01

Dave Ristow Scrambler 1 (1) 10.27 C6-5 9 1.14

Place	Contestant	Rocket	Intact Eggs Returned (Total)	Duration (seconds)	Motor(s)	Impulse (Ns)	Efficiency Score	Prize
1	Zach Lau	Egg Quest (Egglofter/piston combination custom built rocket)	1 (1)	53.2	Q B6-4	5	10.64	Aerotech Warthog
2	Mike Sherrod	Eggstravaganza 18	1 (1)	95.44	C6-3 Piston	9	10.60	MRC Trailblazer (rare out of production kit)
	Mike Sherrod	Eggstravaganza 18	1 (1)	68.63	C6-3 Piston	9	7.63
3	Jessica Ristow	Quest Courier	1 (1)	45.2	C6-3	9	5.02	Jessica earned both third place overall AND top Junior place - she had a choice between the 3rd place prize (QRC Egglofter) or the Junior prize (Estes Exoshell) - she picked the Exoshell.
	Jessica Ristow	Quest Courier	1 (1)	44.83	C6-3	9	4.98
4	Dave Ristow	2 Minute Egg	1 (1)	39.63	C6-3	9	4.40
	Ulf Jonsson	Eggster Rescue 2 (?)	2(2)	19.18	C6-3	9	4.26
5	Bill Dauphin	Eggstravaganza 18 Platinum	1 (1)	18.78	B6-4	5	3.76
	Zach Lau	Egg Quest (Egglofter/piston combination custom built rocket)	1(1)	17.35	Q B6-4	5	3.47
	Bill Dauphin	Eggstravaganza 18 Platinum	1 (1)	14.31	B4-2	5	2.86
	Dave Ristow	2 Minute Egg	1 (1)	24.5	C6-3	9	2.72
	Bill Dauphin	Chicken's Nightmare	5 (6)	40.76	(2) E9-8 E9-4	85.5	2.38
	Jessica Ristow	TBA	1 (1)	18.1	C6-3	9	2.01
	Dave Ristow	Scrambler	1 (1)	10.27	C6-5	9	1.14

Top 10 Hot Shots

Flyer Ns Motors

Tim Hetland 1,569 G80, Cesaroni J330, J285

Ross & Ryan Tracey 617 H153 (2), C6, G80

Al Gloer 329 G80 (2), E 9 (3)

David & Jessica Ristow 249 C6(3), E9 (2), F20(2), B4, 1/4A3 (2)

Larry Hardin 200 F50, G80

Ulf Jonsson 192 H70R, C6

George Boulas 133 1/2 A3, G35, C6 (4)

Mike Sherrod 72 D12 (2), C6 (3), A8 (4)

Bill Dauphin 69 B6, B4, E9 (3)

Len Haze 68 E9 (2), C6

Zach Lau 12 B6 (2), 1/2 A3 (2)

Motor Summary

Motor Total

1/4 A 2

1/2 A 3

A 4

B 5

C 15

D 2

E 9

F 3

G 6

H 3

J 2

TOTAL 54

Anyone wishing to contribute additional images please e-mail them to Jeannine Lawall

Flyer	Ns	Motors
Tim Hetland	1,569	G80, Cesaroni J330, J285
Ross & Ryan Tracey	617	H153 (2), C6, G80
Al Gloer	329	G80 (2), E 9 (3)
David & Jessica Ristow	249	C6(3), E9 (2), F20(2), B4, 1/4A3 (2)
Larry Hardin	200	F50, G80
Ulf Jonsson	192	H70R, C6
George Boulas	133	1/2 A3, G35, C6 (4)
Mike Sherrod	72	D12 (2), C6 (3), A8 (4)
Bill Dauphin	69	B6, B4, E9 (3)
Len Haze	68	E9 (2), C6
Zach Lau	12	B6 (2), 1/2 A3 (2)

Motor	Total
1/4 A	2
1/2 A	3
A	4
B	5
C	15
D	2
E	9
F	3
G	6
H	3
J	2
TOTAL	54