Wednesday, October 21.

My rocket kit arrives! It's only 67 hours until launch, so I need to work fast. I buy epoxy (5 and 30min,) and 120 sand paper from the local hardware store. I decide to paralellize construction as much as possible: I assemble the interchangable engine tubes, the main engine mount, and the fore retaining ring. As I start to work on the altimeter tube, I realize I'm missing the sleeve that connects the mid body to the fore body tube! A quick test shows that the mounting screw on the interchangable engine tubes could be converted to an altimeter tube sleeve (it would need a coping saw to cut out the inside of the engine adaptor.) I yank the 38mm engine tube adaptor, clean off the epoxy, and call it a night.

Thursday, October 22.

A quick call to PML and Nicole assures me that the missing alimeter sleeve will be FedExed out to me. I pay the additional mailing costs. Darren announces that his altimeter is also on the way. I call PML, but no altimeter for me (they claim they haven't received any yet.) Darren and I figure that this is non-critical: the altimeter package should be swapable between the two rockets. Back at home, I slap the fin assembly together... no time for finesse, I insert all three fins at once (edges coatted with 5 minute epoxy.) Once the fins are set, I fillet the internal and external joints with 30 min epoxy (slathered on with a chopstick.) I assemble the fore piston system and go to sleep.

Friday, October 23.

The sleeve arrives before 10 a.m. I re-epoxy the 38mm engine tube, and slap together the altimeter housing, and assemble the aft piston system. Two coats of primer, and we're off to RATS.

We get to the Vineland Ramada at 11 p.m. We have "The Suite." It was the only room left. It's huge: kitchen, bathroom, two big beds, two TVs, three couches, and a rocket assembly table! After a quick stop at the hotel bar, I finish the paint job on my rocket, while Darren works on the altimeter. The altimeter is definitely a beta version... the doc is laser printed with grey rectangles where the pictures will go. In spite of having taught courses in TTL design, he is able to get the thing chirping away happily.

Saturday, October 24.

Darren is up and doing pre-flight rocket stuff by 8 a.m. My pre-flight consists of large quantities of coffee, pancakes, and cigarettes in the hotel's dining room. We head for the launch site, and get there just in time for the pre-flight briefing. After the briefing, we join Tripoli, pay our launch fees, and go to find "Larry." Larry interviewed us in an effort to determine if we were bona fide rocket hobbyists or just lunatics. We successfully convinced him on the rocket side of things, so we all went over to the Zeppelin Hobbies truck to pick up our preordered rocket motors (H-242s.)

Our video crew (DMR and his wife) show up before noon. DMR is promptly enlisted as an engine assembly technician (his thesis was on ramjets, so he is way over-qualified.) Two hours later, Darren's rocket is prepped with the electronics and reusable motor.

The RSO suggests two modifications: small vent holes in the fore section of the rocket (so internal/external pressure differences don't pop the nosecone prematurely,) and a tighter seal for the nosecone. Darren uses a high-tech tool (an awl) to make the nice holes in his rocket. I use a Spyderco knife (a Clipit Dragonfly.) Internal masking tape strips take care of the nosecone issues.

Darren takes his rocket up for re-inspection and final prep: black power ejection charges and motor ignitor. Pretty soon he has it on a 3/8" launch rod...

"Heads up, Level 1 Cert Flight" calls the LCO. The rocket flies straight up, then turns slowly into the higher altitude wind. It passes apogee, and after a tense second or two, pops the drogue chute. It descends fast, then ejects the main chute at 400 feet or so for a nice landing (within 100 feet of the launch rod.) A perfect flight.

We retrieve Darren's rocket, and inspect it for damage. It has suffered minor wounds (the shock cord tore a small chuck out of the main tube on chute deployment.) It's late, so we decide to call it a day. Our revised plan is to fly Darren's rocket on an I-211 engine early Sunday, then swap the electronics and fly mine on my H-242.

Sunday, October 25

Darren repairs his rocket by cutting off a 2 inch sector of the main tube. We grab breakfast and head off to the launch site. Darren picks up his new engine, and goes to work on the altimeter. Although it was recharged overnight, the altimeter just doesn't want to work! It emits single, sad beeps (no documentation on this state.) The electronics refuse to co-operate: the secondary ejection circuit wants to fire immediately.

It's 3 o'clock, and I decide to go with my back-up launch plan: I borrow a drill and cut out the aft bulkhead in my rocket. A quick-link secures the fore and aft shock cords (probably unneeded, but it deals with a possible failure mode.) I switch the main chute to the aft end of the rocket, and plan to use an ejection charge fired from the engine (via a delay disc) rather than ejection by the electronics.

After a brief discussion, we bag Darren's second flight. I load my rocket with the I-211, add an ejection charge, and tape the motor for a tight fit. Ignitor in place, I set up on Pad 18....

"Heads up, Level 1 Cert Flight. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." The rocket sits there, doing nothing, for 3/4 of a second. Then the engine lights, and it screams skyward. Straight up and soon out of sight. Everyone spends a tense 30 seconds looking up (5 pounds of amateur rocket three thousand feet above you is inherently tense.) Somebody sees the chute, and we track as it descends. Then I remember that I had planned to launch on the H engine... the big I engine with apogee main chute deployment means the rocket is going to drift a long way. We mark the approximate landing location and hop in the car for rocket recovery. Darren spots it a field about a mile down-range. Successful recovery!