Local Launches
Since losing Angerland Common to the Park and Ride scheme in the summer of 2006, we have had difficulty finding a launch site within a reasonable distance of the University. However, thanks to Paul Lavin's sterling efforts, we now have two sites. One is Simondshyde, about 10 minutes' drive from the College Lane Campus. The other is at Benington, a few miles east of Stevenage and about half an hour away. We also run rocket workshops for local schools, and are scheduled to run three during the 2006-7 academic session.
Benington, December 2006
Ray and Mike went to Benington on 30th December - the last launch of the year. The weahter forecast was poor, but it turned out to be clear skies but windy - almost 20mph. We managed to get a couple of flights in, including Mike's certification flight, before being forced to stop due tot a pheasant shoot in the nearby woods. Mike's flight, on a 2-grain Pro38 H153 motor, was absolutely textbook, with his beautifully finished rocket weathercocking into the wind, before deploying slightly after apogee. It drifted some way in the strong wind, landing about 60 feet short of the woods with no damage. Congratulations to him on a successful certification. The only other flight was Ray's D-Region Tomahawk on a Sky Ripper H hybrid. We then retired for a pub lunch shortly before the skies opened.
Benington, November 2006
Five students went to our first local launch of the 2006/7 academic year. The weather was not ideal - low cloud, a stiff breeze and the threat of rain, with a ceiling of a little over 1000 feet. It wasn't too cold, though. Paul Lavin from Deepsky also came along, and started the proceedings with a rocket he considered disposable. The wind seemed to lessen above ground level, and it didn't fly too far. Alex Chapman flew his Bluebird, which goes fairly high on a D, and just touched cloud without actually entering it, so we then knew where the cloudbase was. Stefan flew his Eliminator on E9's several times - this is brand new, so first flights for him and the rocket. Paul's Portaloo made an ungainly flight, as they do - something that looks like a Tardis moving skyward is a strange sight. Daryel also flew his rocket successfully - another first flight.
Ray took ages to prepare his D-Region Tomahawk to fly on the Sky Ripper H78 hybrid motor and the ejection setup, as expected. When it launched, it staggered into the sky, almost hovering - quite clearly it wasn't delivering anything like full thrust. At about 200 feet, the rocket started to descend and fall sideways as the thrust fell away. Just as everyone was expecting a crash, the Flux Capaciter did its stuff and the chute deployed, bringing the episode to a conclusion. Later investigation showed that over-enthusiastic (but necessary) tightening of an unsuitable olive in the injector had throttled the nitrous flow, so a lesson learned, and no damage. With time getting on, Ray then flew the Slab on a 2-grain Pro38 H motor to put things right - that's a great demo rocket, complete with huge smoke plume. Ray topped off his day with the first flight of the Oracle video rocket, and later downloaded the video to a PC back at base. At 54Mb, It's a little large yet to put on the site, so it has been transferred to WMV format - click here.
All the flights deployed successfully, although Stefan's last Eliminator flight went a long way downwind, and it took two trips and some help to recover it. Unfortunately, we didn't get any photos of any of the flights.
Visit by Heathcote School, May 2006
About 20 pupils from the school visited the University for a morning of rocketry. After a talk about the subject and a workshop in which they designed a rocket and simulated its flight, everyone trooped out onto the field for a few demonstration flights. A chip cup rocket was first up, to warm up the crowd, followed by a flight of the Code Red on a B6-4. It was a breezy day and the rocket drifted some way on its (slightly oversized) 12" chute. Finally, the star of the show was a flight of The Slab on a Pro38 G Smoky Sam. The Slab laughs off any amount of wind, so it was a dramatic flight. The pupils even managed to take a couple of photos of the lift-off, which are awaited - watch this space...
Thanks to Paul Lavin of Deepsky and to Alex Chapman for their assistance and contributions to a successful event.
Launch Report - 2 February 2006
Angerland Common
This was our first launch event where students were invited to bring their rockets along. Disappointingly, only two rockets were brought by students, plus Ray Wilkinson's trusty Eliminator. It seems that some of the students who bought rockets haven't got them ready yet.
First up was Alan with his Ozone Slayer. The name seemed a bit pretentious until we saw it fly - it's a small, slender, two-stage rocket that goes high. Flown on two C motors, it went out of sight very quickly, and we had a difficult time spotting it as it came down. Although the wind was almost non-existent, Alan had a bit of a walk to retrieve it.
Hayley and Ben's vintage rocket
Next were Hayley and Ben with a very old rocket (pictured) that belongs to Hayley's dad. Size-wise, it's the opposite of Alan's, and flew on a D motor - at 20 years old the same vintage as the rocket, but it worked fine. We were a little worried because the launch lugs are too small to fit the larger rod, so it looked a bit tippy on the skinny PortaPad. However, it went up nicely, helped by loads of thrust from the D12 motor. The streamer and the parachute (belt and braces) deployed safely and it landed fairly close for a great flight.
Ray's Eliminator did its usual, also on a D12 - straight up and deployed the streamer without any fuss. However, the latest mod came a little unstuck, literally, as the nose also separated and the altimeter fell out. Amazingly, someone found the tiny piece of electronics in the tall grass.
Alan's second flight, on a single C as he was running out of motors, was almost as spectacular, although the single stage gave him less of a walk.
The Eliminator's second flight, on an E9 this time, also wen well, with the altitmeter strapped in properly this time. Some idiot forgot to switch it on, though, so no readout. The third flight was perfect, reaching 1050 feet on an E9. This rocket is rated at 1400 feet on an E, but the lengthened airframe and glass-fibre repair probably add enough weight to hold it back a bit. See a short video of the Eliminator flight (288K, WMV format).
Finally, a bit of fun - the Cheeky Chips rocket, made from a polystyrene chip cone, flew. It has an A motor, and doesn't go up far as it has so much drag. Recovery is guaranteed to work, though, as it just turns over and flies back down again.