Skye Dance 45

Skye Dance 45, our final launch of the spring season, roared into cloudy Kimbro skies Sunday afternoon, April 24th, 2005. Skies were clear early in the day, but as the day wore on thick clouds moved in from the west. However, the cloud base was at 9,000 feet, well above our waiver limit, and since winds were light and the field was dry, we blasted away! We had a good turnout and some spectacular flights.

Ed Jacoby put up 3 flights using G motors. This is his new Lance Beta (I think) using an Aerotech G64 and a Cesaroni G79 Smokey motor.

Stu Barrett put up the highest flight of the day, and perhaps the highest flight in Skye Dance history. Stu flew his custom built modular rocket using an Animal Motor Works 75mm K605 Red Rhino. Stu was using a new scratch built fin section using built up carbon fins...strong as iron and incredibly light. The flight was spectacular; a loud, brilliant red boost, a long coast (seen only by Mark with his binoculars), and perfect dual barometric recovery. The rocket landed about 150 yards downwind of the pad. Max altitude was 7,011 feet.

Stu also did a couple of static burns of his homemade EX propellants. The first was a red formula in a Kosdon 54/1400 hardware. The second was a while lightning clone in a 3 inch motor. Check out those mach diamonds in the red flame!

Mark Carlson's scratch built rocket powered by an EX H motor. It was a great flight, but it took forever to get the motor to fire! Check out all those sparks!

Mark's PML 1/4 scale Patriot, powered by another EX motor. The boost was spectacular, but the timer did not fire the ejection charge and the rocket lawn darted into the jungle east of the field. It has not been found.

Finally, Mark demonstated why we have minimum safe distances for EX flights. Mark loaded "Turn Two", his 4 inch scratch built rocket with a 38mm EX load rated around a J330. This motor had flown 3 times, twice successful and one cato. For this flight, Mark used a larger nozzle diameter and a lower propellant KN to increase his chances of success. Unfortunately, it was not to be. With a significant BOOM the 900 ns motor overpressurized and split open, destroying the bottom part of the rocket. The second photo above, taken just after the cato, shows hundreds of pieces in the air. The right 3 photos, taken off video, show the motor did fire for a few milliseconds before it failed.

Tom Montemayor (me) only had time to prep one rocket for the short notice launch, his Mountainside Hobbies 4 inch V2. Power was provided by and Aerotech H238 Blue Thunder. The flight was perfect with motor apogee deployment bringing the rocket back safe and undamaged.