Davis Blog Entries

Mini-G.R.I.T.S. 2012

akdjld@davis-davis.net — 2012-04-03T20:37:12-04:00

Wow! What an amazing time we had at Mini G.R.I.T.S. (our second launch of 2012) and Lake Blackshear this past weekend. Coupled with the smell of burnt motors in the afternoon and the relaxing sounds of the lake in the evening it was a shame it had to end so soon. And best of all my boys worked on their NARTREK Mercury certification. Anyway on to the launch report. Due to the amount of flights this weekend I decided to break down the launch report by motors and the rockets which flew on them.

A10-3T

Estes EAC Viper (clone)

A8-3

B6-4

FlisKits Avalear
Estes Colonial Viper (clone)
Estes Cosmic Cobra
Estes Crossfire *First flight
Quest Flash *First flight
Quest Magnum
Quest Novia *First flight
Pencil (Estes Skywriter clone) *First Flight
Estes Rascal *First flight
Quest Sprint

C6-0

Estes Snitch

C6-3

Estes Converter

C6-5

Estes Customizer (Army Rocket)

D12-3

E9-6

Estes D-Region Tomahawk *First Flight

That’s all folks!!!!

First Launch of 2012

akdjld@davis-davis.net — 2012-03-24T19:59:07-04:00

Well we attended our first launch of 2012 and although we took several kits to fly we only managed to get five in the air. Our Estes SkyWriter, Estes Snitch, Estes Firehawk, Estes Super Neon, and a clone of the Estes Colonial Viper. Percentage wise we only manage a 40% success rate. Not too good in my opinion. Let’s start with the good. First up was our Estes Snitch flying on a C6-0. This little saucer has become a crown pleaser and didn’t disappoint this afternoon. The little saucer flew high and fairly straight. Although it’s designed to land upside down it performed a little hop and landed right side up.

Next up was our clone of the Estes Colonial Viper, one we’ve called the BlackBird. This little bird hasn’t flown in almost four years and didn’t show any signs of rust flying on a B6-4. Real nice!!

Now for the bad. We performed our first drag race ever with an Estes Super Neon flying on a B6-4. This rocket hadn’t flown in three years and was slow to leave the launch pad. Then a malfunction during the ejection charge resulted in the parachute failing to deploy. Though it was slow to leave the pad, it was first on the grown. Best of all no damage was sustained.

Next we have the ugly our Estes SkyWriter. Another rocket which hadn’t flown in almost three years. The Estes Skywriter was also flown on a B6-4 and during the ejection charge the shock cord separated from the body and nose cone. The body was never recovered, but we did manage to retrieve the nose cone and parachute. With the recovery of the nose cone rebuilding the kit will be rather easy.

Lastly, to close out the afternoon was our Estes Firehawk. This bird had flown before, long before we kept a flight log, and was flown this afternoon on a 1/2A3-2T. During the ejection charge the engine retention cap popped off resulting in the parachute failing to deploy. Like the Estes Super Neon, no damage was sustaining.

Winter Build 2012

akdjld@davis-davis.net — 2012-04-07T20:35:28-04:00

Now that winter is here. Well, Atlanta doesn’t really have a winter just a few brutal days or weeks. The time has come to start a few winter builds. But before doing so a few repairs are needed and ongoing projects must be closed out. Not to mention a few non-rocket related repairs are needed as well.

So what’s in store for this winter?

Repairs:

~~Estes Astro Sat LSX (Tiger Scout) - Shock cord and chute repairs~~ - Completed 2/13/12
~~Quest Magnum~~ - Completed - 3/30/12
Two sailboats (Cub Scout Rain Gutter Regatta)
~~Estes Condor Rubber Band Power Airplane -~~ Completed 2/8/12
~~Estes Sky Writer - Complete rebuild (scratch)~~ - Completed - 3/30/12

Current Projects:

Centuri U.S.S. America Clone- Add decals
~~Estes D Region Tomahawk~~ - Completed - 3/30/12
Estes Satellite Interceptor - Complete build, sand, paint, and decal
Complete rocket photography

New Projects: (Updated 4/7/2012)

~~Pinewood Derby Cars~~ - Completed - 2/26/12
Centuri Mach 10 Clone from More Rockets
Estes U.S.S. Enterprise
Semroc Goblin
Estes Big Daddy
Estes Executioner
Estes Sky Lofter
Estes Mini Comanche-3
Quest Planet Probe
Semroc Moon Glo
Semroc Space Shuttle
Estes Wizard
Centuri Groove Tube Clone

May Rocket 2009 Launch

akdjld@davis-davis.net — 2009-05-31T20:54:10-04:00

On Saturday, May 30, 2009 the family joined Southern Area Rocketry (SoAR) for their monthly rocket launch. This was our first launch with an organized group, one that we plan to participate in month after month. Because we arrived very late (Cole had a football game) we only launched a few rockets.

Up first was the Mean Machine. A rocket Cole gave me for my birthday. We attempted to launch this rocket earlier in the year, but forgot one of the needed pieces. So it goes without saying there was a lot of anticipation to watch this rocket fly. The Mean Machine was launched on a D12-3 for its first flight and flew flawlessly. We look forward to flying it again and again in the future.

Next up was Connor’s Triton X. Launched on a C6-3 this large rocket suffered a little parachute damage which will be easily repaired. Another of Connor’s rockets, The Sprint, was launched on a B6-4. This little rocket performed admirably almost landing next to the original launch pad.

Cole’s Eagle Boost Glider was flown on a C6-3. This was the third flight for the Eagle Boost Glider and it suffered extensive damage. The rear fin folded upward almost forming a “L”. While the forward fin was scorched from the engine blast. Though attempts will be made to repair it, I’m not holding out much hope. In the end, I will most likely replace this for him.

Another birthday present, from Connor, was the Liquidator. This rocket has a payload section to carry, you guessed it, liquid. Though Connor wanted to load it up with Gatorade, I was a little afraid and decided against a payload on the first flight. Like the Mean Machine, we launched this one on a D12-3 too. It flew so well, that it landed upright on its fins.

Cole launched one more rocket, his Alpha III, which was given to him by SoAR in January 2009. He flew it on an A8-3 and outside of a tangled parachute this was a successful flight.

We concluded the afternoon with the launch of one of five Colonial Viper clones on a C6-5. This was not a successful flight as the shock split in two due to the engine heat. Fortunately the body and nose cone were recovered without any damage.

Here we go again!

akdjld@davis-davis.net — 2008-09-23T20:50:26-04:00

I've decided to take another swing at keeping the personal website updated. A few years ago I move to a blog, but decided to move away from it this time around. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a blog, however, the decision to change was solely driven by the application I was using. Quickblog, from GoDaddy. It didn't provide with me with the flexibility I desired compounded by the fact I wasn't prepared to move to another hosting company. I reverted back to static pages.

With all of that said, take a look around. Visit often as we plan (fingers crossed) to keep this site up to date.

October 2008 Rocket Launch

akdjld@davis-davis.net — 2008-10-07T20:45:07-04:00

Well this past Saturday the family spent two hours at Rabbit Hill Park and launched a few (eight) rockets from our fleet. We choose our recently completed rockets the Viking, Converter, Sting Lash (a modified Estes Shuttle Express), and our first clone of the Estes Colonial Viper. Which we call the Blackbird. We also launched four older rockets from our fleet which included the Interceptor, Blue Ninja, DragonNite, and Cosmic Cobra. The weather was absolutely perfect for a launch. We did encounter a few loses though. Two rockets, Stinglash (maiden voyage) and DragonNite, drifted into the trees and were forever lost. And then we experienced minor damage to our Viking which was damaged (later repaired) upon impact.

November 2008 Rocket Launch

akdjld@davis-davis.net — 2008-11-04T20:42:40-05:00

It's Election Day and a school holiday so the family decided to spend the afternoon at the park and launched a few rockets from our fleet. Which included our Baby Bertha, Blue Ninja (a favorite of my son Cole), SR-71 Blackbird (a favorite of my other son Connor), Converter, Cosmic Cobra (a family favorite), Eagle Boost Glider, Lucky Seven, QEZ Payloader, Skywriter, and our two Vulcan's. The Eagle Boost Glider, QEZ Payloader, Skywriter, and Vulcan's are new additions to our fleet.

The day was perfect, just the right amount of wind. With the exception of a few rockets, they all flew absolutely perfectly. Straight up into the afternoon sky, with most recoveries occurring no greater than 30 yards from the launch pad.

The Eagle Boost Glider was such a sight to behold that we launched in twice. Another sight was the QEZ Payloader. Once it achieved its apogee it appeared to just hang there for what seemed like several minutes. And then it began to descend. The nose cone (and cargo) and body landed within a few feet of each other. On this maiden voyage we choose Lego's as our cargo. The Skywriter flew as straight as any pencil thrown into the ceiling of a classroom.

And then the Vulcan's. I really had high hopes and expectations for them. They were our second and third cloning projects. The "red" Vulcan actually left the launch pad and then performed a line drive across the park. Before coming to a crashing halt. It suffered severe damage which we will perform basic repairs on and then immediately retire. The second Vulcan, "brown”, didn't even leave the launch pad. It just sat there and sputtered. Fortunately it didn't suffer any damage, so I will need to go back and determine what obstructed the lift off.

Sadly, in our haste to have a family outing we forgot the camera for this event

July Rocket Launch with Pack 503

akdjld@davis-davis.net — 2009-07-31T00:45:49-04:00

Well we missed the SoAR launch for the month of July, but made it up with a launch with our Cub Scout Pack on July 11, 2009. We took the bulk of our fleet with us and had every intention of launching as many rockets as possible. However, due to field conditions, grass was rather high, we were cautious and only launched four rockets.

First up was Cole’s modified Estes Ricochet. The rocket was modified with a Cub Scout theme in mind and placed second place in the best in show category. The rocket was launched on B6-4 engine and suffered minor damage. Two fins were separated from the body (losing one).

Next up was Jill’s Estes Skywriter on a B4-4 engine. This rocket flew a very “pointed” path straight into the morning sky. With a fully deployed parachute, the rocket suffered no damage and was easily recovered.

Next up was a rocket Connor built from an Estes Customizer kit, affectionately named the Army Rocket. Flying on a B6-4 engine this was the maiden voyage for the Army Rocket. Like everything that Connor has built so far, it was golden. A perfect flight. Fully deployed parachute and also easily recovered.

Last up was Cole’s Estes Converter rocket on a C6-5. This rocket was by far the largest of the day and provided the boys (and parents) with lots of ooooo’s and ah’s. Though recovered, this rocket did land in the high grass area and was slightly difficult to retrieve.

Although our launches were limited it was a fun day watching the other rockets soar. And viewing the wonderful designs the boys came up with for the best in show competition.