Crimson Star

The Edmonton Rocketry Club was back at Calmar for another model rocket launch, held on August 24, 2024.

I returned with my Arcas T, fitted with a Jolly Logic parachute release. This device is really just an altimeter with a rubber-band connector. The rubber-band wraps around the folded parachute, and the connector plugs into the altimeter. The parachute is ejected at apogee by the rocket motor, but it does not open since the rubber-band is still wrapped around it. In this way, the chute acts like a small drogue and slows the rocket’s descent while still preventing the rocket from drifting on the wind and possibly landing on the roof of the local Legion…

At a pre-set altitude (usually about 400 ft), the Jolly Logic opens the connector and the rubber-band releases the parachute. It opens very quickly, and all is well. My rocket was also fitted with a Mobius video cam that had never flown before.

Flying on a CTI Pro38 G115, it reached an altitude of 1382 ft. The chute ejected at apogee, the Jolly Logic opened exactly as planned, and the rocket landed somewhere in the middle of a gazillion trees and bushes. The GPS tracker led me to the Arcas, which was recovered in perfect condition. The video cam also worked very well!

The Edmonton Rocketry Club held a model rocket launch in Calmar, on June 22, 2024.

I flew my Arcas T, which is the basic Arcas, but with a GPS tracker installed. It rose to 1382 ft, then drifted on the wind until it landed on the roof of the local Legion facility! The GPS tracker worked properly, pointing at the building. They did not have any way to access the roof, but the wind blew the rocket off a few days later and I recovered it in perfect condition.

The second rocket I flew was a Wildman Darkstar Mini, also built using fiberglass. Flying to 1036 ft on an Estes F26, it had a perfect flight and recovery.