Fall Fire 2024

Posted on February 25, 2025 by Crimson Star
Fall Fire 2024 [Rocket Unidentified]

Fall Fire 2024 was hosted by the Saskatoon Rockety Society on October 19, 2024, in Kitscoty.

As usual, my wife and I drove to Lloydminster on Friday, attended the launch on Saturday, then returned to Edmonton on Sunday.

I brought my Arcas T, fitted with the GPS tracker and a Jolly Logic chute release. Since this was the last high-power launch on the year, I fired the Arcas T on a CTI Pro38 H125. It had a perfect flight, reaching an altitude of 3101 ft and landing not too far away. The GPS guided us right to it.

My wife and I spent the rest of the day talking to the many visitors that were there; some had never been to a high-power launch before. All things considered, this was a great event, with really nice people, and was the perfect way to close out the year. Well done, SRS!

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Calmar in September, Again!

Posted on February 25, 2025 by Crimson Star

The Edmonton Rocketry Club returned to Calmar for the second time in a month for another model rocket launch, on September 28th, 2024.

Romulus 2-Stage

My Romulus rocket had never been flown yet. Since this was the 2nd launch in September, I figured it was time to launch this 2-stage creature. The 1st stage had an Estes A8-0, and the 2nd stage used an Estes B6-4. That’s not very much power, but 2-stage rockets are tricky and I wanted a safe flight on my first attempt.

The rocket reached an altitude of 287 ft. The 1st stage did a “tumble” recovery, while the 2nd stage parachute failed to deploy. Even so, it landed softly and without damage.

Eris II

Small model rockets usually use plastic parachutes. Fire-resistant wadding is placed between the motor and the parachute to protect it from the ejection gases. In this rocket, I used a small baffle instead of the wadding. The baffle was too small to work properly and the hot gasses melted part of the parachute, sticking it to the inside of the rocket! This is why we do maiden flights on low power…

Eris II

The Eris II was another rocket that I built a while back but never flew. It featured several parts that I printed on my 3D printer. Flying on an Estes D12-5, it reached an altitude of 985 ft. The baffle in this rocket was also not very effective, burning a hole in the parachute. Still, the chute did deploy and the rocket made a safe landing.

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Calmar in September

Posted on February 25, 2025 by Crimson Star
Black Tusk with GPS

The next model rocket launch hosted by the Edmonton Rocketry Club was in Calmar, on September 7, 2024.

I had my Black Tusk, fitted with a GPS tracker and a Jolly Logic chute release. Flying on a CTI Pro29 G126, it climbed to 1288 ft and performed perfectly, avoiding both the Legion building on one side of the field and the trees on the other side.

I also flew my Darkstar Mini on a CTI Pro29 F32. It reached 731 ft, with a perfect flight and recovery.

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Calmar in August

Posted on February 25, 2025 by Crimson Star

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

Arcas T Blasts Off!

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.

Arcas T, Flying Higher!

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!

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Rock Lake 2024

Posted on February 25, 2025 by Crimson Star
Avalanche 3 rDDT

The Lethbridge Rocketry Association tries to host a 3-day launch every year, to encourage participation by rocketeers from other provinces. This year, it was held from Jun 28th to Jun 30th. On the 27th, my wife and I drove down to Taber , where most people stay.

Friday was an awful mix of rain and wind; we got to the launch site about 9:00, stayed in our car until about 2:00, then gave up and drove back to Taber.

Saturday was much better and I was able to fly my newest rocket, a fiberglass Madcow Avalanche 3. This rocket was modified for redundant dual deployment, and carried a GPS tracker.

Flying on a CTI Pro54 I165, it flew to 2510 ft and deployed the drogue as planned. The main chute failed to deploy, possibly binding on the altimeter bay lid. The GPS tracker worked fine, and the rocket was easily located. The only damage was a few cracks in the tip of the nosecone, easily repaired.

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