Model Rocketry April 2018

Team 508 Rocket Launch

If it’s spring then it must be time for another model rocket launch for Yuma Squadron 508 cadets. We were right on schedule this year with the launch set for the first Saturday in April at Contreras Field near the Yuma Foothills. The members of Yuma Aeromodelers Club kindly made the field available to us so we could safely launch our rockets, away from the more populated areas in our vicinity. We earned their generosity by helping to organize and direct automobile parking during the annual Air Show event in late February.

I have been encouraging cadets to earn the CAP Model Rocketry Badge by covering required knowledge tasks and hands-on activities as part of our monthly Aerospace Education (AE) schedule. Cadets must also pass the three required open book quizzes on their own. Quizzes are accessed online through the CAP eServices web site. The rocket launch is the final step in earning the badge and patch.

The first objective in achieving a successful rocket launch is to secure an arsenal of model rockets. To start with we had a number of rockets left over from last year’s launch. The ARF (not a dog vocalization) almost ready to fly rockets by Estes have proved to be quite durable for us. But there were additional rockets we needed to build. Construction was carried out in our conference room at the CAP hangar during the March AE meeting. I provided three of the more advanced Estes rocket kits. These were either two stage rockets or rockets with cargo carrying capability. Building these types of rockets is required to complete the Stage 3-Saturn module of CAP Model Rocketry basic model rocketry program. Cadets formed three groups to cooperatively build out the kits. The models were the most complicated we have attempted over the last two years. Kits had a high degree of construction and detailing difficulty. Unfortunately, the finished rockets seemed to be a bit more fragile than their ARF cousins.

Plan of the evening: Build 3 model rockets

The day of the launch dawned with clear skies and a promise of light winds, ideal conditions for model rocketry. We arrived at Contreras Field and quickly set up our two launch pads and a rocket preparation area to load engines and pack recovery parachutes. A small canteen area was provisioned with cold water, chocolate chip cookies, muffins, and of course, candy bars. Sugar is an important component in providing the high energy levels needed to launch and retrieve spent rockets. The ARF rockets provided great entertainment, especially when they were configured with C6-5 engines. 

Eggscaliber and an ARF side-by-side ready for launch

Launches were generally vertically true and rockets reached a satisfying altitude before the secondary charges deployed the orange and white parachute recovery systems. The two stage rockets were problematic due to construction problems. We could only use the booster stage of one of the rockets. However, this rocket proved to be a true crowd pleaser because of its impressive length and the multiple pieces that deployed at apogee. The slower acceleration at ignition also appeared more realistic than the less massive rockets we were launching. The cargo carrying rockets were entertaining. We launched 3 hardboiled eggs but the nose cone fell off at altitude each time and the egg fell out, vividly demonstrating the laws of gravity. We were slow to conclude that a little Scotch Tape would have solved this problem. Suffice to say that the second egg-carrier rocket, Eggscaliber, kept us all on our toes during its launch.

We ran out of intact rockets to launch before we ran out of engines. Nevertheless, everyone had a good time; there were no injuries; and we finished on schedule so the field could be reopened to its waiting, more common, winged models. The group offered suggestions to solve or prevent the various modes of failure we observed while launching our rockets. Take home conclusions to save for next year. We loaded up the van and headed back to our hangar to rest up after an energetic morning. Final numbers are not in yet but approximately six of the cadets completed the final requirement for their Model Rocketry badges. Awards will be made to each at an upcoming squadron meeting.