Second Annual Rocket Launch
Yuma Squadron 508 held its second annual model rocket launch
today at Contreras Field in Yuma.
Fifteen cadets and senior members participated in the event. We had 12 rockets
to work with this year, including one two-stage model and another with a
payload capable compartment. The team recorded 39 individual launches. A number
of cadets attended as their final requirement for the CAP Model Rocketry Badge.
This award is relatively rare among CAP cadets and we congratulate our dedicated
cadets for their outstanding achievement.
 |
| Mission Control |
 |
| 2 Rockets ready to go on the pad |
 |
| Fearless leader on the radio |
 |
| Speeding out of the frame |
 |
| On its way |
 |
| Ditto |
 |
| Chute deployed |
 |
| Coming in for a safe landing |
 |
| How to grab a rocket by its tail |
 |
| Contemplating what could have been |
|
| The team hard at work |
Weather conditions could not have been better. There were
clear blue skies and calm to light winds. The launchers were adjusted to
compensate for anticipated wind drift. Almost all the rockets landed within the
boundaries of Contreras Field. Failure of chute deployment was one of the more
common problems with this year's hand-build rocket kits. We recorded one
dramatic nosecone first impact. It is a good thing our safety officers
took their responsibilities seriously.
I boiled up a few large grade AA eggs for our cargo
launches. It was a good thing the eggs were hard boiled because all landings
featured cracked shells. One egg was splattered all over the pavement a la humpty dumpty.
Down range we had a pair of cadets taking angular
measurements to the apogee of each rocket flight. Then they used the
trigonometric tangent function to calculate the altitude reached by each rocket
launch. The winner this year flew to a record 1,375 feet using a C6-5 engine.
 |
| Maiden Flight |
 |
| Ground Check of the controls |
Also, the quadcopter we built from a STEM kit provided by
the Air Force Association flew for its maiden flight. Our experienced pilot had
little trouble controlling the craft. Unfortunately we do not have tandem
control capability so first flights by cadets were bound to be rocky. In a
short period of time we registered two crashes. Luckily a NTSB investigation
will not be necessary. The quadcopter is relatively hardy. It will need to go
back to the drone hospital for some minor repairs however before we can give it
another try. A trip to Lowe's for small zip ties is on the agenda. It was
amazing to see the quadcopter fly for the first time after all the hours of
effort that went into the build, battery charging, and controller programming.
All in all, I would say that we had an extremely successful
model rocket launch. Everyone involved seemed to have a good time. The number
of launches in just a few hours was impressive. We would like to express our
gratitude to Yuma Aeromodelers for letting us use their airfield and displacing
their usual fliers on a Saturday morning for this impressive event. Hope you
all enjoy the attached images.
