Yuma 508 Model Rocket Launch

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.