The coolest rocketry tool (not) in your range box

Transcription

1 May - Jun 2012 Newsletter of the Pittsburgh Space Command NAR Section #473 National Champion Section 2011 The coolest rocketry tool (not) in your range box The Key Fob Video Camera By Art Nestor The picture on the left was pulled from a video recorded by a Key Fob Video Camera (shown above). The photo was taken just after parachute ejection. In the photo, take note of the rocket, the red crepe paper recovery wadding, the orange thin mil parachute and its shroud line, the Kevlar cord that attaches the parachute to the payload section and finally the black snap swivels. The strange green object at top is actually a single frame distortion of the image of a second parachute caused by motion and the closeness of the parachute to the camera lens. Something like this happens occasionally and is not a common occurrence. Digital video can do strange things. See article starting on page 3.

2 TEAM PITTSBURGH is published bimonthly by the Pittsburgh Space Command NAR Section #473 Uncopyrighted material appearing in TEAM PITTSBURGH may be reprinted provided proper credit is given to the author and to TEAM PITTSBURGH. AD SPACE in TEAM PITTSBURGH is available free to members in good standing. PSC Yearly dues: 17 & under --- $ & over & family - $14.00 (Membership includes newsletter subscription) Send PSC dues to: Jerry Kraus 301 Stoneybrooke Drive Cheswick, Pa NOTE: Make Checks payable to Pittsburgh Space Command PSC OFFICERS for 2012 President John Pace Vice President John Brohm Treasurer Jerry Kraus Section Advisor Rod Schafer TP Editor Art Nestor Webmaster Mike Hardobey Website Submit articles for publication to: Art Nestor 230 Arthur Street Zelienople, Pa artpeg@hotmail.com The Pittsburgh Space Command Is dedicated to the advancement of safe model rocketry. 05/15/12-75 Opportunities Abound If you haven t made it out to the Weber Farm launch site yet you re missing a great opportunity. First time flyers continue to be amazed at the field. Several have commented that it equals or surpasses launch sites previously used for some NAR national events. The large field is easy to get to, not far from major restaurants and stores, and the land owner has been extremely friendly to our club. It is by far the best field PSC has had yet. If you see Rick Weber or any of his family at a launch, thank them for their generosity in allowing us to fly there. Bring out all those good models you aren t going to fly at Camp Lutherlyn and tell other flyers about our new field! Another opportunity is the Spaghetti dinner fund raiser to help raise money for Rod Schafer s Internats trip later this year. He s not just representing the good old USA but also Pittsburgh and PSC. Check out the details on the back cover. George Pike writes on page 18 about the opportunity to fly with Tripoli Pittsburgh at their Dragon s Fire launch site. There you ll have the chance to see some NEW ADDRESS? NEW PHONE NUMBER? CONTACT: Jerry Kraus 301 Stoneybrooke Drive Cheswick, Pa Phone: (724) ATTENTION NAR SECTIONS: Please send newsletter exchanges to: John Pace 111 Crystal Springs Drive Cranberry Twp., Pa Phone: (724) big rockets and people not usually seen at a PSC launch. If the weather doesn't cooperate for one of our launches, perhaps it will for a Tripoli launch and you re welcome to fly there. New products and upcoming competitions are opportunities to expand your skills. Thanks It looks like Team Pittsburgh s last 8 page issue prompted some members to put down the glue bottle and pick up the pen, so to speak. Thank you guys. I think this is a great issue. But the next deadline is just seven weeks away so keep those contributions coming! See you at our next launch! Rt. 228 Suite L1, Cranberry Twp., Pa HOURS: MON THRU FRI 10-9, SAT 10-8, SUN 11-5

3 The Key Fob Video Camera By Art Nestor Okay, pay attention. Listen up. You over there in the Old 54 hat, this means you too. Run, don t walk, to your nearest internet connection and order Key Fob camera 808 #16 sold by digitalele889 on EBAY. Kids you CAN try this at home. It is the coolest rocketry tool NOT in your range box. A couple of years ago, at a regular PSC launch at Camp Lutherlyn, I overheard a visiting flyer expounding enthusiastically about the key fob camera (also referred to as a key cam) he had put on a two stage rocket (the name key fob refers to the camera s appearance to an automobile remote that is attached to your keys). I had already heard of the key fob camera and without saying anything to the flyer, I mentally dismissed the use of the camera thinking that the video would be of low resolution. While the video resolution from this flyer s camera was probably better than I had imagined, recent improvements have greatly upgraded the camera even further to 720P High Definition and improved color recording. You guys know that I m always fooling around with a camera on one of my rockets. I have flown and taken aerial images with a wide range of cameras, including the Estes Camroc, Cineroc, Astrocam and Oracle, plus the wireless Booster Vision mini-cam, the FlyCamOne 2, Aiptek handheld HD video camera and now the Key Fob 808 #16. In addition I have experimented with the FlyCamOne 3 and the FlyCamOne HD. I have spent more money on cameras, motors and film developing than I care to admit. I have flown with Cineroc master Herb Desind. And some of us remember Mort flying his Disc camera at PSC launches. But I have to admit that the key fob camera has literally revolutionized my aerial image taking. Modern personal computers, the internet, and the age of compact digital cameras has made aerial photography so much easier now that there is no reason for you not to have an aerial camera in your range box. And the key fob camera costs just under $40! But wait - there s more! It comes with a USB cable and keychain! But wait - there s even more! I will share with you the methods that I use to obtain superior video during the longest and most challenging part of an aerial camera s recording - the descent by parachute. Just tape it onto your rocket and you can video an entire rocket s flight from ignition to landing as if you were actually onboard the rocket! Think of it this way. Since February this year, I have easily taken more aerial images than all of my previous year s flying combined. Modern video software can break down the key fob s 30 frames per second video into individual photos and allow you to make any frame a separate photo. I made a ten minute movie containing over 18,000 frames or individual pictures! And that is but a fraction of my collection. The folder on my computer holding the key fob videos and pictures is currently 7.26 GB in size! At 30 frames per second, there are many frames similar in composition. That is to say, many pictures vary only slightly in appearance. But that often allows me to select a photo with the main subject perfectly framed such as the one of the Weber Farm on page 5. The key fob camera 808 #16 also records great sound, displays the date and time (adjustable) and can record up to minutes on a micro SD card available separately for about $5 (the Estes Oracle records for only about 32 seconds!). I have been using 4 GB class 4 cards. You can record multiple videos on a single card, the number dependant on each video s length or file size. Class 4 cards seem to work well with the key fob camera and are recommended. Since I can t show you video in our newsletter I ve included a few frames pulled from my videos. I have video/photographed ignition, booster separation from both the first and second stage perspectives, parachute ejection, parachute deployment, other rockets in flight, a 3

4 4

5 cato, a lawndart landing and touchdowns that include me running up trying to catch the rocket. What s great is that even a poor flight will yield some usable video and photos often never available from a good flight. Two different manuals (written in correct English) are freely available and downloadable. The camera has an incredible following and meticulous support from serious enthusiasts through two different websites. Go to the website for pages of information and a link to the RC Groups.com key fob camera thread started by Tom Frank. The camera, while not indestructible by any means, is reasonably durable. For example, one of my cameras became lodged in a tree. It remained outside completely exposed to the elements for 26 days. It rained, temperatures dropped into the thirties. But the video was not affected and the camera still works! I would be careful to avoid dropping the camera on a hard surface or a similar shock. The camera records in Apple Quick Time in a type of widescreen format. Quicktime 7 can be downloaded free online. If you don t have video editing software it can be downloaded free but due to some missing codec problems I couldn t solve, I purchased Pinnacle Studio Ultimate HD software. A codec in this case is software that will convert one video/audio format to another, for example, Quick Time to the more common AVI format. One free software is Windows Live Movie Maker, but there are others. There is a little learning curve to using video editing software that you ll have to master to make a DVD movie from numerous aerial recordings. If you decide to order a key fob camera, be sure to order the key fob 808 #16 from a reliable dealer such as digitalele889. There are fakes known to exist and you want the #16 version to get the camera with the latest updates. The camera does come from China, a situation I am not entirely pleased with, but at least the dealer is reliable, knowledgeable and s in reasonably well written English. It will take a couple weeks to get the camera through the mail. To get the camera skyward, I recommend using rockets with about a BT-60 (approximately 1.6 ) size diameter. For low altitudes I scratch-built a stretch Estes Omega rocket for use with 24mm motors (E9-4, E30-7, F21-6 and F32-6T). For higher altitudes use the LOC Precision Weasel to fly on a G If you re daring, and you need to be a little daring in aerial photography, you could fly the Weasel on a 29mm H motor. In aerial photography, size does matter. But bigger is not necessarily better. We want a minimum diameter rocket or close to it. Better video could be obtained with a camera that records 1080P HD at 60 frames per second. Such cameras do exist but are much bulkier, heavier, and expensive. A rocket designed to carry such a camera would require larger more expensive motors, possibly requiring FAA clearance, not to mention the more difficult construction. Remember, the point is to get back as much aerial video or photos as you can. A minimum diameter model rocket can fly under the radar so to speak and in a smaller field closer to good subject matter such as buildings and population centers. For now, fly the key fob 808 #16 while the 1080P version is (possibly) under development. I have experimented a lot with this camera and I m willing to share my experiences to help save you money. I do not recommend purchasing more expensive cameras from popular rocket supplier companies. For the moment, this is my camera of choice. **************** 5

6 NAR needs MOMS! By Scott Alexander NAR# Look at the powerhouse clubs in contest rocketry. The past few years, the clubs that have won national championships have done it with one or more families of rocketeers. They are able to fill out all of the age divisions and accumulate more points, but more importantly when entire families are participating in the sport all aspects of the hobby are more enjoyable. Warning! Our hobby, your club, is facing a grave danger to its future. The predominate life form in the world of the NAR is the SMAG. Yes, the Solitary Male Aging Geek. We are a species with a common interest in smoking black powder, standing in the middle of large grassy fields, and squinting into the blue skies. It may sound like a great existence, but we have a population terribly out of balance. If we are to survive, we must repopulate the hobby with youthful members ready to lead us into our future and ensure our survival. The NAR needs Moms! Scheduling family time is getting harder. There are so many different things that people, especially kids, can get involved in these days that it is hard to find time for the whole family. Rocketry is one of those activities. PSC really has a great family environment and a great group of rocketry families. It is a great sign that the club is healthy and growing. So pack a little lunch, grab a few rockets and motors, put Mom and the kids in the car and head to the rocketry field. You ll be doing your part to save the NAR! Thanks Mom! While Dads and Grandpas are fairly successful at bringing youth to the hobby, it is when you look around and see Mom on the field that you know you ve got something. If you think about it, we work hard to get the kids to go outdoors to play. Mom gets them to eat their vegetables! Mom s have always been the ones who keep things in order and on an even keel. The same is true in the NAR. We SMAGs like to think we have it all under control. We think we re getting it done out there, but the evidence is staring us right in the face. 6 Michala & Scott Alexander at our March 18th launch

7 Old 54 A Level 1 Rocket Part I By John Brohm - NAR #78048 The last installment of PSC Shop Talk (TP #162) discussed the techniques I had used to locate, size, and cut the astronaut viewing ports in a balsa Gemini capsule nose cone (the BNC-60AB, to be precise). Well I have those viewing ports finished but the nose cone is still in primer, so I m a few steps away from a finished capsule. That means Part II of the Gemini article is also a couple of weeks away from being finished, so with the forbearance of our Esteemed Editor I thought I d share with you the work I ve been doing on my Level 1 Certification project, Old 54. The back story for this project stems from the fact that even though I ve been involved in rocketry for a number of years I ve never got around to tackling High Power until now. Prior to the ATF Wars, I was distracted by too many other projects to really focus on my Level 1 attempt; during the ATF Wars it didn t seem so attractive to make the effort. Now that the Wars are basically over, it seems like a good time to revisit this aspect of the hobby. The motivation for Old 54 essentially comes from two sources - Mark Halinaty and George Pike. In Mark s case, he s been toying with the idea of trying his Level 1 attempt at this year s NARAM, and that consideration led to us to working on his L1 project while I was visiting him in Canada just before the Christmas holidays. Mark s choice for his project is a LOC EZI-65, and it should be a great flyer once he has it finished. As for George, well he recently wrote a pretty good kick-in-thepants, you-don't-really-have-an-excuse-not-to-get-your- L1 article for Team Pittsburgh (TP #161), which provided the mental push I needed. Kick delivered, it seems. 7 The inspiration for Old 54 flows from several factors: like Mark, I d like to make my cert flight at this year s NARAM, and that happens to be NARAM 54. Additionally, I thought I d base the ship on a 54 mm motor mount, as that would give me a broad impulse choice between it and a 38 mm adapter. And finally there s my Driver s License, which keeps reminding me that I m the same age as NARAM. There just seemed to be an aura of 54 surrounding the planning of the project that I couldn t avoid, and so Old 54 was spawned. Ah yes, but what kind of rocket? Well for my Cert flight I d like to see the whole flight profile, so that suggested something Low and Slow. Scratching out some ideas in RockSim guided me towards a 4 ship, based on the flight profile parameters I was considering; happily, I happened to have a full length LOC 4 tube on hand that I could use for the airframe. Like Mark s EZI-65, I decided I d also add a payload section. That left deciding on a nose cone, and after a little searching I found a full 5:1 4 ogive nose at Giant Leap Rocketry that would provide a nice sleek look. Photo 1 shows the main parts for Old 54. Photo 1: Old 54 Parts Layout For the fins I wanted a shape that would contribute sufficiently to the rocket s stability margin so that there would be no need for nose weight. This requirement led to a swept back fin design. Given the projected size and weight of the rocket, those swept back fins could be problematic should the rocket land somewhat sideways; there s the potential for enough leverage to at least crack the fin fillets, so I decided to ameliorate that potential by extending the aft end of the rocket with a tail cone. By using the new Aero Pack tail cone retainer, not only would the tail cone provide a more finished look (at least to my eyes), but it would also integrate the motor retainer function, thus killing two birds with one stone.

8 Big rockets require heavy duty fins, so I decided that the material for Old 54 s fins would be 3/16 birch ply. Now it s pretty hard to buy warp-free ply at the hobby store these days, so instead I grabbed some halfthickness ply (3/32 ), cut some blanks, and then epoxied pairs of the blanks together with warps opposing; doing so results in fins that are the required thickness but absolutely flat and warp-free (you can read more about this technique in TP #138). Photo 2 shows one of the fins temporarily installed to test the fit. With the motor mount installed it was time to move onto fins and fillets. This big rocket has big fins, so that means big fillets. Considering the epoxy mass that would be used to form each fillet, I opted to mix in some chopped fiber to strengthen each fillet, as well as some micro-balloons filler to reduce the weight. Photo 4 shows the materials I used to mix with the epoxy. Photo 4: Fillet Filler Photo 2: Fin Dry Fit The 54 mm motor mount was laid out to accommodate the TTW fins; since Old 54 is designed to be raillaunched, that also meant provisions had to be added for rail buttons. I used the technique I described in TP #144 to install mounting blocks for the rail buttons onto the centering rings. Photo 3 shows the finished MMT. Finally, I had decided that I d like to know the altitude of Old 54 s inaugural flight, so that meant I had to add an altimeter package to the payload section. For this I selected PerfectFlight s APRA altimeter, and installed it in a standard LOC 3.9 payload module. Photo 5 shows the finished altimeter assembly, complete with a mini-screwdriver that I ll use to turn the altimeter on with at the pad, through one of the payload port holes. The screwdriver gave me the perfect excuse to incorporate a REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT flag; always wanted to use one of those! Photo 3: Motor Mount Assembly Photo 3 also shows the U-bolt for the shock cord anchor. Photo 5: Altimeter Assembly 8

9 No project s complete without a logo; in this case it s preferable to avoid a flaming logo (that s an inside Canadian joke, but still applicable here ) New Estes Products By John Brohm, NAR #78048 I was visiting with Harry at Hobby Express the other day and noticed that Harry has a number of the new Estes products in stock. Let s take a quick look at what I found. Photo 6: Graphic Designs At this point I have all of the major assemblies on hand for integration; the next installment will discuss paint and finishing. But there s a good chance that the Gemini capsule will make an appearance before then! **************** Perhaps the most interesting item, at least to me, is the new Estes 29 mm motor retainer. It s very similar to the AeroPack type of screw-on retainer, consisting of a two part assembly. The retainer cap is deep, providing enough thread to allow both the hobby RMS case and the High Power case aft closures to be securely captured. The retainer is made from a heavy duty plastic (it appears to be similar to a resin plastic, not sure) and goes together quite smoothly. I ve tested the retainer s fit over a LOC 29 mm motor tube and there were no fit compatibility issues whatsoever. The best part is the cost; each package includes two retainer assemblies for about 1/3 rd the cost of a single AeroPack retainer. I m looking forward to giving these a try; it will be interesting to see how well these plastic retainers hold up to the heat from a composite motor. NARAM 54 July 28 to August 03, 2012 Muskegon, Michigan Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of John Glenn s Friendship 7 flight. Photo 1: Estes 29 mm Motor Retainer Next up, the new Estes Sonic Igniter. These igniters are intended to be used with the new Estes composite motors that are now being released, and as can be seen in the photo below, they are a two-wire igniter very similar to the AeroTech FirstFire igniter. Similar, but different. Now I m a big fan of the FirstFire igniter and have been using these exclusively since they came out, as they are vastly superior in ignition reliability as compared 9

10 to the older Copper Head igniter. But while the First- Fire is an excellent product, I ve found that often times the pyrogen covered tip is too large to slide into the grain slot of a small mid-power motor, like an E15 or E30. Often I have to sort through the FirstFires in my range box to find one that will fit. The Estes Sonic Igniter solves this problem with a very flat bridge tip. I ve had no difficulties getting the Sonic Igniter to slide into any of the mid-power motors that I have on hand. I ve been using Sonic Igniters at the last few launches with great success, not yet experiencing a burn out or a failed ignition event. And they re less expensive than the FirstFire igniters. Finally, the new Estes Tube Cutting Guides. Our friend Russell Cummins has already tried these out and he tells me they work great, providing a fast and accurate way to arrive at a nice square cut on a body tube. Those that like to scratch build ought to find these cutting guides a great addition to the tool box. Photo 4: Estes Tube Cutting Guides I also noticed that Harry has a few of the new Estes Pro Series II kits in stock. These are large and interesting looking kits, and should make for great vehicles to try out those new Estes composite motors. I bought the Ventris, and perhaps I ll get the chance to prepare a kit build review in an upcoming issue of Team Pittsburgh. Photo 2: Estes Sonic Igniter Harry also has a few of the new Estes composite motors in stock, so far the new E-30. This is a 24 mm motor made for Estes by AeroTech, and so I imagine its behavior will be similar to the AeroTech product. I m hopeful Harry will get a few of the new Estes F impulse motors in so that we can give these a try as well. Photo 3: Estes Composite E30 It would seem that the new ownership at Estes is making the effort to reinvigorate the product line and it s great to see some new products that are both useful and economical. Why not drop by Hobby Express and check out some of these new items for yourself? **************** Quest for the Gold Spaghetti Dinner Fund Raiser Sunday June 3, 2012 Faith Hall Puckety Presbyterian Church 12:oo 5:oo P.M. Chinese Auction 50/50 Raffle See back cover for more information! 10

11 PSC Membership Efforts Written by PSC President John Pace Photos by Art Nestor The Pittsburgh Space Command and its officers have always searched for ways and opportunities to grow our membership. We ve exhibited at air shows, regional Boy Scouting events like Campagazna 2010, and the Spaced Out Weekend at the Carnegie Science Center. In addition we ve acted as mentors for TARC, and held classes on model rocketry including the week long rocketry classes at Camp Lutherlyn. At many of these events we ve raffled off rockets hoping those that received a kit would build them and come to a launch. Unfortunately, these activities have yielded little in the way of new members. Some of the reasons people don't join our rocketry cub are travel distance to the site, the lack of a good flying field (no longer an excuse), the absence of a good high power field and the necessary waiver allowing motors greater than a G (PSC has applied for an FAA waiver) and finally the lack of parental involvement. Unfortunately, the last point is one we have no control of and that can have the biggest impact on whether a child or teen carries forward their interest in model rocketry. Harry Schmiedel, owner of Hobby Express in Cranberry has been a member and supporter of model rocketry for many years. Harry carries a wide range of rockets in his store and sells quite a few kits and motors. Based upon his rocket sales, Harry has always believed that we were missing a great opportunity to attract new members to our club. Harry felt that some sort of flyer promoting our club was needed at his store. Last year we followed through with Harry's recommendation and provided him with a few hundred flyers that could be handed out to those who either bought a rocket kit or asked about the availability of a flying field for model rockets. However, we still saw no uptick in launch attendance or club membership interest. So what were we missing and how could we reach out to those buying model rockets at Hobby Express? During this years business planning meetings one item on the agenda was membership growth. Several creative ideas surfaced. After a lengthy discussion the members in attendance decided to step away from the Spaced Out weekend at the Carnegie Science Center and replace it with something new and different. With distance to the site an issue and rocketry traffic through Hobby Express unaware of our group, we decided to hold a rocketry build session at Hobby Express on April 14th one week before our planned April launch. By planning the build session close to a scheduled launch we felt there was 11 more of a chance some of those attending the build session would come to our launch. Pulling off such an event required months of pre planning which began immediately after New Years. The first step in the planning process was to create a new flyer promoting the event that could be handed out at Hobby Express. We also would need some sort of poster to place on a window or wall that advertised the rocketry build session. With the help of Pam Corn, the marketing coordinator at our company, and John Brohm who critiqued our initial drafts, we created a flyer that was also converted into a 2' x 3' laminated wall poster. The pictures on the poster were important. We wanted to be sure it showed that no matter what your age, be it six or sixty, if you had an interest in rocketry our group was right for you. Kinkos printed and laminated the poster at a cost of just over $50. I used our copier at work to print a hundred colored flyers. The flyers were dropped off at Hobby Express in late January and the poster was delivered to Hobby Express in February roughly two months before the build session. The next steps in the planning process were to determine where we would setup in the hobby store, how many tables and chairs would we need for ourselves and the builders and what supplies we would bring. We wanted to be sure the builders had the right tools to build a rocket. At this point, the hard work was done. Periodically, John Brohm or I would stop by Hobby Express and check in with Harry to see what the level of interest was in attending the build session. Harry told us he had given out a lot of fliers and at one point we had to do a reprint of the flyer. On the day of the build session PSC volunteers arrived around 10 am. In attendance were the normal PSC members Rod Schafer, Steve Foster, John Brohm, Art Nestor and yours truly. John Brohm and Steve were smart and brought their own models to build which turned out to be a great idea. It was their activity that drew people to the build tables. We also brought a few finished models, copies of the most recent PSC newsletter, along with both PSC and NAR membership applications. Mother Nature did her part and brought rain on Saturday drawing more shoppers into Harry's store. Although most people who came to Hobby Express made a bee line to the RC area we did manage to have six to eight people interested in model rocketry stop by our workshop. Two or three kids built rockets. We also met with a couple of Boy Scouts who were buying models for a upcoming scouting project and even reconnected with a former PSC member who recently reapplied for membership. We made it a point to stress the ages of our members, the different flying options (sports, competition and high powered) and the great flying field. Although the traffic and level of interest did not meet our

12 expectations, we all enjoyed the event and believe continued build sessions at Hobby Express may yield better results. One important lesson learned is activity draws attention. So the more people we can have building their own models, be it club members or attendees to the build session, the more traffic we will have into our rocketry workshop area. We will continue to search for new and creative ways to draw news members into our club. If you have any ideas on how we can attract new members to model rocketry, please let us know. Hope to see more of you at future PSC launches. Willem Michener age 10 & Rod Schafer Left to right: John Brohm, Steve Foster, John Pace, Rod Schafer and Art Nestor Although these sorts of activities are fun and may draw a few new members into our hobby, kids today are motivated through social media channels like Facebook, You Tube, Twitter, and others. If our club intends to grow and prosper we need to reach out to children, teens and adults through these media channels. We need to have videos of launches both the good, the bad and the ugly. We also need to offer more flying opportunities especially in the area of high power. Although Camp Lutherlyn was limited to "G" motors, Weber Farm can handle much larger engines. To broaden our model rocketry footprint we have applied for an FAA waiver with the hopes of getting clearance to 8,000 feet or more at the new site. This ceiling level would allow members and those interested in model rocketry to fly more high powered models and even achieve level 1 or level 2 certification. Master Craftsman John Brohm hard at work 12

13 Reach for the Sky 24 Weekend Competition & Sport Launch May 5 & 6, 2012 By John Pace PSC President On May 5th and 6th PSC held a two day competition and sports launch named Reach for the Sky 24. The weather was near perfect, especially on Sunday and the farm field still in great shape for a launch. The only disappointment was the lack of attendance by both competitors and sports flyers. The competitors for Saturday and Sunday included Rod Schafer, Steve Foster, Scott Alexander, Michala Alexander, Sarah Alexander, Bruce Canino and John Pace. Sports flyers were Art Nestor on Saturday and the Pike and Cummins families on Sunday. Guest appearances were made by Larry Curcio and John Brohm who didn't fly but offered support to the competitors. Weber Farm had yet to be tested with competitive duration events. It would be interesting to see how it would fare with 36" parachutes and larger for the "A" Super Roc duration event which would be the only model that would test the size of the new 500 acre launch site. During this two day event not one rocket was lost or couldn't be timed throughout its flight. A far cry from what we had to endure at Camp Lutherlyn. In fact, only one flight, which happened to be an "A" super roc duration of nearly 4 minutes managed to drift from the launch pad over route 208 eventually landing in farmland still hundreds of yards from any tree line, a testament to the shear size of this 500 acre farm, now rocket site. In my twenty four years as a member of PSC, I had yet to fly on a PSC field that was near perfect for both sport and competition launch. Thanks to Sam Gordon and the kindness of the Weber family I believe we finally have that ideal field. The weather pattern from Saturday to Sunday were totally different. Although Saturday had more clouds and wind than Sunday, the thermals Saturday were much better. This was obvious from the times achieved in "A" helicopter, 1/4 "A" Streamer and "A" Super Roc Events where the times on Saturday were far better than those seen on Sunday. Saturday proved to be a rough day for the Flying "I" Beam Kids who left the door open for Bruce, John and Scott. However, in the end they managed to take the top point spot in the team and "C" division group. Although the boys secured first place is was not by winning more events, just the ones with the highest point totals. Scott won open spot landing and "A" Super Roc while John took 1/4 "A" streamer multi-round with three max'ed flights of over 30 seconds. The Flying I -Beam Kids won "A" helicopter multi-round beating John Pace who failed to get his piston to work correctly on his third flight. Then after a DQ on it's first flight, the I- Beams nosed out John in "D" Dual Eggloft Duration with a slightly better parachute deployment outlasting John's model by roughly 20 seconds. The team and "C" division also had it's share of DQ's. The Flying I-Beams DQ'd on their first of two "D" dual Eggloft flights due to instability of the model during flight and failure to get parachute deployment. Scott failed to qualify either of his egg flights also due to no chute deployment. However the most exciting and catastrophic flight on Sunday was John Pace's first "A" Super Roc flight. The model was max length with a rather long and thin top section attached to the nose cone that swayed in even the lightest of breezes. The flex in this thin tube section coupled with some wind Sunday afternoon caused the rocket to arc over as soon as it left the pad plowing directly into the ground destroying the model. John followed this disastrous first Super Roc flight with a near four minute flight thus gaining him a second place in this event. The other competition group combined all "A" and "B" fliers. Here, Michala Alexander took the top spot earning over 2,000 points with Sarah Alexander finishing second. Although I did not see many of their flights due to my late arrival at the launch site on Saturday, Sarah gave Michala some tough competition in a few of the events. In time and with competition experience, Sarah will become a stiff competitor that will one day challenge Michala and others for the top spot in these divisions. For those of you looking to compete, be reminded that we have another two day regional competition (SCST) and sports launch at Weber Farm next month scheduled to be held June 9th and 10th. Rick Weber has promised to cut the grass at the launch site prior to the event. In addition we'll also have restroom facilities on site since there are no comfort stations within 5 minutes of the launch site. If you're a competitor and need one more regional before NARAM, this is the meet for you. The events are set duration of 50 seconds, open spot landing, "A" helicopter multi-round, "B" boost glide duration multi-round, "B" streamer duration multi-round and 200m set altitude. Whether you're a competitor or sports flyer we hope to see you at the June two day launch. Remember, sports flying is available each day so if you can't be there on Sunday please join us on Saturday. **************** 13

14 Reach For The Sky 24 Standings May 5 & 6, 2012 Open Spot Landing Place Contestant NAR # Section Flight 1 Flight 2 Total Points A Division 2 Alexander, Sarah B Division 1 Alexander, Michala C Division 1 Alexander, Scott Alexander, Michele IND Canino, Bruce Pace, John Nestor, Arthur IND Hardobey, Mike IND Cummins, Russell IND T Division 2 Flying I-Beam Kids T /4A Streamer Duration Multiround Place Contestant NAR # Section Flight 1 Flight 2 Flight 3 Flight 4 Total Points A Division 2 Alexander, Sarah SEP B Division 1 Alexander, Michala C Division 1 Pace, John MAX MAX MAX Alexander, Scott MAX Canino, Bruce T Division 3 Flying I-Beam Kids T SEP MAX MAX A Super-Roc Duration Place Contestant NAR # Section Flight 1 Flight 2 Total Points A Division 2 Alexander, Sarah (23 s) 3150 (21 s) B Division 1 Alexander, Michala (59 s) C Division 1 Alexander, Scott (67 s) (139 s) Pace, John NVB (234 s) Canino, Bruce SEP SEP 0 0 T Division 3 Flying I-Beam Kids T (97 s) 2700 (18 s)

15 A Helicopter Duration Multiround Place Contestant NAR # Section Flight 1 Flight 2 Flight 3 Flight 4 Total Points A Division 2 Alexander, Sarah B Division 1 Alexander, Michala ROT C Division 2 Pace, John Canino, Bruce Alexander, Scott T Division 1 Flying I-Beam Kids T NDP D Dual Egg Lofting Duration Place Contestant NAR # Section Flight 1 Flight 2 Total Points A Division 1 Alexander, Sarah B Division 2 Alexander, Michala C Division 2 Pace, John Canino, Bruce Alexander, Scott EGG EGG 0 0 T Division 1 Flying I-Beam Kids T EGG Left to Right: Sarah Alexander, Steve Foster, and Rod Schafer 15

16 Reach For The Sky 24 Meet Champions May 5 & 6, 2012 Place Contestant NAR # Section Total Points A Division 1 Alexander, Sarah B Division 1 Alexander, Michala C Division 1 Pace, John Alexander, Scott Canino, Bruce Alexander, Michele IND 48 5 Cummins, Russell IND 12 5 Hardobey, Mike IND 12 5 Nestor, Arthur IND 12 T Division 1 Flying I-Beam Kids T Sections 1 PSC SOJARS IND 0 84 Four photos opposite page: Top two photos March 18, 2012 launch Left: John Pace, Art Nestor, Larry Curcio, Rod Schafer and Steve Foster Right: George Pike in gray shirt and his son Jeremy behind him with camera Bottom two photos April 22, 2012 launch Left: Rod Schafer (center) and his Burrell High School TARC Team Right: The launch of Bruce Miller s LOC Lil Nuke rocket All photos both pages by Art Nestor. A Division Champion Sarah Alexander B Division Champion Michala Alexander, with 2nd Place C Division father, Scott Alexander 16

17 At our April 22nd launch, Xavier made his first rocket flight at the Weber Farm. 17

18 Tales of a Traveling Rocketeer: Dragon s Fire By George Pike While it doesn t involve too much traveling, T r i p o l i P i t t s b u r g h s Dragon s Fire launches represent the closest and best opportunity for High Power rocketry in southwestern Pennsylvania. For those not versed in the history, Tripoli Pittsburgh (Tri-Pgh) was the founding prefecture of the Tripoli Rocketry Association, founded by local rocketeers Francis Graham, Ken Good and others, when they were high school students in the East Pittsburgh area. Although Tripoli Rocketry Association is now global, Tri-Pgh retains its status as Prefecture #1. Since 2010, Tri-Pgh has hosted its Dragon s Fire launches at a former farm property just south of Republic PA, in Fayette County. We call the site Dragon s Skull as when we first surveyed the property we found a perfectly complete deer skull. The site sits on a bluff overlooking the Monongahela River and consists mainly of two former farm properties. (Our landowner now leases some of the land for gas wells, but this doesn t impact our use.) The site is not flat, but not as hilly as our former site out in Somerset, and measures about 1800 x 3600 treeline to treeline. Our first year on the site was pretty rough, as the property had basically not been tended to for several years. Scrub trees, brambles and poison ivy were abundant, and while there as a good gravel access road, we couldn t set up the range head where we wanted as the property was too rutted to drive much off the road. Still, we had several good launches. However, after that first year, club members lead by current Tri-Pgh Veep John Haught were able to access some heavy equipment and graded a large new rangehead in the middle of the property, installed a new gravel road to access the rangehead, and most critically, were able to knock down and (as of 18 this spring s launch) nearly eradicate the poison ivy, brambles and scrub trees. As currently configured, it s one of the best spring-summer-fall high power launch fields in the mid-atlantic region. Tripoli s Dragon s Fire launches are usually twoday affairs, with the first day (Saturdays) operated under Tripoli s Commercial Safety Code. This is virtually identical to the NAR Safety code so the launch is open to all fliers. Tripoli-Pgh has an 8 station rack for low power rockets, and up to seven large rods and rails for high power flights. The second day (Sundays) operates under Tripoli s Research Safety Code. This permits the use of research motors (either home-made by the flier, modified commercial motors, or older motors that are no longer certified) by certified fliers. Because there is no equivalent to Research in the NAR safety code, NAR members would not be covered by their NAR insurance at a Research launch. For that reason, you must be a Tripoli Rocketry Association member to fly on a Research day. With a 14,000 waiver, Dragon s Fire launches can support up to M motors. (Although the recommendation is to keep it under about 6,000 with dual deployment, 2,000 with single deployment.) I got my Level 3 at a Dragon s Fire launch in 2010, and most launches will feature everything from 1/4 A motors up to J s, K s and L s. Tripoli Pittsburgh launches about once a month from April through October, a full schedule is listed on the website at The September launch, September 8 and 9, is a joint launch with Pittsburgh Space Command and will also feature a night launch on the evening of September 8. Ken Allen from Performance Hobbies attends most of the launches with his trailer-full-o -goodies (kits, motors, parts, galore). Overnight camping is allowed at the field, and there are motels about 10 miles away in Uniontown. **************** 25th Anniversary Patch On sale now for $5.00. Contact Art Nestor.

19 PSC 2012 launch windows - event calendar Please consult our website at for directions to local PSC launches. You may also contact a PSC club officer through the website or obtain a club flyer (with map) at Hobby Express in Cranberry Township or J & C Hobbies in Penn Hills. Month Day Time Event Where? Comments May 12 TARC Finals Great Meadow, The Plain, VA May National Sport Launch June 9 & SCST & Sport Launch Geneseo, NY Weber Farm June 16 & 17 ECRM Mt. Airy, MD Regional Competition July Sport Launch Camp Lutherlyn Kit Bash Contest & Sport Launch July 28 Aug 03 NARAM 54 Muskegon, Michigan August Annual R & R Camp Lutherlyn, September 8 & Joint Tripoli Dragon s Skull, October Sport Launch Weber Farm Launch times extended weather permitting November Sport Launch Weber Farm Launch times extended weather permitting December Meeting Panera Bread Annual Business Meeting A Special Donation from a Fellow Rocketeer By John Pace At the Saturday Reach for the Sky Regional Competition and Sports Launch, Larry Curcio, a long time member of PSC, donated four rocket kits and an extremely large box of motors from the late 1960 s and early 1970 s to PSC. Larry received these items from a business associate at his company. The executive board for the club decided to donate some of the motors to the NAR auction at NARAM 54, in Muskegon, MI; to use some of the motors along with the four rocket kits for a special PSC auction at the two day Steel City Smoke Trail regional competition and sports launch, June 9 th and 10 th at Weber Farm; and to keep some motors for future NAR or PSC fund raisers. The June launch was chosen for the PSC auction since we expect individuals from other clubs to be in attendance which should help in- crease the amount of money raised for the club. The four models up for auction include an Estes Saturn 1 (K29), an Estes Stealth (#1929), an Estes Strike Fighter (#2015) and an Estes Corsair (#1999). All model rocket kits have been open and may or may not be missing parts. Do to the sheer number of motors I ll give you just a few examples of the motor classification D13-7, D13-3, D13-0, B14-5, A.54-5, 1/2A 8-4 and a 1/2A6.4S. Again, all motors are loose and not in their original packaging. It is our intent to sell like motors in packs of three, or in the case of the mini motors, packs of six. Please be sure to bring cash or a check if you are planning to bid on any of these items. **************** 19

20 20