We had just returned from our Switzerland,
Germany, and Austria odyssey and were ill prepared for this July
launch.
Toni and I hurriedly packed two rockets on a moment’s notice and headed
to Maryland’s Eastern Shore early in the morning, just minutes ahead of
the beach traffic. We stopped at Holly’s for a quick breakfast and
wasted
some time at a local Queen Ann’s County Park before it was time to set
up the field at the sod farm.
Maryland’s Eastern Shore had been
receiving its fair share of rain despite the severe drought on
Maryland’s
Western Shore. The sod farm was green and lush and the corn in the
fields
was high as an elephant’s ear. The weather provided clear skies but it
was extremely hot with temperatures in the high nineties. A small whiff
of air would pass by to provide some small relief. There was much help
setting up the field and within an hour the field was ready for some
launching.
The easy to prep R2/V2
was first on the pad with a Loki G80 for propulsion. The whiff of air
increased
just as R2/V2 jumped from the pad. R2/V2 slightly
arced into this whiff until deploying its main around 800 feet. It then
descended under its yellow parachute while drifting past the sod, past
the muddy weed field, and finally coming to a rest at the edge of the
corn
field without any damage. See R2/V2’s routine
flight here.
The next rocket to take to the skies
was Shaken, Not Stirred, with the Q-Cam taped to the sustainer
and a Loki H144 for propulsion. Shaken, Not Stirred bolted
straight and true off the pad and achieved 1,204 feet before arching
over
and successfully deploying its drogue. It quickly descended under the
drogue
before deploying its main at a low 400 feet. Shaken, Not Stirred
came to rest in the soft sod without any damage. See
Shaken, Not
Stirred’s flight and onboard video here.
The weather was still very hot so we
relax somewhat while drinking plenty of liquids. Toni assisted in
registering
new flyers and collecting launch fees. I helped with the bucket of
rockets
until it was time to pack the field for the night. The air conditioning
was cranking in the HighLander on the way home but it was a quick swim
in the pool that brought us back to life from the day’s heat. Until the
next launch . . .
