It has been difficult to attend both launch days over the summer due to personal obligations and scheduling conflicts. This was going to be a hot July day and I seriously considered spending the day in the pool rather than in the middle of a sod farm field where the only shade is the shadow of the guy next to you. However, common sense was tossed into the non-existent breeze as I made my solo trek to the Centreville Sod Farm this Sunday morning.

I made the solo trek across the bay bridge and arrived at the field early. I setup the field and laid back to watch the early flyers test the upper winds. Once satisfied, I prepared Shaken, Not Stirred with an H152 Blue for propulsion and took the rocket to the pad. I kept a careful eye on the ever hungry soy beans and adjusted the rail to accommodate the anticipated trajectory.

I was busy with LCO duties and had to get someone else to take over the launching so I could film the flight. Shaken, Not Stirred bolted off the pad under the blue plume and ascended to 1,359 feet where the drogue chute was successfully deployed. Shaken, Not Stirred descended in the ever so slight breeze until the mains were successfully deployed with a pop. Shaken, Not Stirred descended and despite my best efforts, was swallowed by the beans upon landing. After a short search, Shaken, Not Stirred was recovered without any damaged. See Shaken, Not Stirred fly.

Shaken, Not Stirred was once again my only flight of the day. I provided Launch Control Officer (LCO) duties for the remainder of the day. The launch came to an end around 04:00 PM as flyers left the field to seek cooler temperatures elsewhere. The field was packed away until the next launch and the long journey home was made as returning beach traffic had cause backups everywhere heading west. See the few launches that were filmed here. Until the next launch . . .