Joe Cooney launch report
May 12, 2014
First off, thanks to Alan for stepping up for the duty to put this launch together. A specials Congrats to Mark Howe, it has been a long while since someone has put up more flights than me.Continue reading "Joe Cooney launch report"
Posted by bobble at 6:43 AM | Comments (0)
Dave Glass launch report
I guess I'll put in my two cent's worth.....First, let me add to the thanks for Allan setting this thing up and Dave Luders for the emergency facilities.Continue reading "Dave Glass launch report"
Posted by bobble at 6:38 AM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe Launch Report
May 11, 2014
“I finally beat Joe in # of flights”! It was close...and it has been quite awhile since I captured the coveted “most flights” title. I flew 12 rockets ranging from a Ninja on an A3-4T motor to a Estes Patriot on a cluster of 4 D12-7’s (which equates to a F48-7).Continue reading "Mark Howe Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 2:08 PM | Comments (0)
May launch complete
May 10, 2014
Well, the weather today was a very pleasant surprise. Arrived to a low cloud deck that gradually cleared to mostly sunny skies and light breeze. Good crowd, steady activity all day. Our next public launch is currently scheduled for Saturday November 1'st with Joe Cooney as your Launch Director. president bobPosted by bobble at 4:51 PM | Comments (0)
Alan Roberts launch report
April 15, 2014
Indeed it was a beautiful day with and fantastic turnout. It was great to see so much enthusiasm for the first launch of the year.Continue reading "Alan Roberts launch report"
Posted by bobble at 1:18 PM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney Launch report
April's Launch is in the Book and hopefully a preview to the coming flying season. As reported Weather was excellent and flying was furious.Continue reading "Joe Cooney Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 7:35 AM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe launch report
April 14, 2014
What a great day for flying! Like Bob, I’m worn out from the days activities. Not only was the weather the best ever for an April launch (as Marty stated previously), but the # of people who attended was phenomenal for our first launch of the year.Continue reading "Mark Howe launch report"
Posted by bobble at 7:39 AM | Comments (0)
Marty Weiser launch report
It was a great day for flying rockets - the best April weather I can remember. Thanks to everyone who pitched in and made serving as the Launch Director easy. An absolutely huge THANKS to Dave Luders for mowing well over an acre of stubble for the launch site – it sure helps that he has the right mower for the job.Continue reading "Marty Weiser launch report"
Posted by bobble at 7:38 AM | Comments (0)
Dave Glass launch report
Well, my personal report starts with one word: RUSTY! I forgot to bring a rocket. I forgot to bring the GSE for another rocket. I forgot to charge my altimeter.Continue reading "Dave Glass launch report"
Posted by bobble at 7:36 AM | Comments (0)
April Launch complete
April 13, 2014
SPARC's April launch has concluded. What a great day for ROCKETS!! Stay tuned for launch reports. president bobPosted by bobble at 6:28 PM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe November Launch report
November 12, 2013
Well, after a couple of postponements SPARC finally held its' (presumably) last launch of the 2013 season. There's a rumor going around that we might have quickly scheduled "pick-up" launch sometime in December, but if it happens it will be a BYOG (Bring Your Own GSE) type event. I inadvertently slept in and arrived at the range later than planned...it was ~95% set-up by the time I parked my car.Continue reading "Mark Howe November Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 6:23 AM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney November launch report
November 10, 2013
It may have taken a few weekends to get this launch in the books, but the third time was the charm. Weather was terrible at my house in the morning, nothing but FOG. I was wondering if it would be that way up north. On the way to the launch site this morning the Fog cleared and the skies were BLUE! Sadly I was not the first person there, nor the second or third. The worst part was as I entered the field the Launch signs were already posted. Bob had beaten me to the launch, unheard of before today.Continue reading "Joe Cooney November launch report"
Posted by bobble at 9:11 AM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe June Launch Report
June 9, 2013
What a nice day for flying rockets, the temperature was perfect. The wind could have been more cooperative but all in all it was a great ending to our 2-day launch.Continue reading "Mark Howe June Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 10:20 AM | Comments (0)
June Launch complete
June 8, 2013
Our June launch is now history. Two different cub scout packs (#340 & 3226) helped keep the range hopping. Weather was great. The knee high wheat made for some interesting search efforts. Thanks to Mark Howe for Launch Director duties. Midway Elementary 5'th graders got in 89 flights on Friday. A total of 18 rockets were lost. 11 of these were recovered on Saturday and will be returned to Midway early next week. This concludes our early flying season as we will now stand down until after fire danger is past. president bobPosted by bobble at 7:17 PM | Comments (0)
Alan Roberts May Launch Report
May 13, 2013
Many thanks to everyone who helped make the "Mothers Day" Launch so much fun. I would list each person's contribution but don't for fear of forgetting someone so I will just say how fortunate we are to have so many people who chip in and do the things to make for a successful launch and club.Continue reading "Alan Roberts May Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 2:44 PM | Comments (0)
Marty Weiser May Launch Report
It was great to get out and see everyone even if I only flew once. I spent all morning prepping for a ground test of dual deployment of one end of the tube in my 4” KISS’DD which is a bit trickier.Continue reading "Marty Weiser May Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 5:57 AM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe May Launch Report
I spent most of my day labeling the trailer and butt-sniffing...only managed to put up 6 flights, 3 of which were gliders. My “Deltie” was a little nose heavy due to a previous repair and needs to be re-trimmed. The “Gemini” twins and “Ci-Ci” both glided great!Continue reading "Mark Howe May Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 5:45 AM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney May Launch report
May 12, 2013
What a great day for a launch. I got out there just after 0800 hrs and found the Dog Pound already in place. Jim and I proceeded to put a couple of rockets in the air right off the bat. I managed three flights before Bob showed up with the trailer. There was some confusuion on where everything would be located, so the early parking was hap hazard in the morning. Finally Bob and Alan showed up with the master plan on how the field would be laid out. A few minutes later the flightline was established by moving every vehicle to a better location and then set up began. I made some quick improvements to the Model Pads and a short time later we were ready to fly.Continue reading "Joe Cooney May Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 1:35 PM | Comments (0)
David Powers May Launch Report
What a perfect day for a launch. I had a good day, thank you all. After starting with a copperhead no light, the next two attempts were A OK and put my Night Job and Gib up nicely on their E18 - 7 W motors. Burned up a few E9-8s and a couple of E12-8s all for good flights. Ended the day with a no show of my Dawg, a Purple and Gold rocket with a BT55 to BT 20 transition toward the top.Posted by bobble at 11:24 AM | Comments (0)
Dave Glass May Launch Report
May 11, 2013
Despite the heat, it was a great day......I was unable to launch three rockets for various reasons, but the ones I did get off went rather well.Continue reading "Dave Glass May Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 11:25 PM | Comments (0)
May Launch concluded
Our May launch is in the books. Good weather, good flights, good fun. Next up is Midway Elementary 5'th graders on Friday June 7'th followed by a regular SPARC launch on Saturday the 8'th. President bobPosted by bobble at 5:16 PM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney April Launch Report
April 15, 2013
Thankfully cooler heads prevailed and Flyers showed up. I did not get a count of the number of cars along the flightline, but there were quite a few. I got there at around 0830 and was joined by Gene Carson a short time later. I personally forgot most of the NEW E9 motors I purchased last week and all of my Parachutes for Model Rockets. So sad, not enough motors for Flying the "E" birds and not enough chutes for the Models. Somehow I managed to get 16 flights in the air (actual number was 15, because of the E9 CATO on Bad Bertha), so I must have had enough combinations to make it through the launch.Continue reading "Joe Cooney April Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 4:30 PM | Comments (0)
Alan Roberts April Launch Report
It certainly was a great day. The weather cooperated and only improved as the day went on. We had a great crowd with a good many flights despite the tepid interest when discussing the go/no go decision. We also had some fun and entertaining flights.Continue reading "Alan Roberts April Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 12:29 PM | Comments (0)
Marty Weiser April launch report
April 14, 2013
I was very apprehensive about the weather, but it turned out great. I got in a total of 7 flights today.Continue reading "Marty Weiser April launch report"
Posted by bobble at 6:28 PM | Comments (0)
April Launch complete
SPARC's April launch is complete and the weather was a most pleasant surprise. Morning was cool and cloudy but we still had the range open around 0930 and steady flights up to around 2000'. By noon or so, the clouds began breaking up and then the sun was out and everyone was shedding layers, prepping rockets and getting some 'recovery' exercise. I think we got in 60'ish flights, only one lost rocket, a couple H-I impulse flights and one very nice dual deploy flight. president bobPosted by bobble at 3:47 PM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney Veterans day launch report
November 12, 2012
Well the last Scheduled Launch of the season is in the books. It definitely took some determination to pull it off and slipping the launch date two weeks. While the weather was bearable with a cloud deck at around 4,000 feet, the winds were calm and the fire pit was warm. There were only a few bodies hanging around at 0900 when the trailer showed up. We milled around and waited to set up, finally deciding on one low pad, two mid power pads and two high power pads.Continue reading "Joe Cooney Veterans day launch report"
Posted by bobble at 6:20 AM | Comments (0)
November Launch complete
November 11, 2012
Decent condituions. Good crowd. Nice fire. Great flights. That's it for 2012. See Ya next year. president bobPosted by bobble at 6:20 PM | Comments (0)
Midway Elementary launch report
June 12, 2012
You just have to love a back-up date. Friday was Midway Elementary schools primary launch date and the forecast was far from optimal so the decision was made to slip to Monday, the designated back-up date.Continue reading "Midway Elementary launch report"
Posted by bobble at 4:28 PM | Comments (0)
SPARC Launch June 9th – Bringing East Coast Rocketry to Spokane
May 29, 2012
This year our launch site is much closer to Wild Rose than normal. We are 1500 ft. from the road so we can launch high power rockets, but our maximum altitude is 3,000 ft. since we are so close to the road.Continue reading "SPARC Launch June 9th – Bringing East Coast Rocketry to Spokane"
Posted by bobble at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney Launch report
May 14, 2012
What a great day for flying and talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire. Congrats to Mark on pulling off an awesome launch. This despite the fact that our usual launch area was freshly plowed and planted. A little searching helped up find a patch of real estate to set up the launch area and a good thing too as this well could be the most attended SPARC Launch ever. I can remember launches with lots of vehicles, but I have never seen a launch where we had to form a line to organize the model pads, how great is that! Two separate but equally enthusiastic groups of kids converging upon a wheat field for a Mother's Day Launch. There was a group of Scouts from up on the South Hill, who invited me out to help them assemble both Baby Bertha's and Big Bertha's late last month and added to that was an Awana group flying Alpha III's. The unofficial, total vehicle count was just over 40, and you couldn't ask for any better weather for family fun and flying.Continue reading "Joe Cooney Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 5:46 AM | Comments (0)
Mark Vanderlip launch report
May 13, 2012
What a GREAT day!!! At first arrival, it was not looking so great—not because of the weather, which was perfect, but the big green tractor! Fortunately we found a suitable area and with permission, we were a go for one of the best turnouts ever!Continue reading "Mark Vanderlip launch report"
Posted by bobble at 5:34 AM | Comments (0)
May launch concluded
May 12, 2012
Wow, what a start to the day. Perfect weather and an early concern that we had nowhere to launch. For reasons that remain unknown, our expected launch site had been planted ...... yesterday. We located an unplanted spot, got ahold of the planter and confirmed foot traffic OK, and finally got around to setting up the range. A steady stream of cars heralded the beginning of our most well attended launch in years. Stay tuned for more launch reports and a flight card count. President BobPosted by bobble at 6:05 PM | Comments (0)
May Launch concluded
May 11, 2012
Wow, what a start to the day. Perfect weather and an early concern that we had nowhere to launch. For reasons that remain unknown, our expected launch site had been planted ...... yesterday. We located an unplanted spot, got ahold of the planter and confirmed foot traffic OK, and finally got around to setting up the range. A steady stream of cars heralded the beginning of our most well attended launch in years. Stay tuned for more launch reports and a flight card count. President BobPosted by bobble at 5:56 PM | Comments (0)
Jeff Halstead launch report
April 17, 2012
The good weather was a first in the four-plus years I have been April launch director. Where in past years we have huddled in either Ray’s or Jim’s RVs sipping coffee and eating doughnuts while waiting for poor weather to break, Saturday’s launch day dawned bright, beautiful and relatively warm.Continue reading "Jeff Halstead launch report"
Posted by bobble at 6:12 AM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe launch report
April 16, 2012
In my efforts to assist in kicking off the SPARC 2012 flying season I managed to put 8 rockets in the air. I arrived on site at 9AM to an expanding number of cars along the flight line. The GSE was almost completely ready to roll by the time I showed up.Continue reading "Mark Howe launch report"
Posted by bobble at 6:50 AM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney launch report
A short launch report for the first launch of the year. I woke up early and packed the car with two boxes of rockets and a few larger ones sitting on the side. My goal was 10 or more flights and I figured I would get out to the launch area early.Continue reading "Joe Cooney launch report"
Posted by bobble at 6:45 AM | Comments (0)
April Launch concluded
April 14, 2012
Sure was a good day for rockets. Clear skies, calm to moderate winds, great crowd, and lots of rockets. Joe Cooney's new launch controller was piece of beauty, and it worked ;-) Stay tuned for a count of how many motors we burned and hopefully a few launch reports. Next launch is scheduled for Saturday May 12'th with Mark Vanderlip as your launch director. president bobPosted by bobble at 4:10 PM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney October launch report
October 30, 2011
What a great day for the last launch of the year at SPARC. Weather was perfect for pushing the upper limits of field and the show was most spectacular, although I did not hear what the exact high temp for the day was, it was plenty warm enough. Got to the launch site at around 0830 and started setting up my rockets.Continue reading "Joe Cooney October launch report"
Posted by bobble at 5:41 AM | Comments (0)
Presidents October launch report
Woke to freezing fog, soon followed by sunshine and blue skies. A few dicey spots on the road if the sun hadn’t hit it yet. Other than cool temps, conditions were ideal. A great crowd showed up for SPARCS annual Halloween themed late October launch.Continue reading "Presidents October launch report"
Posted by bobble at 5:35 AM | Comments (0)
Alan Roberts June Launch report
June 15, 2011
The following is my launch report for the Midway Elementary School Launch on Friday 6/10 and the SPARC launch on Saturday 6/11. Friday 6/10 It was such fun to see the kids and their rockets for the Midway Elementary School launch. Boundless energy and excitement is the best way to describe things. For those of you that have not attended this event before, you really should put it on your “to do list” and tap into some of that youthful energy.Continue reading "Alan Roberts June Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 6:54 AM | Comments (0)
Dave Glass June launch report
June 14, 2011
Looks like Bob beat me to the punch and hit most of the highlights, so I'll just add a few personal notes.Continue reading "Dave Glass June launch report"
Posted by bobble at 5:42 AM | Comments (0)
Presidents June launch report
Forecast called for 50% chance of heavy rain. Web site was down so I could not post a last minute status report. I woke to bright sunshine on the hill behind the house so headed out. The launch site remained partially set-up from yesterday’s Midway event and, based on the dark clouds heading towards us, we weren’t in any rush to complete setting up the range. Before 1000, a cold drizzle started and everyone became best friends with anyone who had a tarp up. The cold drizzle lasted for less than an hour then the nasty looking cloud moved north and our weather improved dramatically resulting in a very warm afternoon of rockets.Continue reading "Presidents June launch report"
Posted by bobble at 5:36 AM | Comments (0)
June launch has concluded.
June 11, 2011
From cold drizzle to hot and sunny we got started a little late but once the skies cleared, we launched till after 5 P.M. Next launch is scheduled for Saturday October 29'th. President BobPosted by bobble at 6:39 PM | Comments (0)
Presidents launch report
May 15, 2011
I suppose one could debate whether today’s weather was better or worse than Mothers Day when we cancelled but we did launch all day under mostly sunny skies with significant breezes and a few rain drops.Continue reading "Presidents launch report"
Posted by bobble at 2:58 PM | Comments (0)
Marty Weiser launch summary
We had 79 total flights using 83 motors. This included one chad staged flight and 3 clusters.Continue reading "Marty Weiser launch summary"
Posted by bobble at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)
May launch concluded
May 14, 2011
Today's May 14'th launch has concluded. Lots of sun, a good bit of wind, and even some rain drops but we launched all day. Next launch is Saturday June 11'th with a pre-launch on June 10'th in support of Midway Elementary 5'th graders. Dave Glass and myself will be performing Launch Director duties. President bobPosted by bobble at 5:20 PM | Comments (0)
April Launch complete
April 16, 2011
SPARC's April 2011 launch has concluded. The weather gods may not have been friendly but they were kind. Stay tuned for a flight card count. Next launch is Mothers Day (Sunday May 8). President BobPosted by bobble at 4:16 PM | Comments (0)
David Powers launch report
June 10, 2010
I would like to thank Mark for his gracious understated "a few unstable" comment. It was not my most successful day in many ways including a Wheat Field Hat Trick.Continue reading "David Powers launch report"
Posted by bobble at 5:14 AM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney WHEATCHEX launch report
June 7, 2010
Another Launch has come and gone and Saturday's weather couldn't be beat! Thanks to all who helped set up and tear down, especially to Mark who did most of the set-up, while I raced home to retrieve the Battery cord that Bob sent me in the mail. Left it right there on the table, where it had been sitting since arriving a week or so ago. I also want to thank Doug and Joel Phillips and young Mathew for spending the night. They alone saved the day by not having to tear down the range on Saturday night.Continue reading "Joe Cooney WHEATCHEX launch report"
Posted by bobble at 5:15 AM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe WHEATCHEX launch report
June 6, 2010
Joe Cooney, the launch director for the event arrived at the site ~8:30 on Sat with trailer in tow. I arrived next about 8:50 and Joe already had ¼ of the range setup. We got busy and pulled the rest of the gear from the trailer. At 9:15 Alan Roberts pulled in as Joe headed back to his house to pick up the connection for the PA system. Alan and I finished getting things connected and tested as people slooowly stared arriving…I was a little wary of small initial turnout, but the crowd got better as the day progressed.Continue reading "Mark Howe WHEATCHEX launch report"
Posted by bobble at 2:48 PM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe Boy Scout launch/event report
May 24, 2010
Thanks to the BSA for inviting SPARC to participate in an unusually large and exciting scouting event this past weekend.Continue reading "Mark Howe Boy Scout launch/event report"
Posted by bobble at 5:45 AM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney Boy Scout launch/event report
May 10, 2010
Well the launch is officially over and in the books. Next up is the Boy Scout Jamboree and then June 5th & 6th launch.Continue reading "Joe Cooney Boy Scout launch/event report"
Posted by bobble at 6:54 AM | Comments (0)
Whitworth launch report
May 6, 2010
What is a college education? Whitworth college physics program offers a rocket class every other year and this was an ‘on’ year.Continue reading "Whitworth launch report"
Posted by bobble at 7:18 PM | Comments (0)
Alan Roberts launch report
April 21, 2010
This is the first time that I have posted a launch report so please bear with this neophyte. First many thanks to Jeff for stepping up to Launch Director duties so we could have a launch and many thanks to Joe for accurately forecasting a beautiful day even in the face of steady drizzle and cloud cover at the start of the day. Great job guys!Continue reading "Alan Roberts launch report"
Posted by bobble at 3:55 PM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe launch report
April 19, 2010
Saw some new faces today… An elderly gentleman who lives north-west of the launch site. He’s seen our signs on Wild Rose Road over the past couple of years, and finally decided to check us out. I think he’ll be back for the Mother’s day launch. Pat Rice, who is the activities coordinator for the BSA Camporee coming up on May 22nd, also paid us a visit along with his son, Marcus. I’m pretty sure he was impressed with what he saw. He also talked to Ann Yanecek regarding the dog-sled organization which may have a booth at the Camporee. It’s still not too late to volunteer! (shameless plug for assistance).Continue reading "Mark Howe launch report"
Posted by bobble at 7:35 AM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney launch report
April 18, 2010
Well the April Launch is in the books and the SPARC Flying Season is under way. Thanks goes out to Jeff Halstead for doing a superb job of getting us started.Continue reading "Joe Cooney launch report"
Posted by bobble at 8:10 AM | Comments (0)
Jeff Halstead launch report
April showers may bring May flowers, but today it brought an afternoon of great launch weather. As SPARC members gathered at Emerson's field before 9 a.m. this morning, rain fell and temperatures hovered in the high 40's. Jim Jopson's motor home became the staging area for coffee, doughnuts, and conversation.Continue reading "Jeff Halstead launch report"
Posted by bobble at 8:04 AM | Comments (0)
April launch concluded
April 17, 2010
The first launch of the season is now history. I left home this morning with moderate rain falling. Soon after 0900 the remaining drizzle fizzled and conditions only improved as the day progressed with steady flights until around 1600 when we packed up and headed home. Next launch is Mothers Day Weekend with Joe Cooney as Launch Director. President bobPosted by bobble at 5:07 PM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe Launch report
November 8, 2009
The last launch of the SPARC 2009 season has come and gone…Boooooo. It was pushed a week from the originally planned 10/31 Halloween launch…Booooo. Weather forecast was real sucky….Booooooo. It was windy all day…Booooooo. Did we have a good time anyway? You betcha’!!! While the wind was present all throughout the day, the rain never arrived, so least we were dry.Continue reading "Mark Howe Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 1:50 PM | Comments (0)
Marty Weiser launch report
We held SPARC's last scheduled launch of the year today under reasonable conditions. Joe Cooney was our launch director. One of Joe's favorite holidays is Halloween and he was very happy to have signed up lead the launch on Halloween. Unfortunately, some things came up and the launch had to be postponed until Nov. 7.Continue reading "Marty Weiser launch report"
Posted by bobble at 6:15 AM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney launch report
Final Launch has concluded for 2009 and despite a bad weather forecast, the early morning hours were clear skies and winds to 10 knots. Set up began on a whim at around 0800 hrs and Ray & I were mostly finished when the first cars started to show by 0845. All together we had 18 fliers accounting for 55 flights. There were also numerous spectators and a local Boy Scout Troop on hand. Actually that was a lot more people than I expected based on weather reports.Continue reading "Joe Cooney launch report"
Posted by bobble at 6:01 AM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney Launch report
June 9, 2009
Wheatchex 2009, The weekend started out with great weather, Midway Elementary showed up around 1000 and things got started shortly afterwards. While the kids were gathering around I got things started with "Brightside of the Road", and Estes Fly it before you can buy it, Pre-Clone. Flew nicely on an E9-6 and I managed to get 10 flights in the first day. I ended our time with the Midway kids by flying "Antwerp's Placebo" a scratch built plunger rocket on another E9. I ended the day flying my E9 modified Baby Bertha named "A to E Flat Jam". All in all a great day with weather being much gooder than last year.Continue reading "Joe Cooney Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 5:50 AM | Comments (0)
Luders Launch Report
May 11, 2009
This is Teresa Luders. Our son Brian invited two of his friends to the event and it was a huge success. As is typical for teenage boys, we didn't see enough KATOs but David manage to burn a hole in one of the pads when his rocket ignited, flamed, then failed to take off. Very impressive!Continue reading "Luders Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 5:17 AM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney Launch Report
Weather was perfect both days, even if I spent most of Saturday watching my daughter play soccer. I got there late Saturday sometime around four in the afternoon. Judging form the flight card stack, Saturday was extremely busy.Continue reading "Joe Cooney Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 5:13 AM | Comments (0)
Marty Weiser Launch Report
I showed up about 9:30 Sat. and the everything was ready to go. I got in two great dual deployment flights in my 54 mm Go Bucks III - Sat. on an I366 to 4372 ft. and Sun. on an I195 to 2843 ft. (big difference in the same 6 grain 38 mm case).Continue reading "Marty Weiser Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 5:07 AM | Comments (0)
Jopson Launch report
Great launch! Arrived Fri evening to Ray and Krys camped S of the flight line. Parked the Den and had a nice evening with Ray supplied pizza. Spring (planting) moon rose to the Southeast looking HUGE.Continue reading "Jopson Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 5:04 AM | Comments (0)
Presidentialaunch report
May 10, 2009
Sure couldn’t have asked for much in the way of better weather this Mothers Day weekend. Last count had 133 flight cards and lots of sun drenched skin.Continue reading "Presidentialaunch report"
Posted by bobble at 5:21 PM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe Launch Report
April 13, 2009
Here's my brief report on the Sat 04/11 SPARC 2009 kick-off launch. Arrived on-site at 8:40AM and was greeted by rain. As the day progressed the rain turned to showers, then disappeared completely. Launching in the late morning and afternoon was cloudy but fine. Ray & Krys and their mobile home were already on site when I arrived. Jim Jopson was next, followed by Jeff Halstead (the launch director) and Bob Y. Unfortunately I was "takin' care of business" for my company and tied up on a conference call...was not able to join the crew for schmoozing until 9:50.Continue reading "Mark Howe Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 5:38 AM | Comments (0)
Jeff Halstead Launch report
Although we got a soggy start, SPARC fliers kicked off the 2009 season yesterday at Emerson's field. While most of the crowd was comprised of our old crew, we were graced by visitits from a few families. Bret Simpkins and his son drove up from the Tri Cities to wow us with his beautiful scratch-built birds. Showing up between and after soccer games, Joe Cooney for once took a second place to Mark Howe in number of birds lofted. Mark flew consistently from beginning to end and had 11 flights.Continue reading "Jeff Halstead Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 5:35 AM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe Launch Report
November 3, 2008
Here's my personal summary of SPARCs last scheduled launch for the 2008 season. I arrived on-site around 9:20AM, setup was already well under way.Continue reading "Mark Howe Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 9:18 AM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney Launch report
The last launch of the season is now in the books; weather was good, flying was better. Not sure how many people showed up, but for a time there were a few parked two deep on the flightline.Continue reading "Joe Cooney Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 9:16 AM | Comments (0)
2008 launch season is complete
November 2, 2008
Conditions were fantastic on Saturday November 1'st when we had our final launch of the season. Check back here for launch reports and data about next season over the next few weeks. president bobPosted by bobble at 7:10 AM | Comments (0)
wheatchex report Joe Cooney
June 11, 2008
Well the weekend has come and gone, three days filled with varying weather, but all things considered I think it was a total success. All in all 100 different fliers put up at least one rocket. That is nothing short of outstanding.Continue reading "wheatchex report Joe Cooney"
Posted by bobble at 2:48 PM | Comments (0)
Wheatchex report Bob Yanecek
June 9, 2008
Windy, rainy, nice. Friday, Saturday, Sunday. That was WHEATCHEX.Continue reading "Wheatchex report Bob Yanecek"
Posted by bobble at 9:39 AM | Comments (0)
Wheatchex report Mark Howe
he SPARC Wheat-Chex launch was expanded to 3-days this year to accommodate assisting the Midway Elementary School 5th graders in launching their classroom built models. It's a good thing we made it a 3-day affair because the weather on Friday (although very windy), sure did beat the rain we had for most of Saturday! I arrived in plenty of time to assist with range-setup , which was completed before the arrival of two busloads of anxious/excited kids.Continue reading "Wheatchex report Mark Howe"
Posted by bobble at 9:36 AM | Comments (0)
Wheatchex report Marty Weiser
We had a great turnout today with less than ideal conditions - rather breezy and some passing rain showers. The Midway Elementary 5th graders along with their teachers, parents, and other interested adults were present in force. I estimate that the 73 students got in close to 100 flights on their Alphas, stretch Alphas, and other rockets. After this well behaved crew cleaned up we held a raffle for about 10 kits that were donated by various SPARC and other rocketeers.Continue reading "Wheatchex report Marty Weiser"
Posted by bobble at 9:33 AM | Comments (0)
Wheatchex report Lou Bragg
Wheatchex 08 was a three day deal with Friday being primarily for Midway Elementary stundent launching. I wasn't able to make it but I heard that the kids had a great time and got to see some really neat demo flights.Continue reading "Wheatchex report Lou Bragg"
Posted by bobble at 9:29 AM | Comments (0)
M&MinM4M Launch report Joe Cooney
May 13, 2008
I was able to start my flying on Thursday, joining Bob along with Whitworth College. Never wanting to pass up a good day of flying even if the weather is less than perfect. Overcast & Windy would be a good description, I managed to get 6 flights in, thanks to Bob for lending me his 12v launch system. I launched everything from an E9 to G80 and a few in between.Continue reading "M&MinM4M Launch report Joe Cooney"
Posted by bobble at 7:22 AM | Comments (0)
M&MinM4M launch report Marty day 2
May 12, 2008
The traditional offering of doughnuts to the rocket gods managed to hold off the rain and allow recovering off all rockets with at most minimal damage. However, it could not stop the wind – 10 to 15 mph all day.Continue reading "M&MinM4M launch report Marty day 2"
Posted by bobble at 7:24 AM | Comments (0)
M&MinM4M launch report bob_day 2
Thanks to all who showed up for Mothers Day. We upped our 2008 membership by 2.Continue reading "M&MinM4M launch report bob_day 2"
Posted by bobble at 7:21 AM | Comments (0)
M&MinM4M launch report Mark day 1
Greetings all, I was the Launch Director for the first day of the 2-day Mothers' Day weekend SPARC launch. Here's my recap and flight statistics for day 1 of this 2 day event. I'm sure Marty (the LD for the second day) will post his report later...Continue reading "M&MinM4M launch report Mark day 1"
Posted by bobble at 7:15 AM | Comments (0)
M&MinM4M launch report bob_day 1
Turnout was light for day 1 SPARC’s “Marty and Mark in May for Mothers Day” launch.Continue reading "M&MinM4M launch report bob_day 1"
Posted by bobble at 7:11 AM | Comments (0)
Whitworth launch report
May 9, 2008
Whitworth College has a physics program that includes a course in rockets. The course is only offered once every two years and last time they picked fall which resulted in a November launch date. Conditions on that November day were slightly above miserable with breeze, clouds, and snow making up the weather. So, this time around, they picked spring with a May launch date. All I can say is it did not snow.Continue reading "Whitworth launch report"
Posted by bobble at 7:52 AM | Comments (0)
Joe Cooney April Launch report
April 14, 2008
Well I woke up at 0600 hrs and took the dogs for a walk. While watching the sunrise I thought this is going to be a great flying day, so I went home loaded the Durango and headed out.Continue reading "Joe Cooney April Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 8:03 PM | Comments (0)
Marty Weiser April Launch report
We had a great day at SPARC today - sunny to high clouds, temperatures in the 60s and perhaps low 70s, and the field slightly damp. As a result we had lots of people show up - I bet there were 40 - 50 cars at one point.Continue reading "Marty Weiser April Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 8:01 PM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe April Launch report
SPARC held its' first launch of the 2008 flying season on Sunday, 04/13. I arrived about 9:15...a little late due to the "fried chicken" not being ready at the local Albertsons's market when I got there, which caused a 15min delay in my travels. There were already half-a-dozen cars at the field and the club trailer when I arrived. After greeting old friends who had not been seen during the looong coooold winter months, we got the range set up and activated the waiver around 10AM.Continue reading "Mark Howe April Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 7:58 PM | Comments (0)
Jeff Halstead April launch report
Dear Fellow Rocketeers, If SPARC members are working their way up the alphabet ladder, they are still largely in "elementary school" as shown by the numbers recorded below: A - 12 B- 36 C- 34 D- 27 E - 22 F - 8 G - 3 H - 5 I - 1Continue reading "Jeff Halstead April launch report"
Posted by bobble at 7:56 PM | Comments (0)
President Bob April Launch report
Well wooHOOOOOO for the beginning of the 2008 SPARC season eh? Of the 16 members we now have, 13 made a showing sometime during the day ranging from member #2 (Dave Glass) and our newest member #74 (Peter Hof).Continue reading "President Bob April Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 7:50 PM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe Launch Report
October 8, 2007
Great weather...great flights...few participants...that about sums it up. After being shut-out of local launching due to fire-danger over the last 3 months, it was a welcome relief to finally punch holes in the sky once again.Continue reading "Mark Howe Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 8:07 AM | Comments (0)
Lou Bragg Launch report
Just a quick mid launch report. I arrived on site to a fully set up range about 9:50 AM.Continue reading "Lou Bragg Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 7:31 AM | Comments (0)
October Launch Report & Stats
October 7, 2007
The weather managed to co-operate for both days of the launch. Saturday was the better day for high altitude flights with broken clouds. Sunday was more overcast but with little to no wind for most of the day. Attendance was light, this made for a fairly relaxed launch with pads available most of the time.
Highlights:
Joe Cooney launched 50 rockets. Including every estes motor currently being made.
Jim Jopson Certified Level 2 on Sunday.
Lou Brag spent most of the weekend drilling, hammering and sawing but somehow launched 12 flights.
My own attempt to fly a screeming mimi on an E28 motor (I swear it worked last time) resulting in a short spinng flight followed by the inevitable thud. Examining the rocket after the flight revealed that the red nozzle cap stayed on and may have caused some off center thrust early in the flight.
Despite a late arrival on Saturday Ray Stoner managed 12 flights.
Stats :
130 Total Flights Mark Howe 12 Lou Bragg 12 Terry Moore-Read 15 Ray Stoner 15 Joe Cooney 50 1/4A 3 1/2A 2 A 9 B 17 C 45 D 37 E 19 F 1 G 1 H 2 I 1 J 2 2 stage flights: 8
Posted by terry at 8:36 PM | Comments (0)
Gregory Ashworth LDRS launch report
July 28, 2007
Yes Hot does seem to be the proper description. I flew a Polecat Aerospace 7.5" Hawk Missle that is the first known field build 7.5" Hawk. Many thanks to Andy Woerner (owner of What's up Hobbies) for his help in construction and the use of his trailer for building. It was flown on a Cesseroni K1440-10 with motor ejection to approximately 4000 feet (no altimiter unboard so exact height is unknown). Pictures from the trip are online at http://innexdigital.com/pictures/rocketry.html . GregPosted by bobble at 4:17 PM | Comments (0)
LDRSpectatoreport
July 20, 2007
Kudos to SPARC member Gregory Ashworth for getting in a flight at LDRS the 3'rd weekend of July near Las Vegas!Continue reading "LDRSpectatoreport"
Posted by bobble at 8:01 PM | Comments (0)
Lou Bragg Launch report
June 15, 2007
Greetings all, WheatChex 07 blasted into the cloudy skies of Deer Park on June 9th and 10th. The trailer arrived about 9:30 AM and we were ready to go by 10:00.Continue reading "Lou Bragg Launch report"
Posted by bobble at 8:00 AM | Comments (0)
Bob Yanecek Launch Report
June 12, 2007
It was no FITS but I'm trashed (again) after a nice 3 days of rockets. I returned home from the Midway Elementary event on Friday thinking I was packed and ready. So, of course I overscheduled my 'normal' chores and ended up 30 minutes late on Saturday morning for set-up duties. A nice contingent (they looked like a lynch mob to me) was patiently waiting for the trailer to arrive. By 1000 things were set up and Lou activated the waiver.Continue reading "Bob Yanecek Launch Report"
Posted by bobble at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe launch report
I only made day-1 of the 2-day SPARC WheatChex launch, but it was definitely worth it! I arrived around 9:15 on Sat, The 4th car on-site (D.Glass, R.Jopson, and another vehicle had beat me). With no club trailer in site, I began to wonder if I had the right weekend! A few calls were made and we were assured that B.Yanecek was "on his way". He arrived about 10min later and set-up began in earnest. D.Glass was the first off the pads...he brought a nice array of scratch-built birds, as usual. He even found time to repair his Robert Goddard "Hoop Skirt" rocket (which I think is a 1/4 scale model of a 1929 vintage). It's always a treat to see Dave's creations fly...(and he makes a mean "ceaser salad" too)! For the third time in as many launches, I came with no rockets pre-prepped for the launch. I did bring a large "box-o-rockets" with me, however, and managed to put all of them up into the sky except for my small 13mm powered glider...which broke after the wind that was present for most of the day caught the glider on the pad and broke the nose. Seeing that as an omen, I waited until much later in the day to attempt additional glider launches.Continue reading "Mark Howe launch report"
Posted by bobble at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
Mark Howe Launch Report
May 21, 2007
Weather could have been better...but it definitely could have been worse! The rain stayed away, but gusty winds were prevalent throughout the day, which grounded all of my bigger gliders. :-( Arrived on site at 9:05AM. The GSE was already being set-up. It does not bode well when the Launch Director shows up 5 minutes late, however the range was set up by 9:30AM primarily due to many helpful hands, and Ray Stoner called to activate the waiver for a high power start time of 10AM. I managed to be the first flight off of the pad, only because Joe Cooney was gracious enough to let me take a place in front of him on the "A" pads. The flight was my Edmunds Tinee...which turned out to be the only glider flight of the day and the smallest impulse at 1/2A. According to a count of the flight cards, a total of 16 fliers shot 45 rockets into the sky, using 53 engines. Motor impulses ranged from 1/2A to a J, with Lou Bragg blasting the largest engine, an AMW J480-BB in his Skeletor. The most flights were put up by Joe Cooney and his "team", which consisted of Gage Pomeroy and Connor & William Waldman. They made good use of our remote "self-launch" button and managed 18 flights. I came in second with 6 flights, and Bob Shaw from Colville was a close third with 5. Bob was the only person to attempt staged flights on this windy day, and tried both B6-0/A8-5 and C6-0/B6-4 combos. He also suffered the only CATO of the day, with the A8-5 totally destroying the upper stage of his first 2-stage flight. Joe Cooney went in the other direction and was the only person to fly clusters. He had a 3-Motor BigBertha/Ranger clone that took to the skies on B6-4's, and a couple of LOC kits that were flown on a 2-motor E9-8 and 4-motor E9-8 combos. Two certification flights took place, one for L1 and one for L2. I believe the L1 cert ended up in the power lines across Wild Rose Road. Not sure if either cert was successful. Three electronics based dual-deployments were attempted. Jeff Halstead flew an I211...the rocket wobbled a little shortly after leaving the pad, and the main chute got fouled in the drogue. It was recovered but sustained a good bit of damage. Lou Bragg used dual-deployment with the largest engine of the day, and had a successful flight...although it did take him a while to find/recover the bird. John Hearns bid for his dual-deployment flight on a H268 ended in disaster. Both the drogue and main charges fired, but not enough BP was used in the ejection canisters. The rocket came in ballistic (far away from the flight line), and is obviously a total loss. We all feel your pain, John! Bryon Schopp made his trek over from near the Mansfield area, and we had a father&son who drove over from Missoula. There were a fair number of spectators in attendance as well. Joe Cooney had the last flight of the day with his AeroTech Mustang (nicknamed Mustang Sally) on a G38-7FJ. Tear down was quick, again due to large number of "helping hands" available. A big thank you to everyone who assisted with the launch. Ray, Krys, Charla, Lou & Katie for spending the night, assisting with set-up/tear-down, RSO, LCO and waiver/registration/wrist strap duties. Bob Y for delivering/removing the trailer, and supplying some of us with an excellent lunch of Brats! Many more people to thank...but I can't remember all of the names. Looking forward to next months 2-day "WheatChex" launch. I'll be thinking about everyone going to FITS in Mansfield next weekend...I'll be in Bellingham over the holiday weekend... Thanks! Best regards, Mark W. HowePosted by bobble at 7:56 AM | Comments (0)
Lou Bragg Launch Report
April 18, 2007
Greetings all, SPARC held its second official launch of the season the weekend of the 14th and 15th. It had its ups and downs. Saturday the 14th could be summed up in one word: RAIN! All day and most of the night. The weather guessers were off by about 8 hours on their predictions so what should have cleared up by 11 or 12 o'clock was still around at the close of the waiver at 6 pm. However even with constant rain we still got off 37 flights. I have to thank Joe Cooney here for his will to launch in whatever. He put out his own pad and launch array and went at it. I believe he logged 17 flights himself. This convinced others and I believe we had 5 fliers that day. Joe Cooney, Mark Howe, Lou Bragg and Katie's nephews Justin and Gentry Schumacher. It was mainly a model day with only a few dips into mid power. Joe flew a myriad of birds including an upscale Deuces Wild, a scratch Mean Machine, Mini Velociraptor and an Aerotech Mustang. Mark had his usual collection of OOP kits that flew nicely. I flew my Lil Nuke on a G40 donated by Brett Simpkins. Thanks much Brett! Justin and Gentry each flew their rockets until they were so water logged and broken they wouldn't fly anymore. Oh well time to get new ones! That was about it for Saturday. I bailed around 6 pm and nearly wrecked my truck during a vicious downpour that had me hyroplaning until just outside of Wandemere. I woke up Sunday to partly cloudy skies with the sun just itching to get through. And boy DID IT EVER! About 10am we were looking up into nearly cloudless blue skies with very little wind. It was time to fly some big stuff. I wasted no time prepping Post Office Special to fly on an I211W. I was using Bob's tower launcher and I must say he has me almost converted! Absolutely straight ripping boost with deployment handled by the Perfectflite. A main at 500 feet set it down nicely just a few hunred feet into the wheat. Easy recovery and an altitude of 3311 feet. After that great flight I settled down and called a flier's meeting. After getting that out of the way it was back to launching. The racks were nearly full all day. Lots of low, mid and high power rockets of all sizes were launched. Some noteworthy ones were Brett Simpkins Nuclear Sledgehammer, Dave Glass' Goddard prototype, Hans Vogel's Fat Boy, Ray Stoner's Charm on yet another J350W, Bryon Schopps first dual deployment flight in his Excel Plus with an I161W Great job Bryon! Joe Cooney was at it once again with some more real neat birds. A 4E cluster rocket that just flew great every time. His upscale Deuce, an Onyx and many others. Kyle Lantzy and his family made the trip from Coeur Da lene, Idaho to attempt his Level 1 flight. Kyle had a PML Phobos that he called Senior Project and flew it on an H128W for a great cert flight! Gregory Ashworth had a heck of a neck snapping flight on his GLR Firestorm 54 loaded with an I 435T. He predicted around a 5400 foot flight and I am pretty sure he got all of that and maybe more. Brett Simpkins had another great flight this time with his Nuclear Stonebreaker on a CTI K445. At One, the igniter fired and immediately lit the motor and sent that big bird hurtling into the sky. I am pretty sure he hit 5000 to 6000 feet with that flight. I flew 3 more times that day. My Lil Nuke on an F40-10W, Post Office Special again this time on a more agressive I284W to 4432 feet that was also absoulutely straight out of Bob's tower and the last launch of the w eekend with a G64-10W in Some Spare Parts. All in all a great day to fly rockets. I must thank those who helped me pull this launch off. Bob, Marty, Ray and family, Bryon and Debbie and everyone who helped with RSO and LCO and set up and tear down of the range. Also big thank to Bill Munds of PSP for making the trek and selling us some much needed AP. Hope to see some of you in two weeks! Lou Bragg Launch DirectorPosted by bobble at 9:14 AM | Comments (0)
Launch Memories
I didn't launch anything but remember some stuff. Joe Cooney: Rain or shine he launched rockets ALL WEEKEND. To say it didn't rain Saturday would have to require minute by minute data. No way around it, Saturday was wet. Yet there was a stupendous sunset with good color on all horizons that evening. Ray Stoner provided shelter (and movies) in his new 31' motor home. Ann Yanecek won 1'st place in a "Healthy Nacho" contest with her "Ceviche Nachos" at a contest at "Downriver Grill". Leftovers were delivered about 30 minutes later and consumed in short order. We didn't even open up the trailer. I'm sure I think I remember 37 flights in a day that was nothing but rain while the waiver was open. Free G-40's had no problem finding airframes. I forget the name but some guy with his 2 kids flew all day. Talk about drowned rats, yet with a GRIN that made you wonder if it was really that miserable. Sunday was a whole different story. An 0300 bladder maintenance event revealed a starry sky. By 0700 the sun was shining and by 0900 the range was set up and ready. Once rockets started launching, I don't think they stopped until time for the waiver to close (1800). Can you imagine getting to the pad and then remembering you forgot the case for your installed motor, The frantic call of "Wait, don't light it" sure was a crowd pleaser. Bret Simpkins and Hans Vogel were up from Richland with some really nice looking rockets. Both are planning L3 certification attempts at LDRS-24. If you count "touching the line", all rockets stayed on-site. Just in case you ask who; Joe Cooney. While we're on the subject, Most flights=Joe C, Closest to pad=Joe C, most clusters=Joe C, First flight=Joe C, most misfires (I think)=Joe C, He'd a had last fight but our great Launch Director (Lou Bragg) was LCO and made sure he followed Joe into the wonderful Sunday sky. It was just after 1830 when I finally departed, guess who was behind me?....Joe Cooney. All in all, a great weekend. Bob YanecekPosted by bobble at 9:09 AM | Comments (0)
January Late launch report
February 6, 2007
Whoopsie, it's February and I never posted the January launch report. Better late than never but late is bad :-( .....sorry. Bob YanecekContinue reading "January Late launch report"
Posted by launchdirector at 8:00 AM | Comments (0)
