Colorado Model Rocketry Championships VIII – November 21st, 1998

competition

By Bruce
Markielewski

    In spite of
predictions of highwinds with gusts up to 70 miles per
hour, Saturday, November 21st turned out to a great day
for our annual contest. The winds were calm all day, and
with 60 degree temperatures, we had a full day of flying.
This was probably the best launch day we’ve had in
years.

    Along with a large group of scouts
and our usual sport flyers, eleven competitors attempted
to set or break many of the current NAR duration records.
While one objective was to set as many records as
possible as a group, this was also our annual
championship contest, and the contestant with the highest
score would be this year’s winner. Since the format of
this contest was different than usual, with competitors
choosing their own events, and without a limit on the
number of events that could be flown, a unique scoring
method was chosen. For each record set or surpassed,
points are awarded based on the weighing factor for the
event and the contest place for the event (see the
contest rules in the previous C.R.A.S.H. Landings
issue).

    In the “C” division, Mel Gray
outlasted everyone in the championship, setting or
beating records in three of the five events he attempted.
Mel set records in “1/4A” Super-roc Duration, and
bettered his already pending record in “D” Eggloft
Duration. He also beat an existing record in “1/4A”
Streamer Duration by a wide margin. A 407 second flight
in “C” Parachute Duration would have decimated the
current record, if only he could have found the model!
His 230 point total for the contest was the best of the
group, firmly establishing himself as a one of the top
competitors in the area.

    Dennis Nicks won the “most
persistent” award, flying ten flights in six events. His
record setting flight in “E” Eggloft Duration and second
place in “D” Eggloft Duration were enough for a 222 point
total and second place in the contest. Bruce
Markielewski’s first flight in “1/4A” Super-roc Duration
set a record for a while until bettered by Mel, but his
amazing “E” Boost Glider flight of just under eight
minutes set a NAR record that could last quite a long
time.

    Four other “C” Division entrants
tried hard to set records, but fell a bit short. New
member David Kauffman had a great time in his first
contest ever, flying nine times in seven events. Dwight
Kimsey’s fluorescent pink “G” Super-roc was a crowd
favorite, but recovery system problems thwarted two
attempts at records.

    Martin Visnak’s “B” Parachute
Duration attempt of nearly 3 minutes was a fine time for
a normal contest, but this was a tough event to try to
beat the current record. Todd Williams’ heavy work
schedule limited his participation to two “F” powered
events. His giant Edmond’s Aerospace ECEE Rocket Glider
shredded on liftoff. His “F” Eggloft Duration attempt
looked to be a fine record setting flight, until the
shock cord mysteriously broke during the return to
earth.

    With only one “B” Division
competitor, combining with “A” division was a logical
choice. Paul Gray’s two record beating flights in “1/4A”
and “1/2A” streamer duration propelled him to a clear
first. He would have set another record in “C” Parachute
Duration with a time over ten minutes, but the model was
not returned. Christiana Williams had a record setting
flight in “E” Streamer Duration, enough for second place
overall. Mile Shea and newcomer Ashley Kauffman each had
six record attempts, but none were quite enough to beat
the current records.

    This contest turned out to be more
popular than expected, not just for the competitors, but
for the spectators as well. No doubt we’ll try this kind
of event in the future, but the next challenge for our
members will be COSROC’s Winterfest VlII on January 2,
1999 (“F” Helicopter Duration, “D” Dual Eggloft Duration,
and “1/4A” Parachute Duration). Let’s have a large
turnout for this event, and show them who’s the best in
Colorado!

Contestant (Division) Record Event Flown Time
Seconds
New Record? 
  WF
  Place Pts.
  Score
  Total
Mel Gray (C) “C” Parachute Duration DQ-NDP
0
No
9
0
0
Mel Gray (C) “C” Parachute Duration NO-RET
407
No
9
0
0
Mel Gray (C) “D” Eggloft Duration 5:20.35
320
Yes
9
10
90
Mel Gray (C) “1/4A” Super-roc Duration 1:10.65
71
Yes
7
10
70
Mel Gray (C) “1/4A” Streamer Duration 0:49.53
50
Yes
8
10
80
240
Dennis Nicks (C) “A” Parachute Duration DQ-SEP
0
No
7
0
0
Dennis Nicks (C) “A” Parachute Duration DQ-SEP
0
No
7
0
0
Dennis Nicks (C) “A” Parachute Duration DQ-SEP
0
No
7
0
0
Dennis Nicks (C) “A” Parachute Duration 1:38.74
99
No
7
0
0
Dennis Nicks (C) “1/4A” Super-roc Duration    
 		 DQ-US
0
No
13
0
0
Dennis Nicks (C) “C” Parachute Duration 2:00.00
120
No
9
0
0
Dennis Nicks (C) “D” Eggloft Duration 1:12.72
73
Yes
17
0
0
Dennis Nicks (C) “D” Eggloft Duration 1:14.52
75
Yes
9
6
54
Dennis Nicks (C) “E” Eggloft Duration 2:16.69
137
Yes
18
10
180
Dennis Nicks (C) “F” Eggloft Duration DQ-NDP
0
No
20
0
0
234
Bruce Markielewski (C)    
 		 “1/4A” Super-roc Duration 0:44.61
45
Yes
7
6
42
Bruce Markielewski (C) “1/2A” Super-roc Duration 1:21.03
81
No
13
0
0
Bruce Markielewski (C) “1/2A” Super-roc Duration 1:01.72
62
No
13
0
0
Bruce Markielewski (C) “C” Super-roc Duration DQ-SEP
0
No
15
0
0
Bruce Markielewski (C) “E” Boost Glider Duration DQ-RB
0
No
23
0
0
Bruce Markielewski (C) “E” Boost Glider Duration 7:58.48
478
Yes
12
10
120
162
Martin Visnak (C) “B” Parachute Duration 2:58.58
179
No
8
0
0
Martin Visnak (C) “C” Parachute Duration NT
9
Todd Williams (C) “F” Boost Glider Duration DQ-SHR
0
No
25
0
0
Todd Williams (C) “F” Eggloft Duration DQ-SEP
0
No
20
0
0
Dwight Kimsey (C) “G” Super-roc Duration DQ-US
0
No
20
0
0
Dwight Kimsey (C) “G” Streamer Duration DQ-SEP
0
No
14
0
0
David Kauffman (C) “C” Streamer Duration 0:27.00
27
No
10
0
0
David Kauffman (C) “A” Parachute Duration 0:32.63
33
No
7
0
0
David Kauffman (C) “A” Parachute Duration DQ-UNS
0
No
7
0
0
David Kauffman (C) “B” Boost Glider Duration 0:18.70
19
No
19
0
0
David Kauffman (C) “C” Parachute Duration 2:14.85
135
Yes
9
0
0
David Kauffman (C) “C” Parachute Duration 2:42.15
162
Yes
9
10
90
David Kauffman (C) “1/2A” Parachute Duration 1:05.61
66
No
7
0
0
David Kauffman (C) “1/2A” Helicopter Duration 0:14.59
15
No
19
0
0
David Kauffman (C) “B” Super-roc Duration DQ-CR
0
No
14
0
0
90
Paul Gray (B) “C” Parachute Duration NO RET
0
No
9
0
0
Paul Gray (B) “1/4A” Streamer Duration 0:46.54
47
Yes
8
10
80
Paul Gray (B) “1/2A” Streamer Duration 1:29.33
89
Yes
8
10
80
Paul Gray (B) “B” Streamer Duration 3:27.67
208
No
9
0
0
160
Christiana Williams (A) “E” Streamer Duration DQ-SEP
0
No
12
0
0
Christiana Williams (A) “E” Streamer Duration 0:54.09
54
Yes
6
10
60
Christiana Williams (A) “G” Streamer Duration DQ-US
0
No
14
0
0
60
Miles Shea (A) “1/4A” Streamer Duration 0:06.07
6
No
8
0
0
Miles Shea (A) “C” Boost Glider Duration 0:12.63
13
No
20
0
0
Miles Shea (A) “D” Streamer Duration 0:49.61
50
No
11
0
0
Miles Shea (A) “D” Streamer Duration 1:20.35
80
No
11
0
0
Miles Shea (A) “A” Parachute Duration DQ-SEP
0
No
7
0
0
Miles Shea (A) “1/2” Boost Glider Duration 0:09.21
9
No
17
0
0
Ashley Kauffman (A) “B” Parachute Duration 0:26.22
26
No
8
0
0
Ashley Kauffman (A) “B” Parachute Duration DQ-SEP
0
No
8
0
0
Ashley Kauffman (A) “B” Streamer Duration 0:34.43
34
No
9
0
0
Ashley Kauffman (A) “B” Streamer Duration 0:46.00
46
No
9
0
0
Ashley Kauffman (A) “B” Streamer Duration 0:31.73
32
No
9
0
0
Ashley Kauffman (A) “A” Parachute Duration 0:22.80
23
No
7
0
0