January-April 2005

Editor’s Message…
Author: Ian MacDonald

As Colorado makes the transition from winter to summer I look forward to great launch days at our C.R.A.S.H. Bear Creek site. We had our thirteenth annual Colorado Aerial Rocket Circus the weekend of March 19th and 20th, 2005. Bruce Markielewski provided the write up for this issue.
April saw the first launch for the reinvigorated Tripoli Colorado club. Several C.R.A.S.H. members joined TC and we had a great day on April 23 at the Hartsel launch site. Please check our Tripoli Colorado’s website at:

http://www.tripolicolorado.org

In July some of us C.R.A.S.H. members will be helping out with The Rocketry EGGsploration Challenge. Please see the article in this issue and visit their website link for more details.

CMRC XIII Results…

Author: Bruce Markielewski

Our thirteenth annual Colorado Aerial Rocket Circus was held on March 19th and 20th, 2005. Fourteen participants competed in this demanding competition. We were fortunate to finally have some decent weather for the first time this year. Saturday was unusually calm all day, and the contestants were able to get a majority of flights in the first day. Sunday was a bit less perfect, as the breeze was more prominent, and rain was threatening most of the day.

IMAGER
launch-sys.jpg

Parachute Spot Landing is continues to be unpredictable and more of a challenge than it appears. In “A” Division, all three competitors had very close scores. With a 9 meters, Ryan Anthony-Ceres prevailed over his brother Daniel, who had 13 meters, followed closely by Evan Sauls at 15. in “C” Division, Ron Dreasher and Russ Anthony both had great flights of 5 meters, and tied for first place. Bruce Markielewski was second at 8 meters, Steve Clapp and Scott Hommas were distant third (22 meters) and fourth (28 meters) places respectively.
“C” Streamer Duration Multi-round was a study of extremes as there were as many disqualifications as there were great flights. Grant Dreasher was not able to compete, but was able to have his models flown by proxy in the two events he entered. His streamer model had two nice flights, with the first flight over three minutes and a Max (4 minutes plus) on the second flight, taking first in the event by a large margin. Grant’s first flight set a club record for the event, as the seconds one wasn’t returned. Max Dalberth was second place with two consistent flights totaling just over a minute. Ryan had one qualified flight for 51 seconds to take third place.

IMAGEL
russ-glider.jpg

In “C” Division, Bruce and Ron battled for first place, with each scoring a Max and a disqualification, but Bruce prevailed by 27 seconds. His second flight set a club record at 278 seconds. Mark Dalberth scored a Max on his only flight and finished third. Scott was the only competitor with three qualified flights in the event, and finished fourth.
In “B” Boost-Glider Duration, Grant’s proxy-flown model had two very nice flights and finished first in “A” Division. Ryan also had two fine flights, placing a solid second, and Evan was third. “C” Division followed a similar pattern with Scott Hommas taking a clear first, with Russ taking second place. Kevin Kuczek’s only flight of the contest had his R/C boost glider stay aloft long enough to take third place over Ian MacDonald.

IMAGER
jim-glider.jpg

All five competitors in “B” Helicopter Duration were “C” Division entrants, and all nine flights flown were qualified flights. Steve had the two best, and easily placed first. Bruce was a distant second, while Jim Hinton edged Russ by just a second for third place.
Most of the “1/8A” Altitude and “1/8A” Super-roc Altitude flights were flown on Sunday, and the gusty winds made tracking that much harder. Of the 15 tracked flights, only 8 closed. These tiny models were extremely hard to see, and several were lost during the contest. Ryan was the only “A” Division competitor in “1/8A” Altitude, and his only flight didn’t close. In fact, only three flights closed, and all were very close. Steve’s 84 meter flight beat Bruce’s by two meters for first place, but Bruce managed to return his to claim the National and club records. Russ finished third at 74 meters.

IMAGEL
ron-heli.jpg

“1/8A” Super-roc Altitude had a bit more success, with Daniel’s 85 meter flight taking first in “A” Division, and setting a club and National Records. His was the only closed flight in the division. In “C” Division, the results were nearly identical to “1/8A” Altitude, as Steve once again beat Bruce for the top spot, and Russ finished third. This time, however, Steve recovered his model and set the National and club records.
Overall, in “A” Division, Grant Dreasher’s first places in his only two events earned him first place. Ryan Anthony-Ceres took second place with very consistent flying, and Daniel Anthony-Ceres first place in “1/8A” Super-roc Altitude helped him earn third place. Evan Sauls was third in both of the events he entered, and finished fourth overall.
Steve Clapp’s three first place finishes were enough to take first place overall, followed by Bruce Markielewski, and Russ Anthony. Scott Hommas took fourth overall even though he entered only three events. Everyone who entered placed in at least one event. This year’s contest was a lot more challenging than expected, and the new “1/8A” events were a real learning experience for everyone who tried them! The complete results can be found at:

http://www.crashonline.org/crash-cgi-bin/contst?carcis-13

Special Thanks to Bob Ellis, Bill Tigar, Dave Hanson, Jim Hinton and everyone else who helped run the contest and sport flights, and time and track flights throughout the weekend! Your efforts were greatly appreciated, and made CARCIS XIII a successful contest!

IMAGEC
contest.jpg

The Rocketry EGGsploration Challenge…

Author: Mike Waid

The Rocketry EGGsploration Challenge is a space science competition to be held at the Double Angel Memorial Baseball field in Parker Colorado on Saturday, July 30, 2005.

IMAGER
treclogo-sm.jpg

The Rocketry Eggsploration Challenge was conceived and organized by two Parker Colorado businessmen, Ed Ludka and Mike Waid, for the express purpose of educating youth in the values of space science. The challenge consists of three events.
Rocket Egg Launch
Our Rocket Egg Launch competition will challenge participants to design, build and launch a model rocket capable of carrying an egg over 200 feet and return it safely to Earth. Two age groups will be participating (7-13 years & 14-19 years). Winning entries will be those who land closest to the designated landing pad without breaking the egg cargo. The grand prize in each age category will be a 529 college savings account with an initial deposit into that account. Prizes will also be given to second place, third place and the most creatively designed rocket.
Rover Egg Push
The Rover Egg Push will entice participants to create or modify a remote controlled vehicle of their own to be able to push an egg around an obstacle course on a simulated alien world.
Egg Toss Competition
Our Egg Toss Competition is best described as family fun. Pairing off into groups, our participants will take the traditional “egg toss” to new levels of fun and excitement. By seeing who can keep their egg intact the longest, this event will surely be a fun family challenge.
More information can be found at:

http://www.rocketrychallenge.com

Springfest 2005…

Or James and Dave go to Vegas

Author: David Tjarks

There’s something special about a big launch right after you get your tax refund. It makes it easier to go. This year James Russell invited me to go along on his annual Springfest trip and I was then known as Replacement Dave for the rest of the weekend as Dave Hanson couldn’t make the trip due to work.
Tripoli Vegas hosts two big three day launches a year on the Jean Dry Lake Bed, Springfest in March and Turkey Shoot in November. I’d been to launches with large motors before but never to a non commercial launch day or a launch with this frequency of real big motors. I mean M class motors were almost commonplace.
Can the trip out be called uneventful? Maybe. We hit whiteout conditions from Loveland through Vail and we discovered we were going to have to make this drive with two Jack Johnson CD’s, one Kenny Chessney, Larry the Cable Guy and Jeff Foxworthy. No there wasn’t a radio station for a lot of it. We somehow managed to make it.

IMAGER
nike-sm.jpg

After that snowy overnight twelve hour drive we rolled into Las Vegas and managed to hit the $1.99 early bird breakfast at the Station by five minutes. After that we headed south of town the 25 miles to the Jean Dry Lake Bed. Friday was non commercial motors only and the main purpose of James’ trip. He had a wimpy red M that he wanted to fly. I think the breezy day started off with a K followed shortly by many other bigger motors including a 7′ Phoenix put up on a N motor. Ten thousand feet was about par for the course it seemed, James hit 10,700 feet with his flight. We missed Bad Wiring’s flight on a 3 M cluster because we were tired and needed to check into our hotel for the night. Can you believe that Vegas was sold out and the rooms were about twice as expensive as normal thanks to the NIT tournament in town.
I did come up with a real cheap place to stay next time I come to town, I figure I’ll just show up at the seafood buffet at the Rio and stay there all night. A nice place to stay for the evening and all the lobster, crab or whatever you want to stuff down, what more could you want in a hotel room?

IMAGEL
spike-sm.jpg

The next day it was still cool and overcast. The wind was still blowing but at least today we didn’t have to brave white outs and a huge drive to get to the launch site. Today’s launches included a Nike-Nike scheduled to launch on 4 M’s staging to an N. I was also able to launch Spike on a Pro 38 G-79 Smokey Sam. Note to self: dry lake beds are harder to land on than anything short of the road at Bear Creek, bring a bigger parachute. It was a great flight and recovery except for the last half second. I broke a fin, but it could be fixed. One of the other motors I remember was a 54mm Skyripper manufacturer demo flight. These were scheduled to be certified in the next couple of weeks in Arizona by Tripoli so this was a nice treat to watch.

IMAGER
james-sm.jpg

Not all the rockets were big, someone successfully converted a 14″ plastic easter egg to fly on a G. Someone had a 4′ Bomarc on a J350, a 4″ mosquito and every redneck’s favorite – an Honest John with Git Er Dun pasted on the side.
As things wound down for the afternoon and the annual group picture was taken, people kept flying, although some of it was kites and R/C helicopters. Work made the decision for us to go home on Sunday, so we made our way down the flight line saying our goodbyes to people James’ knew and that I had just met and headed off to dinner with Dave Hanson’s mom. She’s a great lady by the way.
On our way out of town the next morning, which was about four hours later than we planned, we financed some gas (2.50 a gallon or something like it) and James called Nadine Kinney to see what was up at the launch. Although it was the first blue sky of the weekend, it was blowing hard and the launch was packed up by 9:30.
On the way back we stopped in Saint George, UT – home of Aerotech and RCS – and bought some more CDs to get us home. I was also able to see a friend of mine’s wife and baby as they lived there as well Twelve hours and some more blinding white outs later we made it home about 1. Riddle me this Batman, who in their right mind would drive a Corvette up the approach to the Eisenhower Tunnel when a chain law is in effect for the trucks?
So the wrap up? Even if you don’t have a High Power certification and want to see something pretty intense and get away for the weekend, I’d definitely recommend a launch like this. Friendly people, lots of flying, little rockets, big rockets, lots of storefronts to buy whatever (I’ve got my eye on a Polecat Tarantula with James) and a good time at a great place to fly.

Launch Photos…

IMAGEC
lapanse-01.jpg

These great launch photos were taken by Ray LaPanse at a recent C.R.A.S.H. launch!

CRASH Business Meeting Minutes…

April 30, 2005

Author: Dave Hanson

Attendees: Steve Clapp, Bruce Markielewski, Bob Ellis, Dave Tjarks, Mark Lionberger, Dave Hanson, Russ Anthony, Ian MacDonald, Todd Williams, and Kevin Kuczek.

IMAGER
spacetime.jpg

The meeting opened with a presentation by Mike Waid of Space-Time, Inc. Mike’s company is sponsoring an event called “The Rocketry Egg-Sploration Challenge,” which is scheduled for July 30. Mike is hoping to collaborate with and operate under the C.R.A.S.H. umbrella, including being covered by the club’s insurance, and use C.R.A.S.H. launch equipment for this event. Mike suggested that the club set up a booth at the event, to help promote the club. In response to Mike’s desire to promote the event nationally, it was suggested that he submit an article to Sport Rocketry. A suggestion was also made that he contact The Rocket Garden to be an on-site vendor. Mike was provided with contact information for them. The consensus among the members present was the club should lend whatever support is needed with equipment and help. Please see the article for “The Rocketry Egg-Sploration Challenge” in this issue.
Next, Ian discussed the next newsletter. He said that he is looking for articles as always, but has enough articles for the next upcoming issue. He has an article on the recent contest, and will get an article on the rocketry challenge. He also received some photos from Ray LaPanse for the purpose of inclusion in the newsletter.

IMAGEL
meeting.jpg

A suggestion was made that a form be added to the club website so that people could join online. Also, better information on how to join needs to be provided.
Dave Tjarks mentioned that the Hobby Town store in Westminster needs more club flyers.
It was suggested that Jeff Mosal be designated the club’s event coordinator; however Jeff was not present to accept this delegation. It was agreed that we need better coordination of Scout groups at our launches.
Then, Todd spoke about upcoming outreach events in place of Kathleen, who was unable to attend. The events coming up are:
– Cub Scout build session at Creekside Elementary School in Centennial on Tuesday, May 10, with a launch on June 11.
– On May 21st, the Scout troop from Abiding Hope will be at the CRASH launch.
– Build session at Mracek Middle School on May 25th and 26th. The students will launch their rockets on May 31st through June 2nd.
– June 25th and 26th volunteers are needed for the Make-It/Take-It booth at the Front Range Fly-In. We might also be launching at the airport. The website for this event is

http://www.rmrfi.org

– Volunteers needed to help with the Rocketry Egg-Sploration Challenge on July 30.
If you would like to help out with one of these events, please contact Todd or Kathleen.
Steve and Russ discussed where competitors should go for their fourth contest. It was mentioned that UROC is having its contest on May 14 and 15, and that the White Sands Regional in New Mexico is on June 18 and 19.
Steve mentioned that in the past, the club had discussed holding NAR records trials at every Saturday launch, but no one has made record attempts at those launches. After some discussion, it was suggested that anyone interested in making a record attempt should bring their rockets to any Saturday launch, and that launch can be designated a records trial on the spur of the moment. If only one person wants to do a trial flight, they must pay the trial fee, which is five dollars. If two or more fly, they will split the fee. The club currently has 79 national NAR records.
The TARC team from Lakewood High School gave a presentation. The Lakewood team is the only team from Colorado who made it to the finals, which will be held on May 21st near Washington, DC. The team asked for advice and suggestions from the members of the club.
Next, Bruce handed out ribbons from the contest held in March.
Then Steve mentioned that the club might buy Skyripper hybrid equipment.
The meeting finished with a “Show and Tell” session.

IMAGEC
lnchrack.jpg

C.R.A.S.H. Landings is published by:

Colorado Rocketry Association of Space Hobbyists (NAR section #482)

No responsibility is assumed for unsolicited material. All submissions become the property of C.R.A.S.H. Landings. Submissions should be delivered in electronic format by e-mail or diskette. For other formats, please contact the editor:

Ian MacDonald – [removed email]