Yeah, he may have been at the doctor getting his cast removed.

Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

Next up was the ill-fated Centuri Vulcan. Before the flight I had been looking the brittle old girl over and wondering if she was actually flightworthy. For some reason my gluing method had given it the look of a schwantz with Peyronie's Disease, as it had a pronounced droop just before the nose cone. Didn't care. I was proud of it anyway, even in its then current battered state. I'd pulled the C6-3 that I had initially planned to fly it on and substituted a B6-2, which ensured that everything would happen almost at eye level. I'm not terribly proficient with the cell phone as a movie camera anyway, doubly so when I'm pushing the launch button with my right hand and filming with my left. I generally wind up with pictures of my crotch because I forget the camera is rolling, so in this occasion I was concentrating really hard at keeping the camera level. I saw it leave the pad and was thinking "Okay, now track the flight with the camera," when the flight reappeared on the camera. I looked out to see the motor tube hit the ground trailing tracking smoke, then the body of the rocket following. On fire. I kept the camera rolling until there was little left but ashes. Maybe 25 feet? With a two point landing about five feet apart? Luckily it had rained earlier in the week and I was able to casually tap the dying flames out. In the end, it appeared that the glue joints had given way, which allowed the tinder-dry body to slide down into the path of the flame. The motor tube looks untouched. The body is now fertilizing center field. As soon as I can get a stout enough sheet of paper I'll rebuild her. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

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__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

I was going to suggest another C6-5 for old times, but it’s too nice to lose.

Somewhat surprisingly, I soldiered on. Lucky #13 would be the Semroc BatRok done in Adam West tribute paint scheme. I like the way it turned out, but the inkjet BATMAN decal on the payload section is barely noticeable. At any rate, the minimum diameter rocket on an A8-3 would be plenty of bird for the field and conditions. As expected, flight was fairly high and straight with recovery across the field near third base.

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__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

Flight 14 was a redemption flight, the Semroc Centurion on the mighty B6-4. Last flight for this bird on this field was back in 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrQwmsWK0Rg It didn't end well. Not only did it spend the night on the wire, it also suffered a small zipper and lost nose cone during the salvage operation the next morning. I cut down the body tube and ordered a new nose cone from eRockets and Saturday was the coming out party. The B6-4 was perfect on this field, landing deep in the hole behind second base. No man's land, but at least it doesn't require recovery with an improvised device.

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__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

15th on the bill was one of my Estes Rogue variants, this one the 1.3x BT-50 version. Lost focus on this one, so the pics turned out iffy. The flight was perfect, the recovery somewhat less so. Plenty of altitude, but on recovery the rear of the rocket caught the edge of the infield dirt, and the same fin that came off last time came off this time.

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__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

If we get back to the cornfield, it's in the plans.

__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

Nice "Vampire". I have a soft spot for the '73 RTF's. I recently bought this Jinx and Black Diamond from YORF member Haras on Ebay. It was my last Excelsior Vampire decal. The Black Diamond's going up on a C6-7.

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I've never really managed a good flight from the Goonybird Cloud Hopper. My original jinked off the pad and plowed into the eaves of my childhood home on Blossom Lane. This necessitated a quicky repaint of the underside of the eaves lest my Dad figure out what happened. (He never did.) All I was able to salvage from the rocket was a rear fin with the rabbit foot sticker on it. It had been painted Rocket Red because I got a good deal on Rocket Red spray paint and for a while all my rockets were that color. Because of that, this rocket was as close to Rocket Red as I could get. This one always has seemed a lot like the Wolverine in that the flight path is wildly inconsistent. The 1/2A3-2T was way underpowered, and the flight topped out at around 75'. It never got squirrelly, but it did plow into the ground just as it ejected and tossed a fin. I'll fly it again, but with an A3-4T.

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__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

Seventeenth flight of the day was supposed to be the last, but that plan changed at the last minute. The only reason the Estes Rattler 7 flew was because I found an A8-3 rolling around the bottom of my tote. I was tired, but since it's such an infrequent flyer, I decided to give it a go. The Rattler 7 was a last second purchase and quicky build when we visited my brother in law for a launch in Cleveland in 2001. It lost the upper section that day, but I've since replaced it with a length of BT-5 and a spare nose cone. Always like the looks of the rocket, and it's always flown well. Today was no exception, a dead straight boost to 250' and a long drift to the third base line on recovery. As I was returning from the recovery journey I noticed a dad and two kids walking on the sidewalk up by the school, looking my way expectantly. This wouldn't be my last flight of the day after all.

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__________________
Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2