This happened

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Published: Sunday, 17 August 2014 18:41

Written by Kenn Blade

With double thanks to John Harland, Kenn flew this rocket at the MMMSC launch on the 16th of August. The rocket was originally built by John and was picked up by Kenn when John was giving away his stash. On a previous flight, the rocket picked up a double zipper on what seemed to be an uneventful recovery. With John returning to the CMASS launch in July, he offered to help Kenn fix it so it could fly again. For those who hadn't been following the TRF thread, Kenn's launching this on a G40-7W single-use Estes Pro Series II motor came as a shock; some of them had never seen Kenn away from the LCO table in Berwick.

Except for a little tail wag on the way up (not quite as bad as the MIT Wiggle) the flight was flawless. Ejection just after apogee with a little velocity still produced a beautiful chute and a gentle drop back to the field. After viewing a "selfie" Kenn took of himself with the rocket in its landing place in the background, Bill suggested it was photo shopped. After being reminded that Kenn's computer skills weren't that good, Bill conceded that it was probably easier for Kenn to fly the rocket rather than fake it. Other photos and testimonials are available from some of the folks who were there.

Thanks, too, to Mike Sherrod for the above picture of the lift off. My shot shows nothing but smoke.